Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 134
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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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I spent each day feeling wronged and wounded, navigating life without Glen. Luke had taken over Glen’s responsibilities, and with the mechanical calculator I’d received as a birthday gift, things weren’t unbearably difficult—but the work itself was cumbersome. The atmosphere in the Office simply felt strained.
No one said anything outright, but their eyes betrayed their discontent with me. Asterion, at least, treated me as he always did, but Luke’s oppressive presence was suffocating.
“Rosalite, where are the sewage system documents that Glen was handling?”
“Oh? That one, I know it. Just give me a moment…”
As I rifled through the stacked papers, Luke’s sigh deepened. If Glen had been here, he would have retrieved it immediately upon my request. Luke grumbled openly that a Duke’s heir couldn’t even locate his own files.
I felt tears threatening to spill. Was this my fault? Was Glen’s departure my doing? I was bewildered too, yet everyone blamed me alone!
But I couldn’t lash out at my son, who had set aside his own duties to help me. So I merely pouted and handed the sewage treatment documents to Luke. He examined them, then his brow furrowed.
“No matter how much purification is done, if it’s discharged into the sea, Bienar won’t sit idle, will they?”
“That’s already been confirmed with Duke Bienar when he came ashore. It’s easier to handle through the Duke than through the heir.”
I made a clicking sound and mimicked pouring a drink, and my only son, Luke Rocksberg, narrowed his eyes at me.
“I shouldn’t say this, but Rosalite, if you continue like this…”
“I’ll get stabbed?”
“Yes.”
It’s fine—I have Aster, I have Jack, and I have my beloved younger brother Asterion. If worse comes to worst, Asterion will protect me, I said cheerfully, and Leon expressed his heart with his entire body in the most beautiful way.
“Of course! As long as I have eyes wide open, what arrogant fool would dare lay a hand on my sister!”
“That’s right. I’m entrusting my shield entirely to you.”
“It’s an honor, Sister!”
Ha, this boy was absolutely delightful. In truth, I should be Leon’s shield, but since he was so happy about it, I’d let it be.
“Sigh…”
Glen should be sitting in that seat.
Luke looked adorable tapping away at the calculator with arm guards on, but Glen’s absence still loomed large.
I knew where I’d come from, but not where I was going… I wondered what else had upset him enough to leave home.
The first time he left, it seemed to take a year before he returned. How long would I have to wait this time? My heart grew heavy with the thought, and then the Office door creaked open.
I thought it might be Jack, whom I’d sent on an errand, and when I looked at the entrance, it was indeed Jack—and the man was wearing a gas mask he hadn’t used in quite some time, fitted snugly over his face.
“Is there a sandstorm outside? You used to skip the gas mask on Royal Palace errands because you found the inspections annoying, but this is unusual.”
“It’s because of the Young Lady!”
Why was everything my fault again?!
I finally lost my patience and screamed at Jack, cursing him. Do you think your master is a joke? Have you gotten addicted to blaming me for everything?!
“It’s the Department Store! That advertisement taking up an entire wall of the Department Store!”
“Why is that a problem? It turned out beautifully!”
“You said it would just be a small ad! You said just try some cosmetics and carry the bag! You’re a con artist, Young Lady!”
Hmm… he’d figured out it was a con quite cleverly.
Once I admitted it, Jack threw off his gas mask and tore at his own hair in frustration. Because of that unmanly advertisement, he couldn’t go outside. Even within the Mansion, people whispered. Aster, Quill, and Karl teased him relentlessly about the rouge on his lips. As Jack enumerated his grievances in detail, I had to explain my position.
“Still, since Chatel already proposed the collaboration, what are we going to do about it? We’re not going to be enemies with Chatel for life.”
“But why did you use me as an advertisement billboard!”
“Because you’re the Rocksburg Beauty Pageant champion.”
“Because you’re the Rocksburg Beauty Pageant winner.”
Promoting Rocksburg is the duty—no, the obligation—of the Beauty Contest champion. You received the prize money and even got the statue of Aster’s head, so you need to do your part.
As I systematically refuted his arguments, Jack threw himself on the floor with an exaggerated wail, claiming that debating with me was the thing he hated most in the world.
That fool… why did he pick a fight he was destined to lose?
“Karl and Quill are just jealous, and Aster doesn’t know any better—she’s just teasing you. Look how stunning you look in that massive poster Lam selected for you.”
“If I may add, the advertisement campaign caused department store sales to skyrocket. You should take pride in that.”
Wait, so it wasn’t just Chatel products that sold—the entire department store’s revenue increased?
When I asked in curiosity, Luke explained that he’d relocated mid-range brands near the Chatel collaboration section. Since the products featured in the campaign were so luxurious, he’d strategically placed similar items along the customer flow to capture those who’d hesitate at the higher prices.
He’d displayed comparable product lines throughout the pathway and, naturally, hired Jack Brown as the advertising model. From budget-friendly to premium brands lined up in succession—a miraculous Jack Brown Road that could empty the wallets of people with every budget imaginable.
As Luke cried out the name of that blessed path, lost in emotion, Jack covered his face with both hands, tossed a letter at me, and disappeared into the exclusive attendants’ rest room.
“Hey! You should at least explain what this is before you leave!”
“You’ll understand when you read it! Anyway, Young Lady, you’ve done something wrong again!”
Ugh, no matter how many mistakes I’ve made in various places, I’m not careless enough for the Royal Family to catch wind of them. That fool must be exaggerating.
The King said he had something to tell me directly, so he sent Jack—and wouldn’t you know it, the letter arrived in the cheapest envelope imaginable.
If something serious had happened, it would’ve been sealed with parchment and wax. But instead, it was sent in a plain white envelope where you could see every fiber of the paper.
I carelessly unfolded the letter and reviewed the King’s message. After reading to the final sentence, I wondered if I’d misread something, so I carefully checked from beginning to end once more before rising from my desk.
I need to do a forward roll. I absolutely need to do a forward roll right now.
I tumbled across the office floor, then sprang up gracefully and looked at the letter again. Unfortunately, this appeared to be reality.
“What is the matter, Rosalite?”
“Lucius is coming.”
“Lucius? What is that?”
“The First Prince of the Empire, cousin. Your sister refers to him as First Prince Lucius.”
Right, Leon certainly knows me well. Leon and Luke exchanged whispers, debating why Lucius was coming to the Kingdom, what his intentions were, and why this warranted the King contacting me directly. Then they asked me.
How had Lucius come to set foot on Aleine soil once more? As Jack would say, it was entirely my fault, so I had no excuse even if I had ten mouths.
“He’s collected all the Rosalite seals.”
“…Pardon?”
“Those things that were in the bread?”
Yes. Complete collection.
I was so dumbfounded that all I could do was laugh.
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The sole heir of the Rocksburg Ducal House stood alone at the Bienar Tourist Port’s dock. There was a tragic tale so profound that it could not be heard without tears—that the heir should stand here without a single escort.
Lucius had completed collecting all the squid bread seals. Through Lam’s verification, they were all confirmed to be authentic. Lucius wanted a one-on-one date with me. He would cross to Aleine alone, and his condition was that I come out and play with him alone as well.
I was dragged before the King and scolded. I was scolded by the Queen as well. The Princess called me an idiot. The Crown Prince said he couldn’t even bear to look at me, so I never got to meet him.
Father said I’d made a complete mess of things and rewarded me by massaging my ears for ten straight minutes. I thought my ears were going to fall off.
At the end of the hatred hidden within this peace, the sorrow concealed within this anger, and the salvation forgotten within this resignation, I waited only for the international passenger ship that would carry Lucius away.
The moment I saw him, couldn’t I just strangle him to death? Both Leon and Luke said they wouldn’t handle the work that had accumulated while I was gone, so murderous intent was bound to surge.
As long as I wasn’t caught, it would be fine. Even if I eliminated Lucius, if I committed the perfect crime without anyone discovering it, it wouldn’t escalate into an international incident.
There were methods to dispose of him. Since I would be meeting Lucius alone, Jack and Papa must have packed me with plenty of self-defense items.
Jack lent me a watch with wire that extended endlessly, and handed me a single dagger honed incredibly sharp, telling me to stab and twist it if I got any funny ideas. He also warned me to be careful handling it since it was coated with pufferfish poison.
Papa gave me an anesthetic in a small perfume bottle. He said that if things came to it, I should use this to knock him unconscious, strike him on the head to kill him, and then use an old brooch-shaped bomb I had left over to dig a hole and bury him.
Wrapped up like that in armed items, I currently cut quite a strange figure. I wore elastic pants for easy movement, loafers with blades that emerged when I pressed the heel, a brooch with incredibly ornate decorations pinned to my coat, a harness worn under my shirt with a dagger and perfume bottle hanging from it, and a watch with countless tiny scratches on my wrist.
And I’d even received a bowler hat with a strange mechanism from Capo. This hat, when thrown, supposedly shoots out a serrated blade, she said. It’s a common trick, but she claimed it had saved her life more than once or twice.
Well… no. This is not common at all, Princess.
I pressed the hat down firmly, afraid I might accidentally trigger the saw blade, and gazed into the distance.
The passenger ship finally arrived from the Empire to Aleine. And among the passengers who boarded, there was one person who stood out remarkably.
That man came alone for a stroll, yet he looked exactly like a prince of the highest rank in the world. He commanded the people, cleared a path, and disembarked first from the ship.
“Hahahaha! Make way! The great Largol Empire’s Lucius is arriving!”
You’ve lost your mind!
Even if I held my breath and set foot on Aleine as though dead, it would not be enough—yet Lucius descended the stairs, scattering glittering pollen in all directions.
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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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