Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 54

Chapter 54

Agnes was lost in thought for a moment.

She didn't know exactly what Amy had seen.

'Perhaps she saw a past in which something very dangerous happened—dangerous enough that she felt she needed the Marquis and everyone else.'

Agnes thought of the Cracks.

Maybe they would develop into a calamity that threatened the world.

'Just how terrifying must it be...'

Even now, Cesenor and Rupert together could defeat a dragon—a legendary monster.

If all the others were also needed.

If the danger was that great, it was understandable that Amy was afraid.

'But why worry about me, not the world?'

If four people were needed, it must be something stronger than a dragon.

Though she couldn't believe it, Agnes sighed and asked.

"You wanted to protect me no matter what. Right?"

Amy pursed her lips and bowed her head.

Seeing that, Agnes pressed her lips to Amy's forehead.

"Thank you, Amy."

"Huh?"

At the unexpected words, Amy's eyes widened.

Agnes smiled softly at her.

As if the reason she'd started the conversation wasn't to interrogate her about why she'd sent those people, but to tell her she was grateful.

"It's all because of you. The clothes you're wearing, the pretty room you have, the fact that I'm okay now, and that our house is peaceful—it's all thanks to you."

"No, I..."

"So I wanted to do everything for you when you came back. To stay by your side, eat good food, and buy you wonderful toys and pretty clothes."

Agnes hugged Amy tightly.

She could feel Amy's unsteady breathing gradually calm down.

It was as endearing as it was telling of Amy's anxiety.

'To Amy, I must have been like a parent.'

To a child, their parents are like the world itself.

Rather than an abstract concept like the 'world,' they are a tangible, absolute presence.

Burying her face in Amy's hair, Agnes whispered softly.

"You were scared, weren't you, Amy? You fell into a scary place, and you saw your sister in danger. So you traveled around. Because you wanted to protect me."

"Uh-huh."

"That's exactly what happened. The Marquis helped me a great deal. And bad people broke into our house. Sir Silmare is out dealing with that, and Ignitan protected the village."

"Really?"

"On top of that, you sent so much money that we paid off all our debts. Since you helped so much, I'll work with everyone else to stop the danger. I'm much bigger and older than you, right? So don't worry about anything."

Pulling Amy out of her embrace, Agnes looked her in the eyes.

"I'm fine now."

Amy's face went blank.

As if Agnes's words of gratitude hadn't reached her at all.

'No...'

She might be better in some ways, but her sister was never truly safe.

Because...

Just as Agnes looked at her in confusion, Amy cried out convulsively.

"No!"

"Amy...?"

"You're not fine! My sister is in danger! No!"

"You're not fine?"

Startled, Agnes turned to Rupert. He also shook his head.

He seemed to have no idea either, so Agnes turned back to Amy, flustered.

Her blue eyes were filled with fear.

As if she'd seen a huge, terrifying monster.

Amy sobbed and whispered.

"He'll come..."

"Who?"

"A bad man, to take you away..."

Just as she was about to ask who, Amy started hiccuping violently.

Hic. Hic.

She was even trembling.

Rupert quietly shook his head and placed a hand on Agnes's shoulder.

As if it were a very familiar occurrence.

Bracing herself against the sinking feeling in her heart, Agnes hugged Amy tightly once more.

"It's okay, Amy. I'm fine."

Who was she so afraid of?

The fear of losing her sister.

That must have been why this young child had traversed the continent.

A six-year-old shouldn't be trying to protect someone—she should be growing up under the safe care of the adults around her.

Her heart felt like it was breaking, so Agnes pressed her head against Amy's small shoulder.

'I have to protect this place.'

This house, her siblings, and most of all, herself.

---

That night.

After putting Amy to sleep, Agnes called the three men.

Beside her, Rupert stood as if it were only natural.

The sight of him drew an odd glance, and Cesenor patted his shoulder as he passed.

But Rupert didn't react.

He just briefly met Cesenor's gaze.

He didn't even offer the customary greeting to Cesenor, a guest and a marquis.

'I'd heard he was in a unique position.'

The employees in this house all acted unlike servants, but when faced with Cesenor, they always showed respect.

But Rupert had been different from the start.

Rather than looking up to someone of higher status, he seemed to stand on some unknown high ground, looking down with aloofness.

The reason he didn't call it rudeness was because he'd seen Rupert slash a dragon's throat.

'No knight in the empire could easily match him.'

Even Cesenor, if he'd faced the dragon alone without Rupert, would never have won.

With a man who might be one of the empire's finest by her side, Agnes sat in her chair.

Silently sipping her tea, she waited until the three men had savored their own.

Finally, Rapitor couldn't bear the silence and asked awkwardly.

"Did you call us because of what happened earlier?"

"I'll explain the details soon. First, Rapitor, you'd like to confirm that I'm real, right?"

Saying this, Agnes extended her hand to Rapitor.

"Of course!"

Rapitor eagerly grasped her outstretched hand.

A bright golden light lingered over their hands.

At the same time, the familiar mark rose on the back of her hand.

A seed and a leaf.

Seeing it, Rapitor's eyes filled with joy.

"It really is you!"

"Otherwise, why would we be here?"

When Cesenor scoffed, Agnes responded directly.

"Exactly. Because of this mark, which I don't even understand, you've all come to find me."

Saying this with a self-deprecating smile, she sighed.

"Thanks to that, my youngest sister is terrified."

"What happened?"

"She said a bad man would come to take me away."

"Who?"

"She wouldn't tell me. But it likely means someone has their sights set on me, and that's because I'm the 'Other Half of the World Tree.' And that's probably why she sought you all out."

At that, Ignitan and Rapitor's faces simultaneously turned pale.

They were clearly different from Cesenor, who was in the dark.

Agnes silently observed their reactions.

Ignitan and Rapitor knew something.

"So if you have any idea, I'd like you to tell me. If you think I'm that important."

But the two just averted their gaze in silence, offering no answer.

Agnes sighed.

"If this has nothing to do with you, then you don't have to stay. I'll protect myself."

"Is that... you're telling us to leave?"

But Agnes didn't answer, just returned Rapitor's gaze.

Rapitor's voice trembled with confusion.

"We just got here? Even though we found you after a thousand years?"

"Then tell me what you know. As you can see, I'm very ordinary, and I need to know some way to protect myself."

Far from ordinary, she was actually very frail and powerless.

But she didn't want to define herself that way.

'I'm not being protected because I'm incapable.'

If Amy and they were right, Agnes was a unique existence in the world.

'They wouldn't have chosen someone like me for no reason.'

Why she was chosen, and why a child like Amy was shown such a future.

She decided not to think about the reasons.

'It's not something I can know anyway.'

It was pointless to ponder things already decided.

'So if you've come this far to find me, make a choice. Whether you'll protect me from now on, or stand by and watch.'

The answer was already predetermined.

If she truly was the one who would decide the world's fate, they had no choice.

Not just to grow from Seed to World Tree, but to protect the world they stood on.

"Of course, I believe you won't leave. Because you think I'm truly important."

Her eyes, which had been like fragile young shoots, now held a firmer glint.

Cesenor, who could observe the situation relatively dispassionately because he truly didn't know much, found this interesting.

'What will they say?'

Thanks to that, he might even find answers to the things he only vaguely knew.

With anticipation, Cesenor watched the two men.

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