Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 107: Trembling rats

"Y-Y-Your Highness!!!"

Now that they've truly seen me, I watch the color drain from their faces, like ink bleeding from parchment. All three girls stumble backward before collapsing into messy, frantic bows. There's no grace to their movement. No poise. Just raw, unfiltered terror.

Their bodies are shaking as if winter itself has settled into their bones. None of them dares to lift their gaze. Heads down. Backs bent. Eyes pinned to the polished stone beneath their knees.

And their mouths…

Moments ago, they spat curses like venom, whispered filth behind my back, coated my name in the foulest words they could find.

But now?

Sealed shut.

None dared to say a single more words.

As if a cat really has stolen their tongues.

"Hmmm?"

I exhale slowly, feeling a strange, dangerous exhilaration building in my chest. Their fear… it's intoxicating, sweet as aged wine, makes me high, makes me feel ecstasy. It warms my cheeks, sends a tickle down my spine, and curves my lips into a smile that's anything but kind.

Ahh~~~!

This is fun.

So very fun!

Now, the question is… what should I say?

What cruel little phrase might make them squirm?

What carefully chosen word might make them cry, and beg, and wish they'd never opened their worthless mouths?

Oh, how delightful this is….

"So," I say softly, letting my voice slide out like velvet dipped in ice. "I heard you girls were talking about my mother… and not in a very good way…."

"H-HIIIHHK!!"

The effect is instant.

All three plummet to the ground, as if gravity has doubled. They grovel like desperate worms—foreheads pressed to the ground, arms extended above their heads, trembling from head to toe.

The panic pouring from them is palpable.

I can feel it.

I can taste it.

Their hearts hammer in their chests like birds trapped in cages, so loud that I can hear them clearly. Their breaths hitch, shallow and ragged. Their uniforms wrinkle beneath them.

"P-P-Please, Your Highness!" the girl in the middle whimpers. "W-We didn't mean it!"

"Y-Y-Yeah!!" the second adds, tears already welling in her eyes. "We didn't say anything, I swear!"

A quiet laugh escapes me.

So weak. So pathetic.

How delightful.

Step…

Step…

Step.

I take a few, slow steps forward. The sound of my heel tapping the stone echoes like a gavel in an empty courtroom.

And then, I raise one foot, and with the tip of my shoe, I lift the chin of the girl in the center.

The tall one, with brown hair, glossy and styled with delicate curls now ruined by sweat and fear.

My gaze lingers on her face.

My mind freezes for a second.

Oh my~!!!

Isn't she… lovely?

Hazel eyes, wide and glistening. Long, curled lashes trembling with every blink. Skin pale and luminous, the kind that catches moonlight and holds it. Her cheeks flush with terror, a delicate pink blossoming against her fear-stricken complexion.

And her lips…

Rosy. Full. Glossy, like petals kissed by dew.

So soft.

So inviting…

The kind of mouth that knights would dream of. That poets would write about.

That every man would kill for just to receive a little kiss.

And yet—

That same beautiful mouth dared to speak such wretched filth.

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And not just about anyone.

But about me.

About their own princess? The one they were born to serve?

How…

Fascinating!

If she hadn't made the mistake of her life, someone as pretty as her… I might've even considered making her my mistress for a night, to bear my children in the future if I want to have some.

But… too bad.

I let my voice drop to a whisper, silken and cold.

"You mean…" My eyes narrow, "I have a hearing problem, huh?"

"H-Hikkhh!!"

Terror distorts her beautiful face, her eyes wide with panic, lips trembling as she falls back onto her knees.

Next to her, the other two girls tremble like cornered rats.

The left one is a fox Furren. Golden curls frame her delicate face, bouncing with every tremble. Her fluffy tail is tucked tightly between her legs, ears pinned flat against her head in submission.

The second girl, to the right, is more rugged-looking, has short red hair and rabbit ears. Her fists clutch the hem of her skirt, knuckles white, her arms visibly shaking.

"I-I didn't mean it!" the pretty one stammers, her voice breaking.

"Tch."

I click my tongue. My smile deepens, slow and cruel, curling at the corners like a blade unsheathing.

"So what you're saying… is that I'm lying?"

"Eh?" her eyes widen with disbelief.

"That I, your princess," I continue, my voice cold and silken, "would accuse you unjustly? That I would frame you for something you didn't do?"

The moment my words land, the façade of composure shatters.

All three of them break.

They collapse forward, crawling toward me on their knees—scrambling like insects—tears running freely down their cheeks, voices dissolving into choked, panicked cries.

"P-Please, Your Highness!" the brown haired, pretty girl begs, grasping at my leg with desperate fingers.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the fox girl whimpers, her voice high and broken. "Please, Your Highness, Please! Forgive me!"

"I-It was Amanda!!" the redhead blurts, pointing a shaking finger. "She's the one who started it! She's the one who told us everything! She made up all the lies!"

"WHAT?!" Amanda, the brown haired girl, shrieks, her voice rising to a screech. She twists toward the redhead. "Celi, you bitch! How could you?!"

SLAP!

Amanda lashes out.

Her hand smacks across Celi's face, hard enough to send her sprawling. The crack of impact echoes like a whipcrack. Celi crumples onto the stone, clutching her cheek, sobbing in pain, her red hair hiding her expression.

I watch the scene unfold with lazy amusement.

So… this is what they call friendship?

Tch.

What a joke.

The thing humans praise as connection—loyalty, love—

The very thing they claim separates them from demons, from beasts…

In the end, it's just as fragile. Just as fleeting.

So easy to snap. So quick to crumble under pressure.

Like everything else, it all shatters beneath the weight of fear.

When the fire rises, when panic takes hold—

Humans, monsters… they're no different.

They'll turn on each other like starving dogs.

Pathetic.

I then lift my foot and point it toward the other girl, the fox girl. Her shoulders jerk as if struck.

"You," I say calmly, watching her flinch. "What's your name?"

"Y-Y-Your Highness…" she stammers, ears flattening even more, her tail curling tightly. "M-My name is… Valinet…"

Valinet…

That's an unusual name.

"Tell me, Valinet," I murmur. "Was it true? Did Amanda start it?"

Valinet glances toward Amanda.

Their eyes meet—just for a second.

Amanda's eyes are wide. Desperate. Pleading, hoping that her friend would cover for her.

Valinet's lips quiver.

She sweats. Trembles. The tension coils around her shoulders like a vice.