I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 94
Translator: Nabi
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Chapter 94
The next day, Count Schdental’s scheme was unraveled by an unexpected person, Coco. While I was sitting in the office and working, Coco, who had grown a lot before I knew it, suddenly appeared in a humanized form.
‘I’ve always seen him in the cat form, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen him like this. He’s grown a lot in the meantime.’
Coco, who was thin and small compared to his age, was struggling to overcome a picky eating habit. Thankfully, through a lot of effort, he had gained some weight and grown taller. Dressed in cute gray suspender shorts, he laid his belly on the sofa in my study and gazed up at me with his hand resting under his chin.
“Angel.”
“Hmm?”
“The humans are saying strange things.”
Sitting at the desk and going through documents, I put down the pen I was holding and asked Coco.
“What do you mean, strange words?”
“That the cat shapeshifters and the mouse shapeshifters are colluding.”
“What…?”
Wasn’t it common knowledge that cats were natural enemies of mice? It was the same even among the shapeshifters. It was because cat shapeshifters coveted the weapon of the mouse shapeshifters, dream demons.
Coco rolled his eyes, grumbling that he had heard the absurdity of it all.
“What do they think of us? Besides, mouse shapeshifters have no concept of loyalty or justice! They willingly devour their own siblings when they’re hungry. They’re truly nasty creatures. I wouldn’t even consider associating with mouse shapeshifters, and I’m sure others feel the same. Also, I’m not saying this just because I’m a cat shapeshifter, Angel.”
Letting out a deep sigh, he stretched out on the sofa armrest.
I accepted it nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry too much, Coco. People probably don’t understand cats well, so they’re just saying whatever.”
“No, it’s not that. Among the employees, there’s no one who isn’t discussing that story these days. It’s because the retainers brought along by other nobles keep spreading the rumors.”
“…Spreading rumors?”
“Yeah. Since cats can control demons of intermediate level and higher, they say that if they command a demon, they can also control the dream demons.”
Upon hearing those words, I suddenly recalled a question Lady Latina, the daughter of Count Schdental, had asked me at the tea party the other day.
I had found it strange why she asked such a sudden question. Furthermore, she hadn’t even listened to my response.
Feeling perplexed, I turned to Coco.
“Could you tell me more details? What else did those people say?”
“It’s always kind of similar. Among those who’ve bought cat shapeshifters, there are stories about some who were targeted by the dream demons. There’s one house that abused a cat shapeshifter, and then that night, a dream demon drained their energy but they miraculously survived.”
“Are they portraying cat shapeshifters and mouse shapeshifters as if they’re in a cooperative relationship?”
“Well, isn’t it fortunate if it’s just a cooperative relationship? They say cat shapeshifters are bad. Cats have a vengeful nature, so if they hold a grudge, they use mouse shapeshifters as a means of revenge.”
“What?”
“The employees brought by Madam Elbas get irritated just by seeing me. Even the ones who were originally there now avoid me, while some even tell me not to send any mouse shapeshifters to their houses.”
It wasn’t something to casually dismiss.
Except for the Blois Territory, regions all over the country were in chaos because of the mouse shapeshifters. If such rumors spread at this point, the perception of cat shifters would deteriorate significantly.
“Thank you for letting me know, Coco.”
“Where are you going, Angel?”
“I need to talk to Dimitri.”
Upon hearing my story, Dimitri immediately began investigating who was spreading such rumors.
Despite several days of investigation, he couldn’t pinpoint the original source as the rumor seemed to have spread discreetly. However, considering that it first emerged among the nobles and then shifted to their employees and the fact that the rumor was still limited to the territories in the northern region, including Blois…
“It’s hard to erase suspicions about Count Schdental and Madam Elbas being behind this.”
Dimitri nodded in response to my words.
“I agree. It’s a pity that there’s only circumstantial evidence.”
“Still, we can be prepared.”
“It seems like they’re intentionally trying to give cat shapeshifters a bad image to create resentment towards Rowiane’s shapeshifters’ shelter.”
I pounded my fist into the cushions that adorned the couch in irritation.
“Just leave me alone, these troublesome people!”
“I know that sentiment well.”
“If they were truly sympathizing with orphans and the poor, I could understand. However, they’re just doing this to hinder my work!”
“It’s not just about hindering. They’re trying to inflate it by creating a problem.”
Even if I were to give up and stop here, the issues wouldn’t end peacefully. They would continue to obstruct every matter like this.
“Dimitri has led Blua through all these challenges so far… it’s truly remarkable.”
“Finally, someone acknowledges it!”
Dimitri laughed heartily, raising the wine glass he held and lightly clinking it against my teacup that was placed on the table.
“You seem happy despite this situation, Dimitri.”
“It’s because I finally have a comrade who understands my everyday life.”
“I can sense your ease. Do you have any thoughts on what we should do?”
“Don’t overthink it. If you can’t figure it out…”
Dimitri’s lips curved meaningfully as he lowered his voice to finish his words.
“Getting rid of everything wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”
“Are you suggesting causing division among the people of Blois? Oh, what a brilliant idea! Then, taking advantage of this opportunity, the central, southern, western, and eastern nobles, who are currently fighting among themselves, will see the conflicts in the north and salivate with envy. Dimitri, fighting a lone battle, will eventually swallow up the empire! Wow, that sounds so impressive!”
As I clapped without any enthusiasm, he shamelessly grinned.
“How do you manage to understand my plans so well?”
I let out a sigh and returned to my serious demeanor.
“This isn’t time to play around. How can we stop Count Schdental and Madam Elbas?”
We racked our brains, discussing how to prevent the rumors and restore the perception of cat shapeshifters. But even if I wanted to solve it and wished for a solution, if it were a matter with a simple and readily available solution, Count Schudental and Madam Elbas wouldn’t have gone through the trouble to plan this.
In the end, without coming up with any effective measures, I left Dimitri’s office because I needed to prepare for another tea party with Elaine.
Although we wouldn’t hold a boisterous party this time, as Elaine had visited Blua under the pretext of poor health and care, the curiosity surrounding the Princess persisted, so tea parties were frequently held. Since preparing these banquets was my responsibility in the first place, I couldn’t afford to give the impression of neglecting the Princess.
From a distance, I could see Elaine standing early at the location of the tea party.
“Duchess.”
“First Princess.”
Since there were already a few guests arriving earlier than expected, we exchanged polite greetings, maintaining our decorum. Though when no one was looking, Elaine gave me a friendly wink and I responded with a small smile in return.
After a few drinks with Avila, the two of us secretly met and spent time together every night. Elaine needed a good-tasting drink, while building a closer relationship with her was important to me. Still, even without that, we got along quite well. I liked Elaine.
With summer flowers adorning her hair, Elaine showed me a box.
“Take a look at this, Duchess.”
“What is this?”
“Madam gave me a lot of tea leaves, saying she thought I might need them.”
Although my head started pounding when I heard Madam Elbas’s name, I smiled unobtrusively.
“Madam Elbas is very knowledgeable about tea. They must be good teas.”
“I want to serve these at the tea party. Is that alright?”
“Of course. It will make the tea party a little more formal.”
During the tea party that day, Elaine generously shared the fragrant tea given by Madam Elbas with the guests. In the meanwhile, my mind was tangled with thoughts on how I could expose Count Schdental and Madam Elbas.
After the tea party ended, Rosanne’s maid, Lena, discreetly mingled among the other maids who were tidying up. As she pretended to look at the teacups, she subtly smelled the aroma of the leftover tea leaves and tea in the teapot and tea cups.
Lately, Lena occasionally circled around Rowaine, checking the food she ate and the tea she drank. No one thought she was suspicious because she was just fiddling around with what was left after Rowaine was done.
Eventually, she immediately went straight to Rosanne’s room to report what she had seen and heard.
“The Duchess drank that tea again, Madam.”
“Today, too?”
“When I asked the other maids who were serving at the tea party, they said the Princess had brought out some precious tea leaves to share, saying she received them as a gift from Madam Elbas.”
Rosanne touched her forehead at those words.
“Last time, I wanted to believe it was just a mistake, just a coincidence…”
She was indignant for a moment before turning terribly furious the next moment.
“Ah, Cayetana. What should I do with you?”
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Translator’s Note: Hello, it’s Nabi! I’m the translator of this novel ପ( ๑•ᴗ•๑ )ଓ♡ If you like the novel and would like to support me, please feel free to click the button below to go to my kofi~! Thank you so much for always supporting the novels I work on, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot. ❤︎
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