The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 223

Protecting the Heroine’s Older Brother – Episode 223

Side Story 14

“Sana, it’s late. Why don’t you stay here tonight?”

Sierra suggested to Roxana.

She added that there were rooms available, including a place for the two people who came with Roxana.

As Sierra said, the rooms Deon and Emily used to occupy were vacant.

Roxana hadn’t met Emily yet because they got separated along the way.

Although she hadn’t confirmed it, Emily was probably waiting for Roxana in Agriche.

“If Mother is okay with it, I will.”

Roxana agreed, seemingly not wanting to refuse Sierra’s request tonight.

When she turned to ask Cassis his opinion, he nodded.

“Thank you for your consideration, Mother. Then, we’ll be in your care tonight.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. I’m the one who’s grateful for Sana being with me during the long journey and for helping with Asil’s grave.”

Cassis had already formally greeted and introduced himself to Sierra earlier.

Sierra initially seemed awkward, remembering meeting Cassis in Agriche before. However, that didn’t last long.

Watching Roxana and Cassis for half a day, though a short time, gradually melted away the worries she had been harboring.

Besides, from an objective point of view, Cassis had an impressive and trustworthy demeanor that any mother would like.

“It’s nothing. It was something I should have done. And please, speak comfortably, Mother.”

“Oh, my… Is that alright?”

A warm smile spread across Cassis’s face as he looked at Sierra.

“Yes. If you’re Roxana’s mother, you’re like a mother to me too. I’d be happy if you treated me without any formality from now on.”

Sierra’s lips softened at the sight of his handsome smile, which naturally put people at ease.

Jeremy, frustrated by the unexpectedly warm atmosphere, grumbled to himself from behind.

“Shii… ‘Mother,’ my ass.”

He was itching to separate Cassis from Sierra and Roxana right away. But that was just a fantasy in his head.

Maria felt the same way, displeased at having Sierra taken away.

Unable to bear the strange feeling of being left out, she finally intervened.

“Hey! Instead of standing here, let’s go inside. Sierra and Sana must be tired today, right?”

Deon watched the scene from a distance.

Perhaps because Asil’s actual death had occurred a long time ago, the atmosphere was generally calm.

Sierra and Roxana were also surrounded by people, wearing faint smiles. Their faces looked alike, like a mother and daughter.

Even Roxana, who had seen Nyx’s death not long ago, had a composed expression. It might have been because she had anticipated his end and prepared herself early.

However, Deon, who had seen Roxana’s fabricated expressions his whole life, couldn’t possibly fail to guess what lay beneath her surface.

Not only Deon, but everyone here would know that fact. Because only people as sensitive to Roxana and Sierra’s emotions as Deon were gathered here.

That’s why they were deliberately acting and talking so nonchalantly in front of the two of them.

So, Maria’s words to Deon earlier were correct.

He was an unwelcome guest here.

People moved inside one by one.

The shadows in Deon’s vision disappeared one by one.

But there was a shadow that didn’t disappear from his sight even as time passed.

When Deon looked up, he met the gaze of red eyes that had been staring at him for some time.

Roxana was standing still, looking at Deon. Her golden hair was dyed red by the ripe sunlight.

Deon’s gaze silently fell to his left arm.

Soon, Roxana’s lips parted slightly.

“Is that Griselda’s handiwork? It looks real from afar.”

Deon looked back at Roxana without saying a word.

In the past, he would have thought she was criticizing him by comparing him to Nyx, who had crumbled to death without leaving even a hand.

But he didn’t feel that intention in Roxana’s words.

In fact, Roxana knew.

If it hadn’t been for her words the last time they met, Deon would never have restored his severed arm.

And he wouldn’t have appeared before Roxana again like this.

Above all, he had lost that arm because of Roxana.

“That’s good. Now you won’t have any inconvenience in your life.”

After muttering that, Roxana turned away first.

The shadow that had been hanging close to Deon’s feet moved away.

Deon stood there blankly again, watching Roxana’s back.

Then, at some point, the person in front of him stopped walking.

“What are you doing?”

Roxana said, turning back to Deon.

“Come in before you’re late for dinner. Are you going to make Mother wait?”

In a calm voice that contained no personal feelings, just like her mother, Sierra.

“We’ll be leaving for Agriche tomorrow. You come with us then. Because there’s a lot to do back there.”

Then, Roxana went through the door first.

Deon’s hand, which had been hanging down, clenched tightly.

…Is he allowed to go inside now?

It wasn’t like Deon Agriche to be too ashamed to face the two of them and refuse Roxana’s outstretched hand.

He was a very selfish and shameless man.

Finally, Deon’s feet slowly moved.

His shadow, left alone on the floor, disappeared into the door after the others.

That night, Roxana lay in the same bed with Sierra for the first time in a long time, sharing stories they hadn’t been able to tell.

Jeremy was worried that Roxana might share a room with Cassis, but he seemed relieved.

After that, Cassis and Deon didn’t express any opinions on how to divide the remaining rooms, but the problem was Jeremy.

At first, he tried to put Cassis and Deon in the same room and use the remaining room alone.

But others objected.

Even if Deon had become as docile as a toothless beast these days, many people felt uneasy about letting Cassis, a guest, share a room with him alone.

So, in the end, Jeremy had to share a room with Deon, much to his dismay.

And at a late hour.

A small rustling sound from behind reached Roxana’s ears.

Sierra, who seemed unable to fall asleep easily like her, quietly got up from her seat.

Roxana felt her gaze silently lingering on her.

Soon, a hand came and properly covered Roxana’s blanket, gently stroking her hair.

Just like sometime in her childhood.

Then, after a while, the warmth that had touched Roxana left.

After a little more time, when Roxana finally turned her head, she saw tears falling white in the moonlight.

She closed her eyes again and held her breath as if she hadn’t seen it.

For some reason, her throat felt a little prickly at the silent vibrations coming from the front.

After a while, Roxana moved as if she were asleep and hugged Sierra.

Sierra, who had paused, gently patted Roxana’s back.

After some more time, Sierra lay down again and held her daughter, taking a short nap.

And before dawn, Deon was found by Sierra, who had come out to see Asil’s grave.

Deon didn’t seem to notice Sierra’s presence, unlike him.

The sight of the man standing alone under the still dim sky was clearly etched in her retina.

Deon seemed to have spent the night in front of Asil’s grave.

Until the bright dawn light rose in the dark world…

No one would ever know what he was thinking as he stood there, just staring blankly at the small mound.

Sierra watched the scene from afar before quietly turning around.

Deon’s voice entering the house was not heard for a long time after that.

* * *

When the complete morning finally dawned, Roxana left Sierra’s house with three men.

“We’ll be going now. Don’t come out any further, Mother.”

Sierra smiled at them with a face as if the tears Roxana had seen last night were just a dream.

Roxana also smiled at her until the last moment she turned around.

“Ugh, seriously. What is this combination…”

After a while, Jeremy, walking a few steps away from Deon, covered his head with his hands as if he was frustrated, gritting his teeth.

Indeed, a bleak atmosphere was flowing around him.

It was now early summer outside, but strangely, the temperature on the path they were walking seemed to have dropped by about 5 degrees.

Except for Roxana, Cassis, Jeremy, and Deon.

As Jeremy said, it was only natural that the combination of members moving to the place where the carriage was parked was like this.

Cassis also decided to move to Agriche with Roxana.

Since they only had one means of transportation to get here, they had to go together to the center of the intermediate zone at least to buy or rent horses or carriages separately.

But Roxana first suggested that he accompany her to Agriche.

She didn’t feel comfortable just sending Cassis, who had accompanied her on the journey to find Nyx, alone like this.

“Sister, I’ll hold you. Get on first.”

Reaching the carriage, Jeremy smiled sweetly and tried to help Roxana onto the carriage first.

Roxana sensed something suspicious in Jeremy’s attitude.

“Okay. Thank you, Jeremy.”

But she pretended to be fooled and took his outstretched hand.

After Roxana got on the carriage, Jeremy immediately turned his head and whispered threateningly into Cassis’s ear.

“Hey, you. When you arrive in Agriche, just change carriages and go straight to Pedelian.”

Cassis glanced down at Jeremy.

“Too bad, Jeremy Agriche. Roxana said that since things have turned out this way, it would be nice to stay in Agriche for a few days.”

“What?!”

Leaving Jeremy, who was horrified, Cassis jumped onto the carriage.

What he just said was a lie.

At first, it was just annoying, but as he continued to see Jeremy Agriche’s face, which was happy and sad at Cassis’s words, it was somewhat addictive.

He felt like he knew a little bit about what Roxana meant by what she said in the cave where it rained a while ago.

But as soon as he thought that, he frowned because he felt uncomfortable.

He had momentarily thought something ridiculous, but it didn’t seem right.

“What, what did you talk about with Jeremy?”

Roxana asked Cassis, who got on the carriage, swallowing a laugh.

“I didn’t say anything special. You don’t have to worry.”

Cassis said, reassuring Roxana, and sat next to her.

Then he turned his head and met Roxana’s eyes.

Roxana had a serene face as usual, as if nothing had happened yesterday.

Cassis’s hand wrapped around hers.

Jeremy Agriche might go crazy if he saw it, but of course, it wasn’t important to him.

Cassis said, clasping his hands together more deeply.

“Let’s come together again next time. Whenever you want to come.”

Roxana also held Cassis’s hand tightly, feeling the unspoken comfort.

Still, she was able to smile without lying at the moment their eyes met.

Her heart was a little lighter today than yesterday.

The remnants of the old past melted into the warmth that was still touching and gradually diluted.

Surely tomorrow will be better than this.

So Roxana smiled.

Asil, who is now resting peacefully next to Sierra, would not want her to cry because of him.

Meanwhile, Deon, who had been watching their scene with cold eyes from behind Cassis and Jeremy, said to Jeremy, who was grumbling, almost as an afterthought.

“They must have gotten close in the few days they were together.”

It may have been just Jeremy’s imagination, but in Deon’s eyes towards him, there was a faint contempt that seemed to be looking at a dog that bares its belly and wags its tail to someone who was not its owner.

Jeremy was naturally furious at the feeling of being regarded as a pathetic creature.

“Does this look friendly to you?!”

Deon ignored Jeremy, who was the one who started it, as if he didn’t care.

In the end, it was only Jeremy who was fuming this time as well.

Still, Jeremy’s appearance, tearfully and silently following behind Deon at Roxana’s call, was quite pitiful today as well.

That’s how they set out on the road heading to Agriche after a long time.

A sweltering summer.

It was a season that was good for melting away the big and small knots that everyone has in their hearts under the sunlight.