Chapter 6

I’ve come to realize just how convenient cats really are. Without having to hire spies or secret agents, I can sneak into practically anywhere on my own four paws. With intelligence to complement my instincts, I’d be practically invincible.

“Lord Vincent, just how much longer are you going to make me wait before you break off your engagement to my older sister?!”

“Calm down, Helena. Don’t say anything that could put us at a disadvantage when we don’t know who might be listening.”

“But I can’t stand it anymore! The thought of my beloved being by that woman’s side is unbearable!”

The fact that these two were openly putting on this farce in the drawing room of the Desmond estate proved just how stupid they were. Perhaps it was because they looked down on Ophelia, but they didn’t seem to have the slightest idea that a cat might overhear them.

“And besides, I’ll be murdered if this continues! My dresses have been torn to shreds, my jewelry has been stolen, and yesterday, she even shoved me to the ground!”

Beneath the bandages she’d wrapped around herself so conspicuously, there wasn’t even a single scratch. The dress Helena was holding was also completely different from the one she’d thrown at Ophelia the other day.

As for the jewelry overflowing from the shelves and drawers, Ophelia probably wouldn’t even notice if one or two pieces went missing. And far from shoving Helena around, that woman had repeatedly poisoned Ophelia’s food and drinks. Every time, I’d deliberately knocked them over, only to be scolded and called a “stupid cat.”

“It pains me, too, knowing you’re being treated that way.”

Ophelia’s fiancé, His Royal Highness Vincent Sergei Royalheim, the Third Prince, was a man of otherworldly beauty. His smooth silver hair, like strands of silver embroidery thread, was tied back in a single ponytail, and his slightly upturned eyes gleamed a deep, glossy black. There was something bewitching about his shadowy aura, and it had captivated not only Helena but the noblewomen throughout the entire kingdom.

Ophelia alone felt an indescribable fear of this man.

Apparently, that bothered him. The way he so conspicuously doted on Helena seemed to me like nothing more than an attempt to get Ophelia’s attention.

If I’d still been living as Alexandra, I might have considered letting a man like him into my bed at least once. I liked handsome men, but I couldn’t stand people like Vincent, whose personalities made them difficult to manipulate.

And this man was a genuine madman. I’d only discovered that fact recently, and I was still desperately trying to figure out how to reveal the truth to Ophelia.

“The evidence will be gathered soon. Once that happens, you’ll be my fiancée in both name and reality.”

“I do enjoy the thrill of secretly being in love like this, but I want to be able to declare it openly as soon as possible. I want everyone to know that Lord Vincent belongs to me.”

“Come here, Helena.”

The moment Vincent held out his hand, Helena’s ability to think for herself seemed to shut down. Like an insect drawn toward a moth-attracting lamp, she could do nothing but drift into his arms. The foolish girl had no idea that she was being manipulated into behaving that way.