A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

This office indeed has a certain gravitas, not merely a facade of a cat's playground. However, most people, upon seeing the cat lounging on the desk, lazily swishing its tail, would still question—Is this truly a place of work?

Rhine, the head of the [Garden], is an exceptionally formidable Ragdoll cat with profound expertise in the realm of the Etheric Domain. Additionally, it holds a very unique status.

"Has Lord Ansel resolved the matter with that pretentious young lady?"

Rhine yawned leisurely, "So many issues, and you had to personally attend to it."

"What do you mean by that?"

Seraphina frowned slightly. This weird cat had been quite amiable to Marlina just moments ago; why the sudden change in demeanor?

"Oh, the fierce wolf beast, the savage who trampled the empress ... Miss Seraphina, my apologies."

Despite these words, it showed no genuine respect towards Seraphina.

Only when it felt Ansel's gaze did Rhine slowly rise, using its mature female voice to formally and respectfully greet Seraphina and Ravenna, as a gesture of courtesy.

"Is there anything of particular importance recently?"

Ansel seated himself in the large chair behind the desk, clearly indicating that this chair was meant for him.

"The Northern territories have caused a great deal of trouble. The Ironblade, which had an agreement with the GrayTower, suddenly defected. Iroblade has allied with Eastport, intending to obliterate the Gray Tower in one fell swoop. The revolutionaries are taking advantage of the chaos, growing increasingly powerful."

While calmly licking her paws, Lady Rhine responded, "The detailed intelligence is already on your desk. All arrangements and preparations are complete, awaiting your command."

"And the Western territories?"

"Bloodust and Firmament are locked in fierce combat, but the spatial stability of the Western territories is deteriorating. In the past seven days, twenty-three temporary entrances to the Zero Realm Enigma have opened automatically. According to your calculations, it might be related to the missing Elder Princess."

"..." Ansel remained silent, his fingers gently tapping the desk.

"As for Eastport, things are even more intriguing."

The cat stretched its front paws, arched its back, and luxuriously stretched, "Fumo believes there is more to the inexplicable massacre in the fishing village. Further investigation has confirmed this, but progressing further is somewhat challenging. Should we allocate more personnel there?"

"Yes, indeed. The people from Eastport should arrive soon... Take this opportunity to deploy more personnel."

"Then, Lord Ansel, what about the Western territories?"

"Let Shadewell handle it; they are best suited for such places."

Whether Marlina joins the the Garden or the Shadewell, neither has ever been merely an institution dealing with the internal affairs of Hydral.

In the [Garden] floor, there are currently twenty-three official "employees," but less than a third are responsible for coordinating Hydral's affairs.

The remaining personnel oversee various regions of the entire empire. Otherwise... how could these talents, personally selected by Ansel and each no less capable than Marlina, be working at ten times the normal pace just for Hydral's political affairs?

That would be underestimating them, and if that were the case, what would be the purpose of the administrative staff downstairs?

With years of development and rigorous selection, these two institutions have already infiltrated every corner of the empire.

Malver was right; both Shadewell and the Garden are political institutions, but not merely for Hydral's affairs. They are Ansel's own institutions, capable of influencing the entire empire.

In the decline of the Flamefeast Royal, their sharpness will be unmatched.

Ansel of Hydral has always been adept at utilizing tools, even from a young age.

Even without the pact head, he remains an unparalleled genius.

After briefly understanding various matters, Ansel had already grasped the essentials. More important issues would have to wait until he returned to be addressed. Discussing them here would be insufficient.

"If anything happens to Marlina, make sure to inform me first."

"Lord Ansel is quite concerned about her, is it because of Miss Seraphina?"

"Absolutely not!" Seraphina bared her teeth slightly, looking quite angry, "It's because Marli is inherently very capable, it has nothing to do with me!"

"From a mortal's perspective, that is indeed the case..."

Rhine, however, nonchalantly remarked, "But her potential ends here. She will soon come to realize this harsh reality."

"You."

Before Seraphina could respond, Ravenna suddenly leapt off Ansel's shoulder and walked expressionlessly towards Rhine.

She scrutinized the Ragdoll cat for a moment, then suddenly stepped on its face.

"It seems you lack a certain respect for us."

Click—

An etheric firearm materialized out of thin air and was instantly loaded.

Ravenna pressed the muzzle against Rhine's forehead, "Meow for me."

"...Meow."

"Hmph." Ravenna sneered, "I can see your ambition, do you think Ansel can't? Behave yourself, house cat."

She floated back to Ansel's shoulder, not even bothering to look at Rhine.

Even after Ansel had left the office, Seraphina still hadn't processed what had just happened.

*

On the way back, Mr. Ansel and his two pact heads were chatting.

"So, what's the deal with that Rhine?"

Seraphina looked puzzled, "Shorty, you don't seem like the type to suddenly act so domineering for no reason."

"Can't you see? Its attitude towards the pact heads is completely abnormal. Either it's brain-damaged, or... it also wants to be a pact head, so it vaguely sees itself as our equal."

At this point, Ravenna glanced discontentedly at Ansel, "You clearly have dozens of ways to put that house cat in its place, why did you have to make me do it?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Because it shows that you understand me."

"...Smooth talker."

"Eh... eh?!"

Seraphina was greatly shocked, "That cat wants to be a pact head?!"

"Given the current situation, it's only natural for it to have such ambition."

Ravenna said nonchalantly, "Although Ansel is still the strongest on paper, in this chaos, one can never have too much power. Ansel will certainly accelerate the absorption of pact heads, and that cat has likely taken note of this. Moreover, Ansel's previous attitude towards it was probably too favorable... otherwise, it wouldn't be so arrogant."

"...So in the end, is it possible that it's oppressing Marli? Trying to quickly make achievements and claim credit?" Seraphina was instantly furious.

"That is, of course, Marlina's own choice."

Ansel smiled, soothing Seraphina, "If she can't keep up with the others' work efficiency, others will naturally take over her tasks, because no one wants to waste time. And if all the work is done by others, then staying would be meaningless, so Marlina constantly pushes herself."

"I just didn't expect... she would be so determined."

He repeated what he had said not long ago.

"Uh, Ansel, don't, don't dislike Marli, thinking she's full of herself, she actually..."

"How could I dislike her? This is a good thing, Seraphina."

The young Hydral sighed, "I thought her mindset was already one that would unhesitatingly utilize all available resources. Since Marlina's ultimate goal is to help me, maintaining her health would allow her to better assist me, so she shouldn't be so harsh on her body, right?"

"…It seems to be the case." Seraphina nodded, somewhat understanding.

"That's why I said it's a good thing—it shows that, in Marlina's eyes, helping me is not her entire life. If it were, she wouldn't need to care about anything else; she could just do whatever benefits me directly.

"But she still cares about and defends her dignity, and that's very important."

"You should thank me, little dog." Ravenna slightly raised her chin, gently rubbing Ansel's cheek with her foot encased in black stockings, "If it weren't for me, Ansel wouldn't care so much now."

"First, I'm not a little dog! Second... Ansel is inherently a good person, how could he not care!"

"..." Ravenna looked at Ansel in astonishment, "What kind of strange persona have you created in front of her?"

"A villain." Ansel shrugged.

"Then why does she still like to stick to you?"

"Then why do you still like to rub my face?"

"I don't."

Ravenna expressionlessly moved her foot away.

Seraphina, meanwhile, was pondering Ansel's words, not paying much attention to this small interaction.

Dignity... It really is about dignity.

Your next chapter awaits on empire

The young girl's heart was filled with an indescribable melancholy.

Marli has already made her decision...

Should I also find a way to move forward?

In this chaotic empire, anywhere could be my hunting ground, especially given my current state...

Miss Wolf lightly clenched her fist, seemingly having decided where she would go next.

*