The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 126

Jeremy narrowed his eyes, watching her walk away.

Something felt off. She’d given in far too easily, which only deepened his suspicion.

He scrutinized Charlotte’s retreating figure, his gaze sharp and calculating, before finally moving.

He started after her.

Whack!

Sensing someone approaching rapidly, Charlotte spun around.

Instinctively, she dodged the incoming attack.

Thwack!

Long strands of red hair danced in the air as Jeremy’s hand slammed into the wall, missing its intended target.

“Ugh, why are you attacking me all of a sudden!”

Charlotte instinctively lashed out with her whip, the snap echoing as it met his sharp glare.

“Just looking at the back of your head, I got the feeling you’d go around spreading nonsense.”

“I wouldn’t!”

This time, Charlotte’s frown was genuine, her annoyance clear.

“It’s always been irritating. Sticking to Roxana like you’re some chick following its mother hen. It’s disgusting.”

The reason for Jeremy’s hostility was obvious.

It was always Roxana this, Roxana that.

Charlotte mirrored his annoyance, remembering how Jeremy had trailed after Roxana since they were children.

“I don’t need your understanding.”

Jeremy scoffed at Charlotte before launching another attack.

Charlotte retreated, simultaneously snapping her whip to bind Jeremy’s advancing hand.

Then, she sneered.

“What? You said what I said wasn’t true, but you’re acting so sensitive. Makes it seem like you’re feeling guilty.”

“No? I’m just annoyed by your face today.”

Jeremy dismissed her with a scoff and violently tugged on the whip wrapped around his hand.

The sharp thorns embedded in the black leather tore at his palm.

Yet, as if he felt no pain, Jeremy’s movements didn’t falter. Charlotte stared at him, disgust evident in her eyes.

Due to the difference in strength and weight, Charlotte was inevitably pulled toward Jeremy.

She tried to use the momentum to attack, but even that was blocked.

“Ugh, I’m really not going to say anything weird!”

Charlotte shouted, her voice genuinely aggrieved, just as Jeremy was about to strike.

“It’s not a lie! I really just asked because I was curious about where she was! You know I used to recklessly go after Roxana, but I don’t anymore!”

Jeremy’s arm slowed at her words.

‘How meekly I’ve behaved since that woman beat me to a pulp when I was young!’

Charlotte’s aggrieved cry sounded almost desperate.

On closer inspection, it was true. Jeremy paused, his movements halting for a moment.

Of course, Charlotte’s temper was as fiery as ever.

But she hadn’t dared to confront Roxana so carelessly since… well, since a certain point.

She used to climb all over her and piss off Jeremy, who was always watching from the sidelines.

So, Jeremy guessed that Charlotte had been badly burned by Roxana once when he hadn’t been around to witness it.

Anyway, she was nothing special, yet she acted recklessly. She should have quietly shrunk away when her older sister was being nice to her.

Jeremy still felt the same way.

Yes, people always try to take advantage if you’re too nice to them.

Just like those fearless guys he had just dealt with. He felt a little proud that he had beaten them up.

But then he suddenly found Charlotte’s way of speaking annoying.

“Hey. What do you mean calling your older sister ‘that woman,’ you impudent brat?”

“Ouch!”

In the end, Charlotte screamed after being struck by Jeremy.

Still, unlike when he had beaten the other brothers to a pulp, he had shown some restraint and used a weaker hand.

“I’m going to tell Roxana everything when she comes back!”

Charlotte gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with venom.

Seeing her like this, her poisonous, frog-like personality was the same as ever, even after all these years.

“I’m going to tell her everything about how you’ve been acting like a crazy tyrant while she’s been gone!”

Charlotte provoked Jeremy, even though she wasn’t close enough to Roxana to run and tattle like that.

She knew that he couldn’t do anything to Roxana.

But at that moment, Jeremy paused for a different reason than Charlotte intended.

Charlotte’s tone held no doubt that Roxana would return to Agrigent at all.

Of course, she didn’t know the details, so she could think that way, but still…

“Yeah, tell her. When Sana comes.”

The air around Jeremy suddenly lightened a little.

Charlotte had braced herself for another hit, but she became nervous at his unexpected reaction.

However, Jeremy didn’t seem to have any intention of punishing Charlotte and released her.

Then, with a face that looked happier than before, he turned around.

At first, she wondered if he had other intentions, but Jeremy really started walking away from Charlotte.

‘What? Is he just leaving like this? Really?’

She couldn’t believe it, but it was true.

Charlotte could only watch Jeremy walk away with a mixture of doubt and suspicion.

* * *

The atmosphere in Hyperion was gloomy.

The reason was Orca.

Orca, who had returned to Hyperion after the Pandora incident, had been radiating a dark aura for over a week.

“I’m doomed… This life is doomed….”

Today, he was sitting by the window, gazing wistfully outside while muttering gloomy words to himself.

His shoulders drooped powerlessly, as if all the world’s worries and sorrows had settled upon him.

He was even cradling a bottle of alcohol in his arms.

“Get a grip.”

Pandora clicked her tongue at the sight.

Just looking at the back of Orca’s head, his despair and frustration were palpable.

“How long are you going to mope around like that?”

At Pandora’s words, uttered with discomfort, Orca turned to her abruptly.

“Sister, aren’t you being too harsh?”

His expression seemed to say, ‘How could you say such a thing?’

Pandora was momentarily speechless at his betrayed expression.

“Since you’re a Beast Tamer too, you know better than anyone how deeply I’m feeling this loss!”

That was true.

Pandora knew why Orca was acting like he had lost his soul.

And she understood his feelings very well.

So she almost avoided Orca’s gaze without realizing it.

But Pandora had her own mission entrusted to her by the leader.

“Yeah, do you think I don’t know how you feel? But just because you’re cooped up in your room doesn’t mean the lost beasts will come back.”

The reason Orca was acting like a man who had lost his mind was because he had lost a large number of his beasts overnight.

He had left Pedelian later than Pandora, who had been forcibly transferred to Hyperion.

That news had naturally reached Hyperion as well. But after that, Orca had been out of contact for a while for some reason.

So the people of Hyperion, including the leader, felt a sense of unease and anxiety, wondering if Orca was causing trouble somewhere again.

In the end, the leader of Hyperion left for the Yggdrasil meeting without seeing Orca.

Around that time, Orca, who had been out of contact, returned to Hyperion.

But Orca, who had returned in a carriage from Pedelian, was somehow completely out of it.

The messenger from Pedelian said that they had found Orca collapsed in the middle of nowhere while traveling to Yggdrasil and had brought him here for protection.

They wondered what had happened, but Orca didn’t seem to have the mental capacity to explain the situation in detail.

He even had the dumbest look on his face he had ever had.

And he was dressed in surprisingly plain clothes.

Pandora felt suspicious and asked where he had sold all his accessories.

Then Orca replied with a look of despair.

Unbelievably, Orca said that he had lost all the accessories he had on his body, that is, all his beasts.

Pandora gasped and opened her mouth at the news.

Yes, he had done something stupid, so it was natural that he had a stupid look on his face!

Only then did Pandora understand.

Of course, there were some jewels engraved with contracts with beasts in Hyperion, in addition to the accessories he had at the time.

But still, losing all the beasts he cherished enough to always carry with him at once must have been a huge blow.

That’s why Orca was so deeply despondent, spreading gloomy energy in all directions.

“So how long are you going to stay looking so pathetic?”

Pandora tried to comfort Orca.

“You said you have to go to Yggdrasil soon. Why don’t you catch and tame a new beast in the remaining time to change your mood?”