The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 221

Swish…….

Just as Nix was about to succumb to overwhelming sleep, a breeze stirred, gently brushing his face.

“Open your eyes.”

The air, carrying a strangely nostalgic and longing scent, tickled his nose.

“We’re almost there. Look.”

Urged by Roxana’s voice, Nix opened his eyes a fraction.

Blinding light pierced through the opening as if it had been waiting.

The first thing he saw was the grassy hillside, waving like a green sea. And then…….

“Ah…….”

Bathed in dazzling sunlight, the figure of a familiar woman appeared.

Her golden hair fluttered with the white linens on the clothesline.

Her face was older, but Nix couldn’t mistake her.

It’s Mother.

It really is Mother…….

Nix stared, transfixed by the scene before him.

Sierra, standing under the cloudless, clear blue sky, seemed like a dream.

It had been almost ten years since he’d seen her like this.

He thought the stinging in his eyes was from the sunlight, but tears were already streaming down his face.

A suppressed sob escaped his throat.

Roxana was right.

Whether he was Ashil or Nix, it no longer mattered.

Because this piercing sadness, joy, and longing were now his own.

Just then, as if sensing his gaze, Sierra turned to look at him.

Before he could look away, their eyes met.

Nix flinched, recoiling instinctively.

But then… unbelievably, a smile slowly spread across his mother’s face.

Sierra put down the basket she was holding and opened her arms to him, just as she used to hug Ashil when he was young.

Roxana, already closer to Sierra, turned to look at Nix, as if urging him to come quickly.

Nix took a step forward, reaching out to take their hands.

He looked down in surprise, seeing that his shattered hand had been restored.

He had legs again, legs to run towards the people waiting for him.

Nix stumbled through the swaying grass, then began to run as fast as he could, until he was breathless.

With each step, Nix’s time flowed backward.

Finally, when he leaped into Sierra’s arms, he was a child again.

Even younger than before he died, perhaps at the happiest time in Ashil’s life.

He wept in Sierra’s arms, repeating how much he had missed her.

His youthful mother embraced him tenderly. Roxana, as young as Ashil, hugged him from the side, then took both their hands and pulled them along.

A beautiful flower garden stretched before them.

Nix cried and laughed, surrounded by the people he loved.

Roxana placed a flower crown, made with her small hands, on his head.

Her face, smiling brightly up at him, was clear and without a shadow.

Nix, overwhelmed with happiness, cried and spoke the words he had wanted to say to Cassis Pedelian not long ago, but couldn’t.

Sana, I’m so glad you’re not alone.

I’m so relieved you have good people by your side.

And now you’ve become so strong that you don’t need someone like me anymore…….

Because I can no longer be by your side with you and Mother.

But at this moment, Nix was no longer alone either.

After a lonely time, he had reunited with his beloved mother and sister.

He spent a long time with them in the beautiful flower garden filled with memories, and then, exhausted, he lay down in the middle of it.

It was time for a very long nap.

Sierra and Roxana, lying on either side of him, kissed him on the cheek and said goodbye tenderly.

Sleep well, have good dreams… they said.

In time with the soft whispers that flowed like a lullaby, the flower petals surrounding Nix danced in the sky.

He was so happy he felt no regret…….

Nix died as if falling asleep with a sweet smile on his face in the illusion that Roxana had created for him.

Rustle.

Red butterflies rose one by one beside Roxana, who sat on the ground.

The fragrant flowers that had been in full bloom withered and disappeared without a trace, along with the swarm of butterflies.

Only the unevenly grown grass swayed, making a desolate sound.

The empty clothes that had fallen onto Roxana’s lap and the gray powder that seeped through them scattered in the wind.

In the end, Nix couldn’t hold on until he reached the place where Sierra was.

His last conscious act was a faint smile, without answering Roxana’s question about whether he was going to sleep again.

Roxana, sensing the end, immediately used the Illusion Butterfly [a magical artifact], but she couldn’t be sure it had worked.

But a smile like spring sunshine appeared on Nix’s face shortly after…….

Roxana knew he had seen what he wanted most.

After that, Nix’s remaining body completely collapsed.

He turned to ashes, leaving only the piece of cloth he had been wearing.

Roxana didn’t cry as she had when Ashil first died.

She just stared silently at the place where Nix had been for a long time, then moved her hand to sweep together the dust-like remains left in the clothes.

Jeremy, who was behind her, quietly approached and helped her.

“Roxana, here.”

A moment later, Cassis handed her the cleanest cloth he had.

Roxana accepted it and gathered Nix’s remains, if they could even be called that.

“Sister… are you okay?”

Jeremy asked cautiously, watching as the crumbling remains, not even a handful, were sealed away.

“I’m fine.”

Roxana quietly dusted herself off and stood up.

Her face didn’t betray any emotion that would worry Jeremy and Cassis.

“This is enough.”

It wasn’t a forced reassurance; Roxana genuinely felt that way.

This was enough. For her, and for Nix.

Of course, it would have been nice if they had been granted just a little more time, but setting aside all other regrets, at least she could give him a good dream at the end.

From the start, Roxana hadn’t gone to find Nix with any real expectations.

She had countless times considered the possibility that he might have already died beyond her reach.

Life had never been easy enough for her to imagine an optimistic future, and she was well-versed in assuming the worst while living.

But Nix had ultimately survived and been found by her, and she was able to witness his end with her own eyes.

“Let’s go to Mother.”

Roxana walked towards Sierra’s mansion, which wasn’t far away.

Sierra was inside the house with Maria and Beth.

They seemed a little surprised to see Roxana arrive so suddenly.

“Roxana? What brings you here without any notice? No… never mind. I’m glad you came. Come inside.”

Roxana stared silently at Sierra, who had come out to greet her, then held out what she was carrying.

“Mother, this is Ashil.”

Sierra’s face changed strangely for a moment.

She didn’t seem to understand Roxana’s words right away. It was only natural.

But after hearing the explanation that followed, she stood motionless as if time had stopped, staring unblinking at what was in Roxana’s hand.

Slowly, Sierra’s hand rose and accepted the piece of cloth containing Ashil’s remains.

Sierra’s face was as calm as Roxana’s. But her body, as she embraced Roxana, trembled slightly.

Roxana also raised her hands and hugged Sierra back.

The three of them were together again for the first time in a very long time.

With this, the chase after Nix and the short time spent with him were completely over.

One of the past episodes that had remained a mystery in Roxana’s heart was now truly and cleanly concluded.

The feeling of closing a door that had been left open and carefully tying a knot over it was bittersweet and liberating.

But because there were no more regrets, she could be satisfied with that.

* * *

“…….”

Red eyes suddenly turned to the window.

Deon quietly watched the scenery that came into view.

Almost two weeks had passed since he left Sierra’s mansion.

As soon as Deon recovered enough to move his body, he left without hesitation. Naturally, Maria welcomed his choice with open arms.

But the place Deon headed to afterward was not Agriche.

“…….”

As if there was something outside the window, Deon fixed his gaze intently for a while, and this time, a clearer sign was caught in his senses.

In an instant, a clear light flashed in his red eyes.

Creak.

When Deon suddenly got up from his chair, Grizelda, who was in front of him, immediately became annoyed.

“What? Don’t suddenly get up. I’m in the middle of finishing up, and if I mess up, I’ll have to start all over again.”

But Deon didn’t budge from his spot even after hearing Grizelda’s words.

With a cool face, he stared at the window and muttered to himself.

“Butterfly.”

“What?”

“It was definitely a poison butterfly.”

There was nothing visible to the naked eye, but the aura of Roxana’s poison butterfly was definitely detected not far away.

Grizelda realized why Deon was suddenly acting like this and opened her mouth in disbelief.

“Seriously, why are all the dogs that hang around Roxana like this? They’re so toxic and persistent that it makes me cringe.”

Sigh, Grizelda sighed deeply and grabbed Deon’s arm.

“Hey, Deon. I understand how you feel, but you can’t go running to Roxana’s side unless your arm is properly attached, right? I’ll do it as quickly as possible, so just stay still.”

Deon still stood firmly in place and only fixed his arm on the table as Grizelda wanted.

Even while doing so, his gaze never left the window.

Grizelda shook her head and devoted herself to the final work.

Currently, she was attaching an artificial arm to Deon’s arm.

But it wasn’t an ordinary prosthetic; it was enhanced with various magical effects to make it function like a real hand, naturally moving even a single finger as intended.

For the past two weeks, Grizelda had been drawing and redrawing magic circles day and night, dedicating herself to research to create this prosthetic for Deon.

If she had known that Deon would suddenly barge into her house before it happened, she would have somehow run away to avoid him… But it was already too late to regret.

“By the way… does Roxana’s return mean she found that doll?”

Then, Grizelda suddenly remembered what Deon had said earlier and muttered absentmindedly.

She couldn’t gauge whether the timing was earlier or later than expected.

Especially when she thought about the last appearance of the doll when she left this place.

Still, she didn’t think Roxana would just give up and return without finding the doll.

Deon’s eyes sank slightly at Grizelda’s words.

But no other reaction was outwardly revealed from him.

So Grizelda closed her mouth again and concentrated on moving her hands to finish the work.