Chapter 8

“I want to make you mine as soon as possible. I swear that I’ll love you endlessly in a world meant for just the two of us, where no one else can lay eyes on you, and you’ll exist only for me as my beloved doll.”

Inside the locket was a lock of Ophelia’s hair. With a deranged smile on his face, that disgusting man pressed a kiss to it.

No matter how handsome he was, I wanted nothing to do with someone who had such bizarre fetishes. Just a little while ago, I’d considered whether I might allow him to have his way with me at least once, but now I knew that was absolutely out of the question.

“Meow.”

I skillfully slipped through the narrow gap in the slightly open window and gracefully padded into the room. Vincent didn’t even look surprised. He merely clicked his tongue, eyeing me as though I were something loathsome.

“You filthy vermin, getting close to Ophelia. You disgust me.”

He was probably the one who had repeatedly poisoned my food. Then again, Helena was capable of doing the same thing. In the end, the two of them really were a perfect match, birds of a feather.

I never touched any food that hadn’t been given to me personally by Ophelia. Even when I rested, I always chose a place where no one could ambush me, wandering around aimlessly so that no one could keep track of my whereabouts.

Even when I was Alexandra, my life had constantly been in danger. What kind of twisted fate had led me to the same circumstances even after being reborn as a cat?

Even so, I had absolutely no intention of leaving Ophelia.

—May I hold you? You beautiful cat with eyes like the moon.

That was what she had said when she picked me up, filthy as a worn-out rag.

Even when her family criticized her, she refused to let me go. She saved me at the cost of bringing harm upon herself.

There was nothing to gain from doing a stray cat a favor. And yet, Ophelia looked at me with such genuine affection in her eyes.

At some point, it seemed I had grown attached to this foolish young lady. Attached enough that I wanted to return to being Alexandra, a woman who had no lingering attachments to her former life, and completely eradicate the source of Ophelia’s misfortune.

“What a creepy cat. You’re looking at me as though you can see right through me. Don’t tell me you intend to save your owner?”

“Meowww.”

I had no intention of making a move against Vincent here and now. All I wanted was to give a slight warning to this man, who arrogantly assumed that no one knew about his feelings for Ophelia.

A cat’s eyes, after all, could be surprisingly effective mirrors for reflecting the truth.

One advantage of being a cat was being able to leap high without needing a running start. Before Vincent could react, I hurled myself straight at the locket clutched in his hand.

It fell to the floor with a faint clink. I gently brushed it with my smooth tail.

After giving an elegant little meow, I watched him glare at me resentfully.

“I’ll kill you someday, too, so look forward to it.”

Bring it on, you pervert. I wanted to tell him that such threats meant nothing to someone who had already been beheaded, but for now, I’d let him off with that much.

When I die, I’ll take you down with me.

Keeping my gaze fixed squarely on Vincent, I gave my lips a quick lick.