Chapter 4

“Today, once and for all, I’m going to have that stupid cat disposed of!”

“I made a promise to Father. In exchange for never disobeying him, he agreed to let me keep Kitty.”

“How infuriating! You’re always mean to me, yet you don’t even show the slightest remorse!”

Honestly, how could anyone spout so many lies without getting tired of it? The dress was far too badly torn to have been the work of a cat. Helena probably wanted to exaggerate the damage, but her shoddy attempt at framing me was so poorly executed that I couldn’t even bring myself to be angry.

Even so, their parents took Helena’s side and berated Ophelia. It was easy to imagine that this was how the family had always been, long before I was brought into the house.

“Kitty would never do such a thing.”

“That’s nothing but a lie! You didn’t even see what happened!”

“Because I trust this little one.”

I leaped gracefully into the air, and Ophelia caught me as though we’d rehearsed it beforehand. I let out a rather silly-sounding meow and didn’t even bother looking at Helena, as if she meant absolutely nothing to me.

Back when I was living as Alexandra, no one had ever placed their trust in me. I’d thought such a thing was meaningless, and I’d scoffed at it as nothing more than an excuse made by the weak.

“Meow.”

And yet, finding that feeling comforting now was a truly mysterious experience.

“You little wretch! Are you making a fool of me…?!”

“Please don’t be rough with Kitty!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

Helena shrieked even louder and reached toward me. As Ophelia moved to shield me, Helena’s long nails scratched her sister’s pale cheek.

That woman was getting far too full of herself just because people had been treating her gently. If I were still Alexandra, I’d have shoved her to the ground this very instant and made her crawl on all fours.

It was only after becoming a cat that I’d learned how suffocating and troublesome it was to have to worry about someone else’s fate.

Everything I did could become a weakness for Ophelia. As if I’d ever give Helena the satisfaction of getting what she wanted! Besides, if all I’d wanted to do was tear a dress, I would have already sunk my claws into Helena’s throat and bitten her as hard as I could. She ought to be on her knees thanking me for showing such restraint.

“Anyway, you’re going to have to pay for this. Not you personally, Big Sister, but your fiancé, Lord Vincent.”

The moment Helena mentioned that name, Ophelia’s shoulders twitched. Helena flashed a nasty smile, as though she’d just claimed a trophy by cutting off her enemy’s head.

“Well, that gentleman gives me gifts even when there’s no reason to. He seems to have special feelings for poor little me, who’s constantly bullied by her older sister. He even told me I was the cutest girl in the world. Honestly, I don’t know what to do with myself!”

If it were me, I’d have punched her in the face four or five times, not just once. Ophelia merely gave her a sad smile, which seemed to irritate Helena even more.

People like her really ought to learn that nothing got under their skin more than receiving little to no reaction.