Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 242
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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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The moment Eri nestled into Lucilucil’s embrace, she buried her head against his chest and giggled with delight. I narrowed my eyes, glancing at Glen’s chest, then ran my hand over my own flat surface.
“Governess, do you know why Eri discriminates against chests?”
“I suspect it’s because Miss Ram has been visiting frequently of late, and the child has grown accustomed to it.”
“Noooooo! Ram Bart!”
Is she already teaching the child to appreciate curves?! When Eri grows up and realizes she’ll never develop them due to her genetics, how devastated will she be!
“Such a tiny thing, already taking after her mother….”
Lucilucil let out a melancholic sigh. I stormed outside, determined to throttle Ram Bart, and stopped by at the space I’d prepared for the Predecessor.
Just like before, if that person drew on the floor with charcoal, cleaning became a nightmare. For the sake of the servants of Lucilucil’s Palace, who’d spent an entire hour washing carpets, I had to take action.
I’d prepared blank notebooks and ink fountain pens as a hint that I was open to any advice they might wish to offer, yet there was no sign of them being used. I’d made a sufficient appeal that writing tools were available in this space.
I’d plastered advertisements marking writing spaces throughout the corridors, and I’d embedded magic crystals generously here so the area would sparkle brilliantly day and night. From a hundred meters away, anyone could tell this was a writing space for the Predecessor and me. After all, it shone brightly both night and day.
Perhaps the batteries had died in the meantime and disappeared. While I was worrying about that, by pure coincidence, one of my cherished possessions—a Monte Carlo summer limited edition mermaid fountain pen that boasted an aurora-bright, radiant nib—danced through the air and began writing characters.
Remove the magic crystals. I can’t even speak from embarrassment.
You…, you actually understood shame? From what Mother told me, I thought you were such a wild child that you wouldn’t know what shame even meant.
As I muttered quietly, the fountain pen flew straight at my head. It struck my forehead with a sharp crack, and ink splattered across my clothes.
“Kyaaaah! My going-out dress!”
We’ll see about this in a week! I cried out urgently and ran to change clothes. After pestering Violet to help me into a fresh outfit and returning to the writing space, the fountain pen and notebook were neatly arranged, and a new message had been added.
Don’t commit any more rudeness.
Such excessive worry. When it comes to propriety, that’s a virtue made for me, Rosalite Rocksburg, isn’t it? Especially regarding empty formalities—I could confidently say I was second only to one person among all living humans. Of course, that person is Father. No matter what I do, I can never surpass him.
I simply wrote “Understood” and left the space. When I reached the carriage I was to ride, Leon and Janet were fighting over who would board it, tearing at each other’s heads.
Upon arriving at the Bienar Tourist Port, a spectacular sight unfolded before me.
A tank.
There was a tank.
Not a streetcar—an actual, genuine tank.
The plaything I’d purchased for Lucilucil by raiding my slush fund had already been shipped to Alein, assembled, and even came with an operational manual that had spawned a cadre of trained drivers.
Wow, so this has become our Territory’s military asset after all.
Lucilucil, claiming there’d be no noise complaints since we could fire away on the Alein Royal Family’s private island, forcibly crammed the tank onto the Saint Brilliant Lucilucil Ship. The tank’s weight snapped two transport mechanisms, but Lucilucil refused to give up—eventually securing the Duke Bienar’s cooperation to procure a crane and relocate the beast.
Though its power source is a magic stone, it’s fascinating how little it differs from the tanks I knew. Are those Cerepia people really kidnapping people from another world and putting them to work?
Since this was my first time seeing one in person, I took the operational manual from the driver and climbed inside the tank. Hmm… I don’t understand all the details, but it’s roughly similar to an automobile steering wheel!
“Sister! Come have lunch!”
“You scolded me for buying toys, yet you’re more excited than I am!”
He’d struck a nerve. Not wanting to give him more ammunition to tease me with, I scrambled out of the tank and leaped toward Leon. Asterion caught me effortlessly, while Lucilucil complained as if wronged.
“You there. Logically speaking, shouldn’t you be throwing yourself at me instead?”
“If Lucilucil strains your back, I’m the one who loses.”
“I won’t strain it.”
“No. You’re hardly at an age to be so confident about that.”
“Ugh…!”
Aaaah! Kyaaaaaah! Every time I say something sensible, this man pulls my ears!
As I shrieked, Leon stepped backward to evade Lucilucil’s assault, laughing with absolute delight.
“If you’re upset, why not rejuvenate yourself?”
Leon, mimicking my laugh with a “ha ha,” bolted without a backward glance. Of course he ran for his life—getting caught by Lucilucil meant a beating.
I found the whole situation hilarious and laughed until my sides ached.
◇ ◆ ◇
For two days after arriving on the island, peace reigned supreme. The people of Rocksburg each enjoyed their vacation, while the Browns trembled in fear and refused to leave my side. Jack Brown in particular insisted I take responsibility for dragging him here, and even claimed the space beneath my bed.
I found myself sleeping with Aster and Jack at my feet. It was only because Glen and Lucilucil agreed to separate rooms that we didn’t end up with five of us crammed into one bed.
I mean, Jack and Aster—these two have become increasingly strange, or should I say they’ve transcended the very concept of master and servant? It’s like sleeping with large dogs rather than people.
No matter how I thought about it, having large beasts at my feet felt deeply uncomfortable, yet they slept soundly beside me, snoring away without a care. Apparently, with Rosalite Rocksburg nearby, even ghosts would flee in terror.
Aside from the sleeping arrangements, I thoroughly enjoyed my island vacation. I ran along the white sand beach with Aster, dove for abalone, test-drove the tank, and in the dead of night on the white sand beach, I held Marius’s shirt close and shed tears in secret.
The last time I saw him was also at a place like this. I held his shirt to my head and breathed in his scent, tears streaming down my face. Then Lucilucil caught me and twisted my ears.
It was four days after we began our revelry that the Saint Brilliant Luciluce Ship returned to the island. Since we’d brought only the minimum number of attendants, the villa grew increasingly disheveled with each passing day, but as it belonged to the Alein Royal Family anyway, it was hardly our concern.
What did it matter if garbage accumulated along the walking paths? It wasn’t Rocksburg property, after all. What did it matter if we drank ourselves into a frenzy and shredded an entire bedroom? It wasn’t Rocksburg property!
With only this conviction, we indulged freely in sloth and chaos. I’d instructed the servants that as long as they provided food, they needn’t bother with cleaning, so they simply disposed of food waste to keep the flies at bay and abandoned all other labor.
Living in such debauchery was exhilarating. Soon Sage would arrive, and I’d meet with Magnus as well, so we couldn’t maintain this lifestyle indefinitely, but as long as they didn’t see the filth, it mattered not.
Upon confirming that the Saint Brilliant Luciluce Ship was unloading cargo at the dock, I took only Leon and rode out on horseback. The others were merely bonus attendants, and the Cerepia Magic Tower Alliance’s condition was only that Asterion and I attend, so I judged that the two of us alone would suffice for greetings.
Well, to be precise, it was Yuri’s personal request rather than the Alliance’s.
In any case, strangely enough, there were no porters at the dock we arrived at. I’d ridden here after witnessing the unloading, yet not a soul was present. Instead, what appeared to be figures molded from earth were sluggishly moving cargo.
Golems? If I had to categorize them, they resembled golems. Yet they differed from true golems in that they couldn’t act independently. This was surely the handiwork of Yuri, an earth-attribute mage. Once the mana powering them ceased, these clay figures would lose their form.
If that were the case, Yuri must be nearby somewhere.
With that thought, I surveyed the surroundings and spotted Yuri among the cargo piles—every strand of hair gleaming brilliantly in the light.
“Ah, ah-ah!”
The man draped in a blue shawl had golden hair and crimson eyes just as I’d heard, and his downy appearance suggested he was claiming to be twenty years old. For some reason, Yuri alternated his gaze between Leon and me with an enormous smile, then rushed toward us only to trip over his own feet and plant his head directly into the ground.
“Ugh!”
A tremendous sound as if his skull were cracking echoed out, yet undeterred, Yuri swallowed his tears and rose gallantly, approaching Leon. He hastily extended his hand, but upon noticing his palm was covered in dirt, he panicked and scrubbed it frantically against his shawl.
The man, who’d rubbed his hands so vigorously I worried they might bleed, spoke to Leon in a tense tone.
“P-pleased to m-meet you, my lady!”
His nervousness was so acute that his voice cracked on “lady.” And what in the world did “lady” even mean? Our Leon may have had delicate features, but he wasn’t frail enough to warrant such a title. His frame was tall and imposing, his features were sharp and angular, and above all, his shoulders were broad and well-built.
Offended by this, Leon swatted Yuri’s hand away and spoke harshly.
“Open your eyes properly. I’m no lady.”
“Huh? Ah-ah?”
What was with all the “ah-ah”? Though we were the ones bewildered, Yuri appeared far more flustered. He retrieved a book from the cargo pile and alternated his gaze between Leon and the tome.
“But according to this…”
Not another one of those blasted blue series!
Upon closer inspection of the familiar cover and familiar dust jacket, I spotted that accursed phrase emblazoned across it: “You Are a Duke, I Am a Pirate Captain.” What was this? Did every incident occurring nearby inevitably conclude with the Crown Prince’s governess as the culprit? Why? What exactly did the Crown Prince’s governess do? Why did she have influence even in Cerepia?
Leon was equally exasperated. Moreover, having been mistaken for a lady, Leon snatched the book and hurled it far away. The volume flew through the air and splashed into the sea with a resounding plop.
“Noooo! A first edition hardcover with only two thousand copies printed!”
They printed two thousand copies of that drivel? And it actually sold two thousand copies? Why?
Leon huffed indignantly while Yuri waded into the sea and barely managed to retrieve the hardcover. Given the printing technology of this era, the paper likely had no waterproof coating, so the ink had bled and the text was completely smudged. Yuri’s face crumpled in despair.
Watching the soaking wet, whimpering pretty boy, a thought crossed my mind. It lingered in my consciousness for quite some time.
#Western-style #Fantasy #Class Difference #Younger Seme #Large Dog Seme #Beautiful Seme #Mischievous Uke #Scheming Uke #Submissive Uke #Misunderstanding/Confusion #Hardcover #Rating 4+ Stars #100+ Reviews
In all my life, I’d never encountered such textbook perfection. Story tropes I’d encountered countless times poured down upon my head like a waterfall, and I absorbed the entire volume with keen interest.
Hmm… yes. The more keywords, the better.
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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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