The way to Protect the Female Lead’s Older Brother - Chapter 25

CASSIS POV

Cassis was conscious.

To be more precise, he had never blacked out from the beginning.

He focused on keeping his breathing even as he felt a light touch brush through his hair. While he laid on the bed with his head on Roxana’s lap, he began to recall the past.

FLASHBACK

Cassis felt his jawbone fracture as his face hit the floor. His body began to spasm at random intervals, which made his fingers curl and his skull vibrate. Blood was pooling into his eyes, straining his poor vision further. Through a red screen, he thought he could see Lant Agriche’s leg slowly lower from a side kick stance. 

Cassis could no longer close his mouth. His jawbone had been realigned. 

He laid on the floor with a stupefied expression, half-listening to the conversation between Lant Agriche and his daughter, as the man walked down the stairs to step on the Pedelian pup’s face.

Cassis Pedelian’s body did not obey him and in a way, it was a blessing. He could not wail, flinch, or show any other sign of weakness. Bile and blood rose up his throat as his caved in ribs throbbed against his flesh. His ears rang, and his chest felt numb in short spurts; his addled brain could not communicate pain receptors consistently between his chest and head.

Any lucid thought was filled with vengeance against Lant Agriche, as Cassis tasted the dirty leather sole of the villain’s shoe.

Lant Agriche was laughing at him.

Through sheer grit, Cassis willed himself to stay awake. Since his vision was impaired, he focused on his hearing. 

A moment later, Lant Agriche turned away. His footsteps only rebounded against the stone floor for a few steps before stopping. 

There was a shuffling sound as a man bent down to wipe the blood off his Lord’s shoes. A dull thud echoed as the subordinate’s forehead and chainmail clanked against the ground. Cassis imagined that the man looked like a slave about to lick his master’s shoe.

“Leave it,” Lant Agriche said. He was still entertained after playing with the young Pedelian. His grin was almost audible as he continued speaking. “Get my valet and have him bring an extra pair to my study. I’ll burn these shoes.” I won’t possess anything that’s been defiled by Pedelian filth, his unspoken words hung in the air. The Head of the Agriche laughed again and exited.

Cassis Pedelian’s body was beginning to heal. Pain filled his head and clouded his vision with dark spots. His tears began to wash away the blood in his eyes. 

His mouth hissed inaudibly.

Cassis was disgusted. He had never seen groveling at this level before. The shocking scene distracted him and kept him from losing his cool. 

His first urge was to yell at Lant Agriche and have him stay back. He was his father’s son. He would rather die than forsake an opportunity to get revenge.

Cassis hesitated when he recalled his legacy. Did he have the right to die now?

No, he had to live. His conviction grew. His death in this godforsaken place would neither be noble nor necessary. He was going to escape and lead the next generation of his family. He would take his revenge later. 

It went against every fibre of his being, but Cassis malingered like  cowardly, despicable scum.  He controlled his facial expressions masterfully and pretended to be unconscious, even as he felt sharp stabs of pain throughout his entire body; worse than when a tusked boar had pierced his chest and trampled him on his first hunt.

“Miss Roxana, what should we do with your toy?” a man said. 

“Take it to the Grey Room in the East Wing,” a soft voice answered. “It looks hideous.” From his view on the ground, he saw her ruby shoes peek out from under her dress. 

Cassis closed his eyes. He was not a pervert. 

He heard Roxana give further instructions to the detail before rough hands pulled him up by the arms. His first impulse was to scream. Even the slightest touch made him feel as if someone was lynching his limbs from his body. 

It goes without saying that the detail was not gentle with him.

They carelessly pulled his body along as if he were a marionette with broken strings. Cassis Pedelian’s shackles swung idly from his limp forearms. 

The girl was now helping him. At her order, instead of being dragged across the floor, Cassis was being littered up the stairs. The transportation was still painful, but the miniscule increase of comfort was noted. His head lulled awkwardly.

There was a pause as one of the men yelled at the guardsman to open the entrance door. Cassis heard fire flicker from the torches along the walls. It must be evening now. 

“Is this the bloody toy?” a boyish voice asked.

Cassis Pedelian’s jaw straightened. His healing ability was nothing short of miraculous, even if the pain kept him on the verge of blacking out.

There was a pause as one of the men holding Cassis became slack-jawed. At least one of the two-man detail did not even know the name of the prisoner who he was holding. 

The other guard holding Cassis by the shoulders spoke instead. “Master Jeremy, we do not know who it is. Miss Roxana has told us to take it to the Grey Room.”

“Has she?” The boy sniffed. He seemed distracted and his next words seemed distant. “I should like to see one of my mothers’ pets devour him in the menagerie. You may leave.”

The guards excused themselves and began to carry Cassis on even ground. 

“Who is di’s toy, anyway?” the guard holding Cassis by the knees said. His dialect smattered of someone from the countryside. “It e’re ‘as received the att’nt’n of ours Lord an’ th’ered’ Miss an’ Mas’er. I don’ envy it, at’s for sure.”

“Shut up,” his companion said. “You’ll live longer the less you know. Forget this toy after we’re done with it. It’s been marked.” There’s no way it will leave this place alive.

Neither man noticed that the young man they were carrying like an oversized sack of grain was listening in to their conversation. 

Cassis wanted to open his eyes and get a clearer layout of his residence, but didn’t risk it. His father had warned him since training him in the sword that Cassis lacked subtlety.

I see the passion in your eyes when you are angry, Rischel Pedelian had told his son. Thus, I am able to read your moves clearly. Be aware of this weakness until you overcome it. His father then felled him easily in four moves, when Cassis was fourteen. Cassis had taken the defeat graciously in front of his fater, but was in a bitter mood for weeks afterward. He did not forget the lesson now.   

Do I have the ability to escape? I have the will. I still have my mind, Cassis thought. If I open my eyes, I will move to subdue these men. Can my body take them out in this condition?

Cassis reached a conclusion quickly.

Absolutely. 

Yes.