Roxana
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The Way to Protect the Female Lead’s
Older Brother
Chapter 4
* * *
The next day, I returned to the underground prison.
The first time is always the hardest; everything becomes easier the second time around.
But since getting into this prison had been effortless from the start, the second visit was even less of a challenge.
There was no need to coax the guard; the moment he saw my face, he readily opened the door.
Just before stepping inside, I turned to the guard and asked,
“Did anyone else come in here after I left yesterday? Like Jeremy, or Charlotte. Or anyone else at all?”
“No, the Master ordered that no one be let inside.”
“And yet you let me in.”
He froze at my casual murmur.
I glanced sideways at his face, then curved my eyes into a gentle smile as if I had never been scrutinizing him at all.
“So you made a special exception just for me.”
It seemed true that no one else had entered.
“What’s your name?”
“Pardon?”
“You. I’m asking for your name.”
Even though I was far younger and speaking to him without honorifics, he flushed foolishly, showing neither awkwardness nor offense.
“I-It’s Yoan.”
“All right. Thank you, Yoan. I’ll just take a quick look and come right back out so you don’t get into any trouble on my account.”
“Think nothing of it!”
Just from having his name spoken and receiving a small smile, he babbled on with earlobes flushed crimson, as if drunk.
“It is an honor for me to meet Lady Roxana in person after only hearing the rumors, and to be of even a little help makes me so happy—”
Giving him a smiling nod, I ignored his breathless rambling and stepped into the prison.
Ugh. Still a repulsive place. The air is foul, too. I’d rather not come here if I can help it.
But since Cassis Pedelian is here, I have no choice.
Screeech.
Today, too, the iron door let out an ear-piercing screech. It was a dreadful sound, as if it hadn’t been oiled in at least a century.
Are all prisons like this?
In all the novels, movies, or dramas I used to see, doors in places like this always made skin-crawling noises.
Maybe it was because the air was so damp.
With those thoughts drifting through my mind as I stepped inside, my eyes suddenly met the boy’s.
Intense golden eyes, burning like a blazing sun, were staring straight at me without the slightest deviation.
“Ah, you’re awake today.”
Perhaps because the image of him unconscious yesterday was still vivid in my mind?
I paused for a moment, not expecting him to be wide awake like this already.
He had been silently watching me with bated breath, but at the sound of my voice, he flinched and knitted his brows.
“You…”
Soon, glaring at me fiercely, he parted his lips.
It seemed he had only just realized I was the one who visited him yesterday.
Had he been too dazed yesterday to see my face properly?
As I stepped inside the iron bars, he asked warily,
“What did you feed me yesterday?”
His voice was still terribly hoarse and cracked. Yet the gaze he fixed on me was cold enough to cut me down where I stood.
I had to wonder if he was brave, considering his limbs were still bound.
Since he’s curious, should I answer?
“An antidote. You were brought here paralyzed by poison.”
I continued in a calm tone.
“If left alone, it lasts for at least five days. And by then, the muscle aches are excruciating.”
From what I could see, he hadn’t been beaten any further since yesterday. Though it was a quick inspection, no new injuries seemed to have been added.
Treating his whip wounds would be far too conspicuous, so I had no intention of going that far.
“Am I supposed to believe that?”
“Doesn’t your body feel much better than yesterday? You’re even conversing with me with a clear mind.”
At my words, his mouth pressed into a tight line.
Naturally, he didn’t seem to believe me right away. He looked as though he wanted to ask more, but being quite cautious by nature, he didn’t speak easily.
“Even if that was an antidote, what are you plotting by giving me medicine?”
“Nothing.”
A momentary flicker of confusion passed through his fierce eyes.
Of course, that lasted only for a fleeting instant; soon, his face turned cold once more as he looked at me and parted his lips.
“Who… on earth are you?”
His low, rasping voice crept across the floor to reach me.
But isn’t it common courtesy to introduce oneself before demanding another’s identity?
“Cassis Pedelian.”
The boy flinched at the name that fell from my lips.
“That’s your name, isn’t it?”
Even until then, I had held onto a sliver of hope. Wondering if this boy might be someone other than who I expected.
But at the murderous voice that struck my ears next, I had no choice but to abandon all lingering hope.
“What are you trying to feign now? You dragged me all the way here with your underhanded tricks, knowing full well who I am.”
Ah, damn it. It really is him.
I had wanted to gamble on that one-in-a-million chance.
“Drop the act and reveal who you are. Are you another one of Agriche’s filthy lackeys?”
Crazy. He even knows this is Agriche.
Then again, my father isn’t the type to conceal his identity in secret when committing crimes.
He’d much rather stab someone right in the gut while sneering contemptuously in their face.
Standing in place, I looked at the boy before me with troubled eyes, then let out a low sigh.
“Hey, but there’s something I’ve been wondering about.”
“I asked who you are. Answer me first.”
Ignoring Cassis Pedelian’s demand, I asked about the thing that had been bothering me since yesterday.
“You can’t see right now, can you?”
Silence settled over the underground prison. Cassis Pedelian showed no agitation at my words.
Yet, looking into the eyes that quietly observed me, I found my answer.
“I knew it. You can’t see.”
Even now, as I took a step toward him, he was looking precisely at my face.
From the moment I unlocked the iron bars and stepped inside, Cassis had followed me with his gaze so naturally.
That was why I had been unsure and couldn’t be certain until now.
“How many do you see?”
“Get that out of my face.”
Reaching him, I raised my hand in front of his eyes and waved it back and forth. Naturally, he didn’t play along.
But I was already certain from his reaction.
“No wonder you had zero reaction upon seeing me.”
Yes, if he could see properly, there was no way his pupils wouldn’t waver even slightly with me right in front of him.
At the very least, in that first moment our eyes met, he should have shown some sign of disturbance.
Because until now, not a single person had failed to be surprised after seeing my face.
Of course, since I was someone he encountered in enemy territory, being wary and hostile was only natural, but that was a separate matter entirely.
Anyone listening might think this was terminal narcissism. But it was a perfectly sound conclusion.
As expected, Cassis seemed not to understand what I meant.
Well, if he can’t see, that makes sense.
Besides, his asking earlier whether I was “another one of Agriche’s lackeys” was the decisive clue.
For yesterday, Cassis had clearly locked eyes with me while I stood alongside the rest of my family.
In my estimation, when they abducted him, they must have used a method to rob him of his sight in addition to the paralyzing poison.
The restraints on Cassis’s hands and feet right now were not ordinary ones, but Anti-Monster Restraints.
Anti-Monster Restraints were crafted by incorporating treated monster sinews into regular restraints, making their durability vastly superior.
Judging by that, capturing this boy must have been extraordinarily troublesome.
Yesterday, the fierce glare he directed at me and my family had been striking enough to startle me, but even then, had he merely pinpointed our positions by sensing our presence?
I scanned his body from head to toe for a moment. Not out of any impure intention, but to find signs related to his eyes.
Finally, a certain mark caught my eye. Without hesitation, I reached out and parted the tear in his shredded shirt.
The moment my hand touched him, Cassis flinched, furrowing his brow.
“This isn’t poison; it’s a curse. It’s only a temporary effect, so it won’t last long.”
Looking at the small spiral insignia carved near his waist, it was clear that Cassis was effectively blind right now.
Yet to act so flawlessly despite that…
This guy is quite something, isn’t he?
Narrowing my eyes, I looked up at his face before me.
Once again, he met my gaze precisely.
Up close, Cassis commanded a presence distinctly greater than what I had felt yesterday.
When he was unconscious, I thought he looked remarkably delicate and gentle, but now that he was wide awake and looking down at me, the pressure emanating from him was considerable.
Perhaps because he carried a mature air unbefitting a boy of merely seventeen years.
Maintaining such composure even in a situation like this.
“I’ll leave your eyes as they are for now.”
Even now, far from displaying fear or anxiety, his gaze was honed to such a frigid sharpness that a chill ran down my spine.
“Your vision will start returning gradually in about two days anyway, and since lifting this curse is tricky, tampering with it now would be inefficient.”
Cassis remained silent for a moment, as if trying to decipher the intent behind my words. I could feel him attempting to read my presence before him.
“And though I doubt you’ll believe me if I say this anyway.”
I murmured softly toward him.
“I don’t want you to die.”
“What…?”
His expression shifted, caught off guard by my words.
“I’ll come again.”
“Wait, hold on… !”
Cassis called after me, but without hesitation, I turned and made my way out of the underground prison.
