Inside the castle’s grand hall.
A pair of furry black ears slowly stretched out from behind the door, twitching as they listened left and right.
Not hearing any noise, a pair of lively, beautiful eyes peered out—so clear and green, they resembled a shimmering lake.
The gaze swept around the area; after confirming that no one was there, the head retreated.
“How is it? Did you see anyone?”
The Witch, holding Windsor, shrank behind Weizhi and whispered quietly.
“There shouldn’t be anyone left. Wait for me here, I’ll go check it out.”
As she spoke, Weizhi squeezed her eyes shut, her flushed cheeks puffed up as if she were holding her breath for dear life.
Suddenly, her body began to shrink, her clothes sliding off her shrinking form, until only a purple Lolita dress lay messily on the floor.
Seeing this, the Witch frowned, asking nervously, “Miss Cat Demon?”
Right after, she saw something wriggling inside the pile of clothes—a pair of tiny cat ears poked out, then a pair of black, soft little paws…
When the thing finally crawled free of the clothes, the Witch could see it clearly: it was a black cat.
“It’s been a long time since I used this form; I always feel like my body doesn’t obey me.” The sudden human speech startled the Witch, but she soon recognized Weizhi’s voice.
“So Miss Cat Demon really can turn into a cat.”
She reached out eagerly, wanting to touch that soft, smooth fur, but just as she got close, her hand was swatted away by a soft little paw.
“Don’t get handsy—I’m not your pet!”
“Oh.”
The Witch, a bit disappointed, withdrew her hand.
“Listen up. Stay here and don’t move until I make sure it’s safe.”
The Witch nodded, watching as Weizhi, swaying her three tails, leapt up into the hall and followed a narrow passage inside.
There were only a few scattered guards about, watching over a handful of rooms. Weizhi guessed those must be where valuable items were stored.
After memorizing the guards’ positions, she slipped back along the outer window ledge.
“Your Highness, we love you!”
Suddenly, a burst of noise made Weizhi stop in her tracks.
She looked down from the window, dozens of meters above the ground.
Outside the castle, a dense crowd surged and cheered, offering endless blessings—yet not one sounded sincere.
Humans really are so hypocritical.
She widened her eyes, seeing two people walking toward the Church. That must be the princess and her new husband.
According to the plan, they were to escape from the top of the castle while the couple was in the Church for the Blessing Ceremony. Now that the two had already entered, time was tight.
She was about to move forward when a gentle, elderly voice drifted to her ears.
“Oh my, how did a cat get in here?”
Click
The window was opened. Just as Weizhi was about to escape, a hand, thick with calluses, grabbed her instantly.
“You can’t go out now—you might get hurt by those guards.”
“Meow!!”
In this form, Weizhi had nowhere near her human strength. Even as she was scooped up, her struggling was completely useless.
She tried to bite the old woman’s hand, but when she looked up and saw the wrinkled face, she just couldn’t do it.
“A three-tailed cat… Don’t tell me you’re a wild cat demon from somewhere?”
To most people, an untransformed cat demon looked no different from a regular cat. Those who appeared in human lands were mostly wild ones, and without proper guidance, wild cat demons struggled to transform or develop higher intelligence. So when people saw wild cat demons, most simply drove them off. Some would catch them to give to nobles with peculiar collections.
But Gersh was not that kind of person.
She had a special fondness for black cats, and she knew exactly why—because of that clumsy, lazy little maid who was somehow so persistent and hardworking in trivial matters.
Holding Weizhi, she returned to her room, bringing a plate of milk and bread.
“You must be starving, aren’t you?”
Weizhi looked at the plate of bread and milk and couldn’t help but swallow. She really hadn’t eaten in some time; back in the dungeon her stomach had already been growling in protest.
Eating just a little should be fine, right?
Weizhi lifted her proud little black head, pretending to be nonchalant as she padded to the plate, then buried her face in the bread and began to wolf it down.
The old woman watched with a smile. “Looks like you really were hungry.”
Watching the black cat eat happily, Gersh’s gaze grew distant.
She seemed to recall something, muttering and complaining, “If only you really were her…”
Weizhi ignored her and kept eating. Gersh didn’t mind either, as if just venting her heart a little.
“Little cat, do you know why I’m not attending Her Highness’s wedding banquet? Because I know she wouldn’t want me there. She wouldn’t want me to see her looking so unhappy…”
“Her Highness has always loved that little maid from back then. Such a pity—everything’s changed.”
Thump—
Weizhi’s heart seemed to tremble suddenly.
An odd emotion surged at the tip of her heart.
It felt like hers, yet not hers.
Like a feeling that had lain silent for so long—unspeakable, even thinking of it felt like blasphemy—now shooting up like bamboo after rain…
In her mind, that long-dormant gentle voice sounded again, choked with tears and regret.
‘Princess… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…’
Before Weizhi could ask why, Gersh suddenly stood up.
“Oh dear, I’ve wasted enough time. I must be going.”
Before she left, she turned back to the black cat who was still devouring bread. “Be good and stay here, don’t run around. When the wedding’s over, I’ll let you out.”
With that, she turned the doorknob and left, not forgetting to close the door behind her.
Chomp chomp chomp… gulp.
Weizhi munched away, then suddenly froze as if remembering something.
She looked up at the time—“Oh no!”
The clock’s hands were already at twelve-thirty. The Blessing Ceremony must be over by now.
She’d gotten so caught up eating that she hadn’t noticed how much time had passed!
She jumped up, grabbing the doorknob, trying to twist it open with her little paws.
But her paws just couldn’t do such delicate work—it had to be done with human hands.
But—
If she turned back now, she’d be naked, since her clothes were still with the Witch!
If she waited any longer, she really wouldn’t be able to escape.
Weizhi gritted her teeth and transformed. The young girl’s smooth, jade-like body appeared once more.
Covering her chest with both hands, her watery eyes scanned the room.
At the very least… at least she needed something to wear.
This was Gersh’s room. Judging from her clothes, she must be a maid, which meant… Her bare feet pattered on the floor as she looked around, searching, but found nothing.
Where did the maids keep their clothes…?
‘Try under the bed. There might be something there.’
The gentle voice spoke again in her mind. Not hesitating, she quickly rushed to the bed and peeked underneath.
There, she found a dusty leather suitcase lying quietly.
She pulled it out and opened it—sure enough, there was a maid outfit inside.
Why hide it here?
Weizhi didn’t dwell on it, throwing it on haphazardly.
It actually fit… though it was a bit big.
She twisted the doorknob and, seeing no one around, dashed out.
“Miss Cat Demon! Where did you go?? And your clothes…”
Weizhi looked a little embarrassed. Seeing the breadcrumbs still stuck to her lips, the Witch seemed to understand everything.
“You actually went off and ate without me—mmph…”
Before she could finish, a piece of bread was stuffed in her mouth.
“I… I didn’t forget to bring you some.”
The Witch, also starving for days, lost all resentment as soon as she tasted the sweet bread, swallowing it down in a few quick bites.
“So… so what should we do now?”
She glanced out the window. The Blessing Ceremony had just ended, which meant they’d already missed the best time to escape.
If they didn’t get out today, they might never get another chance… She looked at the stained glass windows atop the castle, and a bold idea suddenly struck her.
“Follow me! We’ll break straight through the glass from up high!”
“Break through the glass?! But I heard someone already went up to the top floor. Won’t we get caught?”
“Of course we’ll get caught! But we can’t worry about that now. If we wait any longer and that person comes back, it’ll really be too late! Besides, the higher we fly, the better our chance to escape! We still have hope!” Not giving her time to think, Weizhi scooped up Windsor and ran toward the top floor.
“W-wait for me!”
The castle’s top floor was an attic, somewhat similar to a Church. If anything, it looked more like a ceremonial chamber.
The vast room had only a single chair placed in the center facing the glass. No idea what it was for; faint traces of a magic circle, hastily erased, could still be seen on the floor.
There was no chandelier in the attic; it was dim, lit only by the sunlight filtering through the huge round stained glass, casting splashes of color.
By the time they reached the top, the Witch was panting for breath.
She leaned against the wall, clutching her stomach, sweat soaking her brow.
By contrast, Weizhi looked completely relaxed, still carrying the heavy Windsor in her arms.
“Do all cat demons have this much stamina…?”
“Are all witches this frail?”
“Hmph.”
Though unwilling to admit it, it was true. After all, they could usually fly instead of walk, and only walked a few steps at most.
She usually just flew straight up from the outside rather than take the stairs.
Wiping her sweat, the Witch asked uncertainly, “Are you sure about smashing through the glass? That’ll hurt, right?”
“Just shield your eyes. I can smash this glass with one swipe!”
“That strong?”
Still doubtful, but seeing how Weizhi wasn’t even winded after so many stairs, she was inclined to believe.
The Witch found her position, sat on her broom, while Weizhi stood behind, extending her claws to smash the glass as soon as they got close.
The Witch swallowed, voice trembling, “Ready? I’m taking off now.” One hand holding Windsor, the other guiding her broom.
Taking a deep breath, she poured magic into the broom, lifting them slowly into the air.
“Whatever happens, you have to take responsibility!”
Shouting this, she squeezed her eyes shut and shot straight for the stained glass.
As they neared, Weizhi swung her paw—
Bang!
With a loud crash, the glass shattered.
Countless shards scattered in the air, and one of them suddenly slashed the Witch’s broom hand, making her lose control for a moment.
“Oh no!”
Standing at the back of the broom, Weizhi lost her balance and tumbled off, crashing straight into a figure as white as snow—
Thud!
She squeezed her eyes shut, hitting the person with a painful knock to the forehead—but her lips felt something soft and sweet.
Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself gazing into a pair of deep blue eyes.
Within those eyes was utter disbelief.
Weizhi…?