I Became the Master of the Villain

It was a cat I’d never seen before.

The snow-white cat was sitting on a branch of the plane tree that stretched toward the terrace of my room.
Meow.
The cat let out a pretty-sounding cry. And in the next moment—

“Ah…!”
Startled, I set down my teacup.
The cat had landed lightly right in front of me while I was enjoying tea time on the terrace.

With graceful steps, the cat approached me.
Stray cats are usually wary and run away when they see people.
But this one wasn’t avoiding me at all…

Curious, I bent down to meet its eyes.
'It’s so beautiful.'
Its snow-white fur gleamed, and its round blue eyes looked like glass beads.

The cat swayed its long tail gently, then quietly sat by my feet.
Had it been raised by someone? It showed no fear.
Heart pounding, I slowly knelt down.

'Can I touch it?'
Worried it might run, I cautiously reached out my hand.
But instead, the cat calmly accepted my touch.

As if enjoying it, it even began to purr.
'Ah, so soft…'
The plush feel of its fur filled me with happiness.
With a gooey expression on my face, I stroked its fur again and again.

Its coat was glossy and healthy—it definitely seemed like someone had been taking care of it.
While petting its small head, I asked,
“Where did you come from, little one?”

The cat perked up its ears and meowed. It almost sounded like a reply to my question, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Do you have an owner?”
Meowwww.

This time it meowed a bit longer and rubbed its cheek against the back of my hand.
At that affectionate gesture, my heart almost gave out.
'Too cute!'

That tiny little mouth shaped like a ㅅ, those fluffy little paws—
Everything about it was adorable.
While gently scratching under its chin, I asked,

“Aren’t you hungry?”
Meow.
A short cry.

Of course, I couldn’t interpret it.
Still, I felt the urge to give it something.
'It’d be a crime for a human not to offer tribute to a cat.'

I immediately thought I should go to the kitchen.
But just then, a chill brushed my cheek.
I looked up at the sky and saw heavy clouds.

It had been overcast all day—and now, finally, it was starting to rain.
Raindrops suddenly began to fall from the darkened sky.
'It’ll catch a cold like this.'

Not me—the cat.
“Come here. You’ll catch a cold if you stay there.”
I quickly moved toward the room to avoid the rain and beckoned to the cat.

It hesitated for a moment, but then let out a “meow” as if saying okay.
Then, with delicate steps, it followed me.
Yes!

Granted the honor of becoming a cat ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) butler for the day, I cheered inwardly with emotion.
Even if only for one day—I was ready to be a devoted servant.
I took a dry towel from the drawer and began to gently dry the cat’s wet fur.

“Good girl, you’re being so good.”
Grinning like a fool, I even carefully dried its little pink jelly paws.
As I was humming and tending to the cat—

There was a knock, followed by Becky’s voice.
“My Lady, dinner is ready.”
When I told her to come in, the door opened a short while later.

“Oh my!”
Becky’s eyes widened when she saw the cat.
Then, looking unsure of what to do, she stared at it.

“So pretty…! My Lady, who is this little one?”
“I’ve never seen it before either. I brought it in because of the rain.”
“Do you think it has an owner?”

“It might, judging by how unafraid it is.”
Becky, now smiling happily, gently stroked the cat’s head and asked,
“Ah right—what would you like to do about dinner?”

Lately, I’d been having dinner with Father every evening, but today, one of his close friends had come to visit.
I had joined them for lunch, but there didn’t seem to be any need for me to join again for dinner.
They’d probably want to talk freely.

“I’ll eat in my room today.”
“Understood. I’ll bring it up right away.”
“And please bring some cat food too.”

“Yes!”
Since I often fed strays, the mansion always kept cat food in stock.
Soon after, Becky returned with a tray of food.

After she left, the cat that had been curled up on the sofa sniffed at the scent of the food.
I held out a bowl filled with cat food.
“You must be hungry. Go on, eat.”

But unlike what I expected, the cat didn’t eat. It just stared at me.
“You don’t want it?”
Meow.

The cat answered.
'What do I do? Maybe it doesn’t like the taste.'
I was just about to ask Becky to bring some fish when—

The cat suddenly leapt up onto the table. It stared intently at my dinner.
With a bit of disbelief, I asked,
“Do you want this instead?”

Surprisingly, the cat nodded.
That was a clear expression of intent.
The cat looked at my food and kept meowing.

'But this is human food—will it be okay?'
I inspected the dish carefully.
Thankfully, it didn’t contain any ingredients dangerous for cats.

“Okay, just a moment.”
If our feline guest disliked the cat food, I couldn’t just force it.
I scooped some food from my plate and placed it in front of the cat.

Please, enjoy it.
And it did. The cat ate happily.
I laughed as I looked at the now-clean plate.

'It’s just like a person.'
After that strange little dinner, I gazed at the raindrops scattered across the window.
It didn’t look like the rain would stop anytime soon.

The cat sat by the window, staring out at the rainy scene.
I gently stroked its soft fur and said,
“This won’t do. Want to stay at our house for the night?”

The cat blinked its transparent, glass-like blue eyes.
Then it swayed its tail and let out a meow.
Its eyes and voice were sweet.

'That has to be a yes, right?'
***
That night, I spent a peaceful time with the cat, listening to the gentle sound of rain.

Lying in bed, I watched it sit like a loaf of bread.
Its dangerously cute pose made my heart ache.
Even just spending a single day like this made me so happy. I wondered how lucky its owner must be.

'I want to be chosen as its butler…'
So lost in its cuteness, I found myself thinking that.
Then, the cat—curled up in its loaf position—stood up.

As I softly stroked its back, I asked,
“What are you up to?”
Meow.

It perked up its ears, then placed its front paw on my thigh.
I was staring blankly at the fluffy white paw when—
It began kneading my thigh like dough.

“...!”
Kneading.
The sacred ritual of cats—a blessing granted to those who’ve earned their favor.

Having my efforts acknowledged, I covered my mouth in awe.
'I could die happy right now!'
Switching between its right and left paw, it pressed into my thigh with care—absolutely adorable.

And the soft jelly pads touching my skin—
I was so moved I cried silent tears and thumped my pillow.
'Destroy the Earth!'

Even so, the overwhelming emotion refused to settle.
Once the cat finished kneading and sat politely again, I carefully picked it up and looked into its eyes.
“Thanks to you, I’m really happy right now.”

The cat meowed, but didn’t squirm.
I hugged it.
Up close, it looked even prettier.

Its fur was blindingly white like snow, and its blue eyes held the calm of a lake.
It was so lovely and beautiful…
I gently kissed it.

Mrowww…!
The cat’s whiskers twitched, seemingly startled.
I must’ve surprised it. I felt a little awkward.

“Sorry. You were just too cute—I couldn’t help myself.”
Mewooo…
The cat let out a small cry and avoided my gaze.

But since it was swaying its tail, it didn’t seem upset.
That’s when I learned something new about the cat.
“You’re a boy, huh?”

Meeeow…
The cat avoided my gaze for a while.
Could it be… that even cats get embarrassed?

The thought was ridiculous—but I laughed anyway.
Night deepened. It looked like the rain would fall all night.
I lay in bed, ready to sleep.

The cat was curled up on the rug under the bed.
It must’ve chosen that as its sleeping spot.
I patted the bedsheets lightly and said,

“Come on up. Let’s sleep together.”
The cat hesitated, then jumped up in one leap.
It walked up to my pillow.

I gently stroked its slender back.
The cat purred contentedly under my touch.
Lying slightly on my side, I looked at its profile.

Its eyes, its fur, its beauty—
'This cat… kind of reminds me of someone.'