I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 272
Chapter 136.2
He had kept it a secret from his comrades that Elaine had given him his name.
“Did you have a mission, number 136?”
“Oh, the shift change at the Rose Palace was delayed. Number 207, is the injury from last time okay now?”
Cadis mingled with his comrades in identical training uniforms, asking about their well-being while darting around.
The dog shapeshifters, who instinctively follow the strong in the pack, were thrilled to see Cadis. Within the bounds that didn’t provoke the overseers’ ire, they joyfully shared trivial stories with him.
“It looks like a party is being held at the imperial palace! They served a piece of bread with something sweet on it for dinner.”
“It must be a party at the Golden Palace. There’s a cook there who has a habit of slightly burning the bread. I smelled the familiar burn.”
“Oh, right. They’re holding a party at the Golden Palace.”
The meals for the hunting hounds were usually the same menu.
The squads assigned to procure meat through hunting, tasked with maintaining the stamina of their battle slaves, brought back a small amount of animal meat, baked flour dough and boiled stewed wild vegetables that could hardly be called a dish. Occasionally, when there was an event at the imperial palace, the hounds would sometimes be lucky enough to eat the leftovers discarded by the palace cooks.
Contrary to the guards’ belief, who thought they would know nothing, the hounds often keenly observed the happenings at the imperial palace through these slightly different menus.
Sometimes, they could discern what was happening in the palace through sounds coming from very far away. There were even times when they learned about the people who came and went to the imperial palace through smells.
Cadis sniffed the familiar scent coming from somewhere. It was a faint scent lingering on one of his comrades’ clothes.
“Wait, Number 166. Where have you been today?”
“I was on my way back from waiting at the Golden Palace from escorting His Majesty.”
Cadis’s eyes lit up.
‘This is definitely Eunsoo’s scent.’
It was a scent he remembered distinctly—a very fresh yet sweet scent. However, it was a mysterious scent so faint that humans couldn’t smell it.
‘Is she in the capital? Was she at the party?’
Cadis’s face flushed.
Just being near Rowaine made his heart race with joy and made him feel very happy. It was a happy thing to think of someone he was happy to see.
‘Eunsoo!’
Cadiz stood tall like a statue and stared endlessly in the direction of the Golden Palace.
‘Huh?’
However, he heard a cautious rustling sound in his ears.
Not only Cadis but all the keen-eared dog shapeshifters heard the sound. They seemed to know who was visiting just from the sound of footsteps.
‘Her Highness the Princess has arrived.’
All the dog shapeshifters knew that sometimes Elaine would come to the training ground to avoid the supervisors’ eyes. Still, they never disclosed the meetings between Elaine and Cadis to anyone. Except for the Emperor, who held their lives in his grip through a curse, Cadis was essentially the leader of the pack, and there was no benefit for anyone in revealing this fact.
Instead, the hounds were happy to receive treats that Alain gave them when she came occasionally.
“Hold on.”
When he signaled his comrades, several of them pretended to play in groups, creating distractions to divert the supervisors’ attention, while a few others created blind spots for him.
Cadis approached Elaine, who was hiding in the shadow behind a wall. She waved her hand slightly.
“Your Highness.”
“Cadis! Rowaine has come to the imperial palace.”
Cadis’s smile spread slowly upon hearing Rowaine’s name.
“Yes, I know.”
“Really?”
Elaine paused when she saw that smile before her eyebrows arched upward.
She was also pleased with Rowaine’s arrival at the capital. However, unable to reveal their friendship in front of the Emperor and his wife, she deliberately missed her party and came to Cadis instead. But when she saw a delighted expression painted on Cadis’s face, a grumpy feeling welled up inside her.
‘This is my first time seeing Cadis’s expression like that. It’s cute, but…’
Elaine asked sullenly.
“Cadis, do you like Rowaine that much? Why exactly do you like her?”
“I’m not sure.”
Why did he like Rowaine? Strangely, being with her brought peace to his heart and eased his tension. Perhaps it was reassuring. Being with Elaine was also wonderful, but being with Rowaine felt somehow different.
It was an indescribable feeling.
Elaine’s eyes narrowed in disapproval as she saw him smiling broadly. She gently raised her toes before stroking his head. Cadis lowered his head slightly and naturally accepted her touch.
A meaningful smile spread across her lips as she looked at his face as he drew closer.
“Cadis, when it comes to someone you like, you need to know how to mark your territory.”
Cadis, who didn’t quite understand what she meant by ‘like,’ blinked innocently.
“How?”
“Like this.”
“….!”
His eyes widened at the soft sensation of her lips touching his. Her lips lingered briefly on his before parting away.
It happened in an instant.
Elaine opened her closed eyes and spoke brazenly.
“I’ll let you know if I hear any other news about Rowaine. Have a good night.”
“Yes…”
Cadis placed his hand on his lips at the unfamiliar sensations.
Elaine chuckled as she watched him, his mouth agape and lost in thought.
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