Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 241
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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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This grandfather, who had never even met me before, was grinding his teeth while cursing Rocksburg—clearly Father and Uncle Louis had given him quite a lot to resent.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Great-Uncle. I’m Rosalite, who will inherit Rocksburg in due time.”
“No need for introductions—your face screams Rosalite Rocksburg from a mile away.”
“You bear a striking resemblance to Crolley as well, Great-Uncle.”
“When did I ever say you could compare me to Crolley?”
“Every day.”
….
As I turned to look at Leon, Great-Uncle clamped his mouth shut and tapped his cane repeatedly, his irritation plain as day. Haha, ahaha—this old man was hilarious.
“Sit down, will you? You’ve traveled far—at least have a meal.”
“And who are you to act so familiar?”
“The deposed Crown Prince of Largol, and Rosalite’s one and only husband.”
“Are you insane?”
Ahahaha! Ahahaha! Please, stop making me laugh!
I was struggling to contain my laughter, clutching my stomach, when Lucilucil—apparently finding his own provocation hilarious—buried his head in the table and slapped it with his palm. After laughing his fill, he turned to me with a serious tone.
“Rosalite.”
“Yes, Lucilucil.”
“I like this man.”
“So do I.”
It had been ages since I’d met someone so fun to tease. I’d found it tedious to trek all the way to the Royal Palace just to needle Theodore, but having this man roll in with all his baggage? I was thoroughly delighted.
“Call the adults at once! What am I supposed to discuss with these snot-nosed brats?”
“That’s precisely why the elders went out, sir.”
“That joke loses its charm the second time around.”
“I understand it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth.”
Great-Uncle scowled and cursed Edward. Wait—hadn’t he initially found it amusing? Grandfather, you pretended otherwise, but you were a distant branch of Rocksburg after all….
“That fool still pulls crazy stunts with a straight face. Same as back then. I was fooled because of Louis. He seemed far more sensible in comparison, so I even helped with the Noctram situation.”
Eh? Noctram? Could he be talking about that legendary capital tax incident? I asked Great-Uncle in surprise, and he replied that the reinforcements dispatched to Noctram were from his Private Military Unit.
Hmm…, well. Lucilucil had cursed our Private Military Unit as a rabble, so they probably weren’t much different back then.
I see. Great-Uncle’s soldiers must have been well-trained enough to be of actual help to Noctram.
Moreover, Great-Uncle seemed to have a certain fondness for Eddie, his much-younger cousin. He’d even come to help with work until Eddie married. He’d also worried together with Uncle Louis about the increasingly strange phenomena he was experiencing over the years.
But after the Noctram capital tax incident, Great-Uncle had taken a dislike to Eddie and unilaterally cut ties, resolving never to associate with Rocksburg again. If not for Leon, that is.
I see. Crolley had cut off contact and turned his back on his own initiative, so it would have been shameless to reach out again simply because his memories of Leon had suddenly returned. Father probably wouldn’t have cared about such things anyway. It seemed Great-Uncle had been suffering in silence.
But there was one intriguing thread in Great-Uncle’s words that caught my attention. What had he just said? That he’d come to help with Rocksburg’s affairs? That wasn’t something just anyone could do.
A brilliant idea struck me, and I gathered Lucilucil, Janet, Glen, and Leon all together and whispered my scheme. If Leon cooperated well, we could all take a group vacation at the Duke’s expense.
Once I finished my rambling, everyone nodded as if it made perfect sense, and even Janet, who usually trembled at the mention of Leon, massaged his shoulders to encourage him.
“I hate saying this even if it kills me, but Leon—you’re my only hope.”
“Then show more respect.”
“You are my only hope, Lord Leon.”
“You mad fool, you really are desperate, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
No matter what anyone says, those two get along so well.
Well then, Leon. Let’s start by organizing our titles properly, shall we? You know about Rocksburg, don’t you? Loose lips cost nothing.
I had Asterion embrace me from behind, then covered my eyes and asked him to recall the saddest moment of his life. When Leon said this very moment was too happy for sad memories to surface, I had no choice but to pinch and twist his back.
Thus was completed the perfect Leon—flushed cheeks and dewy eyes, the very picture of innocent fragility.
“Go, Asterion! Cuteness attack!”
“Leon, Leon!”
At my command, Asterion went before Count Crowley and put on a show of affection. Deliberately hunched shoulders, bashful gestures, those enormous eyes glistening as if tears might spill at any moment. Wasn’t this exactly how Leon looked in the first playthrough with his super-advanced acting skills?
“I… I…”
Leon deliberately lowered himself by spreading his legs in a giraffe-like stance, gazing up at Great-Uncle. Each word tumbled out hesitantly, as if shy, and to anyone watching, he seemed like nothing less than the very embodiment of all the world’s cuteness given human form. This rascal—when I’d pointed out his stage acting needed work during that casino performance with the Crown Prince, he’d improved this much in the meantime?
“G-grandpa.”
“…!”
The effect was tremendous! No, it couldn’t have been anything but tremendous! Great-Uncle, who’d lost his son, grandson, and daughter-in-law in a single night because of Celin and had been living half-dead ever since, came to Rocksburg Mansion with no great expectations—only to be struck down by Leon’s grandfather attack.
“Sob… sob…”
Oh no, don’t cry, Grandfather! I’m sorry!
Great-Uncle finally let loose the sorrow he’d been forcibly holding back all these years, tears streaming down his face. Not only was I flustered by this, but Leon and even Becky, who’d been pretending to be invisible in the background, rushed over to comfort Great-Uncle.
Great-Uncle stubbornly insisted he wasn’t crying, but as Leon’s hand swept across his back, he grabbed Asterion’s hand and wept openly. Oh dear, what am I to do with this grandfather?
Well, it makes sense—he could have met his grandson so easily, yet he’d spent all these years worrying alone. It was natural he’d feel bitter and wronged. I was too thoughtless about it.
“I apologize, but Leon and I have urgent business and must leave the Mansion immediately, Great-Uncle. Afterward, I’ll bring the Duke to discuss Leon’s treatment, so would you mind handling our affairs for a short while?”
“Really? You’re not making fun of me?”
“Of course not. If you don’t believe me, I’ll even draw up a contract.”
But grandfather’s pitiable state is one thing, and vacation is vacation!
I immediately called for Lily to bring a formal contract, secured Great-Uncle Chris Crowley’s promise to take over all our work for the designated period, and promised to have the Duke attend the future discussion about Leon’s treatment.
Since I’d used Leon as bait to request a meeting with Count Crowley, the only difference from the original arrangement was that Great-Uncle would now shoulder all our responsibilities. While Great-Uncle was distracted, I quickly got his seal on the contract and rushed off to pack.
Before Great-Uncle could cry foul, I’d better lock this contract in the office safe.
“Let’s go! We’ll leave this to Leon, hurry!”
“W-wait, Sister! Just a moment! I also…!”
As I hurried, Lucilucil and Janet ran, and Lily ran while carrying Glen.
“Lily, there—I have something to say to Lucilucil.”
Huh? The Prince has something to say to Lucilucil? It was unusual enough that I glanced back, and Lily approached Lucilucil while still carrying Glen. Once Glen got close to Lucilucil, he put on an angry expression and finally spoke what he’d been holding back.
“Lucilucil, please watch your words. You don’t have a one-and-only husband. My husband is… well, there are two…of them.”
“…”
“…”
So he’d been sharpening his blade over that brief remark all this time. What a petty fellow. And what a cute fellow.
Lucilucil seemed to feel the same as I did, laughing heartily as he ruffled Glen’s hair. I too slowed my pace and ran beside Lily, pinching Glen’s cheeks mercilessly.
How adorable. Glen really is adorable.
“P-please stop! I’m telling you to stop!”
Oh, how cute. Oh, how impossibly cute.
I made Lily stop and peppered Glen’s face and crown with kisses, while Lucilucil made smacking sounds against my ear and the top of my head in return.
“I’m still curious, though. Couldn’t you explain in detail how Eri came to be?”
“I don’t particularly care.”
“I refuse!”
Well… if Glen didn’t want to know, there was nothing to be done about it. Lucilucil said he had no intention of forcing Glen into anything he disliked, and the three of us embraced in a group hug, bringing the matter to a neat conclusion.
In any case, it was a group vacation. We had to make the most of this opportunity that had come around after so many years.
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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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