Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 121

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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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Hehehehe, he hates it, absolutely despises it. As I smacked kiss after kiss onto Glen’s face, the man furrowed his brow and let out groaning sounds of protest. Irritated that he found my affection so repugnant even in his sleep, I planted one final kiss on his lips—and then I heard what sounded like a sniffle.
Glen, caught in whatever dream he was having, whimpered with an expression of utter injustice painted across his face.
I should stop teasing before I wake the child.
“Hrrmmph.”
Glen’s startled reaction had jolted me fully awake. There was no point trying to fall back asleep now.
I gave up on returning to slumber and wriggled out of bed. After throwing on the hotel’s robe, I was about to leave the room when I noticed Theodore hoarding all the blankets for himself. Displeased by this, I yanked the blanket away and draped it over Glen instead—and he immediately rolled his body toward where the blanket was.
Even asleep, he had no trouble finding the blanket. Theodore and Glen were now sleeping face-to-face, pressed closely together, which was… well, it certainly looked a certain way, but…
Not my concern!
Ha!
The two of them were sleeping peacefully together, and I wasn’t petty enough to steal the blanket again. I’d leave them as they were.
With that decision made, I did some stretching and morning exercises, then quietly slipped out of the bedroom. After softly closing the door and checking the living room to see if anyone else was awake, I was startled to find Luke Rocksberg—with those dead eyes of his—lying with his head on Asterion Rocksberg’s lap.
My son has never even met our uncle’s family, so however did he pick up that deadpan expression?
“My, what an affectionate scene this is. You two look absolutely wonderful together.”
Every word I spoke was sincere truth. My son was resting his head on Uncle Asterion’s lap, and my brother was kindly reading to him from a book.
Looking at the book’s cover, I recognized it immediately. It was an early work by a famous author who had gained renown writing a sprawling science fiction epic featuring Preparikeriyon and Lauramericia as protagonists—though this particular book was a fairy tale with a female pirate as the protagonist. Only three hundred copies of the first edition had been printed, making it rarer than stars in the sky these days.
I’d always wanted to read it, and here I was, encountering it by chance.
“May I squeeze in between Leon and my son for a bit…?”
“Rosalite.”
I was about to settle at my son’s feet and listen to the fairy tale reading while playfully touching his cute toes, when Luke suddenly sat up, snapped the book shut, and gave me a cold stare.
“The next hour is already booked.”
…Booked? What do you mean? Is this space some kind of business operation for Luke? But he’s not working—he’s just reading a fairy tale…
“Son, what do you mean by booked…?”
“One hundred gold coins per hour to rest my head on Asterion’s lap and listen to fairy tales.”
Leon, did you pay for this?
When I asked carefully, my proud brother nodded proudly in response. Goodness… and here I thought I was raising a respectable younger brother. This is maddening.
“Well then, what about… a shared rate? A two-person fee…?”
“I don’t accept credit, Mother.”
Ugh, this boy is absolutely meticulous when it comes to money. But still, hearing him call me Mother makes me happy.
It was early morning, but I was seriously considering pawning my clothes at a pawnshop and sneaking into some casino with an open door to win some money, when I heard two adult men screaming from somewhere.
I suspected it was Glen and our local Crown Prince coughing, but my guess proved accurate when Theodore came rushing into the living room with a furious smile plastered across his face.
“A pervert! There’s a pervert! That shameless scoundrel broke into my bedroom without permission!”
Not long after, Glen appeared, limping slightly.
“N-No, this is a misunderstanding! I was clearly following Rosalite—!”
“?”
Ohhhhhhh, now this is interesting!
Upon hearing Glen’s words, my lips curled up into an involuntary smile. What? He followed me into the bedroom? Hehehehe, oh my, hehe, wait! Surely I didn’t mishear that?
“My, my, Prince Glen, what exactly do you mean by following me into the bedroom?”
“No, wait, that’s not—I never meant anything ill by it…!”
Glen realized his words had come out wrong and hastily clamped his mouth shut, flustered. At his reaction, my son’s eyes regained their sharp gleam, and he promptly settled himself closer to my side.
“Ill intent? No one suspected you of that. It’s only natural that my father would seek out my mother—it’s the way of things.”
“You speak truly, Luke. Rather, I’m curious what this ‘ill intent’ he mentions actually is.”
“I’m also curious, Mother. So, precisely what is this ill intent you’re referring to?”
“My dullness and lack of perception prevent me from understanding without the Prince’s detailed explanation. How lamentable.”
“I too lack my father’s brilliant mind, so I cannot comprehend without being told. It is most regrettable.”
As we approached with cheerful laughter, Glen’s face drained of color and he immediately spun around, gripping the wall as he fled.
My dear Prince, did you truly think we would let you escape? Luke and I walked at a leisurely pace to match Glen’s speed, but the Crown Prince bypassed Luke entirely and reached out to seize my face with his arm.
Despite our slow pace, the impact of a man’s grip was undeniable, and an involuntary sound escaped my lips.
“Ugh.”
“I see. You were the one who trespassed first, if I recall correctly.”
That’s hardly the point right now! Let go! I need to go tease Glen!
I struggled to break free from His Highness, but this shameless thirty-year-old maintained his grip on my face as he changed direction. He muttered something about having matters to discuss privately, so I protested that we could simply talk here, but the man glanced sharply at Asterion and spoke to me with intensity.
“Your brother is present here, is he not? The Rocksburg Young Lady would hardly wish such a sensitive matter to become public knowledge.”
“A sensitive matter?”
What? Did something extraordinary happen while I was asleep?
Since the Crown Prince spoke with such gravity, I found myself growing serious as well. What could it be? Had he finally resolved to marry? Ideally, it should be either a lady from our house or a princess of the Nimerunia Duchy.
“Your Highness, if I may be so bold, my sister is already a married woman.”
“And what of it?”
Exactly. What does that have to do with anything, my brother?
I turned my head in confusion toward Theodore, and Asterion approached us both, gripping the Crown Prince’s arm firmly.
“Regardless of rank, it is hardly proper to drag a grown woman about by the face.”
“And crushing my arm in your grip is proper etiquette, I suppose?”
“My apologies. I was merely holding gently, and it is my first time touching someone so noble and delicate.”
“Do you wish to die?”
“If I could die for my sister, it would be my heart’s desire.”
Hmm… Leon, your wish isn’t to die in my place or something like that, is it? If so, I’d need to take measures—either change your mind somehow, or if all else fails, create a situation where I could grant your wish instead.
“Guards! There are guards outside, aren’t there? Drag this man out!”
But thinking back, when Leon drank lemonade in my stead and died, when Luke gave me a knife wound meant for him—the regression never stopped. This doesn’t seem to be the answer.
As I reached this conclusion, the Crown Prince, apparently far more angered than expected, began shouting for the palace guards.
Why is he acting like this today? Normally, even when I provoke him this much, he merely bickers with words. He should show more magnanimity toward someone younger than himself.
“Your Highness, please calm yourself. The boy is still young, is he not?”
“Are you in your right mind? That brute is nearly my size and you call him young?”
“More importantly, if a fight breaks out, the guards will suffer for it.”
“…?”
These people truly have their wits about them.
The guards had already labored through the night keeping watch, and I worried they might be injured, so I hastened to rescind the order—but it was too late.
The knights who came running at Theodore’s shout reached for Asterion, but he had sparred with Jack in training disguised as life-or-death combat, and it had not been in vain—he struck first.
He struck the nearest guard’s jaw, dazing him, then twisted the wrist of another who reached for me, seized his shoulder, and slammed him directly onto the table.
With a sickening crunch and crack, one knight collapsed, his entire body emitting grotesque sounds. Asterion, unwilling to leave the other man swaying on his feet, then vaulted off the sofa and delivered a brutal kick to his opponent’s chest, sending him flying backward.
As the man’s body skidded across the floor, another nauseating sound echoed through the room. His ribs were almost certainly broken.
“Kyaaah, the ruffians were attacking, so I couldn’t help myself!”
If you’re going to play innocent, Leon, at least make your acting convincing.
Since Asterion was cupping his face with both hands and shrieking in that revolting manner, I had no choice but to apologize on my brother’s behalf.
“My sincerest apologies, Your Highness. My brother apparently lacks training in theatrical arts, so his emotional expression is somewhat….”
“Is that really the issue right now?”
“The Royal Family has Macaon, does it not?”
“Macaon would shudder if Rocksburg were involved, but he’d be absolutely delighted to hear about this incident.”
Good heavens, why must you be so cold to us?
It seemed I’d arrived too late to the Glen-teasing party, and since Asterion had provoked His Highness’s anger, I needed to separate them. The boy had apparently been imitating what he usually saw me do, but needling requires careful calibration depending on the situation—it’s a delicate art.
I’d need to set aside time later to teach him properly.
“Violet! Lily! You girls dispatched from the Royal Family! Let’s prepare to go out!”
Clapping my hands together as I called the Royal Maidservants and our household children, I left Theodore’s change of clothes to the maidservants and summoned the attendants separately.
The injured palace guards needed to be taken back to the Royal Palace to show their wounds to Macaon, and since our escort was depleted, I had to arrange new personnel to protect His Highness.
Since Theodore preferred quiet places, I instructed them to obtain the guests’ understanding and clear an entire floor of the Sky Lounge, then prepare breakfast. I also needed to inform our household to handle their own hangover remedies and take their free time, so I called for Jack Brown.
Jack, despite his haggard face from the hangover, lectured me about restraint, saying Glen would surely dislike Theodore and me going out alone together. I boldly countered that I was bringing Aster along, so it wasn’t just the two of us.
As Jack Brown turned away dejectedly, muttering that I’d been wrong from the moment I was born, I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly cursing me.
In any case, after finishing all the preparations and stepping out to the entrance, I linked Theodore’s arm with mine and called for Asterion.

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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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