The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 128

Liselle examined Nicks with a fresh gaze.

All that was visible was the back of Nicks’ head and his back, but Liselle seemed to see something more.

“Indeed, he feels different from the other dolls I’ve seen before.”

Finally, Liselle narrowed her eyes and said in a weighty voice, “Come inside. I think we need to have a serious talk.”

After taking Nicks to the prison, we faced Cassis’s family again indoors.

We explained what happened in Vertium.

As the story continued, their faces hardened.

“Yes, this is definitely not something to be taken lightly,” Liselle murmured, stroking her chin. She didn’t seem to think this was something to be easily dismissed either.

We decided to discuss Nicks and Vertium in more detail again tomorrow.

Cassis’s family told Cassis and me to go back to our room and get some rest, as it was late and we must be tired from the long journey.

So we returned to the annex together.

“You’re back!” Ollin was the first to greet me.

Having heard that Cassis and I had returned, she was waiting for us at the entrance of the annex.

“I’m glad you returned safely.”

Ollin seemed to have been very worried about me.

Of course, her face was still close to expressionless, but I felt that her eyes and voice towards me were a little more excited than usual.

“It’s been a while, Ollin,” I greeted her back. At that moment, Ollin’s face softened slightly, then quickly hardened again.

“Are you hurt?”

This time, Ollin’s gaze reached the spot where Sylvia’s gaze had touched earlier.

“No. I’m fine. It’s just my clothes that are torn.”

“But…”

Cassis wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said to Ollin, “Later. She needs rest now.”

At his words, Ollin immediately stepped back. Cassis led me inside.

“Thank you for your concern,” I said to Ollin before passing by her.

Then Ollin relaxed her stiff face slightly, like before, and bowed her head.

Finally, Cassis and I completely entered the annex building.

The staff must have taken good care of it while we were away, as the annex didn’t look like it had been empty.

As it was almost sunset, reddish-yellow sunlight was streaming in through the windows in the hallway.

Stopping in front of the room, Cassis quietly raised his hand and stroked my face.

I leaned my face against Cassis’s hand, which was gently stroking my cheek, and looked up at him.

“Wash up first. The staff will have prepared everything in advance.”

In fact, Cassis had been constantly using his purification ability to keep me clean.

“Okay. See you in a bit.”

But there was also the matter of feeling refreshed, and I wanted to have some time alone right now, so I nodded silently.

And so, we parted for a while.

* * *

While soaking in the bathtub in the bathroom, my thoughts turned to Nicks, who was now imprisoned in the Fedelian dungeon.

Cassis’s confidant guarding the prison said he would let me know as soon as Nicks woke up.

But judging by his condition, he said it didn’t seem like he would wake up until at least sunrise tomorrow morning.

Memories of what happened in Vertium caused a subtle heat to rise in my head.

Soon, people from all five families would be gathering at Yggdrasil, he said.

Noel Vertium, whom I had seen not long ago, would also be there.

The news of Griselda that I had received from the poison butterfly on the way back to Fedelian from Vertium also suddenly came to mind.

As expected, she had safely escaped from Vertium.

Griselda left me a short message:

“See you at Yggdrasil.”

Griselda seemed to have heard about this gathering as well.

I was also planning to visit Yggdrasil again under the name ‘Roxana Agriche,’ where I had set foot last winter.

Surely the Agriche people, led by Jeremy, would also be present.

So I would be able to face Jeremy again there for the first time in a long time.

Even if there hadn’t been the matter of Vertium and Nicks, I was planning to contact Jeremy first soon.

If he was the boy I knew, he would surely wait for me indefinitely, even if there was no promise.

“If I… if I make Agriche a place where my sister can smile, will you come back?”

He didn’t give up on me, who didn’t answer in the end, and eventually held onto Agriche alone like that, just as he said he would.

So this time, it was my turn to go find him first.

Splash.

I got out of the lukewarm water.

* * *

Now the sky was purple.

Seeing that the sun outside the window had almost set, I realized that I had been in the bathroom longer than I thought.

Well, I had known it since the water in the tub had cooled down so much.

“Come here.”

Cassis, who had washed up before me, was in my room.

Seeing me enter the room, Cassis got up from where he was sitting.

“Have something light to eat.”

As he said, a meal was prepared on the table.

I had eaten something simple while moving from Vertium to Fedelian, but it wasn’t a proper meal.

“Did you wait long? I think I came out quite late.”

“No, I just got here too.”

It didn’t seem like it, but Cassis answered that way.

I didn’t want to worry him, so I sat down as Cassis led me.

But I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I didn’t eat much. Cassis just silently watched me, without forcing me to eat anything else.

“Your hair is still wet.”

After calling the servants to clear the table, Cassis instructed one of them to bring a towel.

Then he sat me down next to him on the sofa and dried my hair with the towel himself.

Listening to Cassis’s words, I raised my arm and touched his hair.

Fine hair wrapped around my fingers. As expected, it felt very fluffy.

“Yours is all dry. You were waiting for a long time, weren’t you?”

Saying that, I slyly turned my head and met Cassis’s eyes. He frowned slightly and made an excuse.

“It’s natural for my hair to dry faster since it’s shorter.”

The white towel covered my vision again.

I closed my eyes at the gentle touch of Cassis’s hand.

The mental fatigue that had been building up little by little seemed to be relieved.

“Come to think of it, Cassis.”

Then, with a thought that suddenly crossed my mind, I opened my mouth.

“The wounds on my body heal on their own without any special treatment?”

It was a very belated observation now.

Come to think of it, I was so focused on other things in Vertium that I naturally just glossed over this part.

Of course, Cassis had repeatedly checked my condition on the way here, and I had repeatedly told him that I was fine.

But Cassis didn’t say anything else besides that, and I was so preoccupied with Nicks that I didn’t have the time to feel any doubts about this matter, nor did I have the chance to ask him about it.

I looked at Cassis with eyes that demanded an explanation.

Then Cassis stared at me for a moment, put the towel down next to him, and stroked my face with his hand.

*No, I’m not turning my head to be touched right now, I’m telling you to answer…*

But somehow, the air flowing around Cassis and me right now was very soft and ticklish, so I hesitated to break the atmosphere.

*…Am I weak to this kind of atmosphere?*

For some reason, this doesn’t seem to be the first time I’ve been silenced like this in front of Cassis.

Slide.

While I was lost in such a simple question, Cassis’s hand slipped and tickled my ear.

His thumb gently caressed the auricle [outer ear], and his other fingers moved as if outlining the round shape of the ear.

A sensual sensation that was hard to describe gathered along the path where Cassis’s hand flowed.

Then finally, he caressed my earlobe. It was the very spot where I had been wearing earrings and was cut by Nicks.

Cassis’s touch caressing me, and his gaze staring at me, were both affectionate and gentle.

But Cassis’s words, which were murmured in a low voice, were not.

“When I first found you in Vertium, Roxana, if you hadn’t made that expression when you saw that doll, I would have killed him right there.”

As he said, the murderous intent emanating from Cassis when he faced Nicks at that time was immense. For a moment, I felt like I was suffocating from it.

That was also proof of how much Cassis cared about me.

“Roxana.”

Finally, Cassis whispered, looking straight into my eyes.

“That doll can’t hurt you.”

It was an unwavering and firm voice.

It was a voice that was unshakable and resolute, and just as resolute.