I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 315

Chapter 158.1

At that moment, Elaine cleared her throat beside me.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but if I don’t step in, this could go on forever. I think we need to have a meeting.”

Only then did I notice Elaine standing next to me, and I immediately jumped away from Dimitri, flustered.

“R-Right, of course.”

My face burned so intensely that it felt like it was about to burst. Right at that moment, Samael, who had been keeping an eye on Herman, appeared at our side.

“Do you think Count Heres will come back?”

I asked Dimitri, who shook his head.

“He’s fled far away. He took a pretty bad hit, so he’ll need time to recover.”

I was worried.

“He won’t just sit back and do nothing now that we know his secret.”

The fact that Elaine was Herman’s half-sibling was truly an unexpected turn of events. As I glanced at her to gauge her reaction, she responded with a faint smirk.

“Learning out of nowhere that my mother had a secret son is pretty shocking… but then again, with how messed up my family has always been, I can’t say I’m too surprised.”

She let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh.

“Our family has always been at the center of power, which means plenty of people have tried to get close for their own gain. Many of our ancestors used that power for their own love affairs and marriages. Just take my father as an example. It speaks for itself, doesn’t it?”

Elaine seemed to have a stronger mentality than I had expected.

“I would’ve expected a secret child to come from my father, not my mother. Honestly, you really can’t trust anyone.”

She let out an exasperated laugh and shrugged.

It occurred to me that this was the kind of strength needed to be an emperor. Then, finally certain of what I had only suspected before, I voiced my suspicions to Elaine.

“It seems Count Heres has joined hands with Empress Iris. I wasn’t completely convinced before since I couldn’t see a clear reason for it, but now there’s no doubt.”

I recounted to her my encounter with Iris—how she seemed to know the emperor all too well and how she even used a magical perfume to conceal her scent, among other things.

“If she’s working with Count Heres, then Empress Iris probably has insight into everything about the emperor.”

“So Count Heres holds a grudge against me and sided with Empress Iris.”

Elaine’s gaze flickered as she quickly processed the situation. Then, as if reaching a decision, she gave a determined nod.

“We have to catch Count Heres off guard before he acts. We’re running out of time.”

She was right.

From Iris’s perspective, Elaine gaining control of Blois would be a serious threat. Even though Dimitri was often looked down on for simply being a shapeshifter, it didn’t change the fact that the Blois family wielded significant influence in this country.

‘They practically rule over the vast northern territories.’

Even a president, no matter how powerful, would always have critics whispering behind their back. However, that didn’t mean the presidency itself was taken lightly.

It was the same here. The nobles might scorn Dimitri as an individual, but they couldn’t ignore the authority of his position. The majority of the northern lords had strong political and business ties to the Blois family. While the South was fractured into various competing factions, Blois stood as a solid, unified power.

For Iris, there was no way she could stand by and let Elaine—now in control of such immense power—do as she pleased.

“It’s going to be a game of strategy. The real question is who can strike first and eliminate the other more effectively.”

There was a steely determination in Elaine’s eyes as if she had already made up her mind.

“The bowstring is drawn. There’s no time or reason for me to hesitate anymore. I’ve finally obtained the one thing that was always out of reach—the key to breaking the curse.”

As she looked at us, she no longer seemed like a twenty-year-old just stepping into adulthood.

“There’s no need to bicker with Empress Iris over the line of succession. When Cadis wins the tournament, I’ll claim the throne myself.”

She was openly declaring rebellion.

The overwhelming presence of a true leader radiated from her.

She was already prepared to become emperor.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

The fight between Herman and Dimitri had taken place in a secluded area, away from the racetrack, so the emperor remained unaware that it had happened.

Dimitri adjusted his clothes and strode toward the emperor’s seat, his expression composed as if the fight had never taken place.

“Duke of Blois.”

William was smiling warmly at Renée, his expression full of affection, but his brows creased slightly the moment he spotted Dimitri.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”