The Cat Who Weeps in the Dark - Chapter 81

“I—I’m really grateful, Katie. I’ll never forget this kindness. Truly.”

Wayne bowed his head repeatedly. Even though the mission hadn’t been transferred yet, he didn’t forget to lift his spirits with hopeful words.

“If Helion dies, the Kingdom will surely reward you handsomely.”

“A reward for killing a person. I don’t know if I deserve something like that.”

Wayne stared intently at Katie, who had said something unexpected.

What did it matter if a spy killed someone? Given the number of people Katie had killed during her spy training, it couldn’t simply be remorse over taking a life.

But her expression was too somber to question the meaning behind her words. Sensing the mood, Wayne smoothly shifted the topic.

“Think of him not as a person, but as an enemy. Helion isn’t just the instigator who started the war—he’s a monster who’s slaughtered countless Kingdom soldiers in battle, isn’t he?”

“Right. An enemy, a instigator, a monster…”

Katie imagined herself killing the man. Suddenly, her chest grew heavy. She raised a hand and pressed it against her left b****t.

Strange. Why do I feel like this?

It wasn’t her first time killing someone. During her spy training in the war, she had cut down dozens in a single day.

Maybe the period of peace has been too long. I must’ve grown weak, intoxicated by the sweetness of the ceasefire.

“Katie? What’s wrong?”

Had her discomfort shown on her face? Wayne looked at her in confusion. She lowered her hand and shook her head.

“It’s nothing. Just… the thought that one misstep could restart the war—it doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Don’t worry. The Kingdom must have some plan. They wouldn’t order his death without a contingency.”

“Ah, yes. You’re probably right.”

Katie forced a smile. Maybe it was because she spent all her time glaring at people. Her facial muscles ached from the unfamiliar motion.

Surely, I’m not hesitating to kill that man… am I?

Katie let out a hollow laugh at her own thoughts. No way.

That bastard was a lecher who’d demanded her body in exchange for keeping her identity secret. A fraud who’d deceived her despite her guessing the truth about Rosella’s eye color.

Above all, he was the traitor who’d once shoved her younger self into the abyss of guilt.

A month of sticking by his side wasn’t nearly enough to grow attached. Even if their bodies had tangled together, it changed nothing. The resentment festering in her chest was far too deep for such trivialities.

‘Did you think playing bodyguard for a while made you his real protector? Get a grip, Katie.’

Had this been wartime, maybe—but this was her first assassination order since becoming a spy.

No wonder her fingertips had gone cold. She hid her tense hands behind her back, unnerved by the unfamiliar command.

* * *

A renowned scholar once said that human desires have a hierarchy.

The most fundamental are survival needs—eating, sleeping, and the like.

Once those are satisfied, social desires emerge: the need to belong, to interact with others.

Beyond that lies the desire for self-actualization—the craving for recognition and success.

Those who entered the palace had already fulfilled the first two needs. The impoverished, who struggled for survival, were barred from the palace for security reasons. And once inside, belonging was a given.

That left only the need for self-actualization.

The imperial palace, though dazzling on the surface, was a cesspool of chaos beneath. Here, the only ones who could grant recognition and power were the imperial family.

And at the very top of that hierarchy stood the Emperor—alongside the Crown Prince, the most likely successor. Damian.

People believed they had to love whom the powerful loved and hate whom the powerful hated. Only then could they blend in and avoid exile. By proving their loyalty, they might someday earn their superiors’ acknowledgment.