Roxana
Chapter 44
Chapter 44
How to Protect the Female Lead’s
Oppa
Chapter 44
In that moment, I froze.
Cassis was quietly watching me. Looking at his face, realization dawned on me.
He seems to know this is a poisonous plant. But how?
My mind raced, and I asked back in feigned ignorance to test his reaction.
“No, I don’t know what kind of flower it is. Why?”
With a calm voice, Cassis cast a stone into the quiet waters.
“It’s a poisonous flower. I don’t know the species, but it contains a fairly potent toxicity.”
“How do you know that…?”
Taken aback, my gaze wavered without me realizing.
At my question, Cassis fell silent for a moment with a troubled expression. Then, he answered in a tone more decisive than before.
“I’ve seen this flower before. It’s definitely poisonous.”
“That can’t be.”
Ah, I had denied his words without thinking.
Yet it truly was impossible.
Because this flower was a poisonous plant cultivated internally within Agriche, one that had never been circulated outside.
In the next moment, Cassis looked somewhat frustrated.
“If you don’t want to believe me, you don’t have to. But from now on, at least try to be suspicious.”
Why that face? Is it because he thinks I don’t believe him? That wasn’t what I meant.
“Throwing that flower away would be best, but if you have no intention of doing so, at least don’t keep it close.”
Then Cassis hesitated briefly before adding,
“You might not believe this either, but… for now, I’m saying this for your own sake.”
Of course, I had no intention of throwing this flower away.
Naturally. Its value lay precisely in being a poisonous flower.
Besides, this flower was far more useful than the one Yoan had given me last time.
“No, I believe you.”
Of course, there was no need to voice those thoughts honestly.
“You have no reason to tell me a lie like this.”
Afterward, when my gaze met Cassis’s face, he seemed subtly relieved somehow, leaving me with a strange feeling once again.
With eyes full of mixed feelings and lingering questions, I looked down at the flowers in the basket.
I grew immensely curious as to how Cassis knew the true nature of this flower.
* * *
Two days later, I ran into Charlotte, who had emerged from the Room of Punishment.
Lately, I had been hectically busy keeping watch over Deon, who had gone to the Karantul habitat, gauging the atmosphere inside the estate, looking out for the Pedelian people on the borders, and striving to raise the poison butterflies as quickly as possible.
Perhaps because I had overworked my mind and body with so many matters to attend to, I hadn’t been feeling well since last night.
Still, it was fortunate that the poison butterflies had hatched right on time.
It seemed my luck wasn’t entirely bad after all.
Ever since Deon returned, I couldn’t help but feel a little hurried. Though I tried hard not to be too conscious of his presence, it proved impossible.
Still, it was a relief that Cassis had been quiet and docile lately.
While it was true that I had orchestrated the recent escape incident, in reality, I would be the most troubled if Cassis made a second attempt.
That was why I had told him about locating the Pedelian people, explained the secret passage, and shared part of my plan with him.
Of course, from Cassis’s perspective, while all of it might seem untrustworthy, he could simply be biding his time quietly, judging that another escape attempt so soon would be impossible.
Perhaps smoother communication with the Pedelians would help earn Cassis’s trust.
At any rate, the necessary pieces for Cassis’s escape had come together just in time, and I was planning to make a move before long.
“I heard unnie’s toy tried to run away?”
So I was hardly pleased to run into Charlotte in the hallway.
“Long time no see, Charlotte.”
Seeing Charlotte after so long, she was thinner than before. Her complexion was noticeably pale.
Having been confined to the Room of Punishment for quite some time, it was only natural.
I had heard she was released a few days ago, but to seek me out so quickly.
“Your face looks better than before. I suppose the Room of Punishment was more comfortable than expected?”
At my feigned sweet whisper, Charlotte’s gaze grew sharp.
“It would have been better if you’d rested properly a little longer before coming out.”
The hallway where we stood was close to where Cassis was kept.
To show an interest in Cassis again the moment she came out of the Room of Punishment—she was truly consistent.
“I heard the estate was in an uproar a few days ago because of unnie’s toy. Isn’t this a complete disqualification as a handler? If it were me, I would’ve chopped off his legs in the first place so he couldn’t even try such a thing.”
Right, you would certainly do that and more.
Charlotte provoked me by bringing up the incident from a few days ago, clearly still harboring resentment toward me.
Even though the matter had been settled as Jeremy’s doing, seeing her come to me and say such things made it clear she just wanted to get under my skin however she could.
“And I heard Father allowed unnie to have the toy only after I was locked up in the Room of Punishment. You pulled strings behind the scenes so I would break into the underground prison and get punished on purpose, didn’t you? You filthy liar!”
I smiled sweetly at the fuming Charlotte.
“Well, I think you’re just stupid for falling for such an obvious trick, wouldn’t you say?”
At that, Charlotte’s cute face turned all the more vicious.
“What happened a few days ago only occurred because unnie failed to manage the toy, yet you clearly used dirty tricks to dodge the blame. You’re the one who should’ve been locked in the Room of Punishment this time! Hatching the poison butterflies is a lie, too, isn’t it? You must have used some kind of trick to get into Father’s good graces. Everyone else might have been fooled because they don’t know unnie’s true colors, but not me. I’ll take back the toy you stole from me no matter what it takes. Just you wait!”
Seeing the venom in Charlotte’s eyes, it seemed she wouldn’t stop pestering me with just this once.
“I suppose there’s no cure for stupidity. Seeing how you still babble such foolish nonsense even after being locked in the Room of Punishment.”
I tilted my head with a look of pity. Then, watching Charlotte quietly, I pondered for a brief moment.
“All right, Charlotte. I’ll let you see for yourself. Try guessing whether it’s real or fake.”
Having made up my mind, I summoned the poison butterflies. Around me, butterflies bearing a much deeper red than before began appearing one by one.
Creatures that carry poison are usually beautiful. Yet, by the same token, they also harbored an ominous aura.
The butterflies, multiplying one by one, swelled to about a hundred in an instant. Even then, steadily growing in size, the butterflies fluttered their wings in midair.
At that sight, Charlotte’s face drained of color, turning pale.
“What……”
With a violent flurry of wings—
In that instant, the butterflies swarmed toward Charlotte all at once. A high-pitched scream pierced my eardrums.
Charlotte had clearly heard the news that I declared I would raise the poison butterflies I hatched into slaughter butterflies.
Otherwise, there was no way she would show such sheer terror.
“Aaaagh!”
The crimson butterflies engulfed Charlotte in an instant.
A crunching, tearing sound echoed in my ears. It sounded just like something being devoured alive.
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but a sickening scent of blood seemed to permeate the air. No, it was not merely my imagination.
Soon, a thick pool of blood began to form around Charlotte.
“Ugh, aah……! Aaargh!”
It was a gruesome sight.
To all appearances, the butterflies seemed to be attacking Charlotte without mercy.
Yet a moment later, when the butterflies took to the air once more at my command, Charlotte appeared in view, without a single scratch on her.
“I told you, Charlotte. I dislike stupid children.”
Yet the terror must have been more than enough; Charlotte was completely dazed out of her wits.
Seeing her trembling with fright, she would likely stay quiet for a while.
“I hope you won’t disappoint me next time.”
Looking down expressionlessly at Charlotte slumped on the floor, I walked past her.
Not far away was Cassis’s room.
The door latch rattled.
The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, I collapsed, vomiting blood.
“Ugh…… ngh, haah……”
The burning heat inside my stomach surged up and spilled out in a rush. The metallic stench of blood filled the room in an instant.
The clanking of chains and a shouting voice rang out ahead in a dizzying tangle.
Yet none of it reached my ears clearly.
This was my first time wielding the poison butterflies like this. So I hadn’t realized it would take such a heavy toll on my body.
Still, a process of verification like this was necessary at least once, so it couldn’t be helped.
The strength drained even from the arms propping me up against the floor. Perhaps due to the fever coursing through my whole body, involuntary tears welled in my eyes.
My condition, already poor, deteriorated rapidly. In the end, coughing up another surge of blood, I collapsed completely, my head hitting the floor.
Just then, the sound of something breaking rang out in front of me. Through my fading vision, Cassis came into view, rushing toward me.
Impressive, breaking chains with his bare hands.
Even in the midst of this, I marveled faintly.
Is he trying to run away again?
He shouldn’t. If he pulls something like that again and gets caught, it could be truly dangerous.
Yet Cassis did not pass me by toward the door; instead, as if I had been his destination all along, he knelt down in front of me.
His hastily outstretched hand touched me. Feeling warmth spread from the point of contact, I closed my eyes.
“Roxana……!”
The voice calling my name drifted faintly into the distance.
