I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 324

Chapter 162.2

In response to Dimitri’s threat, Agaliaept let out a mocking whistle.

“Don’t let the demon manipulate you, Rowaine.”

“Then what should I do? What am I supposed to do?”

Rowaine was panicking.

Dimitri pulled Rowaine into his arms, holding her trembling body as he tried to calm her down.

“Take a deep breath. Right now, we need to figure out Count Heres’s intentions.”

If Sasha had been kidnapped, the knight commander would have already sent out the knights. But Herman, who was skilled in teleportation magic, likely disappeared without leaving a trace. No matter how skilled the knights were, chasing down a great mage who deliberately covered his tracks wouldn’t be possible in such a short time.

“The fact that he went out of his way to take Sasha alive means he plans to use her as a hostage. No one would go through that much trouble just to hurt her right away.”

Hearing Dimitri’s calm reasoning, Rowaine slowly began to settle down.

“But why would he take Sasha as a hostage?”

Dimitri wondered the same.

If Herman really wanted to target Rowaine’s weakness, Coco would have been an easier target.

‘So instead of sneaking in to quietly take Coco, he went all out and kidnapped Sasha?’

A cat shapeshifter who had made a contract with a demon was rare, and definitely something people would want to get their hands on.

Nonetheless, unlike dog shapeshifters, there weren’t many magic tools or training methods out there for taming cat shapeshifters. Even if Herman did take Sasha, he wouldn’t be able to use her power, and he’d be too busy trying to keep her under control. In the end, she might become more of a burden than an asset.

“I’m pretty sure this has something to do with demons.”

Still, Dimitri had only just arrived in the capital. It would be reckless to draw conclusions without hearing a full report on the battle with Herman.

For now, his priority was calming Rowaine.

“First, put Agaliaept away. Stop listening to his nonsense.”

He leaned in and gently wiped the tear stains from her cheek. Noticing how cold Rowaine’s face felt, he turned to Agwen, who was nervously shifting by his side, and gave an order.

“Bring the madam some warm, sweet tea.”

“Yes, Master!”

The next moment, he gently lifted Rowaine’s chin, making her meet his eyes, and softly whispered,

“Nothing is going to happen today, at least. While I speak with the knight commander, I want you to sit, have some tea, and calm down. Don’t cry. Tomorrow, we’ll carry out the plan we’ve prepared. Keep thinking about that. You can do that, can’t you, Rowaine?”

Rowaine nodded her head.

Dimitri gently brushed away the tears that clung to her lashes again.

“Believe in Sasha. She’s strong, and she’ll hold on until we find her.”

“Yes…”

“We will bring Sasha back. I promise, Rowaine.”

At that promise, a spark of determination returned to Rowaine’s once-dim eyes.

“Yes. We’ll get Sasha back, no matter what.”

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

At that same moment, Herman stood before the Emperor, carrying an unconscious Sasha. William, completely unaware, was laughing and chatting with Renée in his office.

“What’s going on?”

William, who had been subtly touching Renée’s body, frowned in annoyance when Herman strode in unannounced.

“Your Majesty, there is something you need to see.”

Herman placed Sasha at William’s feet. A heavy chain was locked around her neck.

William’s frown deepened.

“What is this supposed to be?”

“She’s a cat shapeshifter Rowaine was keeping.”

“And?”

“She controls a battle-class demon. The Duke of Blois has been personally training her.”

“What?”

William’s eyes widened in shock.

Then, with a flick of his magic, Herman cast a torrent of water over Sasha.

“Gah!”

Sasha woke with a shock, jumping to her feet.

“You bastard!”

The moment she laid eyes on Herman, she tried to summon Abaddon to attack him. As if he had been waiting for it, Herman threw the sheep’s blood he had prepared straight at Abaddon.

Sasha’s demon materialized before the Emperor’s eyes.

“Huuk!”

Startled by the demon’s sudden appearance, the Emperor flinched and shrank back in fear.

As Abaddon lashed its tail, a surge of magic-infused electricity shot through the chain Herman was holding, sending the charge straight into Sasha.

“Ahhh!”

She screamed, writhing in pain before collapsing unconscious again. At the same moment, Abaddon’s form shattered and disappeared into Sasha’s shadow.

“W-What the hell is that?”

William gasped, visibly shaken.

Herman spoke firmly, making his point clear.

“The mercenary group is just a front, Your Majesty! Rowaine is secretly raising an army of cat shapeshifters who’ve made contracts with demons!”

An army of shapeshifters with real combat strength.

William, who had maintained his power by keeping shapeshifters under control, understood better than anyone how dangerous a force like that could be. He was extremely wary of groups of shapeshifters acting together.

And Herman knew exactly how to exploit William’s fears.