Roxana
Chapter 78
Chapter 78
The Way to Protect the Female Lead’s Older Brother
Chapter 78
* * *
“What are you thinking?”
As soon as Cassis arrived at Pedelian, he laid Roxana down in the bedroom of the annex.
Afterward, as he encountered and reunited in the hallway with Sylvia, who had come out to greet him, his father, Richel, summoned him.
Since there was something he needed to speak with Richel about anyway, Cassis headed to his office.
“To bring back the daughter of Lant Agriche. And one so close to death, no less.”
Richel’s office was neat and orderly, devoid of a single superfluous ornament, as if reflecting his disposition.
Yet it appeared just as desolate for it.
“Do you intend to repeat what happened in the past?”
The two sat facing each other there.
Richel’s blue eyes were so pale they seemed translucent, appearing dreadfully cold and sharp even when simply open.
Few could remain untensed when he locked eyes with them directly like this.
“If I say yes, what will you do?”
Yet Cassis brushed off that gaze without batting an eye.
“Will you place a seal on me to stop me once again?”
“Cassis.”
Following the low voice, Richel called his son’s name in a grave tone. Cassis knew what Richel intended to say by calling him now.
He recalled a memory that remained vividly etched into his chest, even though it had happened long ago.
“We are Pedelian, the noble judges. Do not forget what that name signifies.”
Those were the words Richel had spoken in the past when he placed a seal on Cassis to bind his power after he used forbidden strength.
Cassis’s golden eyes, which had been cast slightly downward, met Richel’s once more.
“Father. What is the nobility one must possess as a Pedelian?”
It was something anyone of Pedelian heard countless times from birth, as if engraved directly upon their soul.
Thus, Cassis was not asking because he truly did not know.
Richel knew this as well, and quietly stared into his face.
“It is to live rightly, following the natural order without straying from the righteous path.”
Soon, a heavy voice fell upon his ears.
Hearing those familiar words, Cassis smiled faintly.
“Just as all Pedelians have done until now—upright and unbending, casting aside any greed beyond what was given, closing one’s eyes and stopping one’s ears in detachment as if free of all lingering attachments and regrets, you mean?”
A calm murmur continued from Cassis’s lips.
“So if living in accordance with the natural order means turning a blind eye and emptying one’s heart, even when there is something within one’s power to achieve what one desires…”
It was a rather cynical remark, but the expression and voice of the speaker were as peaceful and serene as a tranquil autumn afternoon.
“That is not the path I wish to walk.”
Cassis gazed straight at his father, who was watching him with a hardened face.
“Perhaps I am someone who does not belong in Pedelian.”
“Cassis.”
“That does not mean I intend to abandon all morality and duty to tread an overtly wrongful path.”
Because it was something he had pondered all his life, once he made up his mind, there was no hesitation in speaking.
“It is simply that the life I pursue differs from yours, Father.”
Throughout his life, Cassis could never assert that he had walked only the righteous path, nor that he would continue to do so.
Perhaps he truly was lacking somewhere, or twisted in some way, as a Pedelian.
The first time he had such a thought was in his childhood, when foolish arrogance had nearly driven him to kill his younger sister, Sylvia.
Though hidden from the outside world, the power inherited by the heir of Pedelian was potent enough to command the life and death of all living things through simple touch alone.
The purifying and healing abilities inherently possessed by those of Pedelian in varying degrees were also rooted in this very power.
For that reason, he had been taught from a young age to understand the danger of that power and remain constantly vigilant.
But the young Cassis had acted arrogantly, as though he were a god himself.
It was only natural, then, that Richel had placed a seal on Cassis to bind his power.
Even so, through much reflection and introspection afterward, he had thought he had become someone more worthy of Pedelian than before.
But he had not.
Even during his recent intrusion into Agriche, had he not succumbed to personal vengeance and killed Lant Agriche over and over again?
Though he had spoken as if it were a punishment for Lant Agriche’s sins, that had certainly not been all.
Furthermore, bringing Roxana to Pedelian purely out of his own selfishness and greed, attempting to save her with his own hands…
Once again, it only proved that he did not belong in Pedelian.
There had been times when such thoughts tormented him.
But now, he could remain composed to a degree that surprised even himself.
Like an ore relentlessly hammered and chiseled until its true form was finally exposed, Cassis too may have simply had his inner nature revealed with the passage of time.
Perhaps he was not a sparkling gem, but merely a cracked stone.
But even if that were so, what of it? When this was the undeniable essence of Cassis Pedelian.
“It is no different.”
Richel, who had been watching Cassis in silence for a while, finally parted his firmly closed lips.
Yet the words that followed were something Cassis had never anticipated.
“Driving Lant to his death and reducing Agriche to such a state this time undeniably stemmed from my own personal feelings as well. So if one is unfit for Pedelian, would I not come before you?”
Richel, whom Cassis thought would severely reprimand him, surprisingly said he understood.
Never having imagined hearing such words from his father, Cassis was swept by an indescribable emotion.
“In the end, I broke the taboo in the past to save Sylvia, and this time, unable to forgive Lant Agriche for trying to harm you, I merely used the name of Pedelian to pass judgment.”
“Father.”
“I placed that seal upon you because I thought the power was too burdensome for your young self to handle. But three years ago, when I nearly lost you…”
Richel’s eyes sank coldly. Yet the frost within them was not directed at Cassis.
“I wondered what the point of any of it was.”
Cassis kept his mouth shut and stared quietly at the man before him.
“Had I trusted you and not bound your power back then, you would not have been caught by Agriche and placed in such peril in the first place.”
“……”
“And had I dealt with Lant before Agriche could reach its black hand toward you, would there have been any issue to begin with?”
Engraved in Richel’s eyes was unmistakable regret.
Cassis held his breath at the emotion he had never seen in him before.
“If you had died, I would have forgiven myself far less than I could ever forgive Lant Agriche.”
Then, Richel closed his eyes slowly.
“So do as you wish.”
The voice that followed bore the weight of passing years.
As did his face with closed eyes.
“Since your resolve is this firm, is that not enough?”
Lifting his eyelids once more, Richel looked directly at Cassis and gave a slight nod.
As if promising to support whatever he chose to do.
Facing Richel, Cassis slowly exhaled a deep breath. Then, finally speaking with genuine sincerity:
“Thank you, Father.”
“Spare me the pleasantries. As if you intended to seek my permission anyway.”
Richel spoke in an intentionally sharp tone, as if telling him not to say such embarrassing things.
Hearing that, Cassis smiled faintly.
After that, the two shared a vital conversation regarding the events of the past few days and their upcoming plans.
Then Richel permitted Cassis to leave.
“If my actions give rise to another regret, that too is a burden for me to bear, and I will rightfully carry it.”
“Yes. I know you are well capable of doing so.”
With that, the conversation between father and son came to an end.
The small knots that had lingered in their respective hearts had already melted away like snow.
* * *
Leaving his father’s office, Cassis offered a brief greeting to his mother as well before heading back to the annex.
The servants he met in the hallway bowed their heads quietly in greeting.
Passing them, Cassis opened the door he had entered earlier and stepped soundlessly inside.
Roxana lay in bed just as he had left her. Her tangled hair against the white sheets drew soft halos in the sunlight filtering through the window.
Jewels seemed to rest atop her long, thick eyelashes, which cast shadows across her face.
Seeing her lying so still with her eyes closed, one could easily believe she was an exquisitely crafted doll made with all the devotion and skill of Bertium.
Yet Cassis was feeling something entirely different from mere admiration for the beauty before him.
Suddenly fearing that Roxana might not be breathing, he brought his hand close to her face.
A moment later, a faint, precarious breath brushed against his fingers.
Only after confirming that was Cassis able to find relief.
He gazed down at Roxana quietly, then moved his hand slowly.
A careful touch grazed Roxana’s pale cheek.
Cassis did not clearly understand what this emotion was.
He merely felt an ache and sorrow for the person before his eyes. Yet it was somehow different from mere pity or sympathy.
He wanted to know more about the person named Roxana Agriche. And he wanted to keep her before his eyes and watch over her for as long as possible.
So if Roxana were to die like this and part from him forever, it felt as though lingering attachment and regret far greater than simple sorrow would remain.
On top of that, a fierce rage seemed likely to surge against whoever was responsible, though he knew not precisely whom to blame.
Just seeing Roxana with such a pallid face inexplicably made him a little angry.
Seeing her force herself to eat brought him relief, and whenever she stared into empty space with eyes so utterly desolate, a corner of his heart grew bleak without his realizing it.
Though Roxana seemed unaware of it, she occasionally wept in silence while unconscious or asleep.
Whenever that happened, Cassis felt as if a stone had been cast into his chest, sending ripples across a tranquil surface of water.
A turbulence even greater than what he had felt three years ago consumed his inside.
In truth, extending Roxana’s lifespan was an exceptionally delicate and difficult task, even with the power of Pedelian.
Even so, he found himself wanting to do it all with his own hands.
Roxana might not wish for it, but Cassis could not leave her to die like this.
