CH 16

That evening, Jeremy paid a visit to my room.

“Noona, have you heard about Charlotte?” he asked. As usual, he was sitting on the floor, crumpling the fabric of my dress, and had a gleeful, foolish expression on his face. It seemed that tonight’s topic had sparked his excitement.

I relaxed on the sofa, gazing down at him affectionately.

“I heard she caused a commotion in the dungeons,” I replied.

Currently, Charlotte was being sentenced to twenty days in a torture chamber.

Our father, Lant Agriche, was furious that she had openly defied his orders and allowed the Pedelian to gain an advantage over an Agriche. The prisoner must have felt some satisfaction when Charlotte supposedly broke his demonic restraints. However, there was no concern about the prisoner escaping. If Cassis had truly had a real chance to escape, Charlotte wouldn’t be alive at this moment.

Overall, I was happy with the outcome.

“You know how Charlotte treats her toys. The new toy is probably ruined. Will you still see it?” Jeremy whispered and tried to appear uninterested, but his ocean-blue eyes gazed back at me intensely.

Other than his dark hair, I was relieved that Jeremy didn’t resemble our father. It would have been harder to be near him if I were constantly reminded of Lant Agriche.

“It’s unfortunate that she got to it first. Hmm, what do I do?” I patted his head.

I feigned disappointment and lowered my eyelids as if carefully considering my options.

My voice carried a touch of disappointment as I portrayed a sense of regret. I lowered my eyelids, pretending to carefully weigh my options.

“Charlotte is foolish. She shouldn’t have touched Noona’s toy,” Jeremy exclaimed excitedly. “She’s being punished by father, just as she deserves. I don’t think I need to intervene as well,” he boasted, puffing out his chest proudly.

I could tell that Jeremy was seeking attention for himself. He had followed my instructions without hesitation. It was understandable that Charlotte lacked common sense.

“Is that so?” I responded, showing little interest.

Jeremy smiled cunningly. It seemed that my curiosity about the new toy had waned. I had not inquired further about the prisoner’s condition.

“Should I punish Charlotte again and prevent her from going to the dungeons, Noona?” Jeremy asked.

The poor boy. He needed to work on his acting skills. It was now evident that he had influenced Charlotte to visit the prisoner. And now, conveniently, he was shifting his stance and planning to distance himself from her.

I almost couldn’t help but smile. His feeble attempt at acting was rather amusing to me.

“Let her be,” I replied. “The child needs time to recover from Father’s punishments. I highly doubt she will venture into the dungeons again. And if she does, I won’t tolerate her actions a second time.”

Although I said that, I knew Charlotte would seek revenge on Cassis for humiliating her. At least for the next twenty days, Cassis would be safe from Charlotte while she was confined.

I gently rested my hand on Jeremy’s soft hair. “You are the only sibling who treats me well, my darling brother.”

Jeremy blinked, his face flushing with guilt.

After a moment, he responded to me with a smile. “Of course, I will always be on Noona’s side.”

Jeremy POV

Five minutes later, he bid Roxana goodnight and walked into the corridor.

“Charlotte, that useless a**h0le,” Jeremy said, irritated.

His little sister had completely ruined his plans. At the very least, she should have accomplished part of the task. He had wanted that toy to be severely damaged, if not completely destroyed.

Roxana still had an interest in that toy, which infuriated him.

However, there was no disgrace for an Agriche to accidentally break a cursed object. It typically required deliberate focus for even the most skilled warriors to nullify the magic bindings.

“That toy deserves to be punished. I hope Father kills it soon,” his icy sea-blue eyes shimmered with malice.

Jeremy desired the opportunity to personally kill Cassis Pedelian, but he had made a promise to Roxana that he would no longer lay a hand on the toy, even indirectly. She had placed her trust in him, after all.

For the first time, she had even called him “her darling brother.”

Damn it, why did he feel so torn now? His pride had been wounded, and his heart throbbed with pain.

He made his way back to his room, scratching his head in confusion.