The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 73

“We’re camping, so this isn’t a proper meal, but it should taste alright.”

“Thank you.”

I’d noticed it earlier, but his attitude toward me was more polite than I expected.

It didn’t feel like I was being treated as a prisoner.

The thought crossed my mind that maybe they didn’t know I was an Agriche, but realistically, that was unlikely.

“Your name?”

“You can call me Ollin.”

Although he asked for my name, the ‘Ollin’ she told me was probably her last name.

There was no way she would tell a stranger to call her by her first name so casually.

I accepted the bowl she handed me. Then, when our fingertips brushed, Ollin flinched.

Now that I thought about it, besides being unnecessarily polite, there was something a little strange about her attitude.

It wasn’t that she seemed to dislike me, but she was careful not to touch me, even with a fingertip.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

I had realized something by then, so I pretended not to notice her agitation and spoke calmly. I immediately dropped the hand that had touched hers while receiving the bowl.

Ollin stared at my face for a moment before quietly closing the door.

Left alone again, I let out a soft sigh.

Right. If I had been unconscious for three days, I wouldn’t have been able to properly control the poison in my body.

If that was the case, it probably would have been impossible for others to get close to me.

I might have unknowingly harmed the people outside.

So, that must be why she was being so careful not to touch me now.

Ah, is that why Cassis was sticking by me?

Based on my previous experience, it seemed like Cassis would have been able to approach me.

Then, could it be that Cassis had been taking care of me for the past three days?

As I thought that, my brow furrowed slightly.

Come to think of it, it was strange that my body was clean, even though I obviously hadn’t been able to wash properly while unconscious.

It was unlikely that someone else had washed me…

Cassis wouldn’t have done anything indecent to me, so maybe it was part of his strange abilities.

Even when I was in Agriche, Cassis remained clean even after being locked in the underground prison for days.

I wanted to ask Cassis when he came, but on the other hand, I wondered if I should just keep my mouth shut in case a disturbing answer came out.

I took a spoonful of what Ollin had given me and put it in my mouth.

As she said, the food, simply prepared at this campsite, tasted quite good.

But I didn’t eat much and put the bowl down.

I wasn’t picky about food, and I didn’t intend to be in a place like this. But I didn’t have any appetite, so the food wouldn’t go down.

Feeling sorry, I called for Ollin.

She checked that the contents of the bowl were almost untouched and said she would bring something else if it didn’t suit my taste.

But I refused, saying that my body seemed to be rejecting food because I had been hungry for a while.

After Ollin left, I briefly looked around through the open door.

Cassis was nowhere to be seen.

Mixed in my view were people in the middle of a meal, taking turns, and people preparing for camp.

Even in the midst of that, they glanced at me without making it obvious. Still, no one dared to approach me.

I closed the door again, pulled back the curtain, and looked outside through the window for a moment.

Then, I caught sight of a familiar figure beyond the people preparing for camp.

Cassis was with someone named Isidore.

Seeing him coming this way, I opened the carriage door again.

“Cassis.”

When I called out, Cassis’s gaze immediately flew towards me.

A similar sense of silence to what I felt earlier descended around us.

Cassis, who had crossed the quiet campsite and approached me, asked,

“Did you eat?”

“I did.”

Cassis’s gaze brushed past Ollin, who was guarding the carriage. I noticed her shaking her head slightly at Cassis.

But Cassis didn’t say anything more about it and turned his gaze back to me.

“Is there anything you need? When I’m not around, tell Ollin.”

I shook my head slightly and said,

“I feel stuffy. I want to get some fresh air.”

After a brief pause, Cassis spoke again.

“The temperature has dropped, so it will be cold.”

Without a word, I put on the cloak Cassis had given me earlier and wrapped a sable fur blanket over it.

I didn’t say anything more, but it was a rather firm expression of my intention.

“Well, you’re not feeling well, so it’s better to stay inside…”

Ollin, who was next to me, hesitated slightly and tried to stop me.

But Cassis stared at my face for a moment, then took a step back from the carriage door.

Soon, his hand was extended towards me.

I took Cassis’s hand and got out of the carriage.

Immediately after, Cassis turned his head.

Then, as if they had planned it [were in sync], the people who received his gaze averted their eyes from me all at once.

It was rather blatant, but I just pretended not to see it.

Several bonfires were lit in the campsite. Cassis led me to the one that looked the warmest.

The people where Cassis was heading moved to the bonfire next to them on their own.

So, only Cassis and I were seated at the bonfire.

They were compulsively avoiding looking at Cassis and me.

Seeing that the atmosphere was disciplined and orderly even in this environment, the word ‘knight’ suited them perfectly.

The subordinates of Agriche felt like a mercenary group.

I wondered if the atmosphere of the people each family employed was so different.

“Eat.”

After a while, Cassis handed me a bowl with steaming hot vapor.

He must have been concerned that I had barely eaten, as he had called a subordinate and instructed them to do something before sitting down.

“I’m not very hungry.”

“Even if you don’t have an appetite, eat at least a little. You’ve been starving for three days.”

Again, I refused, but unlike Ollin, Cassis didn’t back down.

He handed me the bowl of soup and even put a spoon in my other hand.

“You don’t think you’re a creature that can live on water alone, do you?”

Before I knew it, I had been deprived of the freedom of both hands.

I looked down at the warm soup in my hands and narrowed my brows slightly.

Somehow, this situation felt a little unfamiliar. It seemed like this was the first time, at least in this life, that someone had tried so hard to feed me when I was stubbornly refusing to eat.

Perhaps that’s why my face felt a little itchy [embarrassed].

I stirred the soup with the hand holding the utensils to hide my embarrassment.

Even that wasn’t enough, so I grabbed onto what Cassis had said earlier to divert the conversation.

“Hmm, but I guess I did drink water during that time, right?”

At that moment, an unexpected and intense reaction erupted from the side.

“Keuh, cough…!”

Several of the people sitting around the bonfire next to us suddenly started coughing violently, as if they had choked.

Seeing this simultaneous reaction, it was clear that they were reacting to my words.

Oh, why are they acting so suspiciously?

I had said it without much thought, but suddenly I felt strange.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Cassis. But he looked at me with an unchanged expression and said,

“Eat. It will taste worse if it gets cold.”

Then Cassis slid his gaze to the side.

The people who received his cold gaze quickly lowered their heads and hurriedly began to empty their bowls.

I definitely felt like something was up.

But for some reason, I felt uncomfortable asking about it.

Not long after, the people next to us quickly finished their meals and left.

The surroundings had become deserted.

Whether they were doing it on purpose or not, everyone was keeping a certain distance from Cassis and me and not approaching us.

Crackling, the sound of the bonfire burning was faintly mixed with the sound of insects chirping.

The sun was setting.

A reddish sky with shades of navy, purple, crimson, and yellowish hues was spread out over the horizon.

“If it’s the Frederica Highlands, isn’t that a monster habitat?”

Cassis accepted my question and answered,

“The monster habitat is located at the end of the highlands bordering Emerald Lake, and this is a safe zone. We plan to pass near the habitat around noon tomorrow, but we will detour, so there will be no danger.”

‘I see,’ I thought.

Cassis stared at me intently, as if telling me to ask again if I had any questions.

I looked at the flickering bonfire and opened my mouth after some time had passed.

“What happened to Lant Agriche?”