Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 256

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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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I stroked Lucilucil’s back and kissed him, asking if there was anything else he desired. The man then made an unreasonable demand for a pond of alcohol to be built in front of the palace. I told him that was simply bad luck and couldn’t be done.
“Instead, I shall erect a jeweled tree in Lucilucil’s Garden. The pillars will be crafted from agate, the leaves carved from emerald, and the flowers fashioned from pearl.”
“Make it grand. Truly grand.”
“Yes. I shall make it large enough to enjoy flower viewing beneath it.”
His mood seemed to improve. I accepted a few more kisses from Lucilucil before scolding him never to take such medicine again. What would I, the Empress Dowager, do if he actually became incapable? He merely laughed it off as nothing serious.
“Bloodlines are meaningless. Even if the child isn’t biologically mine, if we insist we bore him, the Imperial Court has no way to refute it.”
“What if they bring evidence that you’re incapable?”
“Then we eliminate those fools and claim the Joraab Faith’s messenger granted us an annunciation of conception. That settles it. After all, justifications are merely constructed as needed, and history is written by the victors.”
Lucilucil, please stop talking. Looking at the amount of drool Peter is dripping, that man seems to have reached his limit.
In any case, our household’s willingness to employ any means necessary is something else entirely. What kind of life must he have lived to become this way? I embraced Lucilucil once more in sympathy, reassuring him that his thoughts might change once he experienced fatherhood.
“For now, listen well to Glen and exercise restraint. We’ll meet tonight.”
“Yes. Tonight.”
I pressed one final kiss to Lucilucil’s forehead before heading to the correspondence chamber with the Predecessor. His darkness ran so deep I hardly knew what to do, and since there was also the matter of the Telecommunications Bureau, I intended to ask about it. But the Predecessor immediately inquired about the duel’s outcome instead.
“Didn’t you already know?”
You know everything the moment I lift a single finger. What’s wrong with you? Is something ailing you? Your mind? Senility? I examined the Predecessor with concern, but he merely tapped his pen against my head repeatedly.

Didn’t I tell you? It’s time to go soon.

Oh, here comes the grandmother routine number eighteen again. I sincerely said, “Grandmother, may you live long,” and was struck with the pen once more. Whether I do this or that, I’m hit either way—what does he expect from me?
As I rubbed my head and complained, the Predecessor seemed to have a flickering battery, offering no response. So I took up the fountain pen on his behalf.
If he’s struggling with senility, then I, with my vigorous body, should assist him. I reported the duel’s results and recent events in detail, and also wrote down the matters I wished to discuss.
This is strange—if I just recorded the dates, it would look like a diary. Anyway, after writing all that and leaving, two days later the Predecessor added commentary to my diary like a teacher providing editorial guidance.

Glad to see you’re healthy today. Regarding the Telecommunications Bureau matter, do what you do best.

This makes the Predecessor seem exactly like my homeroom teacher. But what does “do what you do best” mean? It wasn’t a detailed answer—what on earth was he referring to? As I pondered this, I discovered a small sketch the Predecessor had drawn. At first glance, it appeared to be a gas mask, and I gasped in surprise.
“Why does the Predecessor draw so well?”
Wasn’t this a matter of physical ability? Was it my problem? Did that mean I was simply terrible at drawing? Was it entirely my fault?!
Desperate to deny reality, I turned the notebook away and ran off frantically. Until now, I’d believed my terrible drawings were entirely the Predecessor’s fault, but I didn’t want to face the truth this way.

◇ ◆ ◇

Glen took a paid leave of absence. Not to go down to Hofen Territory, but just to get some fresh air—it took me half a day to convince him to calm down and accept my reassurance.
Of course, I had William’s subordinates tail Glen, but my anxiety remained. I had no idea what had upset him, and I feared he might simply run away. Unable to focus on work, I found myself spinning in my chair, when suddenly I recalled how Lucilucil had constantly suspected me.
Ah, so this was how Lucilucil felt. Words alone cannot forge trust. A person’s heart can change at any moment. What could I do? I couldn’t very well tear out my heart and leave it with Lucilucil. And I certainly couldn’t plant a self-destruct device in Glen.
How difficult. How truly difficult. The human heart is such a complicated thing.
I sighed heavily and reviewed the documents in my hands. Once I stamped these with my seal, my direct subordinates would move into action—civil servants who answered only to me, uninfluenced by William or the Duke himself.
My Predecessor once told me to do what I do best. And what do I do best? Why, burying a person from society without a trace.
Scattered across my desk were Jack Brown’s territorial resident registration certificate and a wanted poster to send to the Public Security Bureau. I would issue the wanted notice for Jack, announce his capture, conduct an execution ceremony, and then strike his name from the resident registry. That way, Jack Brown would vanish from society, and he would lose any means of changing positions.
I had been uneasy lately because Jack had been exchanging letters frequently with Capo, but now that my Predecessor had given me the push, I thought it was actually convenient. Yes, this was the perfect opportunity to eliminate him completely.
“What are you doing here so late?”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”
You didn’t leave for the day?! I asked in shock, and Jack yawned widely before saying he had dozed off in the Rest Room. No, you should at least make your presence known! If you’re going to sleep, at least snore! You’ve always slept like you’re dead—it’s strange!
“My apologies. But what are you hiding right now?”
“I-I-I-I-I’m not hiding anything.”
“Are you mocking the Young Lady?”
“You insolent wretch!”
I swung my arm to flick him on the forehead, but Jack seized the opportunity to snatch the documents away. That rascal! It was a trap! Jack Brown’s trap!
“What is this? A wanted poster? Jack Brown, murderer and arsonist?”
“….”
“When did I ever commit murder and arson!”
Well, you commit murder every day with all the work you’ve been doing lately.
As I quibbled over his words, Jack protested that this wasn’t the point.
“Look, there’s a reason for this. It’s not what you think.”
“What do you mean, think! I can’t even guess what the Young Lady is planning! Why are you framing me as a murderer and arsonist!”
“That’s because you commit murder every day.”
“That’s not the issue here!”
Right. The point isn’t that. You’ve worked under me for so long that you’ve become quite good at reading between the lines. At first, you’d fall for it if I twisted my words even slightly.
“Stay right there.”
Huh? What are you doing?
Jack pointed at me and told me not to move, then went into the guard’s Rest Room and returned with a beautiful chair. Matching Lucilucil’s set, it had cushioning so plush it seemed filled with duck down, soft velvet upholstery in white, and gold-plated decorative trim.
“Please sit.”
“…What is this?”
“The Thinking Chair Mark Two.”
Ah…. This fellow is quite thoughtful. He must have seen Lucilucil using one and thought it looked nice, so he had one made for me too.
“Please sit down quickly.”
All right, all right. Don’t tug at my sleeve.
I sat in the Thinking Chair as Jack instructed and folded my hands demurely. After reading through all the documents on the desk, the man’s face went pale, and he demanded I explain myself.
“Well, you see, you’ve been corresponding frequently with Capo lately.”
“But I haven’t even changed positions!”
“You have plenty of money now! If you said you were quitting and going off to live as a hermit somewhere, I’d have no way to stop you!”
“What kind of Young Lady does this!”
“Who told you to grow up without my knowledge in the Rest Room?! If I’d just ignored it and moved on, this would all be over by now! You’re supposed to just do what I say, play dead, and handle the household affairs!”
At my outburst, Jack twisted his entire body and said he was getting goosebumps. The man scratched himself all over while struggling to say that he found me so repulsive he couldn’t bear it, then he fed all the documents I’d carefully prepared into the shredder.
“It doesn’t matter, Jack Brown. I can just make new documents.”
“Since you understand, please be quiet.”
What kind of tone is that to use with your master? I pouted my lips and sat obediently in my chair, watching what Jack was doing.
As Jack rummaged through the drawers one by one, he found a template for some kind of document. At the top of the paper was written “Certificate of Donation,” and Jack wrote today’s date before writing that he was donating all the wealth he’d accumulated up to this moment and time to me.
“Wh-what?! Huh?!”
“Is this sufficient now?”
“Jack Brown, your wealth isn’t as small as you think it is. Since the family accountant handles everything, you probably don’t know the scale, but your photo essay royalties and board game copyright fees are no joke. That’s the class where you could even buy a title with money, isn’t it?”
“I am aware. That’s precisely why I’m giving it to you.”
Why, why, why…? I was trying to bury you socially. I was trying to strike your name from the territorial registry, so why are you giving me money? What is this? What’s going on?
“Please understand. Don’t assume everyone is obsessed with money like the Young Lady. I’m already happy just eating well every day, enjoying my hobbies, and sleeping in a warm home. Even if I had a large fortune, I’d have no use for it. If the Young Lady causes trouble because of my wealth, I can simply abandon that fortune.”
“There’s no such thing as a person who doesn’t need money. What are you scheming?”
“So, well… The Young Lady will never know anyway?”
No, you wouldn’t just give me money like that. What are you scheming? You must want something from me, which is why you’re giving me the money!
“Ugh, you’re annoying! Fine, treat it as an investment in the Telecommunications Bureau or whatever!”
Huff, huff, huff—hey, you, Predecessor, what—how is there even a case like this?!
What is this? How is the situation being resolved this way? What exactly does the Predecessor do? And what about you?
“Anyway, since you understand, I’ll stamp it, so go reflect in that chair for one more hour!”
What’s wrong with him? That’s strange. Jack actually stamped the certificate of donation, handed me the paper, and left. I was left dumbfounded as half the startup budget for the telecommunications business suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
It was strange. It was strange, but I couldn’t stop Jack since I couldn’t lose the money that had appeared. So I reflected for one more hour holding the certificate, then went to Lucilucil, and with my mind blank, I fell asleep with my mind blank, woke up with my mind blank, and watched from a distance as Leon flirted with Count Crowley with my mind blank.
It seemed Leon was diligently conducting his social life to extract Count Crowley’s wealth as I’d instructed.
“I can’t afford to be like this.”
That’s right. As if cold water had been poured over my head, I came to my senses, thought of Leon and Jack, and hardened my resolve.
I had to be brave. I turned around on my way to work and headed to the Duke’s Office. After knocking on the door and receiving permission to enter, I took a deep breath and looked at the Duchess.
“Mother.”

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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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