I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 88
“You….”
I stumbled over my words, unable to find a response quickly enough.
“What on earth are you doing here?!”
I tore myself away from Kalian Wynack and rushed toward Luize Whezel in a panic. He was just pushing himself up from the fountain.
“Quite the enthusiastic welcome.”
“Welcome nothing. You didn’t follow me here, did you?”
“There’s nothing strange about my being here, Sister. This is the Transcendent Family Common Area, after all.”
Luize Whezel answered with disarming smoothness. I was left speechless by his response.
“And it’s been empty for hundreds of years at that. How did you even know to come here?”
“Well, I searched everywhere across the Continent and couldn’t find you anywhere. I figured this was my last hope, so I stopped by for a moment.”
“Why were you looking for me?”
“Why wouldn’t I look for you? After a letter like that?”
Luize Whezel’s gaze flickered past my shoulder. His voice dropped suddenly.
“Sister. I warned you clearly. That man is dangerous—don’t grow too attached to him.”
Kalian Wynack leaned casually against the Stone Pillar at Entrance, arms crossed. His eyes watching us weren’t particularly warm, though he seemed content to observe the situation unfold.
Luize Whezel let out a hollow laugh as if utterly dumbfounded.
“And yet you willingly became his Elixir, Rosien Wynyak.”
“Mind your tongue, Luize.”
“…Became his Elixir, Sister.”
Luize Whezel reluctantly added the honorific. But his tone remained unchanged.
“How far has it progressed?”
“What?”
“You’re a human Elixir, aren’t you? Contact is fundamental.”
Something felt off. I furrowed my brow.
Had Luize Whezel always possessed such a defiant glint in his eyes?
The last time I’d seen him was three years ago in Delpiam. Had leading the Family for three years worn him down so much?
I took a deep breath to center myself, then delivered a sharp flick to Luize’s forehead.
“Watch your mouth, you brat.”
Luize, unprepared for my knuckle strike, opened his eyes wide as lanterns.
“You… you just… hit me?”
He asked as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Me… me? I just got hit?”
“You’re not thinking straight. You need another one.”
This time, I pressed my knuckles firmly against his forehead, revealed between strands of black hair, and delivered another affectionate flick with deliberate care.
“Just because you add ‘Sister’ to your words doesn’t mean everything’s fine. What’s a twenty-two-year-old brat like you doing prying into someone else’s personal affairs? My progress is none of your concern!”
Of course, internally I was equally flustered.
‘What is he asking? Has he lost his mind?!’
“Ha, haha. Right, right. For now it’s human, human….”
Luize Whezel, who had been giggling as if unhinged, straightened his back.
“In any case, it doesn’t seem to be mutual yet. That’s a relief, at least.”
“It’s none of your concern.”
“Kirges and Wynack might join hands, and as the Whezel Family Head, isn’t it natural for me to feel a sense of crisis? I’d call it reasonable caution, sister.”
“So you’re planning to stay here longer?”
Luize shrugged his shoulders.
“Why are you being so oversensitive? If you keep reacting so dramatically, it’ll look like you and that man have something going on.”
Luize gestured with his chin over my shoulder.
“He’s coming now.”
I could hear Kalian Wynack approaching with long strides. He was deliberately making his footsteps loud.
Luize’s golden eyes gleamed strangely as he gazed toward where Kalian would appear.
“The Imprinting seems certain. Terrifyingly so.”
“It’s also clear you’ve been doing something seriously wrong for the past three years, Whezel.”
“Seeing how sensitive he’s being, it doesn’t seem mutual yet? Good.”
Luize, muttering incomprehensible things, suddenly leaned toward my ear. He whispered softly.
“Never give him your heart, sister.”
“That’s something I’ll decide for myself.”
“You need to hold the leash in your own hands. Don’t let him take control of you too. Remember that.”
Afraid of receiving another flick to the forehead, Luize didn’t hesitate and turned to leave.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure, utterly bewildered.
Not that he was entirely wrong, but…
‘His expression has been strange since earlier. What is it, really?’
“Rosy.”
But Kalian Wynack approached swiftly and pressed his lips against mine without preamble, making me forget everything I’d been thinking.
* * *
The second floor of the villa had a spacious living room with expansive windows.
Through the windows that stretched to the ceiling, I could see a forest thick with palm trees and the undulating sea beyond.
I buried myself in the sofa and muttered gruffly.
“At this rate, my lips will wear away soon.”
Kalian Wynack, sitting beside me, let out a short laugh. I shot him a displeased look.
“Don’t you think this is excessive? This hardly qualifies as treatment anymore.”
It had been nearly a week since we arrived at the villa. Lately, once Kalian Wynack caught hold of me, there was no easy escape.
Whether he was aware of it or not, Kalian Wynack had a habit of firmly supporting the nape of my neck with one hand when he kissed me.
When that happened, I had no choice but to offer my lips until he was satisfied.
Naturally, the kisses never ended with a brief brush of lips, and by the time Kalian Wynack’s expression grew languid, my lips would be flushed crimson. At this point, it was a wonder they hadn’t split.
I pressed my lips, which now felt slightly raw, against the cool glass of a cup.
“But what can I do? It feels good.”
Kalian Wynack answered shyly.
“They’re so soft and warm. I keep wanting to press against them.”
“There are plenty of soft things in the world. Why not eat some warmed pudding instead?”
“It’s different. It’s like continuously tasting a jelly that doesn’t melt. Rosy, just one more time, please…”
I turned my head away, subtly evading Kalian as he leaned his upper body toward me. He murmured in disappointment.
“You didn’t like it? You didn’t seem to.”
“That’s not what I meant. Have some conscience and stop.”
“…I understand….”
I caught a phantom image of rabbit ears drooping limply.
Kalian knew how to deploy his appearance with perfect efficiency and timing. That was precisely the primary reason my lips had ended up in this state.
‘Still, I hate it. I have no interest in kissing in front of others.’
Even a light peck with merely our lips touching was something I didn’t want to do before an audience—what then of an explicit kiss?
The sight of me flushed crimson, breathing heavily as I embraced Kalian, was something I didn’t want anyone to see. Especially not him.
I glanced sideways at the figure across from us.
‘…Ah, forget it. I shouldn’t worry about him.’
Once we returned to the mainland, it would be difficult to indulge in such leisure for some time. I had planned to enjoy an uninterrupted respite on this island.
I would read the books I hadn’t been able to get close to, and immerse myself in the tranquility of nature.
Yesterday, while exploring the villa, I discovered a study and brought back several books. Their preservation was remarkably good for something five hundred years old.
Yet I hadn’t managed to read even five pages before closing the cover.
At this point, I couldn’t help but say something.
“Both of you—is this really how it’s going to be? If you have something to say, spit it out.”
My mind was completely scattered. The greatest problem, of course, was the one clinging to my side right now.
A human Elixir was, in a certain sense, remarkably convenient. Without even exchanging words, I could roughly gauge Kalian’s emotional state.
This was the fourth day of lounging leisurely at the villa in the Demilitarized Zone. Kalian’s mood had been declining steadily with each passing day.
The cause was obvious enough.
That fellow, surrounded by potted tropical plants, sitting at an angle like the king of the jungle. Luize.
“I’m not trying to intrude, sister.”
Luize shook his head expressionlessly.
“I simply cannot leave.”
“Why?”
“Even with my eyes wide open watching, things have come to this. If I step away, I can clearly foresee what will happen.”
“You really don’t need to worry.”
“You said exactly that three years ago before returning to Abuye, Rosien.”
A pang of guilt struck me.
“I said I’d keep watch. Just accept it.”
“…I really can’t get used to you being like this, Luize.”
The Luize Whezel I knew was an exceptionally taciturn boy with few words.
He was the type who would make an exasperated expression when I occasionally got under his skin, but he was never the sort to deliberately scratch at someone else’s nerves like this.
He wouldn’t have picked fights with anyone in the first place, nor would he have spoken with such subtly oppressive intonation.
‘He was such an upright, solid boy. How did things come to this….’
Despite knowing full well that Kalian dislikes him, he continues to appear before us. The old Luize would have been far more reluctant himself and wouldn’t have lingered around Kalian at all.
Whenever I thought I’d go splash around in the swimming pool attached to the villa, black curly hair was already there waiting.
When I decided to eat something and entered the dining room, Luize was already in the middle of his meal.
Even when I tried to retreat into my room, he stood planted firmly in the corridor blocking the way.
It felt like there were two Kalian Wynacks.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose wearily.
Having two handsome young men flanking me on either side was pleasant enough, but surely I deserved some semblance of privacy.
“Don’t mind him, Rosy.”
Kalian pressed his lips against the back of my hand. When I showed signs of evading a kiss, he pivoted to this alternative with practiced ease.
“You could say he barely exists. At best, he’s like charcoal that’s burned halfway through—utterly worthless.”
“That’s rich coming from you. A split personality who preys on his own sister.”
Crack. A sound like stone splitting echoed from Kalian.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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