The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 156

Protecting the Heroine’s Older Brother – Episode 156

* * *

“Mother.”

“You’re here, Cassis.”

After the meeting, Cassis went to see Jeanne, his mother.

Richel, who had attended the meeting with him, stayed behind in the meeting room, saying he needed to discuss something with the head of the White faction.

Cassis had intended to just say a quick hello, but when he arrived at Jeanne’s room, he found his younger sister, Sylvia, was already there.

“Welcome, Brother.”

“Sylvia, you’re here too.”

Cassis told her about the guest he’d seen in the hallway earlier.

“There was someone waiting outside your room, seemed like they were looking for you.”

“Ah, it must be about the evening banquet.”

He mentioned it, wondering if it was an important guest, but Sylvia’s reaction was unenthusiastic.

It was a stark contrast to just a few days ago when she had been excitedly exploring Yggdrasil, attending all sorts of gatherings.

“You’re not going to the evening banquet tonight either?”

“I probably won’t…”

Sylvia fidgeted with her teacup, her words vague.

In fact, she had stayed in her room all day, avoiding socializing.

Cassis was puzzled by Sylvia’s sudden change.

He had been concerned because she seemed a bit down lately.

She had seemed so full of energy for the first few days after arriving at Yggdrasil.

“I’m going to go to the library. Yggdrasil has more books than I thought.”

Just then, Sylvia picked up her teacup, finished the remaining tea in one gulp, and stood up.

“Okay…”

“See you later, then.”

After saying goodbye to her mother, Jeanne, Sylvia left the room.

Cassis watched her go, his expression even more serious than before.

*For someone who rarely read books of her own accord, even back in Fedelian, she’s suddenly going to the library…*

Could she have had some sort of unpleasant encounter with people from other families?

However, he hadn’t received any reports from the subordinate assigned to protect her, just in case.

“Sit down, Cassis.”

Jeanne gestured for Cassis, who was standing by the door, to take a seat.

Cassis sat in the chair Sylvia had just vacated.

“Mother, Sylvia seems a bit down lately…”

“Yes, I’ve noticed it too.”

Jeanne spoke as if she understood Cassis’s concerns.

“After going out and meeting so many different people, she must be having a lot of thoughts.”

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

“She’s just experiencing things she should have experienced sooner. I hope she’ll be alright, but I’m also a little worried.”

Hearing that, Cassis had a vague idea of what was happening.

As Jeanne said, this was the first time Sylvia had left Fedelian and spent an extended period socializing with various people.

Even during the Harmony Assembly [a political gathering or conference] in winter, she only stayed briefly and attended the evening banquets.

Perhaps she was having difficulty adjusting to the new environment.

But even so, it didn’t quite explain why Sylvia, who had been so active at first, had gradually become listless.

Cassis tilted his head, his brow furrowed.

* * *

“I see.”

Roxana realized something after hearing Cassis’s words.

She had a rough idea of what might be causing Sylvia’s change.

Of course, Cassis had only mentioned that Sylvia seemed to be lacking energy lately and that he was concerned.

But at that moment, a thought that felt close to the truth flashed through Roxana’s mind.

“If you’re worried, maybe you should ask Sylvia directly why she’s feeling that way?”

However, she found it difficult to explain her reasoning, so she suggested that Cassis talk to Sylvia directly.

The two were currently in the Yggdrasil greenhouse.

Cassis had approached Roxana and requested a meeting.

Roxana had gladly accepted. She had something to discuss with Cassis anyway, based on what she had heard from Grizelda.

Cassis and Roxana left the building together and headed to the beautifully landscaped greenhouse.

Many people saw them together.

This wasn’t the first time the two had been seen together during the social gathering, and rumors about Cassis and Roxana were slowly spreading throughout Yggdrasil.

The rumors mostly revolved around the idea that the two had fallen in love at first sight and were gradually developing a romantic relationship during this social gathering, or whether Agriche and Fedelian were seeking reconciliation and a new alliance through marriage.

Cassis and Roxana had heard the rumors, but they didn’t make any effort to stop them. It was something they had planned from the beginning, so there was no reason to.

“But it’s hard to ask something like that directly.”

Cassis’s eyes crinkled slightly at Roxana’s words.

He seemed to be contemplating the idea.

Indeed, deep conversations that are difficult even between close siblings might not easily occur between them.

Moreover, Cassis had already given Sylvia various instructions regarding Nix’s situation just before coming to Yggdrasil.

So, he seemed worried that if he intervened again, he might be overly interfering in his younger sister’s life.

“Of course, if Sylvia doesn’t want to talk, there’s nothing you can do, but I think it’s good to create an environment where she feels comfortable opening up first.”

From what she had observed while living in Fedelian, people there generally didn’t seem to be the type to share their inner thoughts in detail unless there was a specific reason.

Also, there were often things that were difficult to say readily because they were family. Roxana thought Sylvia’s case fell into that category.

Then, Roxana suddenly smiled softly.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m just surprised that you’re having these kinds of worries.”

Cassis’s expression changed slightly at her words. He looked somewhat embarrassed.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Can’t I make fun of you?”

Roxana found it amusing that Cassis also had these clumsy aspects.

In fact, since arriving at Yggdrasil, Sylvia had been constantly guarded by people protecting her.

You could feel the affection of the people of Fedelian, who were taking special care to ensure that Sylvia wasn’t harmed in any way.

In Roxana’s opinion, it was necessary to protect Sylvia appropriately within Yggdrasil.

Didn’t Charlotte approach Sylvia last time, avoiding Cassis and Roxana’s attention?

Not only Charlotte, but the people of Agriche were certainly not trustworthy.

Even though Jeremy seemed to have a firm grip on them now, it was still the same.

Rather, it was Roxana, who belonged to Agriche, who could make such a harsh assessment.

Besides, Deon was here now.

So, she fully understood the anxiety of leaving Sylvia alone in a minefield that could explode at any moment.

“Since you and Sylvia are already considerate of each other, wouldn’t it be okay to have a more honest conversation this time?”

Perhaps it was advice that could only be given by an outsider.

Cassis had a half-convinced expression.

“And I think we need an honest conversation too.”

Roxana subtly grabbed Cassis’s hand and stopped him.

The two stopped walking in a place where green vines formed a roof overhead, and nameless yellow flowers that grew up to their chests painted the scenery.

There were no ears nearby to eavesdrop on their words. So, there was no need to be conscious of anything other than the person they were looking at now.

“I met Grizelda today and heard some things.”

Then Cassis’s eyes changed slightly. He closed his mouth and quietly looked down at Roxana.

“Since when have you been in contact with Grizelda?”

She already knew the general outline of the situation because she had heard the story after meeting Grizelda at the garden party.

But she wanted to hear it directly from Cassis’s mouth.

Immediately after the hand holding hers was gripped tightly, Cassis finally spoke in a calm voice.

“It’s not appropriate to say we were in contact. She was just unilaterally delivering news.”

Cassis answered honestly.

“And it was only once.”

As he had expected when he was in Fedelian, he seemed willing to tell Roxana honestly whatever she asked.

“When was that?”

“Just before winter.”

It was something that even Isidore, his closest confidant, didn’t know, except for Cassis.

Roxana was silent after hearing Cassis’s words.

She thought it was strange.

When you think about it, Cassis attacking Agriche at the right time when Roxana wanted it last winter seemed orchestrated from the start.

Of course, Roxana had acted at that time because she thought it was the right moment when all the pieces fell into place, considering various factors.

That included the expectation that Cassis would act around that time.

But when she thought about it, the biggest source of information that influenced Roxana’s judgment was Grizelda.

A thin chill settled in Roxana’s eyes.

Grizelda had been quite presumptuous, acting behind her back.

Of course, her actions had been helpful to Roxana, but that didn’t make her feel any better.

Wasn’t the person who should have been her chess piece trying to manipulate her and place her on the board as she pleased?

“It may sound like an excuse, but part of me thought that you might have sent that letter.”

Cassis had also continued to investigate Agriche in various ways, and in the process, he confirmed that Grizelda seemed to be a loyal follower of Roxana, so he had a hunch.

However, Roxana, whom he met again after that, had avoided mentioning Agriche, so Cassis had hesitated to speak rashly.

“The fact that Grizelda Agriche and Isidore contacted each other in Bertium was possible because we discovered traces of their movement while tracking her separately after winter.”

In fact, this was what Cassis didn’t want to tell Roxana.

“Are you angry that I haven’t told you until now?”

Cassis looked into her eyes, wondering how she had reacted to his words, seeing Roxana’s cold face.

“No, I’m not angry about that.”

Roxana answered before Cassis misunderstood further, because that wasn’t the reason she was feeling unpleasant right now.

“Then I…”

Then Cassis hesitated a little more than before and asked again.

“Are you upset that I used your sister?”