Chapter 32
It was none other than Permetis.
Dressed in a navy hunting outfit, Permetis approached me as I sat by the stream, watching her.
A bow was slung over her shoulder.
“……”
It had been quite a while since the landslide, so the knights were probably scouring the area, looking for me.
Jin and Othello would be searching too.
But why was Permetis, of all people, the first to show up? It’s not like she’d be desperately looking for me.
She opened her mouth coldly.
“So, you’re still alive?”
That was something most three-year-olds wouldn’t understand.
But I caught the malice behind her words loud and clear.
“Stubborn little life, aren’t you?”
So the sudden landslide was a planned accident after all.
She took a step toward me.
“My brothers will be a bit late — they’re busy holding off the wolves being drawn to this place.
I’m not sure what I should do with you in the meantime.”
Of course. Jin and Othello, alerted by the squeaky shoes, would be delayed because they were fending off the wolves.
It made perfect sense — releasing wild beasts in advance to dispose of a corpse is a predictable tactic.
While Jin and Othello were busy luring the wolves away from me, Permetis, who had been with them, got here ahead of them.
“If you beg really hard, maybe I’ll let you live. What do you say?”
That remark… it meant they would arrive soon.
I didn’t step back. Instead, I looked up at Permetis, who was much taller than me.
“Hah, you’re not even cute or obedient. Just looking at you makes me furious.
If you just died, I’d feel so much better.”
The Permetis who always smiled sweetly in front of Jin and Othello now revealed her true self to me, her face dark and twisted.
Yes, this was the real Permetis.
“You… you…”
I pointed my finger at her and declared firmly,
“I don’ like you!”
From the perspective of a three-year-old, a seven-year-old looked really tall, so I had to raise my arm all the way up.
“You meanie! If someone has to die, you die!”
Yes, this three-year-old can express herself just fine.
Permetis looked at me with disbelief, then reached out her hand and started flicking my forehead with her finger.
“You little brat. Want me to kill you with my own hands?”
She must’ve pretended to be worried about me in front of Jin and Othello.
Saying things like “Where’s Perry, where’s Perry?”
But now, she was contemplating how to get rid of me.
Feeding me to the wolves was no longer an option since the situation had changed.
“You really think you’re on the same level as your brothers just because you’re a direct descendant?
Do you think the adults care about you just because they show a little interest?”
Most three-year-olds wouldn’t understand such complicated words.
But Permetis, clearly annoyed that I had survived and was now glaring at her, kept spewing her inner thoughts.
It wasn’t just inferiority from being a collateral relative — the root emotion here was jealousy.
Whether in a good or bad way, the adults’ attention was on me, and she hated it.
She kept poking my forehead as she said:
“You’re nothing in the Winchester family. If you die here, you’ll be forgotten in no time.
You’re just a bastard without any backing.”
Flick.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I took a step back.
I clenched my fists and took a deep breath.
Then, as a twisted smile formed on Permetis’ lips—
I timed it just right and burst into loud sobs.
“Waaaaaaaah!!”
Permetis twisted her lips and looked at me.
“Cry all you want. Your brothers are too busy with the wolves to—”
“……That’s enough.”
Permetis’ expression froze.
Because of the voice that came from behind her.
Actually, I had already noticed the pink-haired figure approaching from afar.
Permetis, too focused on me, hadn’t noticed until now — and she panicked.
“Uwaaah! Perry hit me! Ow! Ow!”
I pointed frantically to the spot on my forehead that Permetis had flicked earlier.
“Perry said she’s gonna kill me!”
I didn’t like making a scene in front of Othello, but first things first — Permetis needed to be punished.
Honestly, I was a little nervous.
Even if her guilt was obvious, Othello was destined to fall for Permetis later…
“O… Othello…”
Permetis’ face was visibly flustered.
Othello, who had been frozen in place, began to take slow steps forward.
“……Perry…”
Permetis’ voice trembled.
Just earlier, she had been so full of herself.
Now, like a puppy caught doing something bad, she didn’t know what to do and reached out to Othello.
“Perry just… was scolding Sasha for being reckless and—ack!”
At that moment, black flames in the shape of snakes surged from Othello, threatening Permetis.
She lost her balance, fell backwards, and landed on her butt, staring up at him in disbelief.
Even I was startled.
He used black flame to attack Permetis? I didn’t expect that…
“……”
Othello didn’t even glance at her. He stood in front of me.
His face was dark and his brows were furrowed.
I stopped crying and looked up at him.
His eyes were so frightening, I feared he might scold me too.
When his eyebrows twitched, I flinched.
But then he reached out and gently wiped the tears from my eyes.
A moment later, he moved his lips.
“……You’re not hurt.”
The sound of his voice, blunt and clipped, made my heart feel strangely warm.
It sounded like he was relieved I wasn’t injured.
“The snake was making such a fuss, I had a feeling… Turns out there was a reason.”
Was he talking about that snake earlier?
It must have been Othello’s flame. I guess he has the ability to communicate with snakes.
A moment later, he withdrew his hand and turned to look at Permetis.
She was frozen, staring at him.
She’d scraped her hand in the fall — blood was dripping from it.
“I’ve been meaning to say this, but I held back because of Jin…”
At those words, Permetis flinched.
Her eyes were unsure — was she hoping for forgiveness? A chance to apologize?
But Othello’s voice was cold and merciless.
“You’re disgusting, Permetis.”
Her pupils trembled violently.
“And at least Trisha was a noble. You…”
He cut himself off, as if even finishing that sentence was beneath him.
Her eyes shook again.
Permetis was the daughter of Jestia, but she was born through a slave surrogate.
That’s why she kept her mother’s surname.
“Now even that position is in jeopardy. You and your mother will have to take responsibility for this.”
He seemed to be warning her of what was to come. Then he took my wrist.
I started walking with him, leaving the frozen Permetis behind.
Pop, pop-pop — the cheerful sound of my shoes echoed with every step.
My mind was a little tangled.
Could this be the beginning of a lifelong grudge between Othello and Permetis?
I didn’t plan to follow the original story, but… this really messed up the character relationships.
“Are you mad?”
I asked Othello, who still looked serious and silent.
In the darkening scenery, a faint light appeared in the distance.
It would’ve been scary if night had fallen completely.
When we stopped in front of a rock taller than me, Othello turned toward me, and I opened my arms.
A slightly dirty reflection of myself showed in his eyes.
“……”
Seeing that, I let out a small sigh.
If I tried to climb that rock on my own, my skirt would get even messier.
Well, no choice.
Just like Jin had carried me down from the carriage, Othello lifted me easily into his arms.
Pop—
As my feet touched the rock, a low voice murmured:
“……Only I get to bully you, little brat.”
