I Became the Master of the Villain

I said to the cat that quietly accepted my touch.
“You look like someone I know.”
If Kian were to become a cat, he would look exactly like this.

The cat purred and rubbed its face against my hand. Its soft, damp nose tickled my skin.
'There are plenty °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° of aloof ones, but… this one shows affection so well.'
Kian was kind too, so it felt like I had found one more thing they had in common.

What was Kian doing right now… Maybe because I hadn’t seen him today, I kept thinking about him.
I was spacing out, picturing his face, when—the cat cried out with a sharp “Meow!” and pressed its little front paw against my arm.
That gesture felt like it was saying, “Don’t think about anyone else. Just look at me.”

I laughed softly and stroked its head.
“Okay, okay. Got it.”
The cat curled up next to me.

Maybe it was the warmth from its body right beside me—but that night, I fell into a deep sleep without even dreaming.
***
In the pale light of dawn—the cat lying in Olivia’s arms jumped down lightly.

Landing soundlessly, it instantly transformed into a human.
Shimmering silver hair swayed near his ears.
Kian pressed his palm against his chest, feeling the quick thrum of his heart.

'This isn’t a dream, is it?'
Even though he had been in cat form, he could still feel the vivid sensation of their lips meeting.
Truthfully, he hadn’t intended for things to go this far.
She’d seemed so desperate to pet a cat, and he just wanted to grant her wish.

He hadn’t meant to spend the whole night with her.
But when he saw how happy Olivia looked, he wanted to stay with her longer in that form.
He fulfilled his role as a cat faithfully.

Every little thing he did brought a look of joy to her face.
That made him feel proud, so he kept doing cute things.
Especially when he kneaded her—her reaction had been at its peak.

'So the massage effect of a cat really is remarkable.'
While he was thinking that, she kissed him.
The soft feeling of her lips, and her scent triggering his heightened senses—remembering that moment made heat rush to his face.

Kian wiped his now-red cheeks.
Olivia was still fast asleep, completely unaware.
The guilt of deceiving her weighed heavily on his conscience.

'Forgive me, Lady Olivia.'
He gently pulled up the blanket that had slipped off, covering her chest.
The first light of dawn spilled over her sleeping face.

Morning would break soon.
Cradling his secret, Kian slipped out of the duchy.
***

When I opened my eyes in the morning, the spot beside me was empty.
Just like when he’d appeared suddenly, the white cat had vanished without warning.
Maybe because it disappeared without a trace, it felt like waking up from a midsummer night’s dream.

But the white cat hairs scattered throughout my room told me it wasn’t just a dream.
'The one strange thing is…'
The window was closed, and so was the door—so how did the cat leave?

That alone remained a mystery.
***
A few days had passed since the Founding Festival ended.

The festive mood was fading, and life was returning to normal.
When I entered the study, Butler Albert greeted me with a smile.
“You’ve arrived, My Lady.”

“Good morning, Albert.”
After returning the greeting with a smile, I sat down in one of the study’s chairs.
Drinking morning coffee brewed by the butler for the first time in a while, I started reading the newspaper.

I scanned for any natural disasters or incidents that might impact the family business.
'Hm? What’s this…?'
As I turned the page, I froze for a moment.

There was a photo of a building burned black and crumbling.
Apparently, a major fire had broken out the night before. I quickly read the headline.
“Selton Chemicals Shoe Factory Completely Burned Down by Lightning Strike”

Selton Chemicals… that was a company owned by Count Selton.
The factory that burned was supposedly the one Count Selton had ambitiously started building.
I kept reading the article.

“Burned down before even operating once… Massive financial loss”
Count Selton.
I had learned who he truly was when I visited Selton Orphanage.

He pretended to be a philanthropist, but in truth, he had tried to shut the orphanage down for profit.
Not only that—he’d harassed Carolyn, the headmistress.
When Carolyn sued him, Count Selton denied everything to the end.

But he ultimately lost the case and was fined.
'I had arranged for her to be represented by a lawyer with a one-hundred-percent win rate.'
When a company’s owner is morally corrupt, of course its stock price drops.

And now, a bolt of lightning had burned down the factory.
With the factory completely destroyed, and the stock price likely tanking again, the loss must be astronomical.
For lightning to strike his factory of all places… it was almost uncanny.

'Maybe it really was divine punishment.'
I shook my head and folded the newspaper.
Then I turned to the stack of documents on the table.

They were the performance reports from the companies under the Ashford Duchy.
As I opened one and read through it, I blinked in surprise.
'Why are the profits…'

They were so high it startled me.
Clothing, food and confectionery, culture—profits were rising across the board.
Normally, our companies performed well, but last month’s growth had been unusually steep.

'What happened last month?'
It was before the Founding Festival started, so the festival couldn’t have influenced it.
I asked the butler standing beside me.

“There’s a sharp spike in profit from last month. Do we know why?”
As if waiting for the question, Albert’s eyes gleamed behind his monocle.
He showed me several newspaper clippings he had saved.

“Your Ladyship’s acquisition of the orphanage facing closure made the news.”
“That’s right.”
“And the generous donation to the child living alone with his sick mother—that was also covered.”

The boy who had been selling carvings on the street to pay for his mother’s hospital bills.
Helping him had been purely by chance.
So I had been surprised when it was published in the paper.

'How did the reporters even find out…'
Regardless, my string of good deeds had made headlines, and people started saying things like:
“As expected, House Ashford is the true nobility of our time.”

Our family was already known for giving back to society.
This time, the articles had simply reminded everyone of that fact.
'A reputation as a benevolent company resonates strongly with the public.'

When given a choice between similar products, people tend to think:
“I’d rather buy from a company that does good.”
Buying the product becomes a way of showing support.

So after the article about my good deeds, our companies’ sales soared.
'I didn’t do any of it expecting this outcome…'
The fact that it had been done quietly probably made it even more impactful.

But unaware of that, the butler spoke with deep admiration.
“As expected—My Lady had a plan all along!”
Uh… that’s not it…

—If I said that out loud, it’d only make him awkward.
So instead, I just gave an embarrassed smile.
***

A meeting room with a vintage atmosphere, four long tables forming a square.
Gathered there were branch nobles of House Ashford.
They were about to begin a meeting to report on the family’s business performance.

Every seat was filled—except for one.
Only the head seat remained empty.
That was Olivia’s seat.

A seat only the family head could occupy.
It was just within reach.
James Ashford sat closest to it, staring.

'I’ll take that seat—no matter what.'
It was a desire that had taken root in his heart ever since the Duchess had died, leaving only Olivia behind.
If he could just push Olivia out of the way, the family head’s seat would be his.

He had rejoiced knowing there was only one competitor.
And that competitor was a much younger woman.
He had thought it would be easy.

But Olivia hadn’t been easy at all.
Was it four years ago? That’s when his niece started to change.
It was like she had supernatural powers—discovering a hidden gold mine, predicting the fur fashion trend long before it began…

As a result, the duchy grew far wealthier—but James grew far more bitter.
Even now, it was the same.
“The acting Duchess has outdone herself once again.”

“I hear people are calling her the Angel Without a Face. Thanks to her, our company’s reputation has soared.”
“And that’s not all. The Black Dress she invested in is flying off the shelves.”
“Our art export business is generating stable profits, too. It’s expanding into other kingdoms—the growth outlook is strong.”

“Everything she touches succeeds. It’s hard to be worried at this point.”
Laughter filled the room.
Everyone praised Olivia’s achievements with delight—everyone except James.

That’s when someone said,
“At this point, perhaps it’s time for the acting Duchess to drop the ‘acting’ title. What do you all think?”
The room stirred. Soon, voices of agreement followed.

“I feel the same. She’s already proven her abilities many times over.”
“If the Duke grants his approval, I’d have no objection to the Lady becoming head as early as tomorrow.”
Pass the title to Olivia?

That must never happen.
Sitting silently, James let out an exaggerated cough.
Once all eyes turned to him, he looked around and said,

“My, my. It seems everyone’s getting a bit ahead of themselves.”
People looked at him, puzzled.
James continued.

“It’s true that Olivia has done well so far… but whether that’s due to luck or real skill—we need more time to determine that.”
A voice pushed back immediately.
“And what exactly are you implying?”

“Oh, nothing ill-meant. I just think the selection of House Ashford’s next head deserves the utmost caution.”
No one truly believed that.
But what he said wasn’t completely baseless either.

In the end, the nobles who supported Olivia voiced their discontent.
“Then, Lord James—what sort of ability do you think the Lady still needs to prove?”
James smiled meaningfully.

“Business always comes with unexpected crises. What matters is how one overcomes them.”
Crisis management.
That was something Olivia hadn’t yet been tested on.

'This time, I’ll expose her weakness.'
James’s lips curled upward in a nasty grin, his ambition burning once again.