The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 84

As night fell, Roxana finished her bath and sat by the window.

The breeze drifting in was cool, but she didn’t immediately close the window.

The master and mistress of Pedelian hadn’t yet met her.

She’d been told they were away on an outing when she arrived and hadn’t yet returned.

Roxana wondered if that was true, or if Cassis had fabricated the story.

If it was the latter, she wondered if it was their way of expressing their disapproval of her presence in Pedelian.

But Cassis and Sylvia hadn’t elaborated, and Roxana, not wanting to initiate the conversation, let the matter drop.

Of course, she could send a poison butterfly to the main house to uncover the truth, but she saw no reason to and preferred not to.

Cassis only shared essential information with Roxana.

If she inquired further, he would answer, much like their conversation by the campfire before arriving at Pedelian.

Even then, Cassis never volunteered more information than she requested.

Conversely, Cassis seemed to want Roxana to initiate the conversation, as he had that day.

But she didn’t.

Roxana retrieved the knife she’d discreetly taken during dinner, when Cassis was briefly distracted, and cut her arm.

*Thud…*

Blood poured from the deep wound.

The poison butterflies swarmed, eagerly consuming the blood.

The butterflies diligently cleaned the blood that fell on the floor, leaving no trace.

After a moment, Roxana sighed.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

She turned to see Cassis standing in the doorway.

The room was dark, Cassis silhouetted against the light from the hallway.

His face was obscured by shadows.

He must have been in the adjacent room and sensed something amiss.

He was always quick to notice unnecessary things.

“It’s something I have to do periodically until I die, anyway.”

Cassis didn’t respond.

He pushed the door open further and approached her.

As he drew closer, his face became visible.

He looked down at Roxana, his expression unreadable.

“Give me your arm.”

The moment Cassis’s hand covered the wound, the torn flesh knitted together, and the bleeding stopped.

The remaining poison butterflies vanished.

Roxana stared, then said, “This is convenient. Now that it’s healed so cleanly, can I cut it again? I haven’t fed them properly in a while.”

His grip tightened.

Cassis’s eyes were colder than before.

Roxana blinked slowly, feigning understanding.

“Okay. I’ll stop for today.”

Cassis took the knife from her hand. The blood had already been completely consumed by the poison butterflies.

Roxana watched silently.

Then she asked abruptly, “Why don’t you ever do anything to me?”

Cassis paused, the knife still in his hand above the table.

He turned, and Roxana rose from the window seat.

Bathed in moonlight, she seemed like the goddess of dawn dispelling the darkness.

“When you see me…”

Roxana approached Cassis and tilted her head, golden strands of hair shimmering against her face.

“You want to touch me, kiss me, don’t you?”

She placed her hand on his chest.

Not for any ulterior motive, as in the carriage, but simply to confirm something.

“You know what?”

Her red eyes, which had been lowered, met his gaze.

“Your heart is beating really fast right now.”

A subtle fragrance emanated from Roxana, who was wearing only a gown after her bath.

He imagined sinking his teeth into her exposed neck, tasting the sweet nectar within.

Roxana wasn’t trying to seduce him; she simply didn’t understand Cassis.

Yet, everything about her at that moment was terribly seductive.

Finally, Cassis’s lips parted.

“You speak as if you know everything about me.”

Roxana blinked, then retorted, “So, am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right.”

Cassis agreed unexpectedly.

He grasped her hand on his chest.

“That day, when you left Agriche…”

Cassis raised her hand and pressed his lips to her fingertip.

“It wouldn’t have mattered to you if I wasn’t the one who reached out.”

Roxana’s hand flinched. Cassis continued.

“But I wouldn’t have said those words if it wasn’t you.”

Their eyes locked.

Roxana breathed shallowly, meeting his intense gaze.

The cool breeze stirred the air.

Though the window was behind her, it felt as if something immense was emanating from Cassis.

Finally, Cassis smiled, a broken, vulnerable expression.

“I just wanted to say it.”

He lowered her hand and bid her goodnight.

“It’s still cold, so change into your pajamas and sleep.”

The warmth that had enveloped her faded.

As before, Roxana remained motionless after Cassis left, as if rooted to the spot.

* * *

Orca and Pandora were released from custody relatively quickly.

Hyperion, upon learning of their actions, responded swiftly.

Orca’s history of causing trouble also expedited the process.

Hyperion seemed exasperated by Orca’s actions.

The Agriche situation was already complex, and his thoughtless behavior only complicated matters further.

The family heads were gathered in Yggdrasil [the Hyperion family’s main residence] to discuss the issue.

Pedelian, having received a call from Hyperion, partially relaxed its vigilance against Orca and Pandora.

They were familiar with Orca and couldn’t completely dismiss him.

Moreover, they had to maintain a degree of courtesy unless they wished to antagonize the Hyperion family.

Cassis stationed his men around the annex to stand guard, anticipating any potential incident.

While they had released Orca and Pandora out of consideration for Hyperion, they remained cautious.

Orca’s unpredictability posed a risk to Roxana in Cassis’s absence.

“There are people I haven’t seen outside.”

Roxana noticed the guards around the annex.

Sylvia explained over tea, “There are guests in the mansion considered dangerous, so they’re preventing them from approaching the annex.”

Sylvia frowned slightly, an unusual expression for her.

She seemed displeased by the uninvited guests from Hyperion.

“It seems we’ll be formally greeting them at the dinner party.”

Now that Orca and Pandora were being treated as guests, it was inevitable.

“Then Cassis will be away tonight.”

“Are you sad that your brother won’t be here?”

Sylvia’s tone was subtle, her words following Roxana’s casual statement.

Sylvia smiled strangely.

“If the dinner party is likely to be long, I will do whatever I can to send only my brother back quickly.”

Sylvia smiled brightly, reassuring her.

She seemed to understand Roxana’s thoughts, but Roxana didn’t elaborate.

Rather, a dinner party between the Pedelian siblings and the Hyperion guests…

Orca hadn’t attended the Harmony Assembly, so tonight’s dinner party would be Orca and Sylvia’s official first meeting.

Would Orca like Sylvia in reality, as in the novel?

If so, she worried he might develop a twisted obsession with Sylvia.

“Sylvia.”

“Um.”

Just as Roxana was about to speak, Sylvia began to say something simultaneously.

Roxana yielded.

“You go first.”

Sylvia hesitated, her demeanor uncharacteristically hesitant.

Finally, she bit her lip and said, “Can I touch your hair just once?”