I stared blankly at Othello.
His voice echoed in my head several times.
“…….”
The red sun was setting in the greenish-blue iris of his eyes.
I couldn’t tell what Othello was thinking.
A moment later, he climbed up onto a rock and casually took my hand, leading me forward. Othello’s back looked like that of an adult.
“…….”
I held Othello’s hand and walked forward, lost in complex thoughts.
After being born in the Winchester mansion, I had pondered over the original story over and over again. In fact, there was no need to judge them as good or evil.
“The Dark Winchesters.”
“The Empire’s Worst Villainous Family.”
That’s certainly how they were described in the books. There were also heinous acts that I witnessed personally that would furrow one’s brow.
Even now… the fact that they are villains cannot be denied.
But was it right to let the novel’s content dictate my judgment?
These people are no longer just characters in a book, they are living, breathing people like me…….
Othello’s pink hair fluttered in the wind, tickling my insides.
“Sasha.”
As I held Othello’s hand and passed through the tall grass, Jin’s figure came into view.
Jin stood tall against the sunset; his forehead wrinkled with what almost looked like concern.
Dozens of wolves lay dead around him, in terrible shape. A thick smell of blood lingered in the air.
He quickly approached me and reached out his hand.
“Where are you hurt…….?”
A ferocious voice came from Jin’s lips. Unlike his usual calm demeanor, that voice sounded demanding.
But as he reached for me, his fingertips didn’t touch my head, as if he was bothered about his hands being covered in wolf blood.
He hesitated and withdrew his hand.
“…….I’m glad there’s nothing wrong, Sasha.”
His fierce gaze had no trace of laughter, and my heart skipped a beat.
The cool evening breeze blew between us. Othello was looking at the setting sun, and Jin was staring at me.
Yes, ever since I was reborn, my purpose has been clear.
The damn villainous family is a place I need to escape from. Duke Recardo, as well as Othello and Jin, are people I need to stay away from.
It’s just a relationship like that…..
“Miss……?”
Maya, with one arm in a cast, ran up to me from afar and sat down, looking at me.
“Are you okay, Miss?”
I shook my head.
Today, things aren’t going well.
~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~
My heart was beating fast, and my mind was in turmoil. I didn’t know what to do.
The reason why I felt this way about Othello and Jin is probably because I was really Sasha Winchester now. I wanted to be outside of their world, but I was undeniably in it with them.
The sense of belonging to Winchester, and Jin and Othello’s actions, were shaking me.
Was it really okay? If I became their family…
I bit my lip hard.
“You might be surprised, Brother. There was an incident,” Othello said grimly.
“Huh?” Jin inquired.
“First, go in with Maya. I have to talk to Jin.”
At Othello’s words, Maya hugged me.
I felt relief as her shoulder touched my nose. All my complicated thoughts faded away.
* * *
Permetis’s face was pale and stiff.
The knights of the House of Winchester were approaching the summer residence.
They were the best of the best, dressed in black armor and numbering over a hundred. They were the best that could be sent to war against the Taylors and they stopped in front of the summer mansion.
At the head of the line stood Rowen, Recardo’s adjutant, also in black armor.
There was no Zestia in the house, and even if there were, she would be no match for these fearsome knights.
After dismounting from his horse, Rowen approached Jin, Othello, and Sasha standing in front of the mansion. He knelt down on one knee to show his respect.
“I am here to serve you, Young Master.”
Permetis, who was standing a little away from the three of us and holding the hem of her dress, bit her lip.
She regretted what she had done to Sasha – or at least, she regretted that it had been exposed by Othello.
Although she denied it to Jin in her panic, his gaze remained cold.
‘Brothers, you always….. liked Peri right? Isn’t that… right?’
Even though her eyes were pleading, all that came back to her was contempt.
‘Peri is just jealous that everyone thinks Sasha is the only pretty one. And I don’t know anything about the accident!’
Permetis covered her face with her hands and cried, but I could easily see that she didn’t mean it.
I turned quickly and buried my head in Maya’s neck, and my brothers walked out with me, leaving Permetis behind.
‘Today is the last day we go hunting with Permetis,’ Jin had muttered to himself as he looked at the blackened night sky.
Everything that had happened here must have been reported to the lord of the house, Recardo.
And in response, he sent his fearsome knights.
“…….”
They completely ignored the frightened figure of Permetis, who was frozen in place. It was a demonstration of power for what was to come.
“Miss, are you all, right?”
“Mmm.”
I nodded my head at Rowen, and he smiled heavily as if relieved.
Then he cast a frosty glance at Permetis who was still petrified with fear before ignoring her thoroughly.
As our eyes locked, Permetis glanced at Rowen beside me, then lowered her gaze.
That’s right, don’t do anything that will make you regret later.
I still felt dirty when I think of that moment, when she tapped me on the forehead and muttered something about killing me.
We climbed into the carriage we had traveled in on the way here.
On the way back, Recardo’s knights would accompany us.
“Oh…… brother, if you go like this…….”
Desperate Permetis finally approached and grabbed Othello’s coat.
“If you go on like this, what will happen to Peri?” Permetis said, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I think we’ve said everything we need to say to each other.”
But the words that came out of Othello’s mouth were cold.
Permetis thought back to the moment when she was pushed away by his black flame. But she thought there was no way they could part like this, so she opened her mouth again, sobbing.
“Really… It was just an accident. I didn’t know anything. Of course, I was rude to Sasha, but I don’t think I did anything bad enough to be abandoned by my brothers! Sasha is fine too!”
Othello looked at Permits and briefly lowered his head.
From my position in the carriage, I observed that Othello whispered something in Permetis’s ear. I couldn’t hear the voice, but judging by Permits’ pale face, it didn’t seem like good news.
Shortly after, he left the stiffened Permetis behind and climbed into the carriage.
We set off again in the carriage, cutting through the darkness of the night towards the Winchester manor.
I heard Jin asking Othello a question.
“What did you say to Permetis back there?”
However, Othello closed his eyes and leaned his head against the carriage wall without saying a word.
~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~
I was glad he didn’t open his mouth. There was a pretty good chance it was something inappropriate for a toddler to hear.
“No matter what the investigation results are, our family will hold Zestia and Permetis accountable for putting the young lady in danger.”
“It will be a sight to behold if they lose the summer mansion after the Wilners mine.”
I started to doze off next to Othello. Ahead, I could hear Rowen and Jin’s conversation.
“If they deliberately caused the incident to harm the young lady, they will not be able to avoid death.”
“Thoroughly investigate. Permetis is denying it now, but this is obviously not an accident.”
Jin, who was thinking about something for a moment, spoke up.
“If they’re involved, they’ll pay for it with their deaths.”
His voice was cold, a far cry from his usual kindness to this girl.
It was a dark night, with a slim moon the size of a fingernail looming over the land.
The wheels were rolling and made a clicking sound.
My three-year-old body began to sway as I drifted off to sleep. As I dozed off, I felt something pulling at me.
Eventually, something touched the right side of my head, and I closed my eyes thinking it was a pillow.
“You.”
Othello’s low voice drifted into my ear in a comforting way.
“There you are being so carefree again, Sasha.”
I soon fell into a deep and cozy sleep.
