Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 259

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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 had inherited nothing but a title from Father, and I was furious to find myself drowning in labor indistinguishable from my previous duties. This man had been laying groundwork ever since the day I returned from Largol. Not a single task was unfamiliar, and as I processed each one with practiced efficiency, my body trembled with deep, seething rage.
So that was when it began. From the moment Mother settled permanently into the household, my predecessor had been preparing his escape, ready to dump everything upon my shoulders. As a result, Father would remain shackled to this estate for another decade, but now that I understood the full extent of his scheming, a fury I thought long buried began to accumulate within me.
Even knowing right from wrong, was there nothing I could do? Could I never let go of this baseless resentment?
“Duke!”
I was absolutely sick of hearing that title! Fine! I know, I know I’m the Duke now, damn it!
I threw a tantrum at Luke, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, and kicked the desk. Aster, who had been bowing perpetually this whole time, placed chicken tikka masala onto a piece of naan and fed it to my mouth.
Delicious! We truly made an excellent choice with our sous chef. Ever since Lucilucil’s taste returned, he had been insufferably picky—complaining this was bland, that didn’t match the Imperial Palace recipe—yet this miracle worker had managed to satisfy his every whim.
“Duke! Listen! Eri called me ‘older brother’!”
“What! Eri’s already speaking! Isn’t she a prodigy!”
“Well, most children say ‘mama’ and ‘papa’ by one year old.”
At Luke’s news, the entire Duke’s Office staff abandoned their work and rushed toward him. Since “older brother” was admittedly more difficult than “mama” and “papa,” everyone was brimming with anticipation. Would we finally hear those words?
“Miss Eri, try saying ‘older brother’—oppa.”
As Luke coaxed the child in his arms, speaking gently and deliberately, the little one puckered her mouth in preparation, then pronounced it with perfect clarity.
“Op, ba.”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Did you hear! She said ‘older brother’! I told you she did!”
“A prodigy! Isn’t she a prodigy, Sister! Eri must be a genius because she takes after you!”
“That’s what I’m saying—one-year-olds normally speak.”
Me too! Me too! I wanted to hear her say ‘mama’ next, but Glen was faster. My husband blocked my path, cut me off mid-sentence, and did something he’d never done in all our years together—he forced Eri to say ‘papa.’
“Eri, say ‘papa.’ Papa. Pa-pa.”
“Pa-a!”
“Rosalite! Did you see! She said ‘papa’! Eri said ‘papa’!”
As if that were any different from her usual babbling. Finally, it was my turn. I picked Eri up and pressed her. Say ‘mama,’ say ‘mama.’ As I repeated it over and over, Eri suddenly began chewing her tongue with her toothless gums.
“What is she doing?”
“I have no idea.”
The little one went “puu, puu,” her mouth opening and closing, then made a sound like “uwa-uwa” while moving her jaw. And then she spoke to me, each syllable distinct.
“Duke.”
….
….
….
….
“My goodness, our little lady is truly a prodigy, isn’t she?”
No. This had to be a dream. What one-year-old in this world looks at her mother and calls her “Duke”?
I handed the child to Leon and ordered everyone to step back, creating a wide space. Glen protested, asking what on earth I was doing, but I had urgent business to attend to.
“Hup!”
A forward roll! Let me start with a forward roll!
I planted my head on the floor and tumbled, then sprang up and took Eri back from Leon. And I asked again.
“Eri. Who am I? I’m your mother. Say it—mother. Say mother.”
“Uh, uh-uh.”
That’s right. Mother. Say mother. I’m telling you to say mother.
Hurry up!
I glared and pressed her, but Eri’s face flushed crimson as she repeated the same sounds.
“Duke!”
“Say mother, you little rascal!”
“Uh-eh-eh, uh-aang!”
“Compose yourself, Rosalite!”
“Sister! Calm down! Give me my niece!”
“What are you doing with a baby, acting like that!”
She takes the long way around instead of just saying it plainly! Listen here, you little thing—be honest with me. Which side are you on during this whole mess? Confess and we can find a way out. Keep your mouth shut and when it comes out later, I’m selling you off at five years old!
“Why are you like this today! Aster! Go get something to eat, quickly!”
“Huff, huff. Okay.”
Jack held me firmly as I thrashed about, calming me down, while Aster baked fresh naan, topped it with chicken tikka masala, and brought it to my lips.
No—I’m not Aster, and having food shoved in my mouth isn’t going to make me docile.
“….”
Well, it does.
I chewed quietly, savoring the taste. Mmm… very spicy. The Largol spices were creating a miraculous harmony with the perfectly prepared chicken. Lately, I’d been craving anything hot, salty, and sour.
“Compose yourself, Rosalite. Shh, shh. Rosalite is a good Rosalite.”
Yes, I know that. As Glen held me close and stroked my back, I regained my composure and sighed.
Mmm… now that I’m calm, my mouth feels empty again. Aster, bake me one more sheet!
“Huff, huff, yes.”
Why is this boy breathing so strangely? Aster quickly baked naan in the personal clay oven he’d brought from Sage, then suddenly collapsed to the side. Since the oven’s power came from a magic crystal, it couldn’t be carbon monoxide poisoning—what on earth was happening!
“Aster! Aster, are you alright! What’s wrong!”
“I… didn’t even get… one sheet…”
What?! You’re saying I ate all the naan you baked and you didn’t get even one sheet?! Wait—did I really eat that much?!
“Get a hold of yourself! Chestnut bread! Bring the emergency chestnut bread!”
At my command, Violet rushed to the Rest Room, and Aster’s emergency ration—drenched in maple syrup—arrived. After refueling slightly, Aster ate through the remaining naan and chicken masala while crying, and I swallowed hard, comforting the weeping boy.
Later, at the Banquet Hall where the whole family gathered, I devoured food like a beggar in my belly, and Lucilucil eventually overturned his plate, ranting that this wasn’t food meant for people to eat, which made the head chef cry. We were both summoned by our predecessors and scolded, and afterward, we were examined by the Doctor, who confirmed my pregnancy.
When I was carrying Glen, I only had morning sickness. But since the child in my belly is Lucilucil’s, his temperament is truly vile. I’d wondered lately why both Lucilucil and I had been prone to near-hysterical outbursts as a set, but now I understood—it was because of the child…
Lucilucil and I sat side by side on the reflection chair, writing apology letters, discussing how frightening hormones are and the events that had transpired, and made a promise to take deep breaths before losing our tempers.

◇ ◆ ◇

The seasons changed, and Mother gave birth to Leon’s child and my youngest sister, Yudith Rocksburg. The newborn didn’t cry at birth, so everyone worried that something was wrong due to Mother’s advanced age. But after a month passed, the child cried well, laughed well, ate well, and defecated well like Eri, so we were relieved.
The problem was Mother. She stubbornly insisted on raising the child herself without hiring a nanny, even if it killed her, so we didn’t hire anyone new. But after a few days, overwhelmed by the work, she secretly left Yudith in Eri’s room and we had to hurriedly find a nanny for Yudith.
Fortunately, Eri’s Nanny Laura helped us, so we were able to find someone quickly. Yudith’s nanny’s name was Kensha, Laura’s third younger sister. I wanted to recommend the second sister, but she said that although she was sturdy, she had a chronic illness and wouldn’t be able to work at the Duke’s Mansion.
Kensha was slightly smaller in build than Laura, but still a head taller than an ordinary person. And when she nursed Yudith, I was enormously curious about why she had bullet wounds shaped like the Big Dipper across her chest, but I was too afraid to ask. That family is truly peculiar.
In any case, my child with Lucilucil should grow up healthy without complications, just like Eri and Yudith. I joked that I was worried because Lucilucil was getting old, but the man just broke into a cold sweat and gave no answer.
Something seemed odd. Generally, don’t people rejoice when they have a child? Glen and Mother and Father did, and no matter what, there was at least minimal joy along with bewilderment. After giving birth and becoming attached to the child, I was absolutely delighted.
Hmm… perhaps it’s because this is Lucilucil’s first time becoming a father. It takes considerable time to become accustomed to such things. This is my second time becoming a mother, but it’s his first, so perhaps he needs some consideration. So let’s leave it for now.
He’ll have heavy shoulders since he’ll be responsible for the child going forward, but becoming a father isn’t a frightening thing. Having comforted the man thus, I called for Ling Ling with a considerably lighter heart than at my first childbirth.
Ling Ling, who had reached Second Circle this year, could now use instruments to move the fetus instead of using her bare hands. Children born through this instrument develop large bruises on the areas the instrument touched for a while, and children with these bruises are called Ling Ling Babies, becoming a mark in High Society of how much money one spent on childbirth. Because of this, manipulating the bruises became rampant, and the Royal Family began cracking down on it by visiting noble mansions, or so I heard.
The King and Crown Prince, who wanted to blame me for every single mistake from start to finish, tried to fine me for corrupting the nation’s morals. But when I said I wouldn’t lend them Ling Ling if they annoyed me, their complaints vanished.
More than that, while I’ve given birth twice, Capo still has no news. Is there really something wrong with that Crown Prince? Should I push Four Spans to make a child right now?
“Ling Ling, are we done now?”
“Huff! Wait just a moment, Duke! There’s one more!”
What? That means… twins?!
Seeing the child come out into the world perfectly fine and crying, I thought it was all over and tried to call the High Priest, but Ling Ling made a fuss and told me to stay lying down.
My goodness, Lucilucil, you efficiency-obsessed madman. You made me wait so long, and now you’re pulling off a two-for-one special.
I laughed heartily and was about to share this joyful news with my husbands, but the Doctor who went to wash the children suddenly screamed. That’s strange. What’s wrong? Did the child already speak? Are they a genius?
After the High Priest finished the cleanup and I received treatment with a lighter body, the doctors came rushing to me with the twins wrapped up tightly, saying something terrible had happened.
“It’s terrible, Duke! Something terrible has happened!”
“Calm down. What is it?”
I had wondered which would win—our family’s genetics or the Largol Imperial Family’s genetics. It seems Lucilucil won. The twins, whose hair hadn’t yet grown in, had darkish skin, apparently having inherited Lucilucil’s blood quite strongly. Still, what can I say—they’re not quite as dark as Lucilucil himself, so it seems mine is mixed in to some degree as well.
In any case, it’s unusual but not unheard of. Currently, the Queen is from Edanelli, but all her children are the spitting image of the King. Perhaps the doctors are making such a fuss because the twins’ eyes are blue and beautiful like Lucilucil’s.
“The young masters have one eye that’s blue!”
No, so the blue eyes are from Lucilucil’s bloodline…
“…One eye?”
“Yes! The left eye is blue and the right is golden!”
“…”
Ah… so that means… they have heterochromia, and we don’t have such genetics in our family…
“The family registry! Quickly bring both our family registry and the Imperial Family registry!”
“Yes, Duke!”
This bastard was acting so strangely pitiful and fidgeting before I entered the delivery room—he must have anticipated this outcome! I forced the High Priest to exhaust all his sacred power to recover, then issued a warrant for Lucilucil’s arrest throughout the entire Territory.
This scoundrel must have done something while I was giving birth.

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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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