I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 247

Chapter 124.1

I avoided him, afraid that he would talk about the day we popped champagne when we met, but he didn’t mention a word about that day. Rather, as he treated me as if nothing had happened, I felt a little relieved and stopped going to the shelter early in the morning.

‘To be honest, it was difficult.’

Getting up and going to work at a time when nobody else was awake was really lonely and challenging, even if I was the boss.

‘Cat shapeshifters might be nocturnal, but I’m not.’

I’ve attached the knights and the managers from Avila’s shelter to them, just in case something happened to them while carrying out the request. Even though the lord of the region had approved the request, there might still be people who didn’t like shapeshifters roaming the streets at dawn and wanted to harm them.

So, I returned to my usual routine, at least on the surface.

Nevertheless, covering it up didn’t mean that what happened between Dimitri and me never happened. It was because, after the kiss that day, I became acutely aware of my feelings.

‘Let’s not make a fuss. Feelings like these will disappear soon enough.’

Moreover, weren’t we bound by a marriage contract?

If I let my guard down and give in to my feelings just a little, the marriage contract might not end up just being a contract.

Then, blindly enamored by a fleeting love, you would step into the institution of marriage, only to find yourself trapped in the prison of obligation. After the love has ended, all that remains of the once beautiful relationship would be boredom and duty, leading to both people feeling burdened and annoyed, treating each other more carelessly than anyone else.

That might become the relationship between Dimitri and me… A relationship between my parents that I thought was terrible.

‘I can’t let our perfect friendship deteriorate into something so ugly and miserable.’

If I could acknowledge this momentary hormonal surge and let it pass without dwelling on it, we could part ways with only good memories of each other. Perhaps, as he suggested before, even after divorce, we could continue working in the shelter and mercenary group, seeing each other as allies and colleagues for a long time.

As I was making up my mind, I received a letter from Elaine.

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“Mistress? How did this happen?”

I showed the letter from Elaine to Dimitri and asked him in dismay.

“Why is Renée in the imperial palace as the Emperor’s mistress when I helped her run away with the person she loves…”

I was truly dumbfounded.

“For now, I think it would be best to investigate what happened to the knight who took her first.”

“Did Count Larscel capture him? He can’t be dead, can he?”

Various thoughts crossed my mind. If it was Count Larscel, he was a man who was capable of killing Renée’s lover, Nigel, and taking her away.

“I thought he seemed uninterested in me and kept quiet, but I didn’t expect him to find Renée.”

Dimitri, watching me seethe with anger, made a suggestion.

“If you’re that worried, would you like to meet her in person?”

“Renée?”

“With the social season in full swing and the Emperor’s birthday celebration right around the corner, we were bound to visit the capital anyway. We’re just advancing the schedule a bit.”

“…Is that okay?”

Dimitri smiled as if to say, ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’

“Of course. It’s something you care about.”

Now, I knew that this kindness wasn’t purely altruistic and that this was an effort to win my favor, but I couldn’t afford to refuse right now.

‘I’m sure that innocent little Renée is being treated terribly on my behalf.’

Renée has no one else to help her. No one but me.

“Thank you, Dimitri.”

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In fact, Dimitri wondered who Renée was when Rowaine ran up to him and said, “Renée has become the Emperor’s mistress!” because he had completely forgotten about her.

So naturally, he wasn’t the least bit worried about Renée but rather pleased that the Emperor had taken his attention away from his wife and found another woman. However, the reason he readily suggested going to the imperial palace with Rowaine was partly for her sake but also…

‘This is a perfect opportunity to separate Rowaine from the shelter and the mercenary group.’

If they could escape from the people who constantly stole her time whenever they had a chance, going to the capital would mean they could spend more time together.

‘We can attend parties and various social gatherings together, sticking together all the time.’