The stench of rotting fish and piss nearly drowned out the sound of booted footsteps slapping through the rain.
Meow.
No one stopped. No one looked. The kitten—a bundle of matted white fur, shivering in a trash-soaked alley—cursed her own existence.
This isn't fair. This isn't just. This is animal cruelty with extra steps.
Choi Da-eun, now cursed into a tiny feline body, had spent her first day in this world being chased by children, kicked by a cart driver, and rained on like she owed the sky money. Her tiny paws ached. Her tail was bent. Her fur smelled like vinegar and broken dreams.
This was not the reincarnation arc she'd been promised.
> "Seriously? A cat? I wanted to be a sword-wielding lady with tragic eyeliner, not a damn furball who gets mistaken for a sewer rat!"
She had no voice. Only squeaks. The gods had taken her dignity, her humanity, and, apparently, her central heating system.
And then, just as she was about to curl into a filthy puddle and give up for the night, someone stopped.
A girl in a thick velvet cloak knelt, shadowed beneath an expensive black parasol.
Click. A pair of dark boots stepped into view, polished and delicate.
The girl stared down at her with calm, expressionless eyes—vivid green like forest glass. Her hair, long and golden, dripped with rain but still looked like it belonged on a doll in a palace.
And Da-eun's soaked little heart stopped.
> No way. No. Freaking. Way.
She recognized that face.
Lady Virelle Elerian.
The infamous villainess. The same girl who, in the novel, was framed, betrayed, and left to die in silence while everyone celebrated the heroine's wedding.
Only… this Virelle looked younger. Thirteen, maybe. Still sharp-faced and elegant—but her eyes were far too tired for someone so young.
And now she was holding out her cloak like a cradle.
"Poor thing," Virelle said, voice low and even, not an ounce of warmth. "They didn't even feed you, did they?"
Da-eun blinked up at her.
> No… no, don't do this. Don't make me care about you again. I just got over your death, dammit.
But it was too late.
The villainess had scooped her up, wrapped her gently in warm velvet, and tucked her close to her chest like she was something precious.
"I'll take you home."
The cat in her wanted to resist—scratch, wriggle, escape. But the girl's arms were steady. Her heartbeat was quiet. Her cloak smelled like clean parchment and dried lilacs.
And for the first time in hours, Da-eun stopped shaking.
"Was I Virelle's cat that died due to poison saving virelle" Da-eun thought
So this was how it started, she realized as she closed her eyes.
This was the moment that ruined everything… and saved them both.