Red Riding Hood - Chapter 74

“……”

Katherine now felt genuinely indignant.

“Something must be wrong. There’s no way I’m worse than that woman. My lineage is superior, don’t you think I seem more intelligent?”

Ylfus frowned deeply.

“You’re getting too worked up. You might regret saying these things later. Allow me to escort you to the smoking lounge.”

“No, Sir Gracian. I can accept everything—I can fix this even now.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“Choose me instead. That lowly woman is unfit to be the young madam of the estate…”

At that moment, something whipped against Katherine’s back with a sharp snap, like the crack of a whip.

“Ahhh!”

Katherine shrieked and turned around in fright. Behind her, the heavy curtain tiebacks swayed in the breeze.

Katherine felt a sudden jolt of clarity.

“W-What was that?”

Before her, Ylfus let out a small laugh.

“No matter how I think about it, there really might be an angel watching over us.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing,” Ylfus replied, suddenly hardening his expression. “Miss, I suggest you stop before you test the limits of my chivalry. Do not insult my wife any further. She is the woman who saved both my body and soul.”

Katherine was stunned.

“How could you say such a thing? I ended up marrying that old Baron Alonso because of you!”

Ylfus remained composed.

“Madam, I believe we have nothing more to discuss. I’ll return to the banquet now. I’ll summon a maid for you.”

Katherine saw the contempt in his golden eyes. Her shoulders trembled with rage—she couldn’t be the only one humiliated.

Biting her lip, she hissed,

“I didn’t want to do this…!”

Furious, she grabbed at the neckline of her dress, pulling it down dramatically.

Ylfus recoiled, shielding his eyes.

“Oh, heavens!”

To prove his innocence, he quickly stepped back several paces.

Then came a shrill scream.

“Ahhhhhh!”

And oddly enough, the cry of a furious cat:

“Meowwww!”

Katherine’s fabricated shriek turned into genuine screams for help.

“Help! Please, help!”

The smoking lounge door burst open, and the men inside, cigars in hand, spilled out.

“What’s happening here?”

What they saw was a baffling scene: a white cat had appeared out of nowhere and was clinging to Baroness Alonso, scratching furiously at her exposed shoulders and chest.

Nearby, Sir Gracian stood frozen, his mouth agape in shock.

Chaos erupted.

“That cursed cat!”

“How do we get it off?”

“Aaaah! It hurts! Don’t pull—it’s got its claws in me!”

The cat had embedded its claws into the baroness’s skin, making it impossible to remove without causing more harm.

Only after leaving Katherine a bloodied mess did the cat finally leap off. Agilely climbing onto the windowsill, it turned and glared at Ylfus before slipping out through the open window and vanishing.

Katherine began to sob, and Ylfus, snapping out of his daze, shouted,

“Call for a doctor and maids immediately!”

The men, still in shock, draped their coats over the baroness to cover her injuries.

Ylfus shook his head in disbelief.

“Truly, a terrifying angel.”

***

The news that Baroness Alonso had been attacked by a deranged cat spread quickly.

A concerned Cinq, accompanied by other women, stepped outside the banquet hall.

The baroness was no longer at the scene—she had been moved to a lounge with the help of the maids.

Surveying the area, Cinq spotted Ylfus standing among a group of men.

“Ylfus, there you are.”

She ran to her husband.

“I heard a scary cat got into the castle and attacked someone. Are you alright?”

Ylfus extended his arms and pulled her into an embrace instead of answering.

“Ylfus?”

He buried his face in her neck, nuzzling against her.

“Are you okay?”

“Me? Of course, I’m fine. It was nothing… I was just… startled.”

The man who had once been the king’s vanguard knight sounded so shaken that Cinq almost laughed.

But Ylfus seemed genuinely rattled by the frightening cat.

Gently patting his broad back, which was hunched over to rest against her, Cinq spoke in a soothing, mature voice.

“It’s okay now, Ylfus. Your wife is here for you.”

Ylfus, quiet for a moment, lifted his head to look into her face. Seeing her bright smile, offering him reassurance, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.