The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 229

His face, which softened the moment he saw me, flickered in my mind’s eye.

Considering how happily he kissed me right after, it didn’t seem like our relationship was in such dire straits…

I cut off that train of thought and surveyed the desk in my office.

Piles of documents and papers awaited my review. I picked up a few at random and began to read. Some were easy enough to understand, but others seemed far too complex for my current mental state.

With a click of my tongue, I reluctantly placed the documents back down.

Afterward, I inquired with Emily about my schedule for the day.

Besides attending to the Fedelian guest, there were several other urgent matters demanding my attention. If their visit stretched to a week or ten days, the workload would only increase. According to Emily, she had completed as much as possible before their arrival, which was a relief, meaning there was less work than usual.

For now, I decided it would be best to postpone as much of the essential work as possible and delegate what I could to my subordinates.

The main issue was that some of the urgent tasks required my direct approval as the head of the household.

“Emily, send Jeremy in.”

After dismissing Emily, I began rummaging through the drawers of my desk, hoping to find something else that needed immediate attention.

That’s when I discovered something carefully stored away.

Neat, square envelopes, arranged with meticulous care.

Initially, I assumed they were important official letters and opened one casually, but I stopped abruptly.

The sender was consistently Cassis Fedelian.

His handwriting was as elegant and refined as his appearance.

As I examined the contents of each letter, a strange sensation tickled within me.

The affection, as delicate as sugar crystals, conveyed in every word and line, made me feel a little self-conscious, even without possessing the corresponding memories.

‘A long-distance relationship, huh…’

Seeing such direct evidence of it evoked a peculiar feeling.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded from outside.

“Head Roxana, Head Jeremy is here…”

“Sister!”

Before Emily could finish her announcement, Jeremy burst into the room.

Emily attempted to follow, but Jeremy slammed the door shut in her face.

“What did you discuss with Griselda earlier? What’s really going on?”

He seemed visibly frustrated by the current situation, rushing toward me and demanding answers as soon as he saw me.

His appearance hadn’t changed much from my sixteen-year-old memories, allowing me to respond naturally.

“You’re here, Jeremy. I apologize for not greeting you sooner, but something came up unexpectedly.”

My soothing words seemed to ease the tension in Jeremy’s face slightly.

“What urgent matter? Did something happen at the mansion? I thought you were heading to Father’s office earlier.”

“It wasn’t a major issue. I found something with a magic circle drawn on it inside the mansion, but it was broken. I had Griselda check it just in case there were any lingering problems. It’s been taken care of now, so everything is fine.”

“Really? I hurried over because I didn’t want any disturbances while we have guests.”

Fortunately, Jeremy seemed convinced.

“How are the Fedelian guests doing? I’ve been too preoccupied to pay attention.”

“They’re in their rooms now. I made an appearance, so everything should be in order.”

“What about that person?”

“That person?”

“Cassis Fedelian.”

Jeremy tilted his head for a moment before replying.

“I don’t know, he disappeared while I was away for a short time. I assume he went to his room.”

Jeremy clearly wasn’t fond of Cassis.

His face subtly frowned as he answered.

“But Sister, did you and Cassis Fedelian have a fight?”

Jeremy’s question was subtle.

He must have sensed the strange atmosphere outside the room earlier, or perhaps my tone when mentioning Cassis was more formal than usual.

Still, Jeremy seemed to believe the reason was a disagreement between Cassis and me.

He seized the opportunity to add,

“Hmm, I’ve heard that absence makes the heart grow distant.”

I was unsure how to respond to that, so I simply ignored it and changed the subject.

“More importantly, Jeremy, I called you here because I need you to handle something today.”

I handed Jeremy some of the documents from my desk.

“I suddenly have an urgent matter and I’m short on time. Would you be willing to take care of this for me?”

“Oh, what’s wrong, Sister? Of course, I’ll do it. Just give it to me.”

Jeremy readily accepted the work I entrusted to him.

“Thank you. That’s all I need, so you can go now.”

But at that moment, Jeremy stiffened as if he had been stung by a bee.

“Sister… are you angry with me?”

His words were unexpected.

Was my tone colder than usual?

“No. What reason would I have to be angry with you?”

“Then why are you smiling like that?”

It wasn’t a tone issue.

I couldn’t understand what he meant, so I frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong with my smile?”

“You’re smiling like you used to.”

“……”

Jeremy even held his breath and stared at me.

I tried to maintain my smile, but it gradually faded as I met his gaze.

For some reason, my smile now seemed frightening and terrible to him.

His complexion paled even further as my face became expressionless.

I asked him quietly.

“What’s it like when I smile like I used to?”

Jeremy didn’t answer immediately.

“…Come to think of it, things have felt strange since earlier.”

He seemed completely convinced of my change.

“The way you’re treating me is also strangely distant, and you’re suddenly cold to Cassis Fedelian… No, let’s forget about the latter.”

Having lost his baby fat, his face, as he bit his lip tightly, looked so mature that I barely recognized him.

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Is there another problem besides what you mentioned earlier?”

Jeremy seemed more perceptive than before.

Or perhaps I was acting less like the twenty-year-old I thought I was.

“What happened that kept you so busy you couldn’t even come downstairs earlier? You’re usually so punctual with your time management, but today it’s so urgent and important that you have to take work off of me like this?”

Or maybe… Jeremy was closer to me than I realized, close enough to notice even the slightest changes in me.

I stared blankly at Jeremy’s face.

“It worries me when you smile without meaning it, while looking at me with eyes that seem to see me from afar.”

Jeremy’s hand, clutching the documents, was clenched so tightly that his knuckles stood out.

“Of course, it’s not that I don’t believe the promises you made in the past… But when you suddenly look at me with a face that seems to have built a wall, I get the feeling that you’re going to leave me alone again and go somewhere.”

My hand on my lap trembled slightly.

Jeremy revealed the anxiety that I had often witnessed in him before.

I had sometimes felt sorry for Jeremy, who craved my affection, but I deliberately ignored him more coldly each time, because I didn’t want to create a deep relationship that I wouldn’t be able to escape later.

But Jeremy seemed to know that about me.

Besides…

According to what he just said, I had abandoned this child once…

“I know I’m not trustworthy enough to be a support for you yet.”

Jeremy’s eyes were slightly red as he looked at me, perhaps because he was upset that I had created a secret and kept my distance.

“But you told me to discuss everything together now.”

He looked at me like a baby animal that had been rained on and abandoned.

“So, whatever the problem is, don’t try to solve everything alone again, and at least let me worry with you.”

I stared at him quietly, then parted my lips.

“…Did I say that I would discuss everything with you?”

As if he thought I was pretending not to know, a wrinkle formed between Jeremy’s eyebrows.

After a moment, a sigh escaped my lips.

I hesitated before reaching out to Jeremy.

“Come here, Jeremy.”

When I called him, Jeremy came to me as if he had been waiting, without stubbornness or pride, and took my hand.

I hugged and stroked Jeremy’s head. He leaned against me without resistance.

He had grown bigger, but he was still the child I knew.

It might have been a mistake to hide my condition in the first place.

I didn’t think Jeremy was lying. He wasn’t good at lying, especially not to me.

He seemed more honest now than before.

So, if I really said those words to Jeremy, it meant I had completely accepted him after much deliberation.

Still, it seemed that the twenty-year-old me had a few trustworthy people by my side to whom I could show my weaknesses.

That fact felt awkward.

I patted Jeremy on the back and spoke again.

“Actually, I don’t remember.”

“What? What I said to you before?”

“Including that.”

I paused before continuing.

“I’ve lost almost four years of memories, from when I was sixteen until now.”

“……!”

Jeremy raised his head sharply.

His face, eyes wide as if he had been slapped, was silently noisy.

Only after explaining the situation roughly and adding that it would return to normal in about ten days did Jeremy regain his composure.

“Really? Are you sure it will be completely cured over time?”

“I called other sorcerers besides Griselda to check. Even if that’s not the case, the effects of a one-time spell don’t last that long anyway. The doctor also said that there’s nothing else wrong with my body.”

“Is there really nothing else wrong with you?”

“No. I was going to keep it a secret because I thought you would worry like this.”

Actually, it’s not that, but because I didn’t trust Jeremy…

I felt a pang of conscience at his worried and relieved expression, so I lied shamelessly.

“I see… That’s why it was so strange.”

Jeremy seemed to understand why my attitude had been so strange.

“But if the age you remember is sixteen… Huh?”

Then, as if he had thought of something, Jeremy’s eyes widened with a slightly different feeling than before.

“Then I’m older than you. Because you’re sixteen and I’m nineteen now.”

Huh? Why were his cheeks slowly turning red? And his eyes seemed to be twinkling as he looked at me.

I looked at Jeremy and twitched my eyes.

Wait, was he perhaps excited because he felt like he was older now?

My uneasy guess was correct.

“Sister, don’t worry! I’ll do everything you have to do in the meantime!”

Jeremy clenched his teeth with a determined look.

“Don’t worry about anything and get some rest! Don’t be too anxious and trust and rely on me a little more! I’m older now!”

A little while ago, he said he knew he wasn’t trustworthy, but it was a sound that directly contradicted what he had said.

I looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

Jeremy seemed motivated by the thought of helping me.

It was a bit arrogant, but his intentions were commendable.

“Okay… Thank you, Jeremy.”

So I decided to accept his words.

Jeremy seemed worried about me and didn’t want to leave my side easily.

But he had to leave for his office to finish the remaining work.

Anyway, Jeremy decided to take over the work I had to do for a while, so I felt relieved.

After that, I was going to look around my office a little more, but Jeremy insisted on taking me to my room, so I just left with him. Actually, I was a little tired.

As Jeremy said, Cassis Fedelian was gone.

I thought he had probably gone to the East Wing, which was given to Fedelian as accommodation.

The East Wing was originally used by Lant’s wives, but now it is empty and has been reorganized as guest accommodation.

For now, I decided not to inform the people inside Agrische about my condition as much as possible.

Only Jeremy would attend the dinner party promised with Fedelian, and I would be absent.

But I couldn’t rest even after coming to my room. There was a lot I needed to know and a lot I was curious about the current time that I didn’t remember.

So, about an hour before the dinner party was scheduled to begin, I finally left my room to take a look around the Agrische mansion.

Everyone would be busy preparing for the dinner party, so now seemed to be the best time to take a quick look around.

But was it the wrong choice?

Shortly after, I ran into Cassis Fedelian again.