The Cat Who Weeps in the Dark - Chapter 13

Numbers wouldn’t have mattered. Arnin’s gang might’ve been senior knights, but they were the lowest of the low.

But that was a pointless thought. Right now, she could barely control her own body.

From the moment she’d stepped into the storage, cold sweat had drenched her entire frame. Her stomach churned, her head burned—no wonder she’d been caught so easily in this state.

Tch, goddammit.

She swallowed a curse and glared at the men. Her vision swam, either from the fever burning behind her eyes or the cold sweat trickling down her forehead.

“Look at her, still glaring like she’s got any fight left. Maybe she’ll learn some manners after a real lesson.”

“Honestly, this is more like the Katie we know. It would’ve been boring if she just gave in.”

The men snickered as they closed in around her. Some were already fumbling with their belt buckles, impatient.

“Someone’s excited already. Look at her, eyes all red.”

Arnin crouched beside her, sneering. Katie spat straight into his face.

“Funny, I was gonna say the same. Your bloodshot eyes make you look like a damn demon.”

“You filthy b***h! You dare spit on me?!”

Arnin recoiled, scrubbing his face with his sleeve. Then he stomped his boot down hard onto Katie’s stomach.

“What the hell—stop!”

She gasped—for a feline, the stomach was a weak point. The pressure against her organs was vile, her body instinctively curling in on itself.

Seizing the moment of vulnerability, the men yanked at her uniform.

Thud-thud-thud. The buttons of her uniform ripped off under rough hands. The shirt she wore underneath tore open with them, revealing the milky skin hidden within.

The knights collectively gulped. It was a body more befitting a noble lady than a knight. Her pure white skin was clear and flawless, without a single speck.

“Ha. No wonder His Highness Damian is so f*****g obsessed with you.”

Arnin raised a hand and traced the line of her neck. His fingers toyed below her ear, then continued down to her shoulder. Her white, rounded shoulder writhed as if rejecting him.

“Hmph.”

Katie pushed Arnin away with her bound hands. But another knight swiftly approached, snatching her hands and forcing them above her head.

Calm down. Panicking will only give these bastards a good show.

Katie bit hard on the inside of her cheek, trying desperately to regain her composure. Thankfully, it worked. Even as the heat clouded her mind, the pain brought her reason back little by little.

“Wait, everyone, calm down.”

Katie pretended to soothe them, letting her body go limp. Those who were still heavily aroused and gripping her shirt finally began to loosen their hold.

“Now you’ve finally become a bit docile. Does it make you want to cooperate, now that you’re in this state?”

“What the hell do you want from me? You know that doing this will only stain a knight’s honor.”

“This much loss of honor can be stopped with money, no matter how much it takes. If you really want to stop us, beg for it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m telling you to get on your knees and beg, saying you’re sorry for acting out of line and not knowing your place.”

Arnin spoke arrogantly, lifting his chin. Katie clenched her bound hands into fists. If it weren’t for these ropes, her fist would’ve shot out instantly. It was beyond surprising, almost sickening, how disgustingly unlucky one person could be.

But Katie endured. Not now. She had to make them drop their guard even more.

“Alright. I understand, so just let me go for a moment.”

At Katie’s sigh-laced words, the thugs let go and stepped back. Her body was squirming as if she was truly about to kneel.

Katie wiggled her bound hands and feet, getting into a position to stand. Arnin looked at Katie with a face that seemed to disbelieve what he himself had ordered.

‘Surely she’s not really going to beg, is she? She’s not the type to humble her pride even if it kills her.’

The moment he thought that, Katie’s grey eyes gleamed ominously. As he hesitated, sensing an ill omen, Arnin’s vision suddenly flipped upside down.

Katie, agile as a wildcat despite her bound feet, had lunged and pounced on him.

“Ack!”

To make matters worse, she was strangling him. When he regained his senses, Katie had already pressed down on his neck with the rope connecting her wrists.