I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 151

Chapter 76.1

“This is a record of the manipulation of pedigree records for dogs at risk of developing genetic diseases due to inbreeding. Are you saying you falsified the pedigrees of inbred dogs to make them appear as though they were produced through rigorous breeding?”

Just as there are many different races of humans, there were also many breeds of dogs, including those sold as the Emperor’s hunting dogs. In terms of dog breeds from my previous life, they resembled shepherds in appearance.

They were popular as slaves due to their combat prowess and extraordinary loyalty, even among dogs. Therefore, slave traders would select the strongest and best specimens, breed them, and create pedigrees to sell the shapeshifters at higher prices.

However, the slave traders under Count Bilbao created pedigrees for inbred dogs, artificially inflating their value. Shapeshifters born through inbreeding often had many health problems caused by genetic diseases, making it impossible to issue legitimate pedigree certificates.

“The price of the bloodline certificates, the organization that manipulated them, and even the details of each shapeshifter are all recorded, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

At those words, Count Bilbao fell silent, staring blankly at the chairman. Meanwhile, Dimitri cheerfully added, as if relishing the situation.

“I finally learned the secret of the rapid growth of the Bilbao family through this incident.”

He wiped the smile off his face and glared at the Count.

“How did it feel to hide in the hedges of Blois, eating the Emperor’s back and puffing yourself up, Count?”

The Count of Bilbao trembled, his face flushed red.

“I-it’s not like that…”

“When I thought about what would have happened if the emperor had known about this first, it was terrifying. What about the elders?”

The backbone of the Emperor’s force was the dog shapeshifters, who were trained as combat weapons.

Of course, while force wasn’t the sole source of power in aristocratic society, it still accounted for a significant portion. For generations, the Imperial Family had trained the dog shapeshifters in specialized ways to create an elite slave army.

In short, the unit known as the ‘Emperor’s Hounds’ was an imperial tradition and a point of pride for the imperial family.

So, if the Emperor were to discover this scandal, the repercussions for Blois—whose vassal family had brought dishonor to the Empire—would be devastating. Blois and everyone connected to it would face severe consequences. Moreover, the relationship between Blois and the imperial family was already strained, with both sides secretly clashing over wealth and power throughout their long history.

Now, the Count of Bilbao had done something reckless enough to tip that precarious balance…

“You better make a decision. If it’s a tooth that will rot and cause pain to everyone, don’t you think you should pull it out?”

It meant that he intended to appease the anger of the Emperor, who would later find out about this incident, by striking the ball quickly and punishing Count Bilbao. Of course, after showing the evidence to the witnesses, no one objected to Dimitri’s words.

The Count’s face withered as if he was dying.

“Why are you all standing still? Wasn’t it Count Schdental who showed me the way?! Count Charlerois, say something!”

As if he couldn’t die alone, he began to name several people, and Count Schdental clicked his tongue.

“The sinner has lost his temper in the sacred council chamber and is causing a ruckus, Duke. I suggest you imprison him and take appropriate measures with the senate. He’s trying to confuse the rest of us with his nonsense until the very end.”

“Count Schdental!”

Count Bilbao screamed in disbelief at the betrayal of Count Schdental, whom he had considered a trusted ally. However, he was swiftly dragged away by the knights. A lingering heat hung in the air, tightening the tension in the room.

Dimitri leaned forward, his jaw clenched.

“Now, let’s get down to business.”

The elders, who had been glaring at Dimitri and me moments ago in a silent standoff, lowered their eyes in unison.

̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊

In the meeting that followed, Dimitri relentlessly pushed the elders to the edge. He didn’t seem to have any intention of carefully investigating who was involved from the start.

“I’ll apologize in advance, gentlemen. When I go before the Emperor to discuss this matter soon, I can’t rule out the possibility that I might mistakenly mention the names of innocent people. Even if it’s unjust, there will be nothing I can do later.’

With an air of feigned obligation, he laid out his absurd reasoning.

“As you saw earlier, decisive witnesses, Count Bilbao was clearly out of his mind and didn’t name any innocent people. Isn’t that right, Count Schdental? Count Charlerois?’”

“Th-that’s right.”

“He gave false testimony.”

“That’s what I’m saying. However, depending on the circumstances, I might believe that crazy word.”

Then, watching him laugh as if it were a funny joke, no one laughed along. Not only did we laugh, but everyone all swallowed dryly, unable to speak.

It was because it was a threat.

It meant that from now on, no matter who they were, they would be sacrificed and offered to the Emperor.

At this point, investigations and evidence were unnecessary.

Everyone would admit that when everything was confided to the Emperor, it was necessary that some people needed to take responsibility in order to clearly convey that they were apologetic for not managing their vassals properly.

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