I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 232
Chapter 116.2
“I, I should visit the shelter. I’ll see you at the dinner party later!”
As soon as he withdrew his hand, I quickly stood up and practically fled from the office. It was difficult to endure the tingling sensation as if the place touched by his hand had become electrified.
̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊
“It’s more stimulating if you run away.”
Watching Rowaine walk away quenched his appetite, and Dimitri licked his lips. His pupils were slightly more dilated than usual. The statement about getting excited when someone runs away was indeed true. It was the instinct of a cat.
As Rowaine disappeared completely out of sight, Dimitri chuckled and glanced down at the hand that had touched her neck.
“Her heart is beating so fast.”
He clenched his hand as though he wanted to grab Rowaine, who was running away.
“I wonder why you’re trying to escape from me. I’ll find out and…”
His pupils dilated and constricted dramatically.
“It would be better to get rid of it.”
̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊
‘What, what’s going on? Why is my face turning red and making a fuss?’
As I sprinted down the hallway, I caught a glimpse of my face reflected in the window. My face was flushed as if I had caught a fever.
‘Why did I think of that kiss now…’
A little while ago, when Dimitri leaned in close, I remembered the kiss I had been trying so hard to forget.
“I love you.”
Despite the fact that I was treating Dimitri as if nothing had happened, it was far from the truth that my heart wasn’t unaffected. He was a nice man. With a man like him tempting me, it was inevitable that my heart would flutter.
Rejecting him was purely because of my own issues.
In my head, I vividly recalled a conversation I had with my mom one day.
—
“Mom, why did you marry Dad?”
“…Because of love. I got married because I love him.”
—
I was frozen for a while by the unexpected answer.
Love.
As far as I could remember, my mom had never been happy because of my dad. They always fought, and she always seemed unhappy. So, my question wasn’t originally driven by pure curiosity. It was more of a resentment of why she married the person who made her unhappy.
The words that came out of my mother’s mouth were a tremendous shock to my young self.
—
“Lies.”
—
I didn’t want to believe it.
My mother smiled with a sickly appearance.
—
“It’s true. When we were dating, your dad was really sweet. He was so nice to mom.”
“Dad?”
“It was like that back then. When we were dating, he used to spend two hours every day just to pick me up and take me home. He’d remembered everything I said I wanted to eat or have, and he would buy it for me.”
—
He was a father who hadn’t shown his face since my mother was hospitalized for a long time.
My mother looked incredibly happy as she reminisced about the old memories with him.
That was when I realized that she had clung to a fragment of the memories from their dating days, enduring an unhappy marriage. They held onto that mirage-like memory of their brief, affectionate relationship and endured the hardships of their long marriage.
—
“What’s the point of him treating you so well back then? Look at the state of things now. Has your dad ever celebrated your birthday? What about your wedding anniversary? Has he even lifted a finger to help with a single chore around the house?”
—
My mother said self-deprecatingly to me when I asked angrily.
—
“That’s true, but that’s how it is after marriage. All men are like that.”
“Why don’t you get a divorce if things have changed?!”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds. How could I? We still have some bond of living together.”
“Mom, you’ve been deceived by Dad.”
—
As I was going through my teenage years, I, with an immature heart, spoke recklessly without considering her feelings.
No, I actually wanted to hurt my mom… so I blamed and resented her.
She foolishly married my dad, and witnessing my parents’ married life made me feel so unhappy and sick. I hated my dad, who didn’t treat me as a person and sacrificed everything for my brother. I hated the way he casually treated my mom, and I hated his authoritative attitude towards us while not being able to do anything to my brother.
My father was a truly terrible nightmare for me.
My mom comforted me when I was angry.
—
“I’m sorry.”
“What does Mom have to be sorry for again! Ah, that’s enough.”
“Eunsoo, don’t get married.”
“I’m not getting married. I’m never getting married. I won’t even be in a relationship, so I’m never going to be in love or anything like that.”
—
My mom might have said those words to placate me, but for me, that day’s resolution became a lifelong commitment. For the next twenty-nine years of my life as Seo Eunsoo, I steadfastly adhered to that resolve, never giving my heart to anyone.
‘Emotional attachments in love are just hormonal reactions. They have a validity period of two years. After two years, they disappear completely, leaving only regrets behind.’
The resentment that had been lingering inside me tore apart the excitement that tried to creep in. The unresolved pain and wounds had become stubborn, deeply rooted in my heart. They had now become a part of me.
As I happened to see Coco passing in front of me in the form of a cat, I scooped him up and hugged him tightly.
“Where are you going, Coco?”
“Huuk! Can’t bre, breathe! Keek!“
“You’re overreacting!”
This was the only thing I believed to be unchanging love—the affection between a cat and its guardian.
At that moment, Coco stretched out his round front paw and pointed at my shadow.
“Rowaine, that guy is smiling unpleasantly.”
“Huh?”
I turned to look at my shadow and was startled.
Agaliaept, hiding within my shadow, was smiling sinisterly.
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