“When’d you get back, sis? I dropped by earlier but you weren’t here,” Jeremy grumbled. He walked toward me, then suddenly pivoted back to the door. “What are you still standing there for? Beat it!”

The acidity in his voice was the complete opposite of the playful tone he often struck with me. When Emily remained standing by the door, Jeremy began to give her a deadly glare. Never mind that he was the one who entered my room uninvited, yet was acting as if Emily had been the intruder.

It was clear that he didn’t like her being in the room, but Emily belonged to me. So like a sensible servant, she waited for my command and simply ignored my half-brother. It almost felt as if she was asking if I wanted him thrown out for entering without permission.

“You may go, Emily.”

Upon my command, she left after a silent curtsey. Jeremy’s icy gaze remained fixed on her retreating figure. I doubt he’d ever do anything brash toward someone who belonged to me, but it was pretty obvious he was no fan of Emily’s.

“Jeremy.”

Clack.

With the sound of the door shutting, the realization that I was annoyed with him for barging in seemed to set in.

“Come here.”

Of course, I wasn’t going to let it show, because to Jeremy I was his sweet older sister. At my beckoning, he turned his gaze from the door and came toward me. I offered my hand to him.

“The room was empty when I came by earlier. Where did you go?”

Taking my hand in his, he plopped down next to my feet, then leaned his head against my thigh. He looked like some attention-starved puppy. I suddenly understood his irritation at Emily’s presence. He would never have let anyone else see this side of him. Missing me earlier must have really disappointed him. He was definitely pouting.

In a calm tone, I answered, “The incubation chamber.”

“You mean the poisonous butterfly one?”

“Mhm.”

I couldn’t possibly admit that I had gone to the dungeon to see Cassis Pedelian. Not trying to hide that he thought it was a futile endeavor, he frowned and said, “You’re really going try to incubate them again?”

“Well, they’re the last batch and I’m determined to succeed this time.”

“Well, I’d prefer it if they all just died.”

“But after all the time and hard work I’ve invested, it would be a waste to quit now.”

I could tell Jeremy wasn’t convinced that it was a good idea. Sensing his genuine concern, I felt a little more generous toward him. In the novel, Jeremy plays the oafish evil character who reveals all of the clan’s secrets and misdeeds to the female protagonist. But perhaps because he was still so young, he didn’t seem that bad at the moment. Yes, he was a brute, but no worse than any other Agrece. What’s more, he was very sweet to me.

“You know the new toy father brought home?” he asked, while suddenly lifting his head from my lap. He was talking about Cassis Pedelian. “He won’t let us anywhere near that guy, which means he can’t be just any run-of-the-mill sap. Who do you think he is?”

“I’m not sure either.”

I was aware that new prisoners interested Jeremy in general, but this time he seemed especially keen to know about the mystery “guest.”

“I do recall thinking he didn’t look like a pushover,” I added.

It was a fairly empty comment, but enough to make Jeremy sit upright.

“Hang on. Are you... interested in him as well?”

He stared up at me while searching for an answer. I suppose he must have sensed something in my tone.

“You’ve never ever taken an interest in the toys father brought home before, sis.”

He shifted again to level his gaze with mine. I could tell his blue eyes were preparing to gauge my reaction.

“I know, but this one looked interesting.”

I didn’t see any sense in denying it. I smiled placidly while Jeremy squinted back at me.

“Hmph! Is he?”

I could see the cogs in his mind working a mile a minute, but soon his chin resettled on my lap again.

“Well, sis, I’ll leave him to you then.”

It was unheard of for Jeremy to surrender his prey to anyone, but I had known he’d do exactly that. How did I know? Because he craved my attention and affirmation. Even the expression on his face seemed to implore, “Did I do good?” He was a boy who was desperate for approval.

I began to stroke his hair while smiling down at him. Pressing his head against my hand, he had the satisfied look of a creature after a hearty feast. He even purred like a cat. A cat, however, is still a predator. I could not afford to forget that.

But seeing him clinging to me, I couldn’t help thinking that he was still just a 15-year-old kid in need of love and care. I had thought that for some time and always made a concerted effort to be the sort of sister he desired.

Feeling the touch of my hand was definitely also adding to his content state. I too was content since things were progressing according to my plan. While my hand continued to caress him, my mind coolly calculated my next move.

* * *

Curse those Agreces.

Cassis cursed his enemies silently, then spit out a gob of blood.

The dungeon guards had only moments ago come to torture him. It was the second time he had been whipped while bound. He realized that their purpose wasn’t to beat any sort of important secrets out of him, but simply to inflict pain. He was so battered by then that any trace of the handsome, noble-looking Cassis Perelian was all but gone. One of the reasons everyone revered to him as the Blue Heir was due to his good looks, but his renowned appearance was now marred with traces of truly sadistic torture. He had also suffered internal injuries as a result of the poison, the sorcery, and the trap he’d been forced to endure.

It had been almost four days since Cassis was dragged into enemy territory. He’d always known that Agreces were a conniving and evil lot, but he had never expected them to attempt a direct assault and kidnap a member of the Blue Pedelians. Such an action was akin to declaring war. The Agreces dared to cross into Pedelian territory and brazenly attacked before taking the Blue clan’s scion prisoner.

The physical pain was severe, but it was the sheer outrage that was actually hurting Cassis. If he could, he would cut down Lante Agrece and destroy their entire compound, but the reality was he could barely see. Cassis stared past the metal bars with strained effort. His vision had improved from the day before, but only enough to distinguish between light and dark. The girl must have been telling the truth that his sight would return.

Clang.

The sound of a door opening in the distance reached them, then he could hear footsteps.

Cassis simply listened carefully. They didn’t sound like they belonged to the guards. Someone with a shorter stride and much lighter footsteps was approaching his cell.

It had to be her—his mysterious nurse.

“You look like hell today,” she said as he assumed she was stepping over the threshold.

Is that a hint of apology in her tone? Cassis also thought he had heard her sigh.

Suddenly there was movement, then a subtle scent wafted into his nose. He could tell by the surge of warmth that someone had was close to him, so snapped icily,

“Don’t touch me!”

“I’m just going to check if you’ve suffered any serious injuries.”

As she carefully lifted up his shirt, he felt his body tense. He considered trying to ward off her touch, but only for a moment. Instead, he looked toward where she stood. Eventually, his searching gaze landed upon the girl’s face, but after realizing that he still could hardly make out a human form, he scowled in frustration.

“Fortunately, there isn’t any major damage. But if you are suffering, I can give you something for it.”

“No need.”

Each time he heard the girl’s voice, a funny feeling came over him. Strangely sweet yet relaxed, and it also sounded as clear as polished jade. Unable to deny to himself that he was entranced by her voice, he suspected there could be some inexplicable force that was emanating from her.

“Eat this,” she said, “if you don’t want to die, that is.”