Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 17

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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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When I introduced them to each other, Leon approached Jack cautiously, and Jack removed his gas mask. Relieved to see that Jack looked far more presentable without it than he’d imagined, Leon examined his face and promptly extended his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Asterion.”
“Please, speak freely, young master. I’m Jack Brown.”
So the man could actually speak properly. Maybe I should just keep him on permanently rather than as a temporary hire.
But the moment the introductions ended, Jack put his gas mask back on, complaining that he disliked the sun. My inclination to hire him permanently evaporated, and I turned my attention to Leon instead.
“Leon. You know the Queen’s birthday banquet is in two days, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course.”
“And you know I’m your first dance partner?”
“I… what?”
“I have no intention of being embarrassed.”
When I extended my hand, Leon hesitated for a moment before quickly grasping it. As I placed my other hand on his shoulder, he instinctively wrapped his arm around me. He’d been trained properly, it seemed.
“Waltz. Moderato. Let’s start with the basic steps.”
After my brief instruction, Leon stretched his legs and led me forward. His movements aligned perfectly with the prescribed direction, his timing was precise, and his tempo matched my instructions exactly. He’d mastered the fundamentals in a short time. Excellent—I’d have to give the instructor a bonus.
“Natural turn.”
His directional changes and gaze remained stable. It was basic foundational work, but watching Leon earnestly guide me while softly counting “one-two-three, one-two-three” under his breath was so endearing, impressive, and amusing that I decided to test him with a longer sequence after a brief pause.
“Chassé from PP, open impetus turn, quick open reverse turn, outside spin.”
“Eek, ugh!”
He fell.
Flustered, Leon mistepped and tangled his feet, tumbling to the ground. When I extended my hand to help him up, he grasped it while pouting adorably, but I found the whole thing hilarious.
Leon really was cute.
“That was too much.”
“Sorry. I’ll do it properly this time.”
I chuckled and resumed dancing, then suddenly threw several challenging sequences at him. Leon managed well at first, but as his concentration wavered, he nearly stepped on my feet and began making mistakes in his steps.
While his continued apologies and flustered expression were endearing, I couldn’t possibly bring him to the Royal Palace in this condition. His clumsy footwork might be cute to my eyes, but would it appear cute to others?
“This won’t do. We need more practice in the time we have left.”
“…I’m terribly sorry.”
Completely deflated, Leon said weakly that he would stay behind after the instructor left to practice alone. Watching him insist he wouldn’t burden me and that he’d work hard to dance well by the day of the banquet, I found I couldn’t simply leave him be.
Besides, I’d be resting the night before the banquet anyway, and I wasn’t particularly busy these days, so it should work out somehow.
“Once I finish my work, I’ll find you. You’ll learn faster with a practice partner.”
“Really?”
Leon, who had been carrying the weight of the world just moments before, suddenly brightened at my words and threw his arms around me.
Why was he so delighted? I was already planning to drill waltz into him all night if necessary.
“You promised! You absolutely must be my practice partner!”
“Yes, yes. After I finish work.”
I’d only come to check on things briefly, so I couldn’t stay longer. Later, after finishing work and having dinner together, I’d simply lock myself away in the Annex Building with Leon. I made a rough plan and told Leon I’d see him again later, then headed back to my office.
On my way out, I ran into the Dance Instructor and hinted that he should work Leon harder. As I left, Jack, who had been silently following behind me, struck up a conversation.
“That young master certainly has a charming way about him, doesn’t he?”
“Huh?”
What on earth was he saying?
Unable to comprehend Jack’s words, I turned my head, only to find that Jack himself looked startled. The man alternated his gaze between the room where Leon was taking lessons and me before posing his question.
“You really don’t know?”
“Don’t know what, exactly?”
“Your perception is in your soles?”
Why was he suddenly picking a fight with me?

◇ ◆ ◇

Today was finally a family outing… or rather, it was the day we would attend the Queen’s banquet as a group. I had prepared gifts for the Queen—one under my name, one under Father’s name, one under Glen’s name, one under Leon’s name, and one under the Brown Family’s collective name—all individually wrapped and sent ahead. Leon’s dance had also been perfected just last night.
Whether he had stayed behind alone to practice after I went to bed, the boy who had been stumbling through his steps just the other day was now leading me perfectly and with ease. True to form for someone who could reach the level of Sword Master whenever he set his mind to it, there was nothing he couldn’t do once he decided to.
Though he was a bit of a homebody, my pride in him outweighed any embarrassment, so this morning I had mentioned it to Jack and hinted that Leon might be a genius. Jack’s face had darkened at that, and he declared that he was too anxious not to attend the banquet himself, expressing his intention to come along.
Of course I would take him if he wanted to go, but shouldn’t he have mentioned it earlier? If he’d said something sooner, I could have at least bought him new ready-made clothes and coordinated everyone’s accessories in a steampunk theme.
As it was, I dressed Jack in Aster’s spare formal wear, and I adorned my silk top hat with gear-shaped spectacles, bringing along a fan and opera glasses. Jack shuddered and grimaced when he confirmed that the custom-made clothes fit his body perfectly, but that wasn’t Aster’s fault. As Aster had said, if Jack had eaten well and spent time outdoors during his growth years, receiving plenty of sunlight, he would be taller now.
Both Aster and Jack stood over 180 centimeters tall, so they were certainly tall enough, but Jack still seemed displeased that he and Aster had the same build.
Let me see. The others seemed to be mostly ready, and I just needed to do a final check on myself. Since Father and I planned to dance enthusiastically today, I had prepared active attire. The dress that reached my knees had a skirt made of layered chiffon that would flutter like blooming flowers with each spin on the banquet hall floor. For my hair ornament, I didn’t want to worry about it falling while dancing, so I simply braided flowers through it, and I chose women’s oxford shoes with low heels.
It might look plain, but the true star of the banquet was the Queen, and the ones who should stand out most from our household were Leon and Glen attending a ball for the first time. As for me, who was simply going to dance, I honestly could have shown up in sweatpants without any problem.
Of course, if I had actually gone looking like that, the Queen would have thrown me out. Anyway, how were they assigning the carriages?
“Sister!”
I was lost in thought, certain that Father and I needed to be in the same carriage, when Leon came running from the Annex Building.
Leon wore a royal blue ribbon around his neck and a white formal suit, and the way he came bounding over with his hair streaming behind him looked exactly like a large dog retrieving a ball, so I needed considerable resolve to catch him. Taking that impact would hurt. But I had to catch him. I couldn’t let myself fall.
“Now then, Young Master, this way, if you please.”
Just as I was positioning myself to catch Leon, Jack simply lifted him up. Jack shoved his hands into Leon’s armpits and, still wearing his gas mask and breathing heavily, placed Leon in the carriage that Father and I weren’t taking.
If Leon, Aster, and Jack were riding in that carriage, then this one would automatically be Father, William, me, and Glen.
“Rosalite.”
This time it was Father.
Father emerged from the Main Building’s entrance hall with skin that gleamed with a lustrous sheen after a long time. With long limbs, long fingers, and a handsome face bearing an inexplicable shadow—the kind that would look like a man of means and mystery even in burlap—Father wore a formal suit with gold embroidery, and adorned himself with rings and jewelry that were clearly expensive, making him look like a wealthy, enigmatic middle-aged man of distinction.
That wedding ring he never removed, even while sleeping, was surely meant to ward off women trying to make advances, but it wouldn’t do its job today either.
“Your repertoire?”
“Everything from waltz to jive and swing dance.”
“Truly my daughter.”
Father confirmed even the low heels of my shoes and nodded with satisfaction. Since entertainment was so scarce in this household, dancing had become another source of amusement for its members, and through successive occasions, I had learned not just the basics of social dancing but a variety of styles from Father.
Father had probably raised me with the intention of having a dance partner, not wanting to give Mother—who lived separately—any grounds for complaint, but I too found this suited my talents, and eventually I began learning new dances on my own. Through years of cultivating my craft, I could perform not only social dances but also samba and even the ceremonial battle dances of the federation’s frontier regions, provided the right music played. When I danced until the sweat poured off me, all the stress accumulated over time would vanish, and my mood would lift wonderfully.
“Rosalite.”
Already stepping to an imaginary rhythm in anticipation of dancing, I heard Glen’s voice. Glen, holding the beautiful cane I had chosen, wore clothes with a similar design and color coordination to my outfit, as if asserting his position as my fiancé.
The lively, active attire was adorned with a fresh flower boutonniere I had selected this morning, and the sleeve cuffs bore lace that appeared to match that on my skirt.
I marveled at Glen’s fresh appearance, as if juice would burst forth with a single poke, and hurried over to offer my hand.
“You look even more beautiful today.”
As I drew near, a pleasant fragrance wafted from him and his lips held a healthy flush, so I offered my praise, but for some reason, Glen’s expression seemed displeased.
“Must I refrain from saying you’re beautiful?”
“If something is beautiful, I call it beautiful. What else would I say?”
“…No, never mind. You are also beautiful, Rosalite.”
“There’s no need to force it.”
Ah. Perhaps he meant that since he already knows Glen is beautiful, there’s no need to mention it? I understand the sentiment, but I had no intention of stopping my compliments toward Glen. Isn’t it said that children are raised through praise?
“Then let’s get in.”
I took Glen’s hand and moved into the carriage. After pulling him up inside, I patted the seat beside me, and from Father sitting across from us came words of praise for Glen.
“You look even more beautiful today.”
“I already said that, sir.”
“Hearing it again doesn’t hurt.”
“It will grow tiresome. Find a different way to express it.”
“Glen, you look even more graceful and refined today.”
Well. That’s a fair point.
I nodded in agreement and clapped three times, and William sitting beside Father also gave an approving nod. Glen said, “Thank you,” and covered her face with her hands.
We headed toward the Royal Palace, worried we might miss even a single dance genre.

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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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