The Way To Protect The Female Lead’S Older Brother [EN]: Chapter 89

The world swam upwards as Cassis lifted me into his arms, just as he had in the annex.

“…I didn’t mean I was unable to walk, though?”

*What on earth is he doing?*

Bewildered, I protested. Cassis glanced down at me.

“Really? I misunderstood your unclear expression.”

*No, what was unclear about that…*

“Now that you know, put me down, okay?”

“I observed earlier that it takes you approximately five minutes longer to travel between the annex and the main building at your pace. It’s more efficient this way.”

Cassis began walking, his voice utterly indifferent.

His tone was so matter-of-fact, as if he were simply calculating logistical efficiency, that it was difficult to argue. It was clear that no matter what I said, he wouldn’t be swayed.

“Haa.”

*Well, giving up is easier…*

In the end, I sighed and rested my chin on Cassis’s shoulder.

As I did, Orca and Pandora, whom I had turned my back on only moments ago, came into view. Their mouths were even wider open than before, their round eyes looked as if they might pop out of their sockets at any moment.

Seeing their expressions, I was momentarily speechless once more.

“You really don’t care what other people think, do you…”

After a moment, I muttered, a sense of resignation washing over me.

“I’m simply not prioritizing those considerations in this situation,” Cassis replied calmly.

I rested my head on his shoulder and gazed up at the clear sky.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but the weather seemed clearer and brighter now than when I had been walking the other way.

Then, looking down again, I saw people passing through the Fedelian [likely a city or district] staring at us, each either greatly embarrassed or frozen in place.

Sylvia, who happened to come into view, also flinched when she saw Cassis and me.

She quickly recovered, smiled contentedly, and tiptoed back out of sight.

*Ah…*

I buried my face in Cassis’s shoulder, feeling a sensation I couldn’t quite describe.

* * *

I went out to the terrace for some fresh air and found an unexpected guest.

The round, olive-green color of the crown of her head blended seamlessly with the surrounding grass and leaves, like camouflage.

As if sensing my presence, she looked up from below the terrace.

“Ah, hello!”

Ollin greeted me with a very polite posture. Even if she tried to hide it, she seemed flustered to have run into me like this; I could sense her embarrassment.

“Yes, hello.”

I returned Ollin’s greeting and then asked, “What brings you here?”

She was Cassis’s subordinate, whom I had seen when moving from Agriche to Fedelian, but hadn’t encountered since. Except for my visits to the main building to meet Richel, I had been holed up in the annex the entire time, so it was only natural that we hadn’t crossed paths.

But for some reason, she was standing beneath the terrace of the room where I was staying, as if she were on guard duty.

“There were orders to strengthen the security of the annex.”

*Ah, is it because of Orca?*

Hearing that, I nodded as if I understood, recalling the earlier incident.

“It was deemed insufficient to only guard the perimeter of the annex, so from now on, we will be posting guards in three layers, even inside. I was assigned to this location.”

Ollin explained, her expression fleeting. She seemed a bit ashamed, likely due to Orca’s intrusion.

They had been guarding the area under Cassis’s orders even when Orca had secretly sneaked into the annex. However, they had failed to stop Orca and allowed him to infiltrate, which seemed to bother her.

But it was probably unavoidable for them.

After all, Orca is the male protagonist of the novel, isn’t he?

First of all, the reputation of the White Beast Master wasn’t just for show. As a man who had survived among monsters until now, Orca’s physical abilities were bound to be extraordinary. In particular, his agility and ability to conceal his presence were undoubtedly the best among the three male protagonists.

So it was only natural that it would be difficult for others to catch Orca once he had made up his mind.

At that moment, a small noise drifted in from afar.

I didn’t know what it was, but it seemed like there was another commotion in the back garden of the annex.

*Could it be Orca again? I heard that he had been caught trying to sneak into the annex earlier too.*

*Why is he trying so hard to get in here…*

I was even more uneasy because the area he was appearing in was the back garden.

That place wasn’t far from the terrace where I had accidentally run into Orca last time.

Seeing that he kept targeting the back of the annex, it seemed like he was mistaking Cassis’s room, where I had been last time, for my room.

*Did he notice that I am the owner of the Poison Butterfly? Is that why he’s trying to get into the annex like that?*

Thinking that, I fixed my gaze on the place where the noise was coming from.

“We will protect you no matter what, so please rest assured.”

Seeing me like that, Ollin looked at me with more determination than before, wondering what I was thinking. Her face even showed a sense of duty. Her appearance was truly reliable.

It seemed that Ollin thought she had to protect me from Orca or other dangerous elements, even at the cost of her own life. Perhaps she also thought I was weak after seeing me looking like a sickly chicken the whole time I was coming here. Or maybe Cassis treated me like a patient so much that it had rubbed off on her.

Hmm, either way, I felt a bit strange.

I smiled faintly at her, thanked her, and then went back into my room.

* * *

It turned out that Ollin was her first name, not her last name. Originally, her full name was Ollin Olivia, and her last name and first name were similar. So, since she was young, she had been teased by having her name shortened to things like ‘Ollin Ollin’ or ‘Olli Olli.’

So she had told people to just drop her last name and call her Ollin instead, and that had continued until today. Now she said that she was more comfortable being called by her first name rather than her last name.

That was the story I heard directly from Ollin, who would now be guarding under the terrace of my room. For reference, Cassis calls all his subordinates by their first names, not their last names.

It wasn’t a very useful conversation, but it wasn’t bad either. Ollin flinched every time I spoke to her, but she always answered my questions diligently.

Of course, that didn’t mean I talked to her often. It was just that sometimes when I went out to the terrace for some fresh air, I knew Ollin was below, and it felt a bit rude to ignore her, so I would just exchange light greetings.

Besides, talking to her was reasonably good for changing my mood.

Since meeting Richel, I had been falling into my own thoughts more often.

“But I think I should tell you this now. It’s news about Agriche.”

The words I had heard that day echoed in my head like a refrain several times a day.

“Cassis said to let you choose yourself, whatever you want. Do you want to hear it?”

If I had given a different answer then, would my heart be lighter now?

But I would definitely make the same choice again if I went back to that moment.

So this agony was definitely my burden.

For that reason, I often fell into thought alone, whether I was on the terrace or in my room.

Then, late in the afternoon, I went into Cassis’s room.

He was away, not in the annex.

Cassis was still giving me life these days.