Chapter 17
Eloise showed no signs of being unwell during the day, so I hadn’t realized anything was wrong.
But at night, her faint groans grew more frequent.
“Meow.”
“Sleep well.”
Eloise tucked me in with the blanket and then lay down on her bed.
Before long, I could hear her steady breathing.
I slipped out from under the blanket she had so carefully placed over me and leapt up onto the bed.
As expected, she was frowning, her beautiful face twisted as if in pain.
“……”
Sweat beaded across her forehead, yet not a single groan escaped her lips.
By day, she endured her family’s cold treatment. By night, she endured pain.
It felt far too pitiful to be called the tribulation of a “villainess.”
If she would only reach out, admit she was struggling and in pain, things could change. Unlike me.
My family had always treated me like a worthless person—unlike the Montclaires.
“Li…zette.”
Even in her dreams, she called me firmly, as though I had caused some trouble again.
While staying at the Montclair duchy, Eloise had given me love more than I could ever deserve.
Just today alone, I had received far too much from her, and since the day I arrived, her affection had never ceased overflowing.
And what had I done in return? Attempting to run away, or running around with my so-called “Villainess Family Rehabilitation Project.” No wonder guilt pricked at me.
“Meow.”
I placed my fluffy little paw on her pale, bloodless hand.
I had once justified staying with her as “temporary protection,” but at some point, I had grown attached.
“Sigh…”
As my thoughts wandered, I began kneading her arms and legs with my paws.
I hoped it might help, just a little, like during her last seizure.
This was all I could do to repay Eloise.
“……”
It seemed to be working—her tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
As I pressed down on her palm, I suddenly felt something flowing beneath my paw.
“……!”
Startled, I lifted my paw—but there was nothing.
I pressed again, and this time, I felt a powerful current swirling like a vortex.
It was the same sensation I had felt when Marcel and Étienne resonated their mana.
“This is… mana? Wasn’t she supposed to be unawakened?”
During her last seizure, I hadn’t noticed it at all.
It wasn’t like a pulse. It was more like a breeze blowing beneath her thin skin.
In the original story, Eloise was simply described as unable to awaken her magic. But if there was a cause—if that cause could be resolved? That would be far greater than any “Villainess Family Rehabilitation Project.”
“Meowww.”
Recalling Marcel and Étienne’s training, I focused my mind to feel the mana’s flow more clearly.
Since I had experienced their mana, perhaps I could recognize Eloise’s as well.
Faintly, I sensed something surging violently within her body.
Following that current, I kneaded her palm and other areas, trying to grasp the flow of her mana.
Several spots, including her palm, thrashed with tangled streams.
When I pressed those tangled places with my paw, the flow smoothed out.
“Meow!”
Along with it came a prickling sensation, like static electricity. Was this the sting I had felt last time?
The current surged again, tangled once more—but it was better than before.
Could it be that I was a special cat? Was this the privilege of being a transmigrator?
“Meh.”
…Of course not. As a devoted romance-fantasy reader, I knew how ridiculous that sounded.
This was a world with magic. It wasn’t strange that animals could sense mana.
On Earth, they said dogs could see ghosts. So was it really such a big deal for a cat to sense mana here?
Still, I had found a clue to both the cause and the solution. There was hope now.
All that remained was the hard labor. And this was all Marcel’s fault.
If Marcel had remained my butler, I wouldn’t have grown attached to this so-called villainess, and I wouldn’t be working myself to the bone like this.
Yet even as I grumbled, my tiny paws never stopped moving.
The delicious smell of steak pulled my heavy eyelids open. At some point, I had fallen asleep sprawled on the bed. I slid down to the floor with a thud and heard laughter.
“Ha! What’s gotten into Lady Lizette?”
“Looks like she snuck out for a midnight stroll.”
“Meow!”
Eloise! You shouldn’t say things like that! Don’t you know how much I’ve been suffering for your sake?
The grievance surged in my chest—but the sight of steak held out before me melted all resentment away.
Yes, this was the true perk of being a rich family’s pet.
If only Eloise’s problem could be solved, I could spend the rest of my life eating well, playing to my heart’s content, and living in luxury.
“Chomp, chomp.”
Which meant I needed to eat well and keep up my strength.
After all, by day I ran the “rehabilitation project,” and by night I gave massages.
It was tough, living as the villainess’s cat. Marcel, who said he’d visit from time to time, hadn’t shown his face once.
“My lady, the weather is lovely today. How about reading in the garden? I’m sure Lady Lizette would enjoy it too.”
“Shall I?”
Oh! The garden! Last time, thanks to that wretched butler, I couldn’t enjoy it properly.
As I lifted my head from the steak plate, Sophie wiped my mouth.
“By the way, the emerald necklace arrived this morning. You should try it on.”
“Be honest, Sophie.”
“Well… I wanted to brag about Lady Lizette to the other maids.”
“They’re always like that. Nothing new.”
“But you’re the empire’s only duke’s daughter, and she’s the cat you’re raising.”
So even though the duke’s daughter was neglected, the maids still whispered behind her back. For Sophie, usually quiet and diligent, to bring this up meant their chatter had crossed the line.
“Do as you please.”
“Yes, my lady!”
After finishing dessert with blueberries, Sophie carried me off for grooming.
The brushing loosened clumped fur, leaving me feeling refreshed.
“Lady Lizette, you’re good at everything else, but I’ve never once seen you groom yourself. If I don’t bathe you, you’d get all grimy…”
Well, grooming with a human soul was bound to be awkward.
Once Sophie had brushed me thoroughly, she pulled out a greenish-blue emerald from the jewel box.
Wait—that was the one I had refused, wasn’t it?
“Meow?”
“It’s a set with the lady’s necklace.”
I looked up. Sure enough, the same design already hung around Eloise’s neck.
Well, if that was the case… I obediently raised my neck, and something heavy settled against my throat.
“As expected, Madam Christie’s craftsmanship is the best in the empire! My goodness, it’s so beautiful.”
“Mmm, it does look nice.”
“Meow.”
Frustrating—I couldn’t even see myself. I wanted to look too!
I leapt from Sophie’s arms and padded over to the mirror in the corner of the bedroom.
Ooooh! Gorgeous! The turquoise emerald, framed in white gold, gleamed brilliantly against my white fur.
“Mee-yaaa!”
“When I see Lady Lizette acting like this, it feels like she’s practically human.”
As I admired myself in the mirror with a satisfied cry, Sophie frowned as if deep in thought.
Eloise, too, stared at me before speaking.
“If she were a beastkin, she would have transformed into a human long ago. You know how arrogant that race is—they hate appearing in animal form before imperial citizens.”
“But… what if she doesn’t know how to transform? She was abandoned in the mountains, wasn’t she?”
“Hmm. If that were the case, Étienne would have realized it.”
Sophie nodded in agreement. A beastkin who didn’t know how to humanize, huh…
Honestly, beastkin would be better than just being a cat. A bit disappointing, really.
“Sophie, the garden is filled with sunlight.”
“Ah! Yes, my lady. Everything’s ready.”
Sophie hurriedly grabbed the parasol and a book, while I naturally held up my front paws to Eloise. After massaging her all night, even walking felt like a chore.
“Lizette, I’m worried you’ll forget how to walk at this rate.”
“Meow.”
Still, Eloise scooped me up despite the scolding.
When we reached the garden, she set me down without hesitation.
“My lady, is it alright to let Lady Lizette wander like that?”
“She spends all day lazing about. She should walk a little. She won’t run away. She’ll just… cause trouble.”
At the words “cause trouble,” guilt pricked me, so I obediently padded along the path.
The autumn sky was blue, the sunlight warm, the breeze refreshing. A perfect day for a walk.
“Meow!”
I chased a yellow butterfly fluttering before me, darting here and there—only to bump into a dark green dress. That familiar magnolia fragrance…!
“Still the same little troublemaker, I see.”
“Meow.”
“Mother.”
The duchess was holding a black lace parasol, apparently on her way somewhere.
Her attire wasn’t overly extravagant, so perhaps she, too, had been strolling the garden.
“A necklace I’ve not seen before… Lizette.”
“It’s the emerald you mentioned, Mother.”
“Ah, this is…”
The duchess’s cold, sharp eyes bore down on me.
