The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 172

She sparkled as she reconfirmed with Cassis.

“Did I really do well?”

“Yes. Even if someone else in this room had been in your situation, I’m sure none of them could have done better than you.”

“Really?”

“Of course, really. To subdue Vertium’s puppet so quickly, it’s amazing.”

Of course, Sylvia hadn’t actually subdued Nix, but Cassis seemed to genuinely believe it.

Sylvia didn’t know, but Cassis tended to lose some objectivity when it came to his younger sister.

“Cassis is right.”

Richel was the same.

“You faced Vertium’s puppet directly; I’m impressed. I don’t think I could have handled it so calmly at your age. Very admirable.”

Richel, who had approached unnoticed, said to his daughter, sounding proud.

In any case, Sylvia, hearing the two people’s generous praise, was able to smile brightly again, as if her recent gloom had never happened.

Meanwhile, it was only natural that Pedelian’s subordinates, who had failed to protect Sylvia properly, were severely reprimanded by Cassis from that day on.

* * *

Roxana left the garden, her expression gradually hardening.

She ran her fingers through her disheveled hair a few times, quickly restoring it to its original neat appearance.

The more she thought about Nix, whom she had seen up close a little while ago, the more she felt her nerves sharpen.

Then Jeremy turned to Roxana and the Agrihe people following him and said,

“If you have something to say, say it, or get out of sight.”

Then they, who looked like they were dying to speak, quickly opened their mouths.

“What do you mean the person we saw earlier was Asil?”

“Asil died a long time ago, didn’t he?”

“And what’s this about it being Vertium’s puppet?”

Roxana and Jeremy exchanged glances for a moment.

Roxana nodded at Jeremy’s eyes, which seemed to be asking for an opinion.

Since the incident in the garden had just happened, it was time to tell them about Nix.

Perhaps the heads of other families were already explaining what had happened to their retainers.

“Let’s go inside. I’ll tell you.”

Jeremy led the Agrihe people with a subdued voice.

* * *

Afterward, all the Agrihe people gathered in one place.

Not only those who were in the garden but also the half-siblings in other rooms were all called together.

Then Roxana and Jeremy briefly explained about Vertium’s puppet.

“Are you serious? That’s Asil’s corpse?”

“So, all the guys who were disposed of were sent to Vertium in coffins?”

“Isn’t Father crazy?”

“Seriously, why is he even recycling corpses?”

Having seen and grown up in Agrihe, none of the siblings felt betrayed or outraged by Lant [the head of the Agrihe family], nor were they greatly shocked.

Still, they seemed to feel uncomfortable with the fact that their dead half-siblings’ bodies were sent to Vertium to be used in experiments of unknown origin.

However, some of them were interested in Vertium’s puppetry.

Among them, especially those with unhealthy ideologies, even spouted nonsense about wanting to learn Vertium’s puppetry to bring their dead toys and taxidermied animals to life.

“Damn it, do you want to die? Just because you have a mouth, you’re saying whatever you want? Should I make it so you can never speak again?”

Of course, they immediately shut their mouths as if they had been sealed when Jeremy’s eyes gleamed with a fierce light.

Roxana didn’t miss the opportunity and kept an eye on the half-siblings who seemed to need ideological improvement.

Then Roxana slowly parted her lips.

“If you’re so curious about Vertium’s puppetry, why don’t you go to Noel Vertium’s room right now?”

A languid voice fell into the chaotic room.

Roxana’s hand, resting on the armrest of the chair she was leaning on, moved slightly.

The sound of long nails tapping the armrest was overlaid on the low voice.

“If you want, I can ask the head of the Imperial family to let you experience puppetry directly.”

Soon after, a chilling sneer appeared on Roxana’s face, as if cold air was dripping down.

“If you really want to become the second or third Asil.”

Everyone in the room flinched for a moment at the beautiful smile that seemed to be covered in frost.

“I think there’s no better way to learn about puppetry than to become a living corpse yourself, don’t you all agree?”

It was a voice that was so kind that it felt eerie.

The Agrihe people remembered something they had temporarily forgotten.

Unknowing people were easily mistaken in thinking that Roxana’s beauty was her most powerful, and almost only, weapon.

But that was not the case at all.

People who were born and raised in Agrihe were more sensitive than anyone else to the energy emanating from a superior predator, and it was the same energy that flowed from Roxana.

Roxana was a daughter who had proven her outstanding abilities enough to receive the favor of the deceased Lant.

And she was also their half-sister who had firmly maintained the second place in the monthly evaluations, following Deon.

So, from a long time ago, only Charlotte recklessly confronted Roxana.

Of course, even she was soon busy trying not to catch Roxana’s eye.

Even now, Charlotte, who was among the siblings, flinched for no reason and subtly hid herself so as not to be noticed by Roxana.

As Roxana unreservedly revealed her displeasure and exuded a chilling aura, and Jeremy glared at those who had caused her displeasure as if he would chew them up and eat them right away, the Agrihe people were truly miserable.

When they thought about it, Roxana was the only person Jeremy, who had suppressed them all with his power, was crazy about.

The Agrihe people sent eerie glances at the half-siblings who had made favorable remarks about Vertium’s puppetry.

The atmosphere of Agrihe, which had been like walking on thin ice for a while after Jeremy became the head, had been nice and comfortable lately, but they were ruining it like this!

Those with a sense knew that this change was due to Roxana.

She was the one who soothed Jeremy, who had become as prickly as a hedgehog with its quills raised, and played a role in being kinder to his half-siblings.

But now that even Roxana looked so displeased, they might be subjected to Jeremy’s ferocity again after this meeting was over.

When they thought about it, wasn’t the Vertium puppet that appeared in the garden today made from the body of Roxana’s biological brother, Asil?

So, it was understandable that Roxana was upset.

Of course, they didn’t think that Roxana, who was more Agrihe-like than anyone else, would really cherish the puppet with the body of her dead brother, as she had shown in the garden earlier.

However, if they thought about the fact that her biological brother, who had been disposed of and died shamefully, had once again suffered the humiliation of having his body passed on to another family and used as an experimental subject, it was something that a younger sibling could be proud of and angry about.

Furthermore, wasn’t the ownership of the puppet that was created in that way currently transferred to Vertium? It was an unpleasant matter not only for Roxana but also for Agrihe as a whole.

The Agrihe people understood Roxana’s feelings in the Agrihe way of thinking.

And they decided that after this meeting was over, they would definitely re-educate the half-siblings who had made senseless remarks and put their peace at risk with their own hands.

Those who received their eerie gazes each felt an inexplicable sense of dread and cowered.

“So, Roxana, you’ve been gone since winter….”

One of the half-siblings, who had been carefully watching Roxana and Jeremy, asked cautiously. Jeremy answered.

“Yeah, why else would Sana [Roxana’s nickname] have been away from Agrihe for so long? It’s all because she went to Vertium because of that puppet.”

Roxana stared silently at Jeremy, who was deliberately packaging her actions in a plausible way.

Unlike the concerns of the other half-siblings, fortunately, the meeting was concluded smoothly after that.

They each stroked their chests and left the room.

Of course, they didn’t forget to drag the siblings who had spoken wrongly a little while ago to a secluded place.

“Jeremy. There’s something I want to tell you.”

Roxana opened her mouth in a place where she was left alone with Jeremy after sending the siblings back.

The story she was about to tell him now was something she hadn’t brought up because she didn’t think it was the right time.

It was about the time she had spent in Pedelian after leaving Agrihe and her relationship with Cassis.

When Roxana had to explain about Nix to Jeremy before, she had said that she had first met Cassis in Vertium. But that was not true.

The reason why she hadn’t told Jeremy about this issue until today was because she couldn’t bring herself to say it, and it wasn’t just because she couldn’t find the right time.

“Sister.”

But Jeremy interrupted Roxana’s words in a low voice.

“Do you remember what I said when we met here after a long time?”

Of course, she remembered.

But as if it wasn’t a question thrown out wanting an answer in the first place, Jeremy continued without waiting for Roxana’s reaction.

“I said that since you showed up in front of me like this again, I don’t care about anything else anymore. That’s still the case now. So, Sister….”

Jeremy’s deep blue eyes, as deep as the sea, were staring straight at Roxana.

“You can do whatever you want.”

Somehow… it was as if he already knew what she was going to say.

Judging from the looks of it, it seemed that he hadn’t simply regarded Roxana’s friendly appearance to Pedelian within Yggdrasil as a strategic action.

But Roxana could only stare blankly at her younger brother’s face, as she never expected to hear such words.

Jeremy smiled brightly at her. A voice that was clearly lighter than before flowed into her ear.

“More than that, Sister, listen to me. Do you know how much I’ve been holding back since earlier because I wanted to tell you about what happened with Gastor?”

Looking at that smiling face, Roxana couldn’t help but be immersed in an unfamiliar feeling.

Kids really grow up fast.

It was an impression she had felt several times while looking at Jeremy after coming to Yggdrasil, but this time it hit her more vividly than ever.

Roxana felt a complex emotion that was both amazing and welcome to the change, but also a little sad and regretful on the other hand.

“Okay. I’m always ready to listen to your story.”

But in the end, she couldn’t help but smile along with Jeremy.