Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 209

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The staff of the First Prince’s Palace, upon seeing the benevolent Crown Prince of the Great Largol Empire, rushed toward him pleading for their lives. And as they painted me as a savage and cruel woman, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow—their employee training was absolutely abysmal.
Even if they wished to appeal their grievances to their master, it should be the Chief Chamberlain and the head maidservant—those in charge of the palace—who reported such matters. Running about in a mob like this only embarrassed the master.
Good heavens… how many parachute appointments were there in this place? Since roughly a third of the First Prince’s Palace staff had abandoned their posts, both Jack Brown and I stood with our mouths agape in astonishment.
Though my master joked with his servants and conducted himself informally, for the Rocksburg Estate staff—whose reporting hierarchy was impeccably maintained—this moment was nothing short of an unimaginable catastrophe.
Lucilucil clearly understood how shameful this situation was, for the man’s face flushed red and pale in turns. He wiped his face once and spoke to me.
『I apologize for taking this matter too lightly. Before the formal imperial decree arrives, I shall first delegate the administrative authority of the Crown Prince’s Palace to you.』
『I greatly appreciate such a reflective attitude. I gladly accept your apology, Your Majesty.』
『…We shall see about that later.』
See about what later? We’d see soon enough. After bidding farewell to Lucilucil, who fled the palace in embarrassment, I issued orders once more to the First Prince’s Palace staff.
『If you wish to live, gather quickly by faction.』
I had been delegated authority over the life and death of these people by Lucilucil. And beside me stood Jack Brown, the very symbol of violence and sorrow. The First Prince’s Palace staff displayed a swiftness I had never before witnessed.
“Asterion!”
How much longer would this boy remain in shock? He needed to come work at once!
Just recording which rope each person had descended would take an eternity. Jack couldn’t speak Largol, so he was useless for that. Since I couldn’t afford to leave hands idle, I sent him to fetch a desk, chair, paper, and pen. Yet on the other side, several attendants and maidservants stood scattered rather than gathered.
Among them were the maidservants who had attended to my garments yesterday. I called them forward as representatives and inquired about the situation. The one who had attended me without smiling before the great bathhouse was Lien, and the one who had handled the tedious stitching during my change of clothes was Camille. They explained that those without faction affiliations were simply those who had served since Lucilucil’s time as Crown Prince, possessing little influence, and thus had not been swept away during the personnel reshuffling.
In other words… they were outcasts. Yet they worked diligently without playing politics, truly exemplary attendants. I committed their names and faces to memory and assigned them necessary tasks. Since Lucilucil had just delegated full authority to me, I was effectively the master of this Crown Prince’s Palace.
Upon hearing my words, these kind-hearted and oblivious girls immediately pledged their obedience.
『Lien and Camille, when Jack returns, help him with clerical work. You can write, yes?』
『Yes. We shall obey your orders.』
『We shall follow. However, how should we address you, my lady…?』
『Rosalite will do. I’m not yet a crown princess or anything of the sort.』
『Yes, Rosalite.』
Good, good. I had worried I’d have to handle everything alone from start to finish, but now I had a useful crew. Leon arrived belatedly, and though I intended to scold the boy, I noticed he had brought a packed lunch, so I let it slide.
Yes, breakfast was important. Moreover, he had brought not only food for me but also Jack’s portion. The boy had truly grown. He had matured. Though I later discovered that Jack’s sandwich was absolutely drowning in mustard, at least the man had brought something edible.
I praised Leon generously and showed him affection before resuming my records.
The factions divided into four major groups. The first were people sent by the current Emperor’s concubines to monitor the Crown Prince’s movements. The second were people sent by the Temple. The third were executive-level personnel brought in under the Emperor’s orders to report on Lucilucil’s recent activities… but I couldn’t touch that group. The Chief Chamberlain, the head maidservant, and their direct subordinates needed to be restored to their duties immediately.
And the final faction was…
『…』
These wretches refused to open their mouths no matter what. They had connections to Lucius Iddemoc Largol, and if they were reluctant to reveal their affiliation, I could make an educated guess. But I wanted to hear the truth from their own lips.
I was glad I had already assigned tasks to those oblivious ones. Just as I thought the time had come, I glanced toward the garden and saw several horses pulling an enormous palanquin. Yesterday, when the Emperor had made such a fuss with his thumping and banging, I knew this would arrive.
“Jack Brown! Light the fire!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The boy was delighted. Jack gestured and motioned to the attendants to prepare water, then threw in plenty of kindling and lit the fire. As smoke began to rise, I gestured to Leon.
“Leon, throw them in.”
“Yes, Sister!”
As Asterion forcibly grabbed both men and women and splashed them into the palanquin with a splash, screams erupted from all sides. The water hadn’t heated yet, so they should be fine, but why were they already making such a fuss?
『Those children who rushed to Lucilucil earlier will go next, so wait your turn. Camille, call out the names of the children who were with us yesterday.』
The Maidservants who brought me the veil were the third group—wait your turn. The palanquin isn’t spacious enough to dispose of everyone at once, you see.
『Lien.』
『Yes, Rosalite.』
『Play a game of Largol chess with me.』
『…Pardon?』
『You know, Largol-style chess. That quasi-chess game. There should be a board somewhere.』
『Yes, yes. Of course there is.』
Bring it. We’ll play while the water heats.
Largol chess resembled chess in appearance, but the rules differed slightly. If anything, it was closer to Shatranj, which some claimed was chess’s ancestor. Moreover, unlike chess which required only two players, this game could be expanded to accommodate four players simultaneously—a truly elegant variation. I’d play a few rounds with Lien, teach Jack and Leon as well, then we’d all play together as a foursome.
I had the thoughtless attendants bring a parasol and a reclining platform, had them fan me gently with a fan, and enjoyed my game. The various factional servants and maidservants standing in the blazing sun were drenched in sweat, and cries for mercy began erupting as the water in the palanquin grew increasingly hot.
『…I’ve lost, Rosalite.』
『Eh? Don’t play a courtesy game. Play properly. I’m not the sort to take offense at such things.』
『No, but truly, I’m completely cornered….』
『Look here. If you sacrifice just one Alfil, your Pawn can be promoted in five moves.』
『Oh my.』
You truly didn’t see it? Heh, well, since I’ve only ever played against Four Spans, I suppose I need to recalibrate my expectations for ordinary players.
『Rosalite! Please spare me! I’ll tell you everything! But not here!』
At least Jack and Leon learned quickly—a blessing. Perhaps because the rules resembled chess, but both of them now insisted they could play themselves and demanded the board be expanded.
Fine then. I can finally play a proper four-player match. I’ve been wanting to try this for ages, you know?
『We are true believers of Joraab!』
“Jack Brown, fish them out and throw them in the Crown Prince’s dungeons. Don’t send them to the Heresy Inquisition Office.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Leon, dispose of the second group and return.”
“I’ll be back in a moment, Sister!”
Ah, their screams are rather grating. I’d cover the palanquin with a lid if I could.
The water had been heating for quite some time, so the moment they plunged in, their bodies ignited with heat, and their cries for mercy grew far more intense than before. They worry needlessly. As if I intended to let them off easy. Being a bit rude hardly warrants death, does it? Besides, Largol was teeming with priests. They’d suffer just enough to nearly die, but I wouldn’t actually kill them, so cease your worrying.
『If I may be so bold, Rosalite.』
『Yes. Go ahead. Be bold.』
The Chief Chamberlain stood there dripping blood from both hands, about to spout more righteous platitudes. The Emperor sent him, but this man’s temperament was simply too…—how should I put it? Rigid? If the Imperial Palace is like this, he won’t have a long career.
『If rumors spread that the future Crown Princess is so cruel, it will benefit neither you nor Rosalite.』
『I’m not the Crown Princess yet, so it’s fine.』
『…You will be soon enough, will you not?』
『Becoming the Crown Princess doesn’t mean becoming Lucilucil’s wife. It means becoming the highest authority within the Imperial Palace’s inner quarters.』
『….』
『The Emperor currently lacks an Empress capable of managing the household affairs. The burden naturally falls to me. You seem quite fond of titles and status, but soon the Emperor will issue a decree granting me supreme authority over the Internal Affairs Bureau. He asked me for this very favor yesterday.』
『Then you must be cautious from this afternoon onward. First, I shall contact the Temple to have the priests reassigned.』
『Good. I’m relieved we understand each other.』
Only after grasping my intent did the Chief Chamberlain return to his duties, blood still dripping from both hands.
That man—I’d known since Jack worked him over without a single groan escaping his lips. His character is quite remarkable.
“Sister! There’s a person floating around in here!”
“Save them before they die!”
“Yes, Sister!”
When someone’s about to perish, you pull them out immediately—why is she even asking me?
I had Leon lay out the rescued people in neat rows and sent the thoughtless soldiers to fetch the Temple Priests.
Back home, Macaon is the only person I can truly trust, but here they have Temple Priests—how convenient. That must be why Lucilucil planned only a single amphibious assault without considering reinforcements. Injured soldiers just get healed by the priests and sent back to the battlefield, after all.
The real problem is provisions, it seems. That’s what’s troubling the northern campaign strategy. Lucilucil isn’t a fool—he wouldn’t be stupid enough to plunder Aleine’s civilian homes to stock the ships during an invasion. Though some nation in some era did exactly that, but let’s overlook that since their leader went senile in his final years.
As a last resort, they might have planned to seize Aleine’s military supplies, but since our country is conducting thorough guerrilla warfare, even that won’t work out. Largol would prefer to keep the Masujung Mine intact anyway. Ha, you’re going to have quite the headache, Lucilucil.
“Please save us! Please, Your Majesty!”
“I told you, I’m not the Crown Princess.”
“Lady Rosalite, please save us! We were disrespectful yesterday!”
“Whoever arrives last gets two palanquin penalties!”
Ready, set, go!
As I shouted with enthusiasm, the third team scrambled desperately toward the palanquins. They tripped over their own hems, shoved and struck their neighbors to interfere with them. It was absolute chaos. How delightful, truly delightful.
Hahahahahaha.
Their desperate efforts were so amusing that I clutched my belly laughing, and my beloved younger brother Leon gave the attendants a knowing look—soon they all joined in my laughter.
Goodness, these people actually know how to conduct themselves in society. Unlike Camille and Lien, who keep frowning at me.
“Young Lady! We’ve confined them as ordered!”
“Excellent! Let’s play the game now!”
Ah, I’m so looking forward to the four-player game. I kept the penalized ones working while I moved janggi pieces from beneath a pavilion’s shade, being fanned. Since playing normally would be boring, I proposed that whoever finished last would have to go to the fountain and get completely soaked as punishment—everyone fought desperately to win.
In the midst of this, a minister arrived with the Emperor’s edict, and I knelt to receive the highest authority of the Internal Affairs Bureau. Documents about major nobles and Temple Priests who frequented the Imperial Palace came with it, so I had to withdraw from the game to review them, but with Camille taking my place, the children played at just the right level and had great fun.
During all this, well, how should I put it… Camille discovered Leon and Jack’s weaknesses, so by the end, only Leon and Jack had to keep going to the fountain.
But this was something I’d been concerned about too, so I couldn’t bring myself to tease them about it. In Largol janggi, the piece that plays the rook’s role is called Luke. My heart ached too much to use him as a throwaway piece.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————