Roxana
Chapter 81
Chapter 81
The Way to Protect the
Female Lead’s Older Brother
Chapter 81
* * *
“This is definitely strange.”
Orca Hyperion frowned deeply, lines carving between his brows.
He had been tracking the trail of the poison butterflies all the way from the Frederica Highlands.
Yet days had passed, and he had failed to uncover even the faintest trace of their breeding ground.
He had prowled and searched this vicinity several times over, but the only beasts that appeared were earth mantises, ghouls, and other low creatures.
In the meantime, a poison butterfly had flashed before Orca’s eyes once more.
Yet before he could catch up to it, it had flown past the walls of Pedelian and vanished without a trace.
Almost as if it had slipped right into Pedelian itself.
Because of that, deep suspicion gnawed at him.
Just a few days ago, when he left Emerald Lake and was traveling in the direction where the poison butterfly had vanished, Orca had spotted a group of people who appeared to belong to Pedelian.
At the time, fearing that being caught trespassing on Pedelian territory without permission would only bring troublesome complications, he had stayed out of sight to avoid encountering them…
Had he known that poison butterfly truly came from Pedelian, he thought it would have been better to act friendly back then and secure permission to visit instead.
Soon, Orca shook his head.
No, it might just be that I saw wrong, so it’s too early to jump to conclusions.
“Orca!”
From above Orca’s head, as he stood deep in contemplation, a voice suddenly drifted down.
A moment later, someone landed lightly right before his eyes.
“Huh, Noona?”
The person who had descended from the open sky was Orca’s cousin, Pandora.
Possessing long, light-blue hair and dark eyes, she was a Beast Tamer just like Orca.
Above her head, Pandora’s beast, Turobe, fluttered its black wings.
“What, it really was you? Why on earth are you here of all times?”
While exploring another beast habitat, Pandora had stumbled upon traces that seemed to belong to Orca.
And the direction Orca was heading happened to be toward Pedelian.
Leaving it alone felt uneasy, so she had tracked him down.
“What do you mean, ’of all times’?”
At Pandora’s words, Orca wore a bewildered expression.
Seeing that, Pandora clicked her tongue as if wondering how he could be so clueless.
“You really are as slow with news as ever.”
She explained to Orca what had transpired between Agriche and Pedelian.
“Oho, is that so? Such a thing happened?”
He stroked his chin with interest.
“Well, it did feel like the Head of Blue had been sharpening his blade for a while now.”
Orca showed little surprise.
“The Head of Black doesn’t know the meaning of moderation, after all. Besides, lately, hasn’t he been running wild as if he’d swallowed something bad?”
“That’s true.”
Pandora nodded in agreement with Orca’s words.
“It’s not like the other clans went easy on him because they liked him, either. Honestly, every time we had to deal with him over beasts, it was so infuriating that I wanted to slit his throat more than once or twice.”
“Then is Agriche empty right now? I’d like to rummage through their breeding pens to see if there’s anything usable left.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. I already went, and it was completely stripped bare.”
“Ah, really?”
“Still, there were people left behind. Among them was an especially vicious one—I nearly got caught off guard and captured.”
“My, my.”
Orca’s reply grew instantly lackluster.
Judging that there was nothing more to gain from this conversation with Pandora, he seemed to have lost interest right away.
Pandora noticed this and shot Orca a sharp glare.
“Want me to tell you an extra piece of interesting news?”
As if doing him a great favor, Pandora whispered about the woman Cassis Pedelian had brought back with him.
Orca’s astonishment was incomparable to when he had heard about Lant Agriche.
“Is that true? That Cassis Pedelian? A woman?”
“Yes. I heard it from my darling.”
Pandora drew Turobe’s wing close and stroked it approvingly.
To hear that the Young Lord of Blue himself had personally taken a woman and brought her into his own territory sparked immense intrigue within Orca.
Then could Cassis and that mysterious lady have been among the group moving together a few days ago?
“…!”
Right then, a swarm of red butterflies appeared before Orca’s eyes.
This time, it was the first sighting in three days.
In an instant, everything else evaporated from his mind.
“Well, I’m heading off. I don’t know what brought you all the way out here, but wrap things up and go home.”
Thinking this was enough, Pandora climbed atop Turobe to take her leave.
Just as Turobe began to take flight carrying Pandora, Orca snatched the beast’s leg in a tight grip.
Turobe let out a screeching shriek, tilting precariously in the air.
Pandora gasped in sheer horror and shouted down at Orca.
“Hey, are you crazy? What are you doing!”
“Take off, hurry!”
“Let go of that this instant!”
“We have to chase that! It’s the poison butterflies!”
“What, poison butterflies?”
“Yes! So hurry! If you hesitate and we lose them, I’ll skin this fat bird and roast it alive, mark my words!”
Swept up by Orca’s terrifying momentum, Pandora hurriedly urged Turobe forward in a daze.
And so, they gave chase to the butterflies drifting across the azure sky like a flock of migratory birds.
* * *
Several days had already passed since Roxana began staying in Pedelian.
The flower Sylvia had given her as a gift had already withered during that time—wilted under the influence of the poison seeping from Roxana’s body.
Ever since, Roxana had kept no vases in her room.
“Let’s go to the garden together today.”
Sylvia visited Roxana every single day. Her sociability was astonishing.
Whenever they met, she would chatter endlessly about this and that with Roxana, just like close friends reuniting after a long separation.
With her milky cheeks flushed a soft rosy pink and her eyes shining like stars, Sylvia was utterly endearing.
Whenever Roxana had Sylvia before her eyes like this, she felt an inexplicable, strange, and wondrous sensation that she could not quite put into words.
Today, Sylvia suggested going for a stroll together in the garden.
“Well… I’m not really in the mood.”
“But you’ve been cooped up in your room for three straight days. The sunlight is warm today, so stepping outside will surely lift your spirits.”
Roxana cast a subtle glance at Cassis, but he simply sat with arms crossed, observing the scene passively.
He seemed to have caught on to the fact that when Sylvia pushed with such persistence, Roxana could rarely bring herself to refuse.
And so, Roxana found herself stepping outside her room for the first time in days.
“Shall we go a little further in? I’ll show you my most precious flower garden.”
Sylvia smiled brightly and gently took Roxana’s hand, tugging her along.
The moment that soft warmth made contact, Roxana flinched slightly.
Yet she did not pull her hand away, allowing herself to be led forward in step with Sylvia.
Cassis watched them from behind.
He had intended to intervene if Sylvia acted without restraint toward Roxana, but so far, Roxana seemed to find Sylvia’s antics rather endearing.
Sylvia had been thrilled ever since she first laid eyes on Roxana.
Having stayed confined within Pedelian without making any friends her own age, it was only natural.
Her anticipation had seemed to grow by the day ever since Cassis first spoke to her about Roxana.
Yet even without such reasons, it was clear that Sylvia had taken an immediate liking to Roxana at first sight.
Seeing that Roxana did not dislike Sylvia either brought him relief.
“It’s the Queen Marylotte. I really wanted to show it to you, Roxana.”
A sweet fragrance brushed against her senses first.
Sylvia, who had been practically skipping ahead, turned around with her long hair fluttering in the breeze.
Behind her radiant smile, a garden blooming with brilliant golden flowers revealed itself.
Roxana followed behind Sylvia, stepping forward. A moment later, her fingertips touched the tender petals.
Because Cassis was suppressing the poison emanating from Roxana’s body, the flower did not wither.
The faint tension on Roxana’s face softened, ever so slightly.