I Will No Longer Live As Your Villainess (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“This is cat porridge, right? I used to eat this often myself…”
Lorencia smacked her lips and asked Julie.
Fish porridge is a gruel made by finely grinding fish meat and bones, then simmering them thoroughly with milk.
When she was locked away in her room, one of the dishes the maids brought—leftovers from their own meals—was precisely this fish porridge.
And for Lorencia, fish porridge was the finest food imaginable.
Being locked up meant going hungry for days was routine. So every time fish porridge arrived, she would secretly set aside a little into a hidden empty bowl, then open the window when it rained to collect rainwater in the bowl, increasing its volume before eating it.
Though the taste became bland, it was still enough to stave off hunger.
In hot weather, fish porridge spoiled quickly. Whether her stomach hurt from eating spoiled food or from hunger didn’t matter much to Lorencia—but hunger pains hurt worse, so she chose to eat the spoiled food anyway.
Thus, fish porridge was a food she deeply appreciated.
“Yes. It is indeed fish porridge, miss.”
“Fish porridge is truly delicious.”
Julie unconsciously swallowed hard as she watched Lorencia’s sharp, smiling eyes. If Lorencia had once resembled a frog before a snake, she was now entirely the opposite—more like a predator staring down at a frog with piercing eyes.
Oddly enough, Julie kept feeling increasingly intimidated.
On top of the humiliation of having to call a bastard “miss,” this oppressive sense of inferiority made her want to grab Lorencia by the hair, drag her into the hallway, and, in front of everyone, hurl vulgar insults and beat her until she remembered her proper place as a bastard.
Yet the moment Julie even met Lorencia’s violet eyes… she herself became the frog.
“Miss Lorencia. We’ll take our leave now.”
Julie forced a rigid smile. One of the maids behind her stepped forward at Julie’s silent signal to retrieve the fish porridge bowl from in front of Lorencia.
“Leave the fish porridge bowl where it is.”
“Huh?”
The maid, caught off-guard while reaching for the bowl, nervously glanced back and forth between Julie and Lorencia, unsure what to do. Eventually, she just stood there helplessly with a miserable expression.
“Why are you hesitating so much? I clearly told you to leave the fish porridge bowl alone.”
At Lorencia’s sharp words, the maid turned pale and shrank back without even touching the bowl.
“Julie, Head Maid, you ought to retrain your maids.”
“Maid training is something I do only when ordered by my mistress—not because a miss tells me to. That’s simply not how it works…”
Julie stood her ground and retorted without yielding. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to back down in front of mere housemaids—commoners of low birth, no less.
“But if you truly insist on training her right now, I’ll do it here and now.”
Julie roughly yanked the wrist of the maid who failed to retrieve the bowl and pulled her in front of herself. The maid immediately hunched over and started trembling.
“Even though you’re a bastard, the miss has been officially registered into House of Count Paul Heredian. You should’ve obeyed her words without weighing them against mine! How insolent of you, even for a maid!”
With a sharp slap, the maid’s head snapped sideways. Her jaw and lips visibly quivered. Julie raised her hand again. The maid gasped sharply in pain.
“S-s-s-sorry… sorry… sorry…”
Another loud slap sent the maid crashing to the floor. She immediately tucked her elbows tightly against her sides, curled into the smallest possible ball, and reflexively shielded herself—clearly no stranger to beatings.
“You should apologize not to me, but to Miss Lorencia, who—though a bastard—has been officially recognized by House of Count Paul Heredian.”
“Yes… I understand.”
The maid uncurled slightly, nodded repeatedly while gingerly touching her swollen cheek, then crawled on all fours toward Lorencia like a dog. Clutching Lorencia’s leg, she pleaded desperately.
-Meowww!
Leo, nestled in Lorencia’s arms, snarled fiercely as the crawling maid clung to Lorencia’s leg.
“Leo, calm down. It’s okay.”
-Meeeeeow!
“I’m sorry, miss! Please forgive me just this once!”
Hearing the forced apology—paired with an unnatural smile and a voice trembling with terror—stirred pity in Lorencia’s heart.
“I forgive you. Just get up.”
“Thank you, miss.”
The maid turned to glance at Julie. Julie gave a satisfied nod, and only then did the maid rise from the floor.
Seeing the maid still trembling with fear, Lorencia shook her head.
“Julie, Head Maid.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Lorencia pointed again at the fish porridge bowl, meeting Julie’s smug grin.
“This fish porridge… wouldn’t it be too much for our Leo to eat alone?”
“Kittens usually eat a lot.”
“But no matter how much I think about it, something feels odd.”
“Odd? What exactly feels odd, Miss Lorencia?”
Julie’s voice carried a hint of irritation as she frowned at Lorencia.
“Doesn’t it seem strange that Ilina asked you to feed Leo? Doesn’t that strike you as odd too, Head Maid Julie?”
A faint smirk played on Lorencia’s lips. She gently kissed Leo’s head and stroked his fur with the back of her hand.
-Meow.
“What’s strange about it? I don’t find it odd at all.”
“Our kind Miss Ilina specifically instructed us to take good care of the cat.”
“That’s why I brought this fish porridge—made by carefully selecting only bonito fillets and simmering them thoroughly with premium milk.”
“Did Ilina really tell you to prepare this, Head Maid Julie?”
Lorencia smiled innocently. Julie couldn’t possibly be unaware of Ilina’s peculiar hobby—or the reason Leo ended up in her room. Julie absolutely knew.
“It doesn’t sound believable.”
Julie herself had taken Leo to Ilina. From Leo’s perspective, Julie was the one who’d separated him from his mother.
Even as a kitten, Leo recognized and distrusted Julie. Why would he possibly eat porridge made from bonito ground by his enemy! Clearly, Leo was an exceptionally clever cat.
“What exactly did Ilina say when she told you to ‘take care’ of Leo?”
“To kill the cat quickly…”
Frustrated and exasperated by Lorencia’s relentless questioning, Julie accidentally blurted out what she’d meant to keep secret.
“Kill? And what comes next?”
Julie felt a sudden urge to stitch her own lips shut. What a thoughtless mouth.
“Did you mean it’s so delicious the kitten would die from eating it? Or that the cat would actually die after eating it?”
“Of course I meant it’s delicious enough to die for.”
Cats are extremely sensitive to scent—especially bonito, which is among the finest fish to satisfy a cat’s sense of smell.
“Then why won’t Leo eat the porridge?”
Lorencia’s question forced Julie into an awkward smile.
-Meow!
“Leo only eats the porridge I give him, right?”
Lorencia tilted her head up slightly, locking her gaze firmly onto Julie.
“He wouldn’t eat porridge from someone who entered my room without permission, would he? Right, Leo?”
-Mew~
Seeing Leo’s tail sway gently as if answering her question, Lorencia’s expression softened unconsciously.
“I’ll say it once more. Leave the bowl of porridge here and all of you go.”
“Huh?”
Lorencia smiled brightly, glanced once at the porridge in the bowl, and deliberately swallowed hard so Julie could see. She then ran her tongue lightly over her lips, savoring the imagined taste.
“I won’t say it a second time.”
“In that case, Miss Lorencia, I’ll bring you a fresh bowl of porridge on a trolley.”
Julie hurriedly stepped forward to pick up the bowl.
“Julie, Head Maid.”
Lorencia blocked Julie’s path, her expression utterly devoid of emotion—but her violet eyes flickered eerily. Yet her voice remained gentle and sweet as she spoke.
Julie felt the air around her grow unnaturally heavy, as if an invisible weight pressed down on her entire body—so stifling she almost wanted to fling open the terrace windows for fresh air.
“I said I wouldn’t repeat myself.”
Julie stood frozen, frustration boiling inside her until she nearly snapped. Where on earth were the maids who were supposed to be watching Lorencia bathe in the tub!
“I only wanted to bring you fresh porridge since this one has gone cold.”
“Head Maid Julie, I have a question for you.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know why horse racing is fun?”
Julie stared at Lorencia in confusion, puzzled by the sudden topic shift.
“Isn’t it fun because it’s an addictive gambling game where money changes hands?”
“Horse racing is fun because you guess which horse will reach the finish line fastest.”
Lorencia stepped closer to Julie and lightly placed her pale, slender fingers on Julie’s hand. Julie shivered involuntarily.
“So here’s my question—would it be faster for me, a bastard, to retrain you myself…”
Lorencia suddenly lifted her head right in front of Julie. A chill ran down Julie’s spine. Wild delight and madness danced across Lorencia’s gaunt face. Her eyes looked as if she were deciding whether to push Julie off a cliff—or reach out to save her.
“…or would it be faster to replace you as Head Maid?”
For a moment, Julie felt as if icy water had been poured down her neck. She realized at once that Lorencia wasn’t joking.
Lorencia had never acted like this before—she used to be timid and easily cowed. What on earth had changed her so drastically? One thing was certain: this Lorencia before her didn’t feel like the real Lorencia at all.
“I think replacing the Head Maid would be faster. What about you, Head Maid Julie?”
Lorencia smiled as she gently placed her palm between Julie’s collarbones. Julie suddenly felt uneasy—and sensed something was wrong with her throat.
“Ghk…”
Grabbing her throat, Julie collapsed to the floor, choking and gasping as if someone were strangling her. Tears and snot streamed down her face as she desperately reached a trembling hand toward Lorencia.
“S-sa…ve…”
The maids, witnessing Julie suddenly collapse and struggle for breath, stood frozen in place, staring at her in shock.
Lorencia brushed the hair from Julie’s face and softly stroked her cheek, whispering lowly.
“I’ll spare you this time.”
Suddenly, Julie’s airway cleared. Her body jerked violently as she began gasping for air.
“Hah… hah…”
“Head Maid Julie.”
Julie trembled as she looked up at Lorencia, who had just called her name. Their eyes met—Lorencia’s eerie violet gaze piercing straight through her. A deep, dark terror surged within, overwhelming all other emotions. This wasn’t Lorencia. It was a monster—or a demon—wearing Lorencia’s face.
“Replacing the Head Maid would be faster, wouldn’t it?”
Only one thought flashed through Julie’s mind: ‘I have to run.’
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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