The way to Protect the Female Lead’s Older Brother - Chapter 31

I left Cassis Pedelian late that night after poking his cheeks and pulling on his hair. He was a stubborn man. Until the end, he never opened his eyes and admitted that he was awake.

The next day, there was no more pretending. A pair of golden eyes met me as I entered his room again with a tray in one hand. His eyes seemed so sharp and bold, they almost seemed to glow in the dark.

I closed the door behind me without turning my back to him and smiled in greeting.

I waved a finger at a candlestick on the wall. The light had been dimmed for Cassis to rest peacefully. At my signal, the flame grew brighter.

Cassis Pedelian’s face faded in and out in shadow as the light flickered. He was sitting on a windowsill. The window had been blocked by stone in preparation for the prisoner’s arrival.

It felt like I was locked in a cage with a feral cat. He continued to eye me warily. Any movement could provoke him to attack.

“You should rest. Your wounds are quite deep,” I gestured to the bed.

I wanted to inquire about his astounding healing abilities, but held back to be polite. I was intrigued. It had only been half a day, but Cassis was already sitting up straight. His healing rate was almost at superman level. I wondered how much longer he planned to play the sick invalid.

“I hoped the physician treated you well yesterday,” I said. “I can bring him again if you’re in too much pain. Is there a specific injury you would like me to address?”

Cassis frowned as if he thought I was duping him. He narrowed his eyes.

So you have some magical ability, I thought. It would help if you learned how to read minds as well. I only have your best interest at heart. No, I should rephrase that. Our goals are the same at least: to get you out of here. Isn’t that enough to form an alliance?

His poker face was hard to read. My smile didn’t falter. I had practiced smiling in front of a mirror for ages as a child.

After another pause, Cassis opened his mouth. “I need nothing,” he said.

I tilted my head. He seemed reluctant to say what he was really thinking.

“Would you like painkillers?” I said. “They’ll digest quickly if you intake with food.” I walked towards him. “Please, eat.”

I rested the tray of uncrusted white bread and soup on his seat; soft foods he could eat easily in case half of his stomach was still torn apart. A multivitamin pill laced with painkillers was settled neatly next to the soup bowl.

“I’m sorry there’s no spoon,” I said. “Anything that could be seen as a weapon was taken out of this room.” Since my absence, the chairs had been removed as well. Only the desk and bed remained, since both pieces of furniture were bolted to the floor.

I kept my gaze away from the metal restraints that bound his hands and feet. The guards had changed them overnight. Instead of chains, a steel bar now connected his feet together, just as another bar connected his wrists. In order to walk properly, Cassis would have to shuffle forward like a duck. Similarly, he would have to move both of his arms together if he wanted to scratch his face. It seemed very uncomfortable.

“You should have sent a servant to send this,” he nodded at his meal.

My smile became more genuine. I was glad he wasn’t being hostile to me.

“A maid will be coming soon to bring another change of clothes,” I said. It was true. Normally, a servant would bring food to a guest, let alone a prisoner, but I had been afraid that Cassis would attack anyone else. I still half-thought he planned to attack me. I glanced at his malnourished figure. Even in this state, he could beat me in brute strength, but I had been trained to defend myself as a noblewoman. All courtesies of hitting below the belt were forsaken if a lady was attacked in this world.  If we had to clash, I would use any underhanded trick I knew to subdue him.

I also wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t ready to escape yet. I had seen Cassis Pedelian’s intense hatred towards Lant Agriche and a softer, but still cocky attitude he reserved especially for me. He wouldn’t be able to escape without being in his top condition, and he had to heal covertly without my father noticing.

Yes, there are so many reasons to visit you, more than just handing you your dinner, I wanted to say to him. We should also get along, shouldn’t we? It will be easier to bond if we keep meeting like this. 

Cassis’s expression changed as I surveyed him quietly. He looked down at his long-sleeved shirt filled with bloodstains, grit, and holes, before turning red and looking away. It was such a curious response. I had seen him in a worse state. In fact, he almost looked quite handsome today. His swollen face was half the size it was yesterday.

If I was reading his gaze correctly now, I would almost say he had lowered his eyes from shame.

My lips opened. Maybe it wasn’t the clothes. Was he embarrassed about how close we were last night? I felt inclined to tease him, but the brief fun wouldn’t be worth it if he closed off from me again.

Eventually, Cassis looked my way.

“You…” he struggled to say something. He raised his arms before resting his wrist shackles again on his legs. He coughed and his Adam’s apple bounced before his voice became deeper. “Now that I’m a toy, what do you expect me to do?”

My eyes became upside down, half-crescent moons. My lips widened.

Cassis gulped again, not from lust this time, but in trepidation. My cheery smile seemed to unnerve him.

What a great question to start our day, and a relevant topic to keep my family from killing him.