CHAPTER 316: LET GO!

Julie stood frozen for a moment, completely stunned at the sight in front of her.

She had been in the middle of an all-out war with Aisha, fully locked in, mind sharpened, heart pounding, focused entirely on tearing her sister apart over Cassius

. The tension had reached its peak, and she was more than ready to go all in. Every nerve in her body was alert, already dialed into the rhythm of their sibling combat.

But then, Skadi came in.

That dumb, clueless brat just waltzed into the middle of the battlefield without even understanding what was going on, and shamelessly, utterly without restraint, clung to Cassius like a little monkey, squeezing herself into his arms and burying her face against his chest with a soft whimper, like she belonged there.

Like the fight between Julie and Aisha didn’t even exist...Like he was hers.

Julie’s expression twitched. She slowly turned her head, the warmth in her cheeks from rage alone now. Her clenched fist trembled at her side as the smile on her face began to stretch, far too wide.

It was a smile that did not match the fury building in her chest.

She stepped forward. Knuckles cracked.

"Well, well, well." She said with a low chuckle, her voice syrupy sweet, too sweet to be safe. "I always thought you were just a dumb little pup, Skadi. A harmless, clueless little sister who didn’t know any better."

"That’s why I always forgave you. No matter what dumb thing you did, I let it go, because I figured, ’Poor Skadi, she just doesn’t know better.’"

Her smile widened. Her fingers curled slowly into a fist again, then released.

"But this?" She continued, her tone dropping lower, more dangerous. "This isn’t something a little puppy does by accident. This is what a thief does. This is what a snake does."

"When two people are already fighting over something, over someone, you don’t just leap in and cling to him like you have the right!"

"This isn’t some toy on the ground you get to grab when no one’s looking! This is my prey! Mine! And you knew it. And yet you still did this."

Her voice cracked with rage as she tilted her head, the smile still on her lips but now entirely scary.

"I don’t remember raising such a shameless little mutt." She said, venom in every syllable. "But if the puppy’s gone rabid...then maybe it’s time we punished her properly."

She glanced to the side, where Aisha had already drawn her wand, face twisted in fury that was only barely contained behind a smile of her own.

"That’s right, Captain." Aisha said, voice like ice wrapped in velvet. "That’s what I’ve been saying. Someone needs to give this dumb puppy a good spanking already. She’s been running wild for way too long, and no one listened to me when I said she needed a leash. But now she’s finally done it. She’s gone too far."

Julie folded her arms with that same terrifying grin. "Couldn’t have said it better myself."

Hearing this, Skadi’s tail shot up like a terrified cat’s.

"W-Wait...What?!" She stammered, looking between her sisters with wide eyes. "Wh-Why are you both—? I-I just wanted to ride with Master! I brought snacks! And I was lonely yesterday! That’s all!"

But Julie didn’t care for what she said and took a step forward. "Now, you’ve got two choices, Skadi. Get off him yourself...or we pull you off."

"...What do you want to do?"

Skadi stared in horror. Her legs tightened around Cassius’s waist.

"I-I don’t get it!" She whimpered. "Why is everyone so angry?! I just wanted to be with Master today! Why is that a crime?!"

But despite the trembling in her arms, despite the sheer terror she felt under the withering glare of her sisters, Skadi puffed up her cheeks and clung even harder to Cassius like a desperate little monkey.

"N-No! I won’t let go! I won’t!" She shouted with her eyes shut tight. "I don’t care what you do! You can glare, you can yell, you can spank, but I’m not moving! I wanna be with Master! I wanna eat snacks with him and ride and chase squirrels and just be with him! You can’t stop me!!"

Skadi still didn’t understand what was going on. All she knew was that something precious was being threatened, her time with Master Cassius. And she wasn’t about to let anyone rip that away.

So...she did what had to be done.

She clung tighter. Arms like a boa constrictor. Legs wrapped around him like climbing ivy. Nose smooshed right against his shoulder. Her expression, one of tragic resistance. She was a martyr for her cause.

But tragically, all that did was make things worse.

Julie, dead quiet at first, narrowed her eyes like a ticking time bomb. Then, with a twitch in her smile and a crackle in her voice, she whispered under her breath.

"Suit yourself..."

Before Skadi could process the implications, Julie snapped. She reached out, grabbed Skadi by the shoulder like a disciplinarian nun, and yanked.

"Let him go, Skadi!" She said with a low growl that somehow felt louder than a scream. "Get off of him, right now!"

"Wahh—! Nooo!" Skadi squealed, latching harder.

Julie yanked again. "My whole life I tried to raise you into someone presentable! Manners, etiquette, proper posture, how to chew food without sounding like a swamp monster, everything! And you, you, still turned into a little gremlin!"

"I’m not a gremlin!" Skadi cried, offended. "I’m a doggy!"

"That’s not any better!"

Julie’s grip tightened as she ranted. "I tried so hard to teach you what’s appropriate and what’s not! I let things slide because I believed in you! But this? This? Stealing my target?!"

"Eh?!" Skadi screeched. "I didn’t steal anything! He’s my master!"

Meanwhile, Aisha marched up like a storm cloud in heels.

"Oh, you wanna talk about stealing?" She barked, cracking her knuckles. "Do you know how many lunches I’ve opened to find them empty?! Huh?! Wanna guess who always had crumbs on her lips and a suspiciously full belly?!"

Skadi blinked. "Um..."

"And I let it slide!" Aisha continued, her voice dramatic and rising like a prosecutor in a courtroom. "I let it slide because I was mature! Because I was above petty fights!"

Aisha joined in as well, yanking Skadi harder. "But this? Oh, no, this is where the line is drawn!"

"You can eat my food! You can steal my socks! But you do not steal my Cassius time!"

And just like that, the three devolved into a full-on tug-of-war, while Cassius the victim of it all stood in the middle, arms pinned to his sides, looking like a human rag doll caught in the tempest of clingy chaos.

"Let go!"

"Noooo!"

"LET GO—!"

"Never—!"

"You little mutt!!"

"You can’t stop me from hugging master!!"

Their shouts escalated, and Skadi wrapped her legs tighter around Cassius’s waist with the strength of ten octopus.

"I said he’s mine today!" She howled defiantly. "Go find your own master! You can’t have him!!"

"We’ll see about that!" Julie and Aisha shouted in unison, now pulling with enough force to make Cassius’s body lean back and forth like a worn-out rocking horse.

"LET GO!"

"NO!"

"LET GO!"

"NEVER!"

"I’M NOT LETTING GO!"

"WELL, I’M NOT GOING TO LET GO EITHER YOU ALLEY-CAT!"

Seeing the cat fight going on in front of him and feeling his body getting tugged all over the place, Cassius’s lips twitched. His fingers curled into his palms. His breath came through gritted teeth.

And then, he finally snapped.

"ENOUGH!"

The single word cracked through the air like thunder. His voice boomed like a war general’s, carrying enough weight to silence the gods themselves.

Instantly, everything stopped.

Julie and Aisha froze mid-pull. Skadi’s grip loosened in shock. All three girls turned toward him like puppies caught chewing on the same slipper.

And the look on Cassius’s face?

It was the look of a man who had suffered tremendously. Almost as if he was trying to hold back and was now, officially, at his limit.

Seeing Cassius looking at them with a grave expression on his face, neither of the girls dared to speak.

Julie’s gaze dropped to the ground immediately. Her fingers clenched and unclenched, her face stiff and still, not daring to twitch in fear of what might follow.

Aisha held Cassius’s gaze for a few moments longer, trying to steel herself, but the moment she saw how serious he looked, how silently disappointed he seemed, even she faltered. Her eyes dipped away, her shoulders subtly tense with shame.

And after a beat of silence, both of them realized it at the same time.

That look in his eyes said it all.

They’d acted like children.

Children fighting over a toy, yanking and bickering, trying to one-up the other in their desperate need for attention. And looking back now, both Aisha and Julie could see it for what it was, silly, petty, immature.

They could finally see why he looked so upset.

Of course he was angry. Anyone else in his place would have been angry too. And frankly, if the roles were reversed, they both knew they would’ve scolded someone for the same childish behavior.

So naturally, both of them braced themselves.

They waited for it.

The berating. The scolding. The sting of cold, sharp words. It was what they expected, no, what they deserved. Their heads remained lowered, prepared to take it.

But then...he didn’t say a word.

Instead, his gaze shifted, and his arms tightened slightly around the girl still clinging to him like a koala.

Skadi...Still quietly nestled against him, trembling slightly in his hold.

Cassius glanced down at her, his expression softening into something gentle. Warm. Protective. He adjusted his grip to hold her more snugly, more securely, as if to shield her from the tension in the room.

Then, in a tone completely different from the one he’d used earlier, he spoke. Calm, soothing, like whispering to a scared puppy.

"Hey..." He murmured, brushing a hand up and down her back. "You alright, baby? My poor puppy...does your shoulder hurt? All that pulling...it must’ve strained you..."

He leaned in slightly, resting his chin atop her head.

"Tell me the truth, is my puppy hurting anywhere? Hmm?"

The tenderness in his voice was jarring. Not just to Julie and Aisha, but even Skadi, who had been completely silent in his arms until now, flinched slightly from the unexpected kindness.

...Truth be told, she had been terrified he’d be angry with her too.

That he’d group her in with the other two. That he’d say something harsh. That he’d pull away.

But when he instead cradled her close and gently cuddled her in his arms like she was still a little baby, Skadi felt her throat tighten and her eyes sting. And since he hadn’t said anything mean yet, she took her chance.

Immediately, she pressed herself tighter into him, rubbing against his chest like a cat begging for affection, and sniffled.

"It...It really hurt, Master..." She whispered in a pitiful tone. "They pulled me so much...I-I thought my arms were gonna come off...I can’t even feel them anymore..."

Cassius gasped softly, as though horrified.

"They what?" He said, his hand flying protectively over her back. "My poor baby girl...they yanked you that hard? You can’t feel your arms?!"

Skadi nodded solemnly, though her lips were beginning to curve in satisfaction.

"I think they broke a couple bones too..." She mumbled dramatically. "And maybe a few muscles. I dunno...it really hurts...I don’t think I’ll survive till tomorrow."

"...Prepare a grave, Master. It seems like it’s time for your puppy to go to doggy heaven."