Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 26

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The acrid stench of ink mingled with coffee vapors pounded against my skull until my head throbbed mercilessly. Glen, observing my distress with a single comment, fetched a glass of cold water and pressed it into my hands as if to say I needed to regain my senses.
“Must I truly exert myself to this extent merely to meet the Third Prince?”
“Yes.”
Why was he stating the obvious? Since this was no ordinary opportunity, I nodded readily and accepted the glass, sipping the water in measured intervals. The moment the liquid touched my tongue, I tasted coffee. Had my palate been permanently pickled in caffeine?
“Does the Third Prince appeal to you so greatly?”
“Yes.”
“…What exactly appeals to you about him?”
“Broad chest, firm backside, sturdy thighs.”
As I mimicked puffing out my chest with my hands, Glen released a peculiar sound—something between a whimper and a laugh, a strangled sort of sob. For reasons unknown, he then seized my fountain pen from my grasp, held it himself, and exhaled a long sigh.
“I shall complete the rest. You must rest tonight.”
“No. I created this mess, so I must finish it myself.”
“Simply sleep. Will you truly attend tomorrow’s banquet looking like that?”
Like what? If Glen was compelled to speak in such terms, the situation was dire indeed. I retrieved a hand mirror from the drawer and examined my reflection.
My face bore a sickly grey pallor, and my appearance was utterly wretched.
“…Cosmetics can conceal this much.”
“At your coming-of-age ceremony, you told me that oversleeping would ruin your makeup, then dumped all the work on me.”
“My fiancé certainly possesses an impressive memory.”
“Return to your chambers. Just as Rosalite said she had the strength to support me alone, I too possess the strength to serve Rosalite alone.”
What? Had I truly said such a thing?
Regardless, my fiancé’s memory was indeed formidable. Hearing such reassuring words, drowsiness overwhelmed me, and I rose from my seat without resisting Glen’s guiding hand.
Glen carried the fresh scent of someone recently bathed, mingled with a delicate floral fragrance. As I sniffed shamelessly toward his neck, burying my face there, he attempted to pull away, but the aroma was so soothing—like perfectly laundered bedding that invited sleep—that I grasped his waist and drew him closer, pressing my nose against his shoulder.
I was exhausted. I could endure no longer.
“Thank you. I’ll rest here for a moment. Do what you can and feel free to leave.”
I thoroughly savored Glen’s freshness before retrieving a blanket from the storage cabinet, sprawling across the sofa, and draping it over myself. Somewhere in the fog of sleep, I seemed to hear the sound of someone scratching at the desk, though I could not be certain.
Perhaps I had merely dreamed it.

◇ ◆ ◇

I slept soundly.
When I woke, I found myself alone in the Office, only to discover that Glen had already completed all the tasks I’d intended to handle. Thanks to him, the heaviness in my body had lifted, and my complexion had brightened considerably. I wanted to thank Glen, but he’d worked through the night in my stead and was surely sleeping by now, while I had mountains of preparations ahead of me this morning.
I needed to bathe, apply a facial mask, groom myself, style my hair, meet with Luke to compare the gifts we’d selected for the Third Prince, and arrive at the Banquet Hall early.
I downed a glass of cold water in one gulp and summoned the grooming specialists to establish today’s theme. Since this was a banquet, there was no harm in going all out with my appearance. I instructed them to emphasize my makeup and make me look beautiful and striking, then recalled that Luke’s hair was reddish and decided to coordinate my accessories in red tones.
Since I was bringing him as my partner, color coordination was the bare minimum. From the selection of dresses the maidservants presented, I chose a newly made halter-neck evening gown, paired it with exceptionally high heels, and pinned my hair up.
After inserting ornaments and jewels throughout my hair to create a crown-like effect, my head felt considerably heavier, but it looked so beautiful that I could bear it. This much was necessary when meeting the Third Prince.
I gathered Aster, whom I’d be bringing as my escort, and boarded our carriage to meet Luke. I’d worried he might choose white formal wear to match me, but fortunately, Luke wore dark formal attire and climbed into our family carriage without issue.
He later explained that the Third Prince preferred wearing white, so he’d deliberately avoided that color to prevent overlap. Imagining white clothing against the Third Prince’s brown complexion drew an involuntary sigh of admiration from me.
White suits Campion perfectly, of course. The imperial court’s styling sense from the Largol Empire clearly knew what they were doing.

After Luke and I exchanged pleasantries about how beautiful and handsome we looked, we held hands and made our way to the Banquet Hall, where an attendant informed us that the Queen would not be attending today’s banquet.
It seemed to be a considerate gesture for the younger people to enjoy themselves together—I was deeply grateful. Now I could observe the Third Prince without worrying about appearances.
I confirmed with the attendant that meals had been generously prepared in the adjoining room for the escort, then cheerfully sent Aster off to eat his fill by the door.
As Luke and I entered the Banquet Hall, I saw the Crown Prince already seated at the head of the unnecessarily long table.
The man smiled broadly upon seeing me, his expression clearly conveying displeasure.
“By whose permission did you come here, Young Lady of Rocksburg Duchy?”
“By the Queen’s permission. Since we’ve already exchanged pleasantries before, let’s dispense with formalities and enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”
“It seems Rocksburg Ducal House has been quite idle lately. Shall I provide you with more work?”
“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline, Your Highness. I’ve pulled three all-nighters just to be here to see you today.”
“Do you wish to see me so desperately? Are you perhaps harboring feelings for me? Please refrain from such behavior—you have a fiancé. It’s quite unsettling.”
“I understand you’re disappointed about not being able to marry, but please don’t harass an innocent person. I came here to see the Third Prince.”
We continued our verbal sparring back and forth until Theodore’s expression grew puzzled. The man paused, curious about why I would come to see the Largol Empire’s Third Prince, and his confusion deepened when he noticed the man standing beside me.
“It is an honor to meet you in person, Your Highness. I am Luke Chatel, Global Operations Director and Alein Kingdom Branch Manager of the Chatel Corporation Group of the Largol Empire.”
“Where is the fiancé you were so proud of, Young Lady? Why have you brought another man instead?”
Apparently judging Luke to be insufficiently important for a proper greeting, Theodore didn’t spare him a glance as Luke bowed and instead asked me about Glen’s whereabouts.
I’d anticipated that Luke would remain unfazed even if ignored, and true to form, he stood beside me with an untroubled expression, smiling contentedly. Well done, Luke. I’m proud of how steadfast and upright you’ve grown.
“Glen has been working through the night on my behalf and is now pitifully asleep from exhaustion. Isn’t that admirable? Where else could I find someone willing to sacrifice themselves so devotedly for someone like me, who rarely has opportunities to go out? Well, of course, if we searched the entire Kingdom thoroughly, we might find someone, but perhaps our entire Ducal House could exert ourselves on your behalf? Simply give the order, and we shall find you a more excellent son-in-law candidate than Glen and present him to you.”
“You there. Quickly seat the Young Lady of Rocksburg Duchy.”
Don’t cover your ears only when it’s inconvenient!
Just as my words were about to continue at length, Theodore covered his ears, summoned a Maidservant, offered me a seat, and made excuses about Marius being late.
The Third Prince would arrive soon, so I decided not to belabor the point this time and obediently took my seat, moistening my dry throat with water from the glass. Based on how Luke and I were seated to the left of the Crown Prince, it appeared the Princess and the Third Prince would be seated across from us.
Good. Across from us is better for observing than sitting beside him.
I gripped Luke’s hand tightly and tried to calm my racing heart, when shortly after, a Maidservant entered and whispered something in the Crown Prince’s ear.
He’s here.
This meant he had arrived.
Luke felt it too, gripping my hand even tighter and tapping his fingers on the table. His behavior was hardly proper, and I should have pointed it out, but the moment the Third Prince of the Largol Empire opened the Banquet Hall doors and entered, I slammed the table and bolted from my seat—hardly a position to criticize anyone’s manners, so I refrained.
This is madness. That body is a work of art.
Just as Luke had predicted, the Third Prince Marius wore white, and given his role as a diplomatic envoy, he was dressed in traditional Largol Empire attire. The thin, flowing fabric revealed the contours of his body beneath, and merely gazing upon his sensual physique with my own eyes filled me with such guilt that I felt the weight of shackles clamped around both my wrists.
It’s fine. Even if I’m shackled, it’s fine. I’ve seen him—that’s enough. I could walk into a police station right now and be satisfied.
“….”
No, I’m not satisfied. I can’t end it here. If I’m going to get caught anyway, I want to make a bit more progress before that happens.
After watching Theodore and the Third Prince exchange greetings, I took Luke’s hand and stood, scurrying toward the Prince.
Now, how does the proper etiquette go? First, I grab my skirt. Bow at the waist. Then, the greeting. How do I greet? Oh, the Imperial language! I should use the Imperial language!
『Ah, g-good day to you. I, I am, no, I mean…』
“Please, speak freely. As your guest, I should be the one using your country’s language.”
My goodness, the Prince is so considerate!
Accepting the Third Prince’s kindness gracefully, I blurted out my first greeting in the Alein Kingdom language and extended my trembling hand for a handshake. Despite my fumbling movements being utterly ungraceful, the Prince smiled at me like sunshine itself, then rolled up his long sleeves and took my hand in his.
Indecent. I’m losing my mind. His skin already had a bronze tone, but the contrast between the exposed skin on his forearms and the paler skin usually hidden beneath his clothes was so scandalously alluring that I felt like a terrible person for finding eroticism in such a detail, making both my wrists feel heavier than before.
What do I do? My heart feels like it’s about to burst.
“Th-thank you. Like the sea, thank you. This hand, I, I won’t w-wash it!”
“Relax. I’m not such a difficult person. You must be Rosalite, the heir of the Rocksburg Ducal House? You’re far cuter than I heard.”
Kyaaaaa! He said I’m cute!
Savoring the callused hand—marked with honest, hardened skin at each precise point where a sword is gripped—I was so delighted I could die. I twisted and writhed my body, poking Luke’s ribs repeatedly while he exchanged greetings with the Prince, causing quite a commotion.
Understanding my feelings, Luke patiently accepted my jabs. After he finished exchanging greetings with the Prince and even made plans to meet separately later, he shook hands with him and then took his turn poking my ribs in return.
Hehe. The sensation of the calluses remains on my hand. Since he does nothing rough except train in self-defense and physical conditioning, the rest of his skin—including the back of his hand—is soft and smooth, but regardless, it felt absolutely wonderful.
“By the way… I heard the Princess will also be attending the banquet?”
Huh, is that so? The Queen told us young people to enjoy the banquet together, so I naturally assumed the Princess would attend as well. It was strange that she hadn’t shown her face yet.
Wondering if we were being made to wait for a guest who had come from afar, I glared at the Crown Prince, and the man spouted a lie without batting an eye.
“The First Princess suddenly developed a fever and cannot attend. She asked me to convey her apologies for not greeting you in person.”
“Oh my…”
She’s sulking.
Guessing the reason the First Princess had taken to her bed with a fever, I sensed the flow was shifting toward everyone taking their seats, so I racked my brain as hard as I could.
If we sit apart now, there will be no more opportunities for physical contact. Leaving without touching him one more time when he’s this close would be the greatest shame in Rosalite Rocksburg’s entire life.
So I decided to let the strength drain from my legs.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————