Roxana
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
How to Protect the Female Lead’s
Older Brother
Chapter 6
“Noona, when did you get back to your room? I came looking for you earlier…”
Jeremy, who had been grumbling as he walked in, suddenly turned around as if realizing something.
“What? Why are you still standing there staring blankly? Won’t you get lost already?”
His icy gaze and tone were completely different from when he addressed me.
Jeremy glared at Emily, who was still lingering by the doorway.
Though he was the one who had barged into my room without permission, he was treating Emily like a nuisance.
Her very presence seemed to grate on his nerves.
Yet Emily was my subordinate. Instead of leaving the room immediately upon hearing Jeremy’s command, she looked at me.
Her gaze sought my direction on whether to throw out Jeremy, who had entered uninvited, or leave him be.
“You may go, Emily.”
Only after I spoke did she bow quietly and step out the door.
Jeremy’s chilling gaze followed Emily’s retreating back.
Of course, he would not dare touch one of my people without permission, but Emily’s defiance had clearly soured his mood.
“Jeremy.”
Click. The door shut completely, and I called him, feeling a slight twinge of annoyance.
“Come here.”
Naturally, I did not let any of that irritation show.
After all, to this boy, I was his sweet and gentle noona.
At my call, Jeremy tore his eyes away from the door as if giving in and walked toward me.
I held out my hand to him.
“Your room was empty when I came by earlier. Where did you go?”
Taking my hand, Jeremy sank down at my feet without hesitation.
Leaning his cheek against my leg, he looked just like a dog wagging its tail for its master.
It made sense why he had wanted to chase Emily away so quickly.
He could never show such a side of himself to anyone else.
Pouting slightly, he seemed genuinely disappointed about having missed me when he came looking earlier.
Unfazed by Jeremy’s questioning, I replied calmly,
“The hatchery.”
“The Poison Butterfly Hatchery?”
“Yes.”
In truth, I had gone to see Cassis Pedelian in the underground dungeon, but I kept that to myself.
Jeremy furrowed his brow, taking my excuse at face value.
“Are you really going to hatch that thing?”
“It’s the last remaining egg, so I have to succeed this time.”
“I’d rather it just died like the last one.”
“It would be a waste if nothing came of it after going through so much trouble to get it.”
Jeremy, however, still looked displeased.
Knowing he was worried about me, my heart softened a bit.
In the novel, Jeremy was a rather foolish villain who became infatuated with the heroine and ended up spilling all of his family’s dark secrets and flaws.
Yet perhaps because he was still young, seen like this, he had quite a few endearing traits.
Though his temper was nasty, it was fairly standard by Agriche standards, and he was gentle only with me.
“About that toy Father brought back this time.”
Resting his head on my lap and acting spoiled, Jeremy brought up Cassis Pedelian as if just remembering.
“Given that he won’t even let us near him, he doesn’t seem like an ordinary bastard. Who on earth is he?”
“Who knows.”
I had already known, but he indeed seemed intensely curious about the new toy in the basement.
“He didn’t seem like an easy target, though.”
At my offhand remark, Jeremy’s body flinched.
“What? Noona, are you interested too?”
He immediately lifted his face from my lap.
He seemed to have sharply caught onto something in my reaction just now.
“Noona, you’ve never shown any interest in the toys before.”
Jeremy stared at me intently.
His bright blue eyes searched my face.
“Right, but this one looks rather amusing.”
I willingly played along with his reaction. Seeing the faint smile on my face, Jeremy narrowed his eyes.
“Hmph, really?”
After appearing to ponder for a moment, he rested his chin on my leg once more and looked up at me.
“Then I’ll yield him to you, Noona.”
For Jeremy to yield a prey he had set his sights on was a momentous thing.
Yet I had already known he would say that.
A faint expectation lingered in the eyes glancing up at me. It meant: Aren’t I good? Hurry up and praise me!
I smiled brightly and stroked Jeremy’s hair.
At that, Jeremy rubbed his head against my hand with a look of deep satisfaction, like a well-fed beast.
Making purring sounds, he was just like a cat.
I could never forget that this boy was a predator.
Yet seeing him cling to me and beg for affection like this, he was still just a fifteen-year-old child after all.
I had long known what Jeremy wanted and willingly gave him what he desired.
Under my touch, Jeremy looked thoroughly content.
I’m glad you dance to my tune, too.
Unlike the tender caress of my hand, my thoughts remained cool and dry.
* * *
Damn Agriche.
Cassis spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, feeling a wave of nausea rise within him.
A guard had just come by and tortured him once more. This was the second time he had been whipped while bound.
It wasn’t to extract information or for any other purpose; it was purely to inflict pain on him.
His once-immaculate appearance had long since been reduced to a wretched state.
Even his striking features—one of the qualities that had led everyone to revere him as the ‘Young Lord of Blue’—were now marred with sadistic scars.
The internal injuries caused by the poison, sorcery, and traps the Agriche had used to abduct him were also severe.
About four days had passed since Cassis was brought here.
He had long heard tales of how vile and treacherous the Black Agriche were.
Yet he had never imagined they would dare declare open war against the Blue Pedelian like this.
This was nothing short of an announcement of war.
To dare set foot on Pedelian lands, attack him—the heir—and drag him away like a prisoner.
Far more than the physical pain, a boiling rage surged from deep within Cassis.
He wanted to cut down Lant Agriche this very instant and escape this place, but with his vision still crippled, it was impossible.
Cassis glared past the iron bars with chillingly sharp eyes.
Though his sight remained blurry, allowing him to discern only faint light, his condition was better than yesterday.
Just as the girl had said, his vision was slowly beginning to return.
Clatter.
Just then, the sound of a door opening echoed from afar. A moment later, light footsteps followed.
Cassis held his breath and listened closely.
It was not the guard from earlier. Lighter, shorter strides were heading toward where he was held.
It was her.
The mysterious girl who had been visiting him several times already.
“You look rather awful today.”
Entering through the iron gate, the girl spoke the moment she laid eyes on him.
Her tone carried a hint of pity. She seemed to let out a faint sigh as well.
Suddenly sensing a presence before him, a subtle fragrance drifted closer and brushed against his nose.
Feeling the warmth of another body touching him next, Cassis spoke coldly.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Stay still. I’m only checking to see if there are any severe external injuries.”
His body stiffened instinctively as her cautious hands brushed aside his torn clothing.
He debated struggling to throw off her touch, but soon held still, intently watching the face before him.
His searching gaze locked onto the girl in front of him.
Yet his frustrated vision could only make out a faint silhouette of a person, forcing him to frown.
“Fortunately, it seems passable. Still, if it hurts too much, would you like a painkiller?”
“I don’t need it.”
Every time Cassis heard the girl’s voice, a strange sensation washed over him.
Her voice, carrying a strangely sweet undertone, was clear and gentle, like jade beads rolling across silk.
Moreover, as if imbued with some inexplicable, bizarre power, before he even realized it, he found himself unconsciously hanging on every word she spoke.
“Eat this. Unless you want to starve to death.”
