The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 169

Protecting the Heroine’s Older Brother – Episode 169

* * *

Roxana gazed down at the ripe fruit displayed on the table.

The round, scarlet shape was reflected in her crimson eyes. A servant had delivered it earlier, explaining it was a rare delicacy and encouraging her to sample it.

‘I wonder how Jeremy is faring.’

Roxana briefly entertained the thought, then quickly dismissed the faint worry that had settled in her stomach.

Jeremy would be fine.

Her slender fingers reached out, gently rolling the red fruit across the plate.

Roxana’s objective in coming to Yggdrasil was, in a way, akin to selecting the perfect fruit.

There was no advantage in picking unripe fruit out of impatience. She would inevitably reject it, unable to tolerate its tart, sour taste.

That was why she believed now was the opportune moment to engage with Gastor.

The ideal time was when Gastor’s unease, impatience, hatred, and resentment towards Agriche had matured to the point where they felt compelled to seek out Agriche first.

Gastor was undoubtedly contemplating the worst-case scenarios.

How profound would their surprise and overwhelming relief be when the optimal solution, one they could never have conceived, suddenly materialized?

Would they possess the *yoyuu* [余裕, Japanese for余裕, meaning composure or余裕] to broaden their perspective, caught up in a near-ecstatic sense of relief?

Would they perhaps overlook the question of how they arrived at this predicament in the first place, eager to reciprocate the unexpected favor with an equal one?

Besides, hadn’t they been confronted with a problem that offered them no alternative from the outset?

Of course, Roxana harbored no malicious intentions towards Gastor, as she had assured Jeremy.

On the contrary, she held a certain degree of goodwill and trust towards them, sufficient to consider Gastor as Agriche’s new ally among the three remaining families besides Fedelian.

Vertium was excluded because it was already decaying from within, even more repulsive than the old Agriche.

Hypelion was teeming with treacherous individuals concealing poison, a characteristic that clashed with Roxana’s sensibilities and rendered them unsuitable for a close alliance.

In that regard, Gastor was a trustworthy family.

In particular, the head, Badrisa, was principled enough to disregard Lant entirely, and her successor, Lyzak, shared that quality.

If Agriche needed to forge a new alliance for the future, Gastor was the most promising choice.

Of course, in the novel Roxana had read, Lyzak, like Noel and Orca, was a male lead with a somewhat unstable mental state.

However, based on her observations, his actual personality seemed different from his portrayal in the novel. She wasn’t sure what caused this discrepancy, but Roxana’s very existence was already an anomaly.

Therefore, she believed that this Lyzak would be capable of sustaining a long-term bond even after assuming leadership.

Moreover, from what Roxana had perceived, Lyzak even seemed to hold her in favorable regard, making him the most suitable candidate.

In any case, Roxana regretted that such an upright family like Gastor had to endure such an unforeseen ordeal.

The drugs produced by Agriche were truly potent.

It was one of the poisonous plants that Maria had been cultivating when Cassis was captured by Agriche three years prior. Lant had successfully amplified its effects tenfold and eventually distributed it in the neutral zone’s black market.

Roxana didn’t know how Badrisa’s husband had obtained it, nor was she particularly interested in the details….

Still, it was fortunate that Agriche’s poisonous plant field hadn’t been completely destroyed. They almost lost even the seeds for the antidote.

Roxana’s hand, which had been toying with the fruit, stilled.

Roxana had returned to Yggdrasil in Agriche’s name with conflicting emotions.

Ultimately, Roxana decided not to ignore Agriche, which Jeremy was safeguarding for her, and to embrace it alongside him.

She never wanted to revisit that place, especially after dismantling Agriche with her own hands last winter.

But after confirming Jeremy’s presence in Agriche, and then encountering Nix, masquerading as her brother Asil, in Vertium.

Roxana realized that Agriche, which she had abandoned, was no longer merely a relic of the past, but had reemerged as a distinct choice for the future.

Above all, Lant Agriche had stubbornly left his mark on Roxana even after death, and it was a truly repulsive sensation.

That was when Roxana resolved to act.

She would return to Agriche, her origin, once more.

And within their Agriche, which was also Lant’s starting point, she would systematically erase the traces he had left behind.

So that ultimately, the image of his kingdom, the old Agriche, would vanish completely from the world.

Roxana would proceed deliberately. This was not a problem that could be resolved simply by her rushing about alone.

Secretly, gradually.

Roxana intended to transform the essence of Agriche as if it were permeating through water.

Of course, Roxana didn’t consider herself entirely innocent. Nor was she attempting to make a solemn vow to always act righteously.

However, at least in situations like this, where the scales were clearly unbalanced, she didn’t want to unfairly exploit the other party’s desperation to obtain what she desired.

Therefore, Roxana and Jeremy hoped to establish a new, amicable alliance with Gastor, rather than resorting to threats and exploitation.

Of course… she still believed it would be advantageous to secure a slightly favorable position if possible.

“……!”

Suddenly, Roxana frowned.

Just now, one of the butterflies she had planted in Yggdrasil transmitted a signal.

After summoning the butterfly and confirming the recent events, Roxana immediately rose and hurried towards a specific location.

* * *

Nix also received the news of Noel’s arrival in Yggdrasil.

The guard who routinely checked on Nix’s condition saw him lying listlessly on the floor and informed him.

Unlike Fedelian’s cold-blooded subordinates, the guards from other families seemed to empathize with Nix. Even though he was a doll, he appeared almost human, perhaps eliciting their pity.

In any case, Nix’s mind became preoccupied with something other than the cursed nightmare for the first time in a while.

The knowledge that Noel was in Yggdrasil filled him with a strange anxiety.

He felt restless, as if he needed to take action instead of being confined to this room. Even though he didn’t know what that ‘something’ was.

Clang.

The chain rattled as he stood and paced.

Nix’s gaze fell upon the metal shackles on his wrists.

“…….”

Suddenly, another scene from his dream flashed through his mind.

Nix unconsciously touched his wrist.

As he often did after a dream, he was recalling its contents without realizing it.

Clatter…….

Replicating the movements he had witnessed in the dream was meaningless to Nix.

Clunk. Clatter!

But the moment something fell to the floor with a dull thud and his hands were freed, Nix was startled and regained his senses.

“W-what?”

He stuttered, flustered.

What had fallen at his feet was undeniably the shackle that had been binding his wrist until recently.

After standing there blankly for a moment, Nix bit his lip and repeated the movements, as if trying to confirm something.

Clunk!

This time, he released the shackle on his ankle.

In an instant, Nix had regained his freedom.

But Nix’s face, displaying emotions far from joy or liberation, was rather pale.

After hesitating for a moment in an uncharacteristic manner, Nix suddenly raised his head as if realizing the situation he was in.

The shackles that had been restraining him were already removed, and there was no guard present in the room. And Noel, his master, was in Yggdrasil.

Nix’s gaze shifted to the door.

If he went out there, he would inevitably have to confront the guards.

Then what other option is there….

His blue eyes then focused on the window secured with iron bars.

He also knew from his dream how to silently remove those bars.

* * *

Giselle, a member of Agriche who had turned eighteen this spring, was discreetly searching through the bushes.

She was also the one who had thrown cards at Hypelion during the gambling match, startling them.

But she soon had to give up, finding nothing.

‘That’s strange. I heard there was something by the road that could make Hypelion look bad, so I came to check.’

‘Maybe this isn’t the right way? The half-brother who found it said he saw it by chance while taking a walk, so maybe it was a different path.’

Just as she was considering moving to another location.

Thud!

Suddenly, she heard something fall nearby.

The spot was about ten steps away, right next to the bushes.

Puzzled, Giselle turned her head and saw a boy crouching on the ground, having landed nimbly.

The blonde hair reflected in the sunlight shone particularly brightly.

It seemed he had just jumped from the building across the road.

Almost simultaneously, the boy also raised his head.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Giselle involuntarily gasped.

He resembled someone.

Perhaps because she was flustered, she couldn’t immediately recall who it was.

She just thought that the face she was looking at seemed familiar… and then, the moment the boy jumped up and ran forward, she realized the source of the déjà vu.

It was a face that bore a striking resemblance to her half-sister Roxana, whom she had seen just yesterday.

But as she delved deeper into the old memories buried within, another face superimposed itself on Roxana’s.

Although he had disappeared long ago, she still remembered him.

Not only her, but all the children of Agriche who were not much older than Roxana at the time would remember him.

A strange person who always approached with a smiling face and offered candy whenever they happened to encounter him in the mansion during their childhood.

A person with a pure and kind smile that seemed out of place in Agriche.

So beautiful, like an angel, that it felt as if Agriche had transformed into heaven, especially when he stood beside Roxana.

And the half-brother who was deemed disposable by his father, Lant, and killed by Deon’s hand.

“Asil……?”

Finally, the unheard murmur echoed blankly in the boy’s empty space.