Roxana
Chapter 25
Chapter 25
The Way to Protect the Female Lead’s Older Brother
Chapter 25
* * *
In the end, Jeremy followed behind the maids to where Maria was.
Maria stood in the middle of a flower garden in full, lush red bloom.
The crimson waves of blossoms swaying in the low breeze looked like a sea of blood.
“Auntie Maria.”
At the call from behind, she soon turned her head.
A few of the maids flinched at Jeremy’s insolent form of address.
However, those who had served under Maria for a long time showed no reaction, having grown accustomed to it.
“Jeremy.”
Maria herself did not seem to care about such titles in the slightest.
The moment she saw Jeremy, a delighted smile spread across her face.
Maria had always possessed a peculiar fondness for beautiful people, animals, and objects.
For that reason, within Agriche, she was particularly fond of Roxana and her mother, Sierra, and she remained ever lenient even when Jeremy acted brash and ill-mannered like this.
“Did you come to see me? How wonderful.”
Of course, just as she thought, Jeremy had indeed come to see Maria. If not, why on earth would he have tagged along after the maids?
“Auntie, looks like your nasty habit flared up again, huh?”
Though his intentions were hardly pleasant, that is.
Jeremy picked a fight with Maria openly.
“You were quiet for a while, so why the hell did you go and slaughter a perfectly fine maid again? At this rate, the demonic beasts are going to think you’re their feeder.”
“Jeremy, I only punish children who don’t listen. To say I killed a perfectly fine maid—how cute of you to misunderstand so delightfully.”
Blegh.
Jeremy made a gagging motion.
No matter what Jeremy said or how he acted, Maria only offered a gentle smile, as if finding everything about him adorable.
Her expression was like someone watching a young child throw a cute tantrum.
“Anyway, you’re quite something, wandering around looking like that. You know you reek of blood, right? It’s genuinely sickening.”
Strictly speaking, Jeremy—who had gone out of his way to come here just to pick a fight—was hardly normal either.
Furthermore, much like Maria, who was drenched in blood from cutting down a maid just moments ago, Jeremy’s own appearance after returning from the beast breeding pens was scarcely pleasant to look at.
“Jeremy, did you just come back from the breeding pens yourself? All that pitch-black filth makes it so hard to see your lovely face.”
At Maria’s lament filled with pity, Jeremy snorted derisively.
For the first time, being covered head to toe in beast venom did not feel entirely terrible.
Yet hearing Maria mention it suddenly made him feel as though the foul, fishy stench of the venom still lingered on his tongue.
Jeremy’s face twisted in disgust.
He ripped a handful of red petals from the plant beside him, shoved them into his mouth, and chewed lazily.
The red blossoms blanketing the ground where they stood were a specialized, cultivated breed unique to Agriche, possessing narcotic properties.
However, only the stems and leaves carried hallucinogenic effects.
Of course, the petals were not entirely free of toxins that caused headaches and similar afflictions.
Yet to Jeremy, who possessed a built-in resistance to poison, this degree of toxicity was practically harmless.
“Sana seemed busy as well. One should balance studies with rest; pushing oneself too hard isn’t good for the body.”
“What does that have to do with you—wait, you met Sana noona?”
Jeremy paused in the middle of chewing the petals to cleanse his palate.
“We ran into each other by chance a little while ago. I thought of summoning Deon so the three of us could have tea together, but Deon wasn’t home, and Sana said she had other plans.”
This time, Jeremy’s face crumpled like a discarded sheet of paper.
“What? Of all the things to do, you were going to invite that unlucky bastard Deon to sit with her?”
Suddenly, the faint floral scent lingering in his mouth turned utterly repulsive.
Jeremy knew well that Roxana disliked both Deon and Maria.
And so, following Roxana’s lead, Jeremy despised the two of them just as much.
Well, to say it was strictly ‘following Roxana’ wasn’t entirely accurate.
Even viewed on his own, Deon was a wretched bastard devoid of a single redeeming quality, and his mother, Maria, had just as much of a knack for making people sick to their stomachs.
For that reason, Jeremy often went out of his way to come and pick fights with Deon and Maria.
Unfortunately, his provocations never had the slightest effect on them.
In the end, it was always Jeremy who left with a scowl distorting his features.
That very fact only fueled his stubborn spite, keeping him from abandoning these petty quarrels.
“True. Though he is my son, Deon doesn’t have the most charming personality, does he?”
Even as Jeremy openly cursed Deon, Maria readily agreed with a gentle nod, completely unfazed.
“Didn’t I tell you before not to lump Deon together with Sana noona?”
Jeremy bared his teeth with an irritated growl.
Yet Maria merely tilted her head as if she couldn’t recall.
“Did you say such a thing? Why, isn’t it lovely for siblings to get along?”
“Siblings? Siiiblings?”
Has this woman lost her mind?
People in Agriche were worse than strangers to each other, so what bloody siblings was she talking about?
And with that bastard Deon, of all people?
“Hey, Auntie Maria. Clean out your ears and listen carefully.”
Jeremy continued, a sneer curling onto his lips.
“The only person in this entire world who has the right to be called ‘sibling’ to Sana noona is me. Got it?”
It was a truly magnificent declaration, delivered as if proclaiming an eternal, unshakeable truth that would stand even if the world split in two.
Only then did Maria make an expression that suggested she finally understood what he meant.
“Right, right. Then next time, instead of just inviting Sana and Deon, I’ll invite you too, Jeremy. You were sulking because you were left out, weren’t you?”
“Damn it, that’s not what I mean!”
Jeremy felt even more irritated than before.
Just what on earth was inside Maria’s head? It was impossible to get through to her.
“And you think Sana noona has time for that? Tea? What bloody tea?”
Feeling the sudden urge to set fire to this flower garden Maria tended with her own hands, he muttered peevishly.
“As it is, the time she spends with me has already shrunk because of that damn toy.”
“A toy?”
“You know, that blue dog bastard. The one Sana noona took in a while ago…”
Yet Maria’s reaction was strange. It was the most animated response she had shown so far.
Seeing her eyes round with genuine surprise, Jeremy grew suspicious.
“What? Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
Roxana taking in a toy of her own for the first time had caused quite an uproar within the estate.
That was why Jeremy had naturally assumed Maria would already know when he brought it up.
Then again, Maria hadn’t even known her own son had been away from home for ages, had she?
So her hearing about Roxana’s toy as if it were completely new information was hardly that shocking.
“Keep your ears open once in a while. Living in the same mansion and knowing jack shit. No doubt you were holed up doing that gloomy doll play hobby of yours or whatever.”
Jeremy clicked his tongue, sneering with all his might.
Yet his words didn’t seem to reach Maria’s ears at all.
“My, so Sana got herself a toy… How curious. What kind of child could it be?”
“Just being around that thing is as repulsive as being around Deon.”
At Maria’s murmuring question, Jeremy offered his ruthless assessment.
Yet Maria seemed to let his words drift right past her once again. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Someone go fetch Lewell. To think he hasn’t told me something this entertaining yet—that boy is utterly useless.”
However, just before the maid bowed and took her leave, Maria reversed her order.
“No, I should just go myself. Jeremy, do you want to come hang out in my room? I’ll give you something delicious.”
“Cut the crap. I’m not one of your dolls.”
Wearing a fierce scowl as if he could see right through her thoughts, Jeremy shuddered in disgust and promptly turned on his heel to leave.
Watching Jeremy’s retreating back, Maria couldn’t hide her lingering disappointment.
Yet as she began walking toward the mansion a moment later, her face was once again alight with the same curiosity and anticipation as before.
“I’ll have to send Sana an invitation soon. How delightful it will be to host a tea party with her toy in tow.”
As she murmured to herself in a buoyant voice, the blood-red blossoms swayed gently behind her.
