The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 107

Cassis’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He had already received reports that Vertium was moving toward Pedelian.

He was also aware that Roxana had received a letter from the head of the Hwang family some time ago and that she had released poison butterflies into the neutral zone shortly after.

Clearly, she was planning to visit Vertium while Cassis was away.

Cassis knew that Roxana was not as weak as she appeared.

But he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered wanting Roxana to stay safely protected in his arms forever, without doing anything.

But he had a feeling that Roxana wouldn’t want that.

Knowing her, even if he tried to stop her, she would somehow get her way.

After a moment, Cassis broke his gaze from the distance and turned away.

“It’s taken longer than expected, so it’s best to hurry.”

“Yes.”

Cassis had also taken measures to prepare for any possible situation in his own way. So, it would probably be alright.

But even as he thought that, Cassis was once again determined to finish his work in Yggdrasil as quickly as possible.

* * *

“…’My sister’?”

Roxana whispered, barely moving her lips.

The softly spoken words echoed in her confused ears.

The surroundings became eerily silent as soon as Roxana opened her lips.

Everyone in the banquet hall was watching them without even breathing.

“Does that mean you’re the real Asil?”

The boy in front of her looked exactly like Asil, who had died at the age of sixteen.

Wavy, luxurious golden hair. A smooth, white forehead. Arched eyebrows and clear blue eyes beneath them.

The delicate features set in his slender face and the unique, gentle smile that hung upon them were eerily similar to the Asil in her memory.

It was hard to tell whether the person in front of her was a doll or a human.

It was as if he alone existed in stopped time.

The boy with Asil’s face replied with a smile to Roxana’s question.

“Noel revived my dead body.”

It was an answer to her question, but it was an explanation that deviated from the essential nature of it.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any memories from before my death.”

The boy did not answer Roxana’s question about his origins but subtly evaded it.

But Roxana knew instinctively.

He was definitely Asil, but not Asil.

Just like his name now was ‘Nix,’ not Asil.

Nevertheless, he was eliciting a stir from Roxana that even she herself couldn’t help but be surprised by.

After staring at his face for a while, Roxana’s lips finally parted again.

“Reviving a dead body, that’s the domain of a necromancer, not a puppeteer.”

“Ah, that’s not it. Puppetry and necromancy have different principles. If you’re curious, I’ll explain it to you in detail, Luna,” Noel, who had been happily watching Roxana and Nix’s meeting, interjected.

“So, Nix’s former name was Asil? I think the name Nix suits him better than that gloomy name.”

He had a face that seemed to feel proud of the siblings’ long-awaited encounter.

The eyes looking at the two of them shone innocently and brightly.

“But seeing you standing together like that, I think you two look much more alike than I thought. It’s really wonderful. It’s such a perfect picture!”

Noel’s excited voice spread like a song throughout the banquet hall.

The people who had been dancing in the hall until just now and had split to both sides exclaimed as if they had been rehearsed.

Then, as if deeply moved, they began to applaud one by one.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The thunderous noise mercilessly pierced her eardrums.

It was as if they were an audience applauding the actors on stage.

Really… it was a ridiculous farce.

Roxana closed her eyes as if to shield the smiling face of Asil from her sight.

“Noel Vertium.”

After that, the remnants of emotion that had remained until just now were cleanly removed from her eyes that reappeared.

The gaze that stared at Noel was as cold as the frozen sea.

Noel, who faced it head-on, awkwardly stopped the hands that had been clapping enthusiastically.

“Uh, huh?”

“It would be better to end today’s banquet here.”

It was a unilateral notice, not a request or concession.

“Let’s share the rest of the story tomorrow.”

After saying that coldly, Roxana turned around.

Clack, clack.

The sound of her heels hitting the marble floor echoed through the hall.

The white hem of her dress and her long, golden hair left afterimages like shadows.

She left the banquet hall without looking back once.

“Huh?”

Noel blankly watched Roxana’s retreating figure before belatedly coming to his senses and opening his mouth foolishly.

* * *

“Dante.”

The welcoming banquet for Roxana ended earlier than expected.

“Yes, Noel-nim.”

The lively music stopped, and the audience that had filled the banquet hall also receded like the tide.

Noel stood alone in the middle of the banquet hall, which felt empty enough to feel lonely.

It was almost embarrassing how he had put so much effort into decorating himself, singing about finally meeting Luna just an hour ago.

“Explain what happened.”

Noel’s voice was low.

His face, which he glanced at, was also stiff.

Dante glanced at Nix.

He was sitting leisurely on a table in a corner of the banquet hall, enjoying a glass of wine by himself.

At his feet lay the ridiculous parrot mask he had been wearing earlier, like a pedestal.

When his eyes met, Nix bent his eyes and smiled at Dante.

Seeing that, Dante frowned and clicked his tongue softly.

As always, Nix was not helpful.

“Even if you say that, I don’t know the details because I’ve been outside all along.”

He would have been more sarcastic than usual, but he refrained because Noel didn’t seem to be in a good mood right now.

Dante only knew that Roxana, who had entered the banquet hall, had come out much faster than expected.

And he felt a fierce cold wind blowing from her as she passed by him.

After that, the dolls that had been filling the banquet hall poured out of the door.

Dante had come inside after seeing that.

Noel had a look in his eyes that he couldn’t understand how this had happened.

“Luna said let’s talk again tomorrow and went back to her room.”

Seeing his serious face, Dante tilted his head slightly to the side.

“She must have been tired from the journey.”

“That’s not it! I think she was angry.”

Noel eventually raised his voice at Dante’s reaction, who seemed to take the current situation lightly.

Anxiety slowly filled his face.

“She looked at me with incredibly cold eyes.”

“Oh, dear.”

“I just introduced Nix to her, but suddenly she was exuding chills, like she was not the goddess of the moon, but the goddess of winter or frost….”

Dante frowned as he listened to Noel, who was fidgeting and explaining diligently.

No, originally, he was planning to show Nix around the end of the banquet?

Unfortunately, Dante seemed to know why Roxana had left her seat before the atmosphere of the banquet had even matured.

But suddenly, Noel glared at Dante again.

“See, it’s your fault after all!”

“Yes? Why is the blame being shifted to innocent me?”

“You’ve been by Luna’s side since Pedelian. Besides, you have a knack for turning people inside out even when you’re just standing still.”

“What a unfair thing to say….”

“I’ll forgive you if you tell me honestly, so just tell me everything without hiding anything now.”

“As for Roxana-yang [honorific suffix], she didn’t seem to be in a pleasant mood even before I arrived in Pedelian and greeted her.”

“Really? Then is Pedelian the cause? How dare they displease Luna, I won’t let them….”

“But isn’t it obvious that Roxana-yang’s mood is not good because of Noel-nim [honorific suffix]?”

Noel flinched at Dante’s words.

“What? What are you talking about? What did I do?”

He had a look on his face that he genuinely didn’t understand.

He even prepared a gift for Luna and held a welcoming banquet?

Dante stared at such Noel with eyes filled with pity and annoyance.

He didn’t even listen properly when he was desperately trying to stop him from the side, and now he’s regretting it.

But suddenly, Noel glared fiercely at Dante once again.

“See, it’s your fault after all!”