Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 137

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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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Tsk, how finicky. Since Lucilucil had suddenly soured and grown irritable, hardly presenting an appealing sight, I clicked my tongue and summoned a server to place our order.
“Shark’s fin soup, and crispy roasted duck skin. For dessert, bring us the triple-layer cake and apricot tofu. And bring an extra spoon and appetizer plate.”
The server cheerfully acknowledged and headed toward the kitchen. While we waited for the food to arrive, Lucilucil and I unfolded our napkins and sat with quiet, dignified composure.
No matter how temperamental royalty might be, they remain royalty. How is it that even taking a sip of water exudes such grace? Our Crown Prince certainly didn’t lack propriety, but since my eyes were invariably drawn to his face, I rarely had the opportunity to observe such refinements in detail.
Truly, what a bewitching countenance.
“Still, why choose such a public restaurant? We’re well past the age where experiencing common life holds any charm.”
“Surely you already know the reason, Your Highness.”
“I don’t.”
“I’ve spent all my money.”
You saw me throw platinum coins into that donation box—why pretend otherwise?
I laughed confidently with a “bah-ha-ha,” and the man laughed along with me before calling me mad.
Ha-ha-ha, after I pay for this meal, I won’t even have enough for a glass of water. From now on, I’ll have to impose on your kindness.
At my words, the man laughed heartily and grabbed the coat I’d given him, fluttering it playfully.
“All my money was in that cloak you discarded.”
“Surely your entry permit wasn’t in there? If it was, I could have you deported for illegal residence.”
“Something that important, I keep in my inner breast pocket.”
Money in an inner pocket—money, of all things!
I slammed the table in exasperation just as the roasted duck skin arrived. Well… the food isn’t at fault. Let’s eat first.
I began by teaching him the proper way to enjoy it, explaining each step clearly.
“You place the crepe here, add vegetables on top, then the duck skin, drizzle the sauce, and roll it up. Simple, isn’t it?”
Following my demonstration, Lucilucil attempted it himself and seemed reasonably satisfied with the result. Then the shark’s fin soup arrived, and after a single slurp, something seemed to dawn on him—his expression turned pouty.
“Did you order this food with my preferences in mind?”
“Indeed I did. Are you moved?”
“I’m not particularly pleased.”
Why must this man complain even when I’m looking after him?
Whether Lucilucil grumbled or not, the dishes I’d ordered to satisfy his palate would continue to arrive. Once we’d filled our bellies with the main courses, the desserts I’d pre-ordered appeared promptly, and His Highness the Prince furrowed his brow deeply as he savored the symphony of textures.
“Crispy, smooth, chewy, soft—such variety.”
“That’s because I ordered with such variety in mind.”
“I didn’t take you for someone who would fawn over my preferences.”
“A meal shared with others tastes better when they enjoy it—that’s simply how it works for me as well.”
When the person sitting across from you at the table eats with a long face, your own appetite suffers. So this wasn’t about catering to his whims—it was purely a consideration of Lucilucil’s circumstances so that I could enjoy our meal together.
“Seeing Your Highness enjoy his food brings me such joy and fulfillment.”
“….”
“Oh, come to think of it, you mentioned something about happiness earlier, didn’t you? You were right. Going on a date with Your Highness like this, putting our heads together—it’s truly wonderful and makes me happy.”
So eat up, eat up. A person must eat well. I giggled and spooned apricot tofu into my mouth, but Lucilucil suddenly set down his spoon with a sharp clink and pressed his palm to his forehead.
“You seduce everyone like this, then later you’ll play dumb.”
“What’s wrong, Lucilucil? Does your head hurt?”
“Look at this—it’s enough to drive a person mad.”
Why suddenly switch to the Empire’s tongue? He’d been speaking Aleine fluently just moments ago. I wondered if he’d grown tired of it, so I attempted to match him in the Empire’s language, but the man quickly dismissed the matter in Aleine once more.
Well, if it’s nothing, then I suppose it’s nothing. What power do I possess to argue? I’m merely a nobleman—no Duke, no one of consequence.
I finished my meal with satisfaction, paid the bill, and set off toward the Pawnshop with Lucilucil. His bracelet had already been surrendered to the collection box earlier, and the only item of apparent value he possessed was the pair of earrings adorning his ears. When I suggested pawning those, the man startled visibly and covered his ears with his hands.
“What? How dare you regard my integrity so lightly! You’d remove these from me?”
Integrity? Did I understand that correctly? Chastity and honor? What chastity do you have to uphold? You’ve been married twice.
“Forgive my presumption, but what virtue of chastity do you possess?”
“If you’re going to exchange things for money, why not remove that ring from your finger and offer it instead?”
“Absolutely not! Who pawns their wedding ring?”
“You have two rings, don’t you? Besides, haven’t you also been married twice? Why do you have two rings?”
“One of them matches my brother’s!”
“Why would you match rings with your brother?”
Life happens—why must he keep shouting like this?
Ugh, all this shrieking has left my throat raw. As I coughed and wheezed, the man suddenly seized my hand and attempted to slip the ring from my pinky finger.
“Stop that! You’re a thief!”
“Matching rings with your brother—you’re clearly not in your right mind! There must be some strange magic on that ring driving people insane!”
“There is magic on it, but it’s a tracking spell! Don’t worry!”
I yanked my hand away from Lucilucil, and the man looked at me as though I’d shown him something utterly horrifying.
“Unbelievable. You’re telling me you wear a ring with a tracking spell, matching your brother’s?”
“Yes, well, Leon asked me to accept it as his birthday gift, and if I removed it, he’d feel hurt….”
Besides, through a mage that Sage knows, I’ve had an additional enchantment placed on this ring. Since the tracking spell was already there, I’ve had it modified so that by reverse-tracking Leon’s vitals—his heart rate, blood pressure, and so forth—the ring will flash with light if anything abnormal occurs. In essence, this ring serves as a mutual tracking device between Leon and myself.
“How pitiful…, you’re truly not yourself.”
What? Why are you patting my head? Am I really that pitiable?
The man gazed at me with tremendous sympathy, then, deciding the circumstances were beyond help, removed his earrings. He reminded me that I must retrieve them later, and instructed me to return home after our outing to fetch the money.
“Don’t worry. The value of such earrings—I could cover it by emptying our gatekeeper’s pockets alone.”
I patted my chest reassuringly, but when Lucilucil returned from completing the transaction, he carried back a pouch overflowing with gold coins—far more than I’d anticipated.
“…How can such a small pair of earrings be worth so much?”
“They were blessed by the High Priestess herself.”
“Ah….”
Blessed, right—oh my, that nation does have a religion after all. How fortunate for nations under the High Priestess’s dominion. Making money must be terribly easy for them.
“Indeed, how enviable. Religion is quite convenient….”
“If you envy it so, you could always seek asylum.”
“My apologies, but I’m not accepting religious solicitation.”
I’m faithless. Please spare me the proselytizing.
I shook my head firmly in refusal, and the man clicked his fingers together with a disappointed expression. At that moment, Elizabeth, my beloved mare, approached from a distance with a cheerful clatter of hooves.
This wretched creature—why does she obey Lucilucil’s commands better than her own master’s?
“Come now, I’ve already secured lodgings for tonight.”
“Ha, anyone watching would think Elizabeth’s true master is Lucilucil.”
“She clearly favors me over you—there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Look at her, delighted and nickering as he strokes her mane. Good heavens, how did I ever grant that scarred man a knighthood?
I’ll handle the reins myself, so hand them over. Why would I trust you with my horse?
I swiftly mounted behind the Crown Prince and seized the reins, scanning left and right. Then I leaned forward to ask Lucilucil to bend down so I could see ahead.
“Can’t I hold the reins?”
“I’d prefer not.”
“My back hurts.”
“At your age, that’s hardly surprising. I’ll ride faster.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Then stop blocking the path ahead—sit to the side or ride behind me instead.”
“No.”
“If we both refuse, we’ll have to go like this. What choice do we have?”
Fine, stay hunched over then. Glen would know exactly how to sit properly on a horse, but why is this man so utterly graceless?
Thinking of Glen, whose movements were always so perfectly coordinated, I clicked my tongue in frustration. The man, as if it were my fault he was so uncomfortable, grew irritated.
I naturally blamed Lucilucil, and he responded by pressing firmly against my ribs while I was still driving, tickling me relentlessly.
I laughed despite myself, flustered and distracted, and scolded him to stop, but the man showed no sign of ceasing his antics.

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Gasping for breath—I nearly had an accident. Lucilucil pestered me the entire ride, and I barely managed to avoid falling off before we finally arrived at the Gold-Leaf Hotel.
Since the man had brought gold coins by the sackful, he secured the finest room and ordered tea in the lobby. There was none for me.
“I’m thirsty too.”
“Drink water.”
“They charge for water here.”
“In Largol, water is free everywhere.”
“I told you I’m not defecting.”
This man was remarkably persistent. Lucilucil seemed to be enjoying teasing me, so I deployed my trump card to make him buy me tea.
“Are you trying to act like the Fourth Prince now?”
“….”
“….”
“Order whatever you want from the menu.”
Right. Even Lucilucil wouldn’t want to be compared to the Fourth Prince. Recalling that humiliating night I’d spent in a small room, my words had their intended effect, and the man readily permitted me to order food and drink.
Hmm, then I should order that thing Violet and Lily always refuse to make for me because they find it annoying.
“Excuse me! One venti vanilla cream frappuccino. Use Nimerunia mountain milk, low-sugar syrup for the base, add two pumps of vanilla syrup, and top with espresso whipped cream and plenty of caramel drizzle!”
“…Is that a magical incantation?”
“It’s just an order.”
Lucilucil stared intensely at the menu, insisting they didn’t have such a drink. I laughed smugly, shrugged my shoulders, and acted superior about his ignorance of custom orders.
The Crown Prince muttered again, calling me insufferable.
Go ahead and curse all you like. This one-on-one date will be over soon anyway. The sun is already setting, and we’ve done everything a proper date entails, so all that’s left is to part ways. We’ve seen a play, eaten dinner, and had tea—now it’s time to go home.
I’ll have Lucilucil stay here, and tomorrow I’ll send someone with money to retrieve the earrings from the pawnshop. Then his Aleine outing will be complete, he’ll return to Largol, and I’ll have perfectly cleared the date quest.
I felt delighted as I savored the freshly made vanilla cream frappuccino, scooping it with a spoon and sipping through the straw. The sugar and caffeine revived me, and I thought I’d need to sleep early after the date exhaustion, but I could easily manage some overtime work.
“Well then, shall we head out soon?”
“Yes, let’s wrap this up.”
As I agreed to end the date, the man nodded and placed the hotel key on the table.
“Let’s head upstairs.”

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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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