Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 151

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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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Aleine and Largol had no resources worth coveting, and since sandy beaches formed along their coastlines made them unsuitable for harbor construction, I simply handed them over to the Federation.
Heh heh, such revealing attire. So I’ll get to see the Third Prince in all his openness. Heh heh. I was right to force myself to follow the Crown Prince’s lead.
“Then we shall adjourn for now.”
As His Majesty issued the command, the ambassadors from both nations exchanged brief courtesies and hastily exited the conference room. The greatest witness to this incident rested in my hands, and they would need to conduct their own investigations to serve their national interests. The decisive move now depended on four days of preparation.
Well, since the meeting schedule was set, I thought I’d head home and finish that transaction with Duke Neitram. As I rose from my seat, the King addressed me in an oddly affectionate tone: “You little curmudgeon.”
A chill ran down my spine for a moment, but since my conversation partner was the King himself, I decided to respond.
“Is something the matter, Your Majesty?”
“I’m so pleased when you’re on my side.”
“What are you saying? We are always on Your Majesty’s side.”
“Hmm… don’t talk nonsense. Just go home.”
Wait, who stopped someone who was trying to leave?
I grumbled respectfully, bid him farewell, and went home to sell thirteen sets of radios for a thousand platinum coins. Duke Neitram seemed to succeed in purchasing them well below his prepared budget, so much so that he was covering his mouth to suppress his laughter, but the man failed to notice one crucial fact.
I never once agreed to supply radios exclusively to Neitram.
It wasn’t written in any contract, nor did I make any verbal promise. I simply nodded my head with a chuckle at the Duke’s request not to supply radios anywhere else.
What a foolish man. Surely something this important should be documented. This is why both the Duke and I end up with straws stuck in Rocksburg. How pitiful. Truly pitiful.
Duke Neitram will undoubtedly take this back and disassemble a sample to steal the technology, so before that happens, I need to establish a factory to mass-produce a lower-grade version of these radios. And I’ll sell the mass-produced radios to Bienar, Cerepia, and Largol as well.
I don’t care if the paradigm of warfare changes or not. All that matters is making money.
I decided to build the factory in the Diamond Marquessate and lay down railroad tracks in advance. As I headed to my office to review the remaining tasks, I had left the house trembling with weakness, but returned in relatively good health, which greatly relieved Glen. Before I could even sit at my desk, the door burst open and someone entered.
He had long, flowing red hair, and was sweating profusely, still wearing the glasses he only used for paperwork—suggesting he’d rushed over from his work. The handsome, familiar face belonged to Luke Rocksberg.
I wondered what urgent matter brought my only son here. As I was about to speak, he approached me, took my hand, and lifted it while speaking in a passionate voice.
“Mother!”
“…”
Ah… I understand now. The news has already reached the Department Store president’s office?
Really, this foolish son of mine has quite the information network and it’s fast too.
“Luke, aren’t you being too transparent?”
“Mother! I love you!”
“…”
…When he says he loves me, there’s nothing a mother can do about it. How desperately he must have wanted to meet Prince Marius to come running here drenched in sweat.
“Very well. I permit you to accompany me to the sea anemone conference.”
“Ahhhhh! Mother! I love you!”
“I love you too, Luke!”
We embraced each other and danced while calling out Prince Marius’s name. Prince Marius is the Empire’s treasure. So when mother and son go together to see the treasure, it’s like visiting a museum or touring historical ruins. In any case, it’s such an academic and enriching outing that I felt no guilt whatsoever about going to see a man outside my marriage, despite being a married woman.
After all, I’m simply going to see the Empire’s treasure! With my son in tow! What could be more wholesome than that! To be precise, it’s not a trip but official business! In that case, am I not simply going on official business to see the Empire’s treasure? Could anything be more upright than this!
As I brainwashed myself with these rationalizations, I deliberately ignored Glen’s glare and began planning the outing with Luke. Asterion offered to accompany us as well, but Glen scolded him for trying to join a mother-and-son outing, so he pouted and sat down.
Glen seemed extremely displeased, but at least he didn’t lose his temper, which was fortunate. After finishing my work, Luke and I shut ourselves in a back room, divided our roles, gathered intelligence on the Third Prince’s movements, and pledged to do everything in our power to ensure that no matter what circumstances arose, we could naturally secure private time with His Highness.
My proud son and I spent four days making thorough preparations.

◇ ◆ ◇

A new morning dawned. Luke and I calmed our racing hearts and boarded the carriage. Through Will Brown, I had documented and verified the Third Prince’s movements. Luke had meticulously recorded our plan to engineer a natural encounter, just in case.
My son and I had soaked in the hot spring before dawn, received skincare treatments, exfoliated, polished ourselves to a shine, applied perfume, styled our hair, and coordinated our outfits with meticulous attention to detail—in short, we had spared no effort in our grooming.
Thus we achieved a mother-and-son look that was businesslike yet elegant, effortlessly refined yet unmistakably expensive. Themed around classic blue—the color of the year chosen by the twin brothers Karl and Quill—with white vertical stripes as accents to provide a cooling effect even in the early summer of the island nation, we rode in the carriage to Bienar Harbor in our sophisticated attire and accessories, squealing with delight the entire way.
It felt as though we were heading to some grave mission, a strategy meeting about the sea anemone that was already more than a quarter melted, but honestly, I didn’t much care. To be frank, that was the Crown Prince’s affair, not mine. Our true objective was to arrive in Rohil as quickly as possible and engineer a chance encounter with Prince Marius before the conference began.
Besides, there were plenty of others to handle the work. In fact, more people than expected were joining this outing. Serena, now that her sleep mode was deactivated, had decided to come along to observe how each nation would address the sea anemone problem. Consequently, Sage and Sage’s disciples had volunteered to accompany her, fearing she might get lost.
Upon hearing that the Crown Prince would be traveling to represent the nation, Capo had asked to join our household’s entourage. She even suggested that if I helped facilitate some time between her and the Crown Prince, she would use her influence at the conference to favor Aleine’s position.
Since I had nothing to lose from such a deal, I naturally agreed to sacrifice myself for the cause. Capo gathered her subordinates and they all piled into the carriage.
Aster, now that his sleep mode was deactivated, naturally came along to escort me. Jack, for some reason, didn’t stay by Glen’s side but followed me instead. With two escorts, Violet, Lily, and various other servants, coachmen, and attendants, we made quite the procession.
Thus, four carriages carrying our household members set out in a line toward Bienar. The Crown Prince had left a day earlier, unwilling to face me, so we wouldn’t even see each other while traveling by ship. Truly, smooth sailing lay ahead.
Upon arriving at Bienar Harbor, I stepped out of the carriage into the beautiful sunshine and laughed heartily. My son Luke, wearing an elongated hat and a blue rose on his chest, seemed to be in good spirits for the first time in a while. He took my hand and laughed toward the sea.
It was perfect. Just one night and two days by ship, and I could see Prince Marius. And in a very open, unguarded setting at that. In such high spirits, while the luggage was being transferred to the Lusilu Ship, I felt like dancing with Luke.
As I was about to take a step, a very familiar person descended from the carriage Capo had been riding in.
He had beautifully swept back half of his coterie-beige hair, and somehow he was dressed in the same formal attire as us, leaning on a gold-handled cane as he approached confidently. And most importantly, he was wearing the Crown Prince smile.
“Glen… surely you’re not here…?”
Oh no, oh no, my husband was smiling enormously. It was a sign of extreme anger. He had shown no hint of displeasure these past few days and had treated me well, but who could have predicted he would strike me in the back now?
“Please lower your tone, Little Duchess. I have merely come as Princess Natalie’s partner—a man of no consequence.”
Oh, oh my… that is… I apologize for not recognizing you sooner.
“My apologies, sister. When my brother-in-law insisted on accompanying us with such intensity, how could I possibly refuse?”
That Jack Brown. So that’s why he didn’t stay at the Mansion and followed me instead.
Capo gave me an awkward nod of greeting before boarding the ship first. My husband didn’t even glance back as he escorted the Princess into the cabin.
And I…
“Mother, you mustn’t lose your resolve.”
I steeled myself. Yes. Luke’s encouragement opened my eyes. We had a mission—to meet Prince Marius!
“Right, my son! We’ll worry about later when it comes!”
“Exactly! Remember! Prince Marius!”
“Those muscles!”
“Those abs!”
“That perfect posterior!”
I clenched my teeth and took Luke’s hand. Glen could be soothed later, but an opportunity to meet Prince Marius was rare. It might even be the last chance in this lifetime.
I would not miss this opportunity. With firm resolve, I boarded the ship.

◇ ◆ ◇

After spending one night on the ship, we arrived at an island in the southern seas. The sky stretched high and blue, the weather was pristine, and the sun blazed with tropical intensity!
I shed the tightly wound scarf and coat, changed into a short-sleeved dress, and hurried off the ship to soak in the atmosphere of Rohil. Ah, just as I’d heard—everyone here dressed quite openly.
Since the architecture, vegetation, and everything else was unfamiliar, Luke and I wandered about like typical tourists. Being a country where tourism flourished, souvenir shops lined every corner. Buying now would burden us with luggage, so I made mental notes to purchase a proper haul on our way home.
“Young Duke!”
“Yes!”
This man wouldn’t even meet my eyes aboard the ship, yet the moment we disembarked, he acted like this.
Startled by Glen’s call, I responded, and he suggested we ride in the same carriage. Strange. Though I didn’t understand his reasoning, my mood seemed to lighten somewhat. Perhaps the stress from the voyage had dissolved along with my irritation.
Clinging to this hopeful thought, I grasped Luke’s hand and scurried toward Glen. But the man still wore that Crown Prince smile as he pointed with his finger toward another carriage.
“Luke will ride in that carriage over there.”
“Pardon? Glen, I—”
“Ride in that one.”
“…Yes.”
Luke released my hand without even pretending to resist Glen’s command. As he kept glancing back, I could see the overwhelming reluctance written all over him.
Excuse me, but Luke and I had plans to coordinate our actions while riding together in the carriage.
Originally, Luke and I intended to turn the carriage around at an opportune moment and wait for the ship arriving from the Empire, but this complicates matters, Glen.
“Then let us depart. Young Duke.”
Yet I couldn’t utter a single word. A premonition that I’d be doomed if I spoke washed over me.

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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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