The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 233

Protecting the Heroine’s Older Brother – Side Story 24

He spoke as if he understood my reaction.

“Since you don’t have the memories of the past few years, and I’m a Fedelian while you’re an Agriche, it’s natural that you’d find it hard to trust me.”

“…….”

“But just the fact that you came to see me first like this… I’m grateful and happy enough.”

The voice whispering softly in my ear felt like it was making my heart pound.

He could be a little more upset, but Cassis Fedelian didn’t blame me at all.

Rather, his touch, stroking from the back of my neck, down my back, to my waist, was gentle and tender, as if telling me it was okay.

“Roxana. As I said before, I missed you.”

It was definitely an unfamiliar feeling… but strangely, on the other hand, it also felt very familiar.

“You might not believe this either, but I’ve been thinking of you every day for the two months we haven’t met.”

Cassis Fedelian’s embrace was very warm and comforting.

I sat with my chin resting awkwardly on his shoulder, feeling a ticklish sensation inside me that was different from before.

Until just now, I had felt very bewildered and dissatisfied, but being held by Cassis Fedelian and hearing his affectionate whispers, I thought it wasn’t so bad.

My throat tickled, so I coughed unnecessarily. Then, I parted my lips and let out a voice that I tried to make as nonchalant as possible.

“You… must have really liked me?”

Then, a soft, broken laugh rippled gently.

“Why are you speaking in the past tense? It’s the same now, and it will be in the future too.”

I felt a little pleased because there seemed to be no pretense or lies in his words.

I spoke to him as if giving him a reward.

“Tell me how we first met.”

“Jeremy Agriche probably wouldn’t have told you…”

I could sense a slight cynicism in Cassis Fedelian’s voice.

Come to think of it, I think there was something that bothered me in the words I had vaguely heard earlier because I was busy with other things…

Ah, right. Jeremy told me that I didn’t forget all the memories of the past few years, but only Cassis Fedelian, right?

That was a very Jeremy-like lie.

“When I was captured by Lant Agriche and first came here, you helped me.”

That night, held in Cassis Fedelian’s arms, I listened to the story of what had happened between us.

As expected, there was quite a big difference between what I heard from the people around me and what I heard directly from him.

But…

Was I very tired?

At some point, I unknowingly became drowsy and my eyelids grew heavy, so I must have fallen asleep in Cassis Fedelian’s arms.

The next day, I reflected on last night with dismay.

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t help but laugh.

No, how could I fall asleep so defenselessly in front of someone? There’s a limit to how naive you can be.

Early in the morning, when I woke up naturally at the time I always did, I was the only one on Cassis Fedelian’s bed.

Apparently, Cassis Fedelian had left early to check on the troops for the upcoming monster subjugation.

Before I faintly heard the sound of the door closing very quietly, I thought I felt someone pressing their lips on my forehead and cheeks. Was that Cassis Fedelian?

“Ah.”

And now, I was sitting in front of the vanity, gazing at the mirror, and suddenly sighed.

Just now, the memory of when I met Cassis Fedelian in Agriche flashed through my mind.

The memory didn’t fully return; it was just a fleeting afterimage that flashed for a moment.

But the scene that came to mind was….

It was a scene where I was pinning down a more boyish Cassis Fedelian than now on the bed, burying my lips in his neck.

‘What, did I make the first move back then too?’

I frowned slightly in embarrassment.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have pulled your hair too hard.”

“It’s okay. Keep going.”

The servants who were helping with my makeup apologized, mistaking the reason for my sudden agitation.

I gestured for them to continue what they were doing.

However, my hardened expression did not soften easily.

The Cassis Fedelian in my younger memories flickered before my eyes.

The image of the adult man I saw last night was superimposed on top of it.

In the end, I just brushed it off yesterday, but now that I recalled last night’s events again, I felt a subtle surge of anger.

Cassis Fedelian really didn’t lay a finger on me after that.

Of course, he hugged me and stroked me, so here, that meant he didn’t make any contact with other unhealthy intentions at all.

I stared at the mirror in front of me again.

The busier the hands moving next to me became, the more gorgeously beautiful the woman reflected in it became.

Surely, if I went outside like this and just beckoned with one finger to anyone, there would be plenty of people who would gladly come running.

But to stop halfway like that and really do nothing….

Is he perhaps impotent?

“…….”

However, I quickly brushed aside the thought that had popped up for a moment in a fit of anger.

I had said harsh words in a fit of anger, but that wasn’t it.

The heavy presence I felt when I sat on his lap with our bodies pressed together yesterday was still vivid.

After a while, I shook my head to shake off the afterimages of last night and left the room.

* * *

“Sister, wouldn’t it be better to just take a walk in the garden with me? After all, the buildings where we used to receive education are all empty now, so there’s nothing to see.”

“It’s okay, Jeremy. It’s because I want to see that uninteresting sight with my own eyes that I’m going.”

At the time when the people of Fedelian and Agriche left the mansion and headed to the monster habitat.

I headed to the buildings where we used to receive education with Jeremy.

“If that’s what you want, then.”

After we became the heads, I heard that all the educational facilities that the children of Agriche should have gone through were closed.

Jeremy told me that they haven’t been able to touch all the buildings yet, so for now, they have only blocked the entrances, just like the other sensitive areas.

Whoosh!

But just as we were approaching our destination, something flew in from the side with a sharp whistling sound.

“Oh! Sister!”

Before Jeremy could move, I raised my hand and caught it.

Hmm, my reflexes don’t seem to have rusted even as I’ve gotten older.

After glancing at the short blade that almost pierced my face, I turned my head in the direction of the sound.

“Which way is that idiot throwing… Eek!”

The next moment, what appeared in front of me was a cute-looking red-haired girl.

Her hair had grown much longer, and she had become more mature than I remembered. She was so horrified after seeing me, as if she had witnessed a ghost, so at first, I thought it wasn’t the person I was thinking of.

“Charlotte, that crazy bitch!”

But after seeing Jeremy’s reaction that followed, I confirmed that she was Charlotte.

I tilted my head at her pale face.

After dropping the well-sharpened knife she was holding in her hand on the grass as if throwing away trash, I approached Charlotte, who was frozen in place.

“Looks like you’re very bored, Charlotte.”

“Roxana, Sister! Th-that, um, that’s not what I threw….”

Charlotte made excuses with a panicked face.

Considering what she had shouted to someone else a little while ago, it was certain that she had someone she was hanging out with.

But already grasping the situation here, the other presence that had been felt beyond the corner had hurriedly run away a little while ago.

In the end, Charlotte was somewhat unfairly taking all the blame, but that didn’t mean she was innocent.

“Charlotte. What are you doing playing with such dangerous toys outside?”

I raised Charlotte’s chin with my finger, who was sweating profusely, and made eye contact.

“Especially since we have guests visiting Agriche right now.”

My voice was gentle, but the look in my eyes facing her was probably quite cold because I was in a bad mood right now.

“What if an unfortunate accident happens? Huh?”

As I slowly pressed and stroked Charlotte’s round chin with my fingertips as if threatening her, she gasped again.

“If that were to happen, how would you have taken responsibility? Why don’t you tell me?”

“Th-that’s… I thought it would be okay because all the guests were out right now….”

“You thought it would be okay?”

Charlotte darted her eyes around and made excuses again.

But the moment I whispered lowly as if catching her words and asking again, the answer I wanted to hear finally came out of her mouth.

“I-I’m sorry! It’s my fault. I’ll stay quiet until the guests have completely returned! N-no, I won’t even step out of my room! I promise!”

“Good girl. Don’t forget to tell Giselle, who you were playing with, the same thing.”

“I will!”

“Then put it into practice right now.”

As if afraid that I would catch her again, Charlotte immediately turned around and ran away with her tail between her legs.

I was satisfied, but I was a little doubtful.

What exactly did I do to make Charlotte, who occasionally ran at me like a moth to a flame to compete with me, run away so scared?

“Anyway, she acts like a moron sometimes. I’ve been lenient with her for a while, and she’s gotten lax again. Sister, don’t worry. I’ll educate her properly again soon.”

Jeremy said, glaring at Charlotte’s back with a displeased look.

Looking at that, I wondered if she was so scared because she would be retaliated against by Jeremy if she touched me.

But Charlotte’s trembling eyes I saw earlier were clearly directed at me alone.

“Jeremy. Why is Charlotte so afraid of me?”

“Ah, she kept bothering you, so you must have taught her a lesson properly once. She’s been like that ever since.”

Ah, was that so?

I was still being lenient with her because she was still a child, but in the end, it seems I showed her an example once.

After understanding, I moved my steps towards my destination again.

* * *

The people who went to the monster habitat returned to Agriche around sunset.

Cassis and Deon, who led the respective groups of Fedelian and Agriche, were also among them.

Of course, I didn’t think there was any reason for the two to be close, but still, I thought that if they chose Deon as the person in charge of Agriche and attached him to Cassis, their relationship wouldn’t be that bad.

But that was my delusion.