CHAPTER 329: YOU STOLE MY SEAT!

Cassius’s hand lingered on her head for a few more seconds before he finally pulled it back, but his eyes stayed on her with that faintly amused, faintly curious look that always made her feel like he was studying her.

Then, almost casually, he said. "Aisha, I’ve got a question for you."

The warmth of his palm still tingled against her scalp, and she felt her pulse quicken.

A question? From him? It could be anything. For a ridiculous second, her mind flashed through thoughts of him asking something intimate, something personal, something that might make her fluster, but...she realized she didn’t mind.

Whatever he wanted to know, she was ready to answer.

She gave the smallest of nods. "Go ahead. Anything."

"How..." He began, tilting his head slightly. "...did you know the names of all those bandits? Were they some kind of famous lowlifes everyone in the kingdom knows? Or maybe you just have a hobby for keeping track of scum?"

Aisha let out a small scoff, crossing her arms loosely.

"Not at all. They weren’t famous. They were the same as every other pack of bottom-feeders, low-level bandits scraping the underside of society. Nobodies. At the very bottom of the food chain."

Cassius raised a brow. "Then?"

"It’s just..." She hesitated, then continued, her voice calm but firm. "I’ve already memorized every single criminal posting in the Holyfield estate, along with the estates around it. Every bounty notice. Every name, every face, every crime they’ve committed."

Cassius blinked slowly. "...Every single one?"

"Yes." She replied without hesitation. "Before I take action against someone, I always confirm if the target is a criminal. I make sure they deserve the punishment I’m about to give. Every time I deal out judgment, it has to go to a deserving person. That’s my rule."

Her eyes flickered briefly, like the memory of all those lists and wanted posters were dancing behind them.

"So I’ve memorized them all, their names, their faces, what they did. I don’t take chances. I don’t kill without knowing."

Cassius stared at her for a moment, then gave a small nod. "That’s...impressive."

A faint blush rose to her cheeks at the compliment, and she quickly shook her head.

"No, it’s nothing. It’s simply my duty. If I’m given power over another person’s life, I need to be absolutely certain they deserve what’s coming to them. That’s the only way to keep judgment fair."

She paused, her voice softening as her gaze dipped downward.

"...The only case I didn’t do that...was with you."

Cassius’s brow furrowed slightly, his attention sharpening on her.

"Back then..." She continued, her voice carrying a mix of shame and regret. "When everyone came to attack you...I panicked. I couldn’t think. I didn’t check. Even though I knew, deep down, that you were innocent...I still raised my weapon against you. I was going to take an innocent life, yours, just to protect myself...and my family."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she looked away.

"To this day, it still haunts me. I still feel horrible about it. And sometimes..." She hesitated, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. "...I wonder if you hate me for it. I’m terrified that you might."

Hearing this, Cassius let out a slow breath, leaning slightly forward on his saddle.

"Aisha...don’t worry about that."

She glanced up at him in surprise.

"It’s in the past. And honestly..." He added with a wry smile. "...I’d completely forgotten about it until you brought it up just now."

Her eyes widened slightly.

"And yes..." He continued, softer now. "It’s true that you came for my life back then...but now, in turn, I’ve taken yours."

She froze, her heart skipping a beat.

Cassius’s lips curved in that unmistakable, wolfish smile of his.

"Your heart. Your soul. Your spirit. That’s my compensation."

Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she had to look away before her knees gave out from under her.

For a moment, the air between them felt warmer, the noise of the road fading into the background. Aisha thought, just for a second, that maybe she could climb up onto his horse, sit behind him, and keep this mood going all the way down the road.

But then...Thump!

The sound of someone dismounting, followed by the creak of leather as someone climbed up onto Cassius’s horse.

Aisha’s head snapped up—

—and she stared in utter disbelief.

Julie.

Sitting right in front of Cassius. Right in her spot. Completely shameless.

Julie didn’t even look her way, just settled in comfortably, like she owned the place.

And Cassius?...He looked faintly amused.

Aisha on the other hand...She could feel her blood pressure rising with every second.

Her tail shot up like a startled cat’s as she jabbed a finger at Julie in pure disbelief.

"Captain! I was planning on sitting there! You can’t just...just steal my spot like that!" She stepped forward, hands on her hips. "Get off this instant! I refuse to sit anywhere else, especially next to that damn mutt!"

In response to this outrage, Julie looked down at her from Cassius’s horse with a slow, exaggerated gasp, as if she’d just been accused of a crime she was proud of.

"Oh, Aisha...it’s useless to just think about things. Thinking doesn’t get you anywhere. Action does."

She smirked, leaning back against Cassius’s chest like she was making a point.

"I took the opportunity when it was right in front of me. You didn’t. So stop complaining."

Aisha’s ears twitched, her mouth tightening. "Took the opp—?! Godammit! That was my seat!"

Julie tilted her head innocently.

"Cassius himself said I was next in line, didn’t he? So technically, I’m not even cheating."

She turned her face slightly toward him, as if inviting his agreement, then let herself relax further into his chest, very much on purpose.

Seeing this, Aisha’s teeth ground together. She was two seconds from lunging up there and dragging her captain down by the collar.

Unfortunately, Skadi had also noticed what was going on.

And now she was panicking.

"That’s not fair, Captain! Not fair!" Skadi jumped up and down at the side of the horse like an outraged puppy. "I was the one sitting next to Master! My time wasn’t even over!"

Julie’s eyes flicked to her with a look that could have been a teacher about to give a lecture.

"Skadi..." She began smoothly. "This is just like battle."

"...Battle?" Skadi blinked.

"Yes. In battle, leaving a gap can be fatal. This..." She gestured to the space Skadi had vacated. "...is the same principle. You left a gap, and I exploited it. If you didn’t want to lose your position, you should never have gotten off."

"That’s not the same at all!" Skadi protested. "You’re not even my enemy, you’re my captain! My older sister! You can’t just treat me like this!"

"When it comes to matters like this, there is no family. No hierarchy." Julie’s smirk deepened. "There are only enemies...and every single one of them is waiting to take your place."

That was it.

Both Aisha and Skadi were now biting their lips, looking like they wanted to drag Julie off the horse and bury her in the nearest ditch.

But from Cassius’s perspective?

It looked less like a serious dispute and more like three children fighting over who got to sit in the front seat of a carriage.

’I really need to come up with a solution for this before it becomes a daily war.’ He sighed internally.

Then came the pitiful sound.

Skadi had gone from frustrated to downright tragic, making this soft, miserable whimper, like a drenched puppy left out in the rain. Her shoulders sagged. Her voice dropped to a mutter.

"I was so happy...sitting with my master..." She mumbled. "Now even that’s gone...and I have to sit with that stinking cat in my mouth..." She sniffed pitifully, eyes glossy. "So sad...so, so sad...I’m such a poor puppy."

Something about that look punched Cassius right in the gut.

Julie, meanwhile, was relaxing comfortably against him, until his hand suddenly slid to her waist and he gave a sharp pinch.

"Ow! Ow, ow! What are you—?!" She twisted around, eyes wide and face going faintly pink. "Cassius! What are you doing?!"

He didn’t answer, just kept pinching, a faint smirk on his lips.

"Th–this is ticklish! Stop! You—" She squirmed in his arms, her protest half flustered, half strangely breathless.

"It’s what you get for bullying my puppy." Cassius said simply, voice dry. "And you have to take all these pinchings for you to compensate what she lost."

Julie gave a tiny pout but didn’t try to escape.

In fact, she almost seemed to lean into him more, cheeks warmer now, though she clearly wasn’t about to admit she was enjoying the contact.

Cassius, satisfied, looked over at Skadi. "Don’t worry. I’ve already punished your captain."

Skadi brightened slightly.

"...Okay, Master."

But then her face fell again.

"But...Aisha also stole my prey. She took care of all those bandits. I was looking forward to fighting them too..."

Cassius chuckled. "Don’t worry about that either. I’m sure we’ll find more bandits soon."

Her eyes lit up instantly.

"Really, Master? Will more bandits really come?"

"Of course." He said confidently, nodding once. "Probably another group a few minutes ahead. Not to worry at all."

Her tail wagged like a banner, pure excitement in her face.

Inside, though, Cassius knew full well that was just something he was saying to cheer her up. No way would they run into more bandits so soon.

...Or so he thought.

Because, as fate would have it, his little promise would come true in a way so absurdly accurate that, later, he would curse his own tongue for ever saying it, because the number of bandits ahead would be far greater than anything they were ready for.