Roxana
Chapter 73
Chapter 73
The Way to Protect
the Female Lead’s Older Brother
Chapter 73
“It’s not a proper meal since we’re camping, but it shouldn’t taste too bad.”
“Thank you.”
I had felt it earlier, but the way she treated me was far more polite than I had anticipated.
She certainly didn’t seem to view me as a prisoner.
A part of me wondered if she didn’t know I was an Agriche, though that was practically impossible.
“Your name?”
“You may call me Ollin.”
Though I had asked for her name, ’Ollin’ was likely her family name.
She would hardly offer her given name for a stranger to use casually.
I took the bowl she handed to me.
When our fingertips brushed by chance, Ollin flinched.
Come to think of it, aside from being excessively polite, there was something slightly odd about her demeanor.
It wasn’t quite aversion, but since earlier, she seemed careful not to let so much as a fingertip graze me.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
Having realized something by then, I spoke nonchalantly, pretending not to notice her agitation.
I immediately pulled back the hand that had touched hers while taking the bowl.
Ollin looked at my face for a brief moment before quietly closing the door.
Left alone once more, I let out a faint sigh.
Right. If I was unconscious for three days, I wouldn’t have been able to properly control the poison inside my body.
In that case, it would have been impossible for others to even approach me.
Perhaps I had harmed the people outside without even knowing it.
That must be why she was still being so cautious not to touch me.
Ah, is that why Cassis stayed by my side?
From past experience, it seemed Cassis was able to get close to me.
Then could it be that Cassis had been taking care of me all along for the past three days?
The thought made my brow slowly furrow.
Now that I thought about it, while it was natural I couldn’t wash while unconscious, it was strange how clean my body felt.
It was unlikely anyone else had washed me…
And Cassis wouldn’t have done something so shameless, so I wondered if it was part of that strange ability of his.
Even back at Agriche, hadn’t Cassis remained spotless despite being trapped in the dungeon for days on end?
I wanted to ask him when he returned, but on the other hand, fearing an uncomfortable answer, I wondered if I should just keep my mouth shut.
I scooped up a spoonful of what Ollin had left and put it in my mouth.
Just as she said, for simple food cooked at a campsite, the taste was surprisingly good.
However, after only a few bites, I set the bowl down.
I was not a picky eater by nature, nor did I intend to be in a place like this.
Yet I had no appetite, and the food simply wouldn’t go down my throat.
Feeling apologetic, I called for Ollin.
Seeing the contents of the bowl practically untouched, she offered to bring something else if it wasn’t to my taste.
However, I declined, explaining that my body seemed to be rejecting food after having had an empty stomach for so long.
After Ollin left, I briefly looked around through the open door.
There was still no sign of Cassis.
Taking turns to eat, those having a quick bite and those preparing the camp mingled in my view.
All the while, they stole subtle glances at me. Still, no one dared to approach carelessly in my direction.
I closed the door again and drew the curtain aside, then peered outside through the window for a moment.
Just then, beyond the people busy with camp preparations, a familiar figure came into view.
Cassis was, as expected, with the man named Isidore.
Seeing him walking toward me, I opened the carriage door once more.
“Cassis.”
The moment I called him, Cassis’s gaze flew straight to me.
A stillness akin to earlier that day settled over the surroundings. Striding across the quiet campsite toward me, Cassis asked,
“Did you eat?”
“I did.”
Cassis’s gaze brushed past Ollin, who was guarding beside the carriage.
I caught sight of her giving him a slight shake of her head.
Yet Cassis said nothing more about it and turned his attention back to me.
“Is there anything you need? Whenever I’m not around, tell Ollin.”
Shaking my head lightly, I replied,
“It’s stuffy. I’d like to get some fresh air.”
After a brief pause, Cassis spoke again.
“The temperature has dropped even more since earlier. It’ll be cold.”
Without a word, I draped the cloak Cassis had given me earlier over my shoulders and wrapped a marten-fur blanket over it.
I didn’t say another word, but it was my own firm expression of intent.
“Um, you’re unwell, so it might be better if you stayed inside…”
Standing beside us, Ollin hesitated slightly as she tried to dissuade me.
She genuinely seemed worried about my condition.
However, Cassis stared at my face for a moment before taking a step back from blocking the carriage door.
Soon, he extended his hand forward. Taking Cassis’s hand, I stepped down from the carriage.
Immediately after, Cassis turned his head. As if coordinated, the people caught in his gaze all averted their eyes from me at once.
It was a rather blatant sight, but I simply pretended not to notice.
Several campfires were burning around the campsite. Cassis led me toward the one that looked the warmest.
The people who had been sitting where Cassis was heading quietly shifted over to the adjacent campfire of their own accord.
And so, by our campfire, only Cassis and I remained.
They refrained from looking toward Cassis and me to an almost obsessive degree.
Seeing how disciplined and orderly they remained even in an environment like this, the word ‘knight’ truly suited them.
Agriche’s subordinates felt more like a band of mercenaries.
I wondered if the atmosphere of the retainers varied this vastly from family to family.
“Eat.”
A moment later, Cassis held out a steaming bowl to me.
I had noticed him calling a subordinate to give some orders before sitting down; it seemed he had been concerned about me barely touching my meal.
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Even if you have no appetite, eat at least a little. You haven’t eaten for three days.”
I refused again, but unlike Ollin, Cassis did not back down.
He insisted on placing the bowl of soup into my hands and even pressed a spoon into the other.
“Surely you don’t consider yourself a creature that can live on water alone.”
Before I knew it, the freedom of both my hands had been taken away.
Looking down at the warm soup in my hands, I knitted my brows slightly.
Somehow, this situation felt a little foreign. Having someone fuss over me and stubbornly insist on feeding me when I refused to eat was a first—at least in this lifetime.
Perhaps because of that, my face felt faintly warm.
To hide my embarrassment, I stirred the soup with the utensil in my hand.
Staring fixedly at the bowl in front of me, I blurted out the first thought that came to mind just to dispel the awkward mood.
“Just like you said, my fever seems to have gone down after getting some sleep.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
“I think I woke up briefly in the middle, but did I take fever medicine then? My memory’s a bit hazy.”
“It seemed like your fever was rising, so I gave it to you.”
Cassis answered calmly. He looked so composed that I simply took it at face value and let it go.
Then, all of a sudden, a suspicious reaction caught my attention from the side.
“Ahem, cough…”
Several people sitting around the neighboring campfire eating suddenly began coughing as if choking on their food.
They seemed to be trying to stifle the noise, but to little avail.
Seeing that simultaneous reaction, it was clear they were reacting to the conversation between Cassis and me.
A sudden odd sensation came over me, and I narrowed my eyes, looking at Cassis.
Yet, without the slightest change in expression, he looked at me and said,
“Eat. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
With that, Cassis slid his gaze sideways.
Under that chilly stare, the men hurriedly lowered their heads and began emptying their bowls in a rush.
The distinct sense that something was amiss pricked the crown of my head.
Yet, for some reason, digging into this also felt uncomfortable.
Before long, the people nearby quickly finished their meal and vacated the area.
Before I knew it, the surroundings had grown quiet and desolate.
Whether intentional or not, everyone kept a measured distance and avoided approaching where Cassis and I sat.
Crack, pop. Amid the crackling of the campfire, the faint chirping of grass insects could be heard.
Dusk was falling before long.
Across the horizon stretched a sky painted in indigo, violet, and purple, bleeding into a reddish glow tinged with amber.
“If it’s the Frederica Highlands, isn’t that a monster habitat?”
Cassis caught my question and answered,
“The monster habitat is located at the edge of the highlands bordering Emerald Lake, and this is a safe zone. We are scheduled to pass near the habitat around noon tomorrow, but we plan to take a detour, so there won’t be any danger.”
Hearing that, I thought, I see. Cassis looked at me as if inviting me to ask if there was anything else I was curious about.
I gazed into the flickering campfire, and after some time had passed, I opened my mouth.
“What happened to Lant Agriche?”