Chapter 800: Sibling Chaos
Joy was beginning to contemplate the roller coasters because of how fun they looked.
The way they soared through the air, the screams of delight, the rush of wind. She was actually considering trying one out, a thought that would have been utterly unthinkable just a few hours ago.
But before she could voice this newfound desire, another commotion caught her attention.
"Hold on!"
"Stop running away you scaredy cat!"
She turned her head and found herself staring at a rather peculiar sight.
Aisha was making her way through the crowd, but she wasn’t walking alone.
She was being harassed!
But not by any lecherous man or someone who looked like bandit.
But by two little boys who barely reached her waist!
They were beastkin, with bushy, fluffy little tails swishing behind them and two wolf ears twitching atop their heads.
Their faces were round and cherubic, their eyes wide with mischief. They looked like they should be playing with toys, not tormenting a grown woman.
But torment her they did.
"Man, Aisha, what is the deal?" One of the boys said, his voice dripping with mockery. "The last time we saw you, you were short. We all thought, ’Hey, give it a year, she’ll hit a growth spurt.’"
"But look at you! You’re exactly the same height!"
He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Did you stop drinking your milk or something?"
"Right?" The other boy laughed, his tail wagging with amusement. "In a year or two, Toki and I are going to be looking down at the top of your head."
"And you’re supposed to be an adult woman! It’s kind of tragic, honestly."
Aisha whirled around, her face flushed with irritation.
"Shut up, you brats! You’re not even supposed to call me Aisha—you’re supposed to call me Big Sis Aisha!"
The boys exchanged a look, then turned back to her, the first one scoffing.
"Big Sis Aisha?" He shook his head emphatically. "No way! We’ll call you ’Big Sis’ when you actually look like an older sister!"
"Right now, if we went to a restaurant, you’d still be ordering off the kids’ menu with us!"
The second boy nodded vigorously. "Exactly! And look, even if we overlook the height issue, a big sister is supposed to have...you know, assets!"
He rubbed his own chest in a taunting manner.
"All the grown-ups I know have big, bouncy breasts! But look at you—"
He pointed at Aisha’s flat chest.
"There’s nothing there! It’s as flat as the pancakes Mama makes us!"
Aisha’s face went from red to purple. "You little—"
She lunged at them, but they dodged with practiced ease, laughing hysterically.
"Look how mad she is!" the first boy cackled. "No height, no curves, but her blood pressure is through the roof!"
The second boy nodded sagely, folding his arms.
"Short, flat, and a total hothead. Man, it’s a grim medical diagnosis. No man is ever going to want to marry a ticking time bomb like you."
But then, almost as an afterthought, he blushed slightly and added in a shy, mumbled voice.
"But...I guess it’s fine. Even if you’re a total handful and a bit of a fixer-upper, I wouldn’t mind marrying you when I grow up. Hmph! I can just write it off as my charity work for the community."
The other boy’s face flushed. He fidgeted with his fingers, suddenly looking very shy.
"Hey, ignore Doki. Marry me instead, Aisha."
Toki immediately protested. "What? No way! I called dibs!"
"You called her a charity case! I’m being serious!"
"I was being serious too!"
"You literally just insulted her!"
"It’s tough love!"
Aisha’s eye twitched again.
"I AM STANDING RIGHT HERE!"
Joy and Carmela watched the spectacle with barely concealed amusement.
The two boys named Toki and Doki were obviously head over heels for Aisha.
The way they stammered when they offered to marry her, the way their tails wagged nervously, the way their ears twitched with embarrassment...
...it was all so transparent.
"They have crushes on her." Carmela whispered, her voice filled with delight.
"Massive ones." Joy agreed, stifling a laugh. "They’re just too young to know how to express it properly."
But Aisha was having none of it.
"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" She roared, her voice echoing across the entire festival area.
The boys froze instantly, their petty argument dying mid-sentence.
"I don’t need either of you to marry me, and I certainly don’t need your ’charity’!"
She crossed her arms, a deeply smug, triumphant look spreading across her face.
"I already have Cassius by my side. So you two can take your tiny proposals and beat it!"
The moment the name left her lips, the boys’ expressions completely collapsed.
Their ears drooped. Their tails went limp. Their eyes, once bright with teasing energy, now held the despair of a thousand heartbreaks.
"Cassius..." Toki whispered, his voice suddenly dripping with pure, unadulterated venom. "That absolute jerk!"
Doki nodded furiously, his eyes narrowing.
"How dare he swoop in and steal our woman! What does he have that we don’t have?!"
They looked like vengeful lovers, their tiny fists clenched at their sides, their teeth gritted with righteous fury.
"Look!" Toki shouted, pointing. "That punk is over there!"
Both boys spotted Cassius standing nearby, watching the scene with obvious amusement.
Their eyes narrowed in unison.
"Let’s get him!"
They rolled up their sleeves, a gesture that would have been intimidating on anyone else but looked absolutely adorable on their tiny frames and marched toward Cassius with all the swagger their small bodies could muster.
"You! You idiot!" Toki accused, pointing a shaking finger at Cassius. "You punk! You dummy!"
Doki stepped up beside his brother.
"How dare you steal Big Sis Aisha from us!"
"Someone with your reputation—someone who’s known all over the capital as a scoundrel—how could someone like you deserve someone like her!?"
It was clear the boys didn’t actually know any proper curse words. Their insults were childish, almost endearing in their innocence.
"My brother is right!" Toki continued. "I don’t know why Big Sis Aisha chose someone like you! She must be blind! Completely blind!"
Cassius listened to their tirade with a patient smile, his expression never wavering.
"Don’t think you’ve won forever, Cassius!" Doki snarled, stomping his foot. "When I’m bigger, I’m going to lift weights, eat my vegetables, beat you up, and win Big Sis Aisha back!"
"Me too!" Toki agreed. "I know you tricked her into your arms! I know everything is a lie! I’ll definitely take her away from you in the future!"
They stood there, puffing out their chests, trying desperately to look intimidating.
Their tails were swishing furiously behind them, and their ears were flattened in anger.
Cassius stared at them for a long moment.
And then he started laughing.
"Hahahahah—!"
He tried to hide it, he really did. He covered his mouth, turned his head, tried to cough to disguise the sound.
But the laughter bubbled up regardless, escaping in quiet chuckles that he couldn’t quite suppress.
The boys noticed immediately.
"HE’S LAUGHING AT US!"
"HOW DARE HE!"
They looked like they were about to pounce on him, their tiny bodies tensing for an attack.
But before they could make a move, a loud voice rang out from behind them.
"YOU TWO!"
Whack! Whack!
Two hands smacked down on their heads simultaneously.
The boys yelped, stumbling forward as they whirled around to face their attacker, fury written all over their faces.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU—"
They froze.
"Big...Big Sis Skadi?"
Yes, it was Skadi.
She stood behind them, her arms crossed and her expression stern. She looked absolutely terrifying in that moment, her silver hair slightly mussed, her eyes blazing with protective fury.
But she wasn’t alone.
Attached to her body, literally clinging to her like little monkeys were four tiny wolf girls.
Each one was a miniature version of Skadi, with the same silver ears, the same fluffy tails, the same adorable features.
The eldest looked about six, with twin tails that bounced as she moved.
The second was around five, with hair tied up in a messy bun.
The third was maybe four, her silver hair a wild mess of tangles.
And the youngest, barely three years old was clinging to Skadi’s leg like it was the only safe place in the world.
All of them were watching the scene with wide, curious eyes.
Carmela gasped, turning to Joy. "Don’t tell me those are Skadi’s—"
But she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Joy’s face.
Joy’s eyes had literally turned into hearts and her mouth was hanging open, drool beginning to form at the corner of her lips.
She already adored Skadi—wanted to take her home and worship her fluffiness and now there were four more tiny fluffballs hanging off her.
For an animal lover like Joy, it was almost too much to bear. She had to physically hold herself back from tackling them with affection.
"Hnnng." She whimpered, her voice barely audible. "So...So...Cute!"
Carmela quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her back.
"Joy, control yourself! There are children present!"
"I can’t...I can’t control..." Joy’s eyes were glassy. "They’re...They’re like little...little Skadi...mini Skadis..."
"You’re drooling all over your dress!"
"I don’t care!"
Meanwhile, Skadi was giving her two brothers the scolding of a lifetime.
"What is wrong with you dumbos?!"
She shouted, grabbing both their ears and twisting them with practiced, painful precision.
"How dare you speak to my Master like that! Have you completely lost your minds, or did you leave them at home?!"
"Ow, ow, ow! Big Sis, mercy! Let go, our ears are going to rip off!"
"Do you have any idea how good he is to me?"
Skadi continued, pulling just a little bit harder to emphasize her point.
"He gives me special treats every single day!"
"He personally cooks the absolute best, juiciest steaks just for me!"
"He brushes my tail! And you two are standing here calling him a punk?!"
"But Big Sis, he’s a villain! He’s a legendary smooth-talker! He stole you—"
"He didn’t steal anyone, you little idiots!" Skadi roared, her tail puffing up in agitation. "I am with him because I want to be! Happily! Proudly! I volunteered!"
"So, if I hear one more bad word come out of your mouths about Master, I’m going to personally hide all your toys in the river!"
The boys were openly crying now, heavy tears streaming down their cherubic cheeks.
"We’re sorry! We’re sorry!"
"We take it back! Please don’t drown our toys!"
But Skadi didn’t let go just yet, keeping a fierce scowl on her face.
Her four little sisters, still clinging to her body like armor, decided it was time to voice their own expert opinions.
"Yeah, you guys are being totally mean!" The eldest said, her twin tails bouncing rhythmically as she nodded. "Master Cassius bought us a huge box of glazed sweets earlier. Villains don’t buy pastries!"
"Uh-huh!" The second sister pouted, crossing her tiny arms. "And he gave us piggyback rides all the way from the festival entrance! He let me steer by pulling his hair!"
"I love big brother Cassius!" The third squealed, kicking her legs. "He throws me super high in the air and catches me! It feels like flying!"
"Do it again, big brother!"
The youngest, barely understanding the political drama happening around her, simply reached out toward Cassius with frantic, open-and-close grabby hands.
"Uppie!" She mumbled, her lower lip trembling. "Want big brudder Cassius. Carry me!"
Cassius, who had been watching this entire spectacle like it was a family-reality show, leaned down and scooped the little one into his arms.
The toddler immediately climbed onto his head, settling there like it was her rightful throne, a satisfied smile spreading across her tiny face.
The two boys stared at the scene in utter betrayal.
"Even...Even our own little sisters..." Toki whimpered. "They’re supporting him...a choosing him over us..."
"It’s not fair!" Doki wailed. "He’s taking everyone! He took Big Sis Aisha! He took Big Sis Skadi! And now he’s already putting his hands on our little sisters!"
Cassius’s expression shifted to one of mild discomfort.
"That’s...That’s not what’s happening here." He said quickly. "I’m not—they’re just children, I would never—"
"It’s not fair! I hate him! I hate him so much!"
The two boys collapsed into a dramatic heap of despair, sobbing into each other’s shoulders.
It was quite the spectacle, two tiny wolfkin boys mourning the loss of their crushes with theatrical abandon.
The commotion drew the attention of nearby festival-goers, who were starting to stare.
But before the situation could escalate, a gentle, mellifluous voice cut through the chaos.
"Oh my." The voice said, warm and motherly. "Why exactly are my two darling babies crying over there?"
