The way to Protect the Female Lead’s Older Brother - Chapter 23

I nodded at the guard to let me in.

Cassis Pedelian’s new room had no windows. It had a simple bed, a desk, a bucket, and two chairs. The embroidered carpets and tapestries had been removed in case the prisoner would go insane or make a mess. It was still a depressing change of scenery, but cleaner and warmer than the dungeons.

The door closed behind me.

Cassis was lying on the bed, curled in a fetal position.

The bed was too small for him. One foot hovered in the air as he cradled his arms to his chest. Blood had already soaked onto his cotton mattress prior to his treatment.

I walked within three paces of him, suppressing a hysterical giggle. The guards had even removed the pillows and bedsheets. We, the Agriche, truly knew how to accommodate our guests.

I was amazed he didn’t have trouble breathing. The leather gag still dug around his mouth and half of his ribcage was caved in where my father had struck him.

His right ankle was swelling to twice its size. He wouldn’t be able to run soon without intense pain at this rate.

I fingered the end of a loose bandage.

A wad of gauze the size of my fist had been clumsily applied to his stomach and was restrained by yellow bandages that wound around his body. A sticky cream had been applied to his smaller cuts, and I had a suspicion they used horse hair to stitch the gash on his side.

Overall, Cassis was still a grotesque figure. I had to put my finger on what he looked like exactly.

Was it a trashy mannequin with filthy marks from a horror film? Maybe it was closer to a male Barbie doll that had been loved too much by a lively child.

I did not think the guards had been complacent. Medieval standards of medicine were quite crude. I should be glad they hadn’t let the “bad blood” drip out and allowed Cassis to bleed to death.

“You’ve only had minimal treatment,” I told him.

I kneeled to take a closer look at his wrists and ankles.

His shackles had blistered and rubbed his skin raw. Thin red lines marked his wrists.

I lifted one wrist and heard metal clink as the chain pulled taut against the shackle on his ankle. The chain was short. It would have been impossible for him to stand straight without breaking his restraints. As it was, he was curled on the bed with a sort of hunchback. A thicker chain attached his right ankle to the bedpost.

I unlatched his gag and pried his lips apart to count the number of teeth in his mouth.

I made a grim smile, satisfied that I was right.

I took out a knife from my dress pocket and began re-bandaging him.

His body was strong, or should I say naturally gifted? My family and I had underestimated the Blue Scion. Fortunately, I did not want the man as my enemy.

I began to hum as I worked, a whimsical habit I developed to combat stress.

Honestly, if he wasn’t a Pedelian, I would have expected him to die earlier. There were no limits to how an Agriche treated their toys.

I finally chewed on a mint-tasting leaf and pressed the remnants against a small, poisoned wound on his shoulder. I had to admit it was gross, but the plant had medicinal properties that would heal his paralysis before he woke up.

I rose from my chair, wiping my fingers with a handkerchief after sanitizing my hands.

After I wiped the blood from his face, Cassis seemed peaceful, almost angelic. His cheek was still bruised and there were faint cuts along his jaw.

He now resembled a victim of domestic violence instead of a medieval prisoner. It was quite an improvement.

I hesitated. How would Cassis perceive me now? Every Agriche in the world must seem evil to him and deserved to be eradicated.

My survival was based on our relationship. Even if I could physically transport him out of my father’s territory, I had to make sure he wouldn’t return to take his revenge on me.

I ignored a slight headache throbbing against my temple.

My rest had been disturbed since Cassis Pedelian had appeared. The past four years of my life had been spent on planning to keep this man alive, and now it was finally time to execute. Every incident now could result in my termination. It was a precarious affair. No matter how hard I studied Cassis or my family members’ expressions, it was still possible I misread them.

I had no allies in this house—that could never change—but I also didn’t want to form new enemies either.

Blood began to drip from Cassis’s nose.

I searched my pockets for another bandage, but came up with nothing. I shifted my position to sit his bed and rested his head in my lap. I had remembered a crude bit of information. I didn’t exactly believe it, but perhaps it was possible for someone to drown to death from a nosebleed.

His head felt heavy over my thin, satin dress.

I was tired and wondered if I had the strength to leave soon.

What could I do to get this man to like me? I needed him to see me as an ally. I was sorry that he had been abused by my father this evening, but not regretful. If I had to redo the past, I didn’t see myself defending him.

Such a pity.

It was a feeling I did not feel often while living in the Agriche household. I had to spare every feeling and thought for myself to stay alive in my father’s domain.

Cassis Pedelian’s world was different. In his home, he was the Blue Scion, the cherished heir to the Blue Crests and respected by every man, woman, and child that was not subjugated by Lant Agriche. From birth, he seemed destined to be a benevolent ruler over thousands of subjects.

Yet in the original novel, Cassis was only a pathetic sacrifice that would initiate the heroine’s revenge against the Agriche. He was not fated to have flowers on his unmarked grave. It would take three years after his disappearance for his sister to even find out about his death.

The retelling of his death in the story wasn’t descriptive.

Jeremy, blinded by love for the heroine, began to tell her secrets while she was imprisoned in the Agriche manor. Eventually, he revealed that his father had kidnapped Cassis. It was an offhand remark by him. Cassis was only a yellow-eyed toy that his father had brought home. Jeremy conveniently omitted his part in torturing the Blue Scion.

There were no further details. I did not remember who had murdered Cassis in the original novel. He died without glory or his family by his side.