Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 231

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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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If I’d merely used it as a joke, there’s no way such an accomplished choreographer would have attached themselves to the Territory’s residents!
“Baby Luke!”
“Doo-roo-roo-doo-roo!”
“Doo-roo-roo-doo-roo!”
Quill and Karl, those trend-sensitive brothers, already knew the choreography, and I learned from them quickly enough to dance along. Sometimes fierce, sometimes graceful, occasionally cute and playful. Every finger movement required attention, and I’d deliberately incorporated syncopated steps to raise the difficulty so that those without sense couldn’t perform it.
To give away such a delicate and intricate dance for free—doesn’t that inspire a kind of reverence?
“Ram Bart! Now’s the moment! Do you see it! This angle right now! Hurry and burn it into your memory! We just missed a once-in-a-millennium Young Lady shot!”
“Wait, wait, please don’t shake, Leon! My vision’s blurring! I’m losing the exposure! The brightness values aren’t coming through!”
So Leon did end up dumping everything on Glen and following along. If not for Leon, I could’ve cursed Theodore and Grace, who are probably munching popcorn in the gallery right now. They showed up saying they could watch the Rocksburg people fight during the trial recess, and they look so bored I could scream.
I need a royal grandchild soon. Then I can dispose of those fools and hand the throne straight to the child. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t raise a royal grandchild with those kinds of people. Capo really needs to bring good news soon.
“Did you enjoy the performance, esteemed Judge?”
“Yes, I did. The Young Lady of Rocksburg still dances beautifully.”
“Thank you! Baron Hilcote remains beautiful as well! That lush, glossy dark green hair of yours is something I envy!”
Ugh, enough with the pleasantries—let’s get to the actual trial already.
I gasped heavily, braced my hands on the defense table, and then made a retching sound. Pregnancy is exhausting. Just five minutes of vigorous dancing left me breathless. Normally, I wouldn’t have even blinked.
“How is this mocking dance moves in any way!”
“The creator’s intent is irrelevant. I felt insulted, that’s what matters!”
“It is now the Young Lady of Rocksburg’s turn to present her defense. Luke Rocksberg, please compose yourself.”
Right, it’s my turn to argue now, you fool. Shut up, you fool. Is this quarter’s sales a mess because you’re an idiot? You’re like my stupid son.
“Young Lady of Rocksburg, if you’re just going to mock your son in court, then leave. I’ll consider it as having no intent to defend yourself.”
Oh no, that won’t do. I stopped making pig snouts at Luke with my eyes rolled back and tongue out, and cleared my throat instead.
As you can see, this song was not meant to mock Luke. Of course, I didn’t write the lyrics with the intention of insulting my son either. There is no damaged reputation from this incident. Luke’s lawsuit against me was nothing but a baseless claim.
Moreover, if this song had been shameful for my son, the Alein family munching popcorn over there would be roaring with laughter. The fact that they kept their mouths shut and quietly watched the dance was itself strong evidence that Luke’s reputation remained unharmed.
I argued this point and decided to prove that this quarter’s sales were normal and last year was exceptional by presenting sales data from previous years. Then Luke scoffed and raised an objection.
“What are you talking about, Mother? The Rocksburg Department Store has only been open for two years. There is no sales data from before last year.”
“Son, the Rocksburg Department Store is just a company whose corporate registration changed from Chatel Department. I kept all the records you left behind.”
“I don’t know anything about Chatel. I’m Luke Rocksberg.”
“That’s touching and all, but your transition from Chatel to Rocksberg is all recorded administratively.”
“And you still call yourself my mother? When did you say I’d be Rocksberg for life!”
“That’s one thing and this is another! When money’s involved, son or no son doesn’t matter!”
“I’m disappointed! Rosalite!”
“I’m the one who’s disappointed, you idiot!”
“I advise you: if you’re going to have a family quarrel here, then leave the courtroom.”
This judge keeps telling me to leave whenever he’s bored. Is he an alumnus of Father’s? People in this field are inevitably influenced by Father one way or another, but they don’t have to copy his habit of using “leave” as a threat.
In any case, the trial proceeded overwhelmingly in my favor, making all the preparation time seem worthless. Now Luke’s lawsuit against me would result in a false accusation verdict, and he’d have to swallow the bitter cup of defeat.
It was practically predetermined. If Father is the supreme authority who knows our country’s laws, their loopholes, and their miserable precedents inside and out, then I’m the next highest authority. Eight-tenths of the legal code has been revised through Father’s hands, and since childhood, I’ve had revised laws and precedents hammered into me.
My son had no chance of winning. But that fool picked a fight anyway. Did he hate that song so much? Even knowing that time and money would be wasted and he’d lose to me in court?
Thinking about it that way, I felt sorry for Luke, so I was wondering if I should ban that song after winning. Then my son brought something that looked like a phonograph.
I thought it only looked like a phonograph, but it actually functioned as one. A record spinning inside it played the national anthem of the Cerepia Federation. Well, since it’s a device that records vibrations onto a disc, the structure itself is simple enough. But how can current technology produce such clean sound quality? Judging by the fact that the Cerepia national anthem is playing, was that made in Cerepia?
“I have news for the esteemed Judge and the distinguished guests in the gallery. This is cutting-edge technology from the Cerepia Federation, and our Rocksburg Department Store is planning to commercialize it within next year. If Mother would agree, the commemorative first recording would be none other than Baby Luke!”
“…!”
Luke, you rascal! This clever boy! This adorable rascal! So that’s why he opened his mouth so wide!
For gossip-mongers, news of Rocksburg’s mother and son fighting had become the most entertaining topic lately. All those idle royals and anyone in high society worth their salt had gathered in the courthouse.
Promoting a new product in this venue would spread rumors quickly among people of wealth and influence. Moreover, what did Luke say earlier? The first recording. That meant he had used this lawsuit as a foundation to establish intellectual property rights for music.
I had abandoned a money-making opportunity because I judged people’s awareness to be insufficient, but that child was determined to earn money by forcibly instilling copyright consciousness in the populace.
I burst into tears. It was respect. The relationship between mother and son was irrelevant. Even a subordinate could inspire admiration. Luke was a person worthy of respect and awe.
“I lost.”
“Pardon? What did you just say, Young Lord of Rocksburg?”
The judge seemed unable to comprehend why I would declare defeat and shed tears in a battle I had already won. It didn’t matter if he didn’t understand. Luke, only you would understand me. And I understand you too. It was enough for us to be each other’s understanding.
My heart swelled with emotion and satisfaction.
“I lost. I acknowledge my defeat. I have damaged the honor of my precious son, Luke Rocksberg. If my son would grant me the opportunity, I promise to make substantial settlement payments and work toward ensuring intellectual property protection for the song and strengthening and revising copyright law.”
“I accept that settlement! Rosalite!”
“Luke!”
“Mother!”
Luke rushed toward me, and I embraced my son tightly. My son has grown so much. How admirable. How truly admirable, Luke Rocksberg, my boy.
In response to my cry, Luke apologized for not telling me since it was company confidential information. I said it was fine. No, rather, it was only right. Company secrets shouldn’t be shared even with mother. You did well. You did very well, my son.
As I patted Luke’s back, he hugged me tightly, buried his head in my shoulder, and showered me with affection. Baron Hilcote, the judge, told us to get out of the courthouse if we were going to settle, and the royal family members in the gallery threw popcorn at us and cursed.
Popcorn seasoning stuck to my hair and made it salty, but I was still happy. Luke and I were going to make a fortune together.

◇ ◆ ◇

With the lawsuit settled, Luke was summoned separately by Father to receive his commendation. As his father, I presented him with the Rocksburg Model Citizen Medal—the highest praise I could bestow—and we discussed business ventures, with Father mentioning his desire to invest in the music market separately from my settlement funds.
Heh heh, Rocksburg’s future is assured for the next hundred years. I shall lead the telecommunications industry, and my son Luke has pioneered the music market. Even if Diana returns and dismantles Aleine’s class system, not a scratch can be made upon our wealth and honor.
My spirits lifted naturally, and I found myself humming cheerfully as I bounded along the Model Water Walking Path with springy steps. My body was heavy, but my heart was light. Jack Brown had worried that my energetic running about would cause me to lose the baby, but now that I was in a stable period, there was no such concern.
“…Huh?”
Yet an irritated voice echoed across the walking path. The moment I heard it, I recognized it as Lucilucil’s voice, so I asked Jack what was happening. He answered that Lucilucil had been doing that constantly at the Training Ground lately.
But wait…the Mansion only had officers coming and going, so the Training Ground was practically useless. And Lucilucil was using it? I’d heard recently that all the enlisted ranks had been reorganized….
According to Lucilucil’s report, Rocksburg’s enlisted men were all thick-headed fools, so no matter how pretty a rank title you gave them, they wouldn’t remember it. Thus, he’d given them intuitive names instead. Certainly, the existing ranks like sergeant, lieutenant, and colonel had been changed to squad leader, ten-commander, and hundred-commander….
Honestly, I preferred the new system. It reduced the time spent thinking about how many soldiers were in a regiment or how many in a unit. A hundred-commander was responsible for a hundred enlisted men, and a thousand-commander for a thousand—such intuitive nomenclature made it convenient when reviewing documents.
Moreover, Lucilucil had organized each squad into three people and placed a ten-commander to represent three squads. It seemed highly efficient. They always moved in groups of three, with two blocking the opponent while the squad leader attacked. It was simple, but an extremely effective tactic for survival.
And these three squads were managed by a ten-commander, and ten ten-commanders were managed by a hundred-commander. Communication up and down would be faster too. It was worth picking up Lucilucil from Largol, I tell you.
With delight, I turned my steps toward the Training Ground. Approaching Lucilucil stealthily with the thought of playing a prank by covering his eyes, the man suddenly bellowed and hurled the stone he was holding at a hundred-commander.
“You maggot bastard!”
…Maggot?
What on earth was happening? I held my breath nervously and watched Lucilucil. An officer who had taken the stone directly to the head was bleeding profusely. The bleeding man straightened his shoulders as if accustomed to it and shouted loudly.
“I shall correct myself! I apologize for being a maggot, worse than human!”
“You are not human! You are lower than flies swarming over leftover food scraps! Maggots that have not even become flies! You maggots!”
“We apologize! We are maggots!”
“We apologize for our hideous appearance! We apologize for being maggots!”

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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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