Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 40

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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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Genuinely concerned about that family’s son’s digestion, I followed the Duke into the conference hall and set the documents down. As I surveyed the assembled members, I couldn’t hide my astonishment—the combination was far more unexpected than I’d anticipated.
“The Rocksburg Heir has arrived. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“I’m Sophia Noctram, representing Duke Neitram. Since this is my first time in such a setting, I’ll defer to all of you.”
I’d expected the Edanelli Heir to attend, but I hadn’t anticipated the Duchess of the Northern Region herself. Since she was hardly someone one saw every day, I offered my greetings before distributing the documents and inquiring about everyone’s recent circumstances.
In particular, I had no shortage of questions for the Duchess of Noctram, who now had a son who’d begun babbling.
“By the way, why is this fellow taking so long to arrive? Is he napping again?”
“We avoided that time, so he should be here shortly. More importantly, please remove your feet from the table.”
“How do you even survive being so particular about everything?”
“One manages, somehow.”
“Truly exasperating.”
He still wouldn’t lower his feet. I found myself wondering if Father should have come instead of me, when someone bearing far greater concerns entered through the conference hall doors.
The King, accompanied by his royal guards, stepped inside and surveyed me, Duke Bienar, the Edanelli Heir, and the Duchess of the Northern Region in turn—his expression darkening considerably.
“Be honest with me—are you Dukes deliberately trying to make a fool of me?”
The King, who would have to spend considerable time surrounded by women, threw a tantrum about sending his wife as a proxy instead. I rose from my seat, offering to summon the Rocksburg Duke if that’s what His Majesty preferred.
At that, the seventeenth King of the Alein Kingdom pressed down on my shoulder, forcing me back into my chair, then proceeded wordlessly to the head of the table.

Though His Majesty had likely grasped the general contents through the official documents Father had circulated earlier, those assembled in the conference hall carefully reviewed the materials I’d distributed once more.
The King, clearly finding this situation most troublesome, wore the most somber expression, and the Edanelli representative and the Duchess of Noctram were equally grim.
Which made Duke Bienar’s remarkably refreshed expression impossible to overlook. I genuinely feared what he might be thinking and desperately hoped he’d say nothing, but the man raised his hand with reverence, composed his features with perfect serenity, and spoke in an even tone.
“I believe we must ram cannonballs down those vile Empire dogs’ throats and ensure they never dare show such insolence again.”
“I reject that proposal.”
Since Duke Bienar had spoken calmly, I too voiced my opposition quietly. At that, the Duke seemed dissatisfied with my words and kicked at the table irritably before speaking.
There he goes again, stirring up trouble. Can’t he just sit still for once?
“Listen here, brat. By what authority do you reject anything?”
“During an Emergency Royal Council, Rocksburg holds the chair’s authority.”
“Oh, how impressive. Truly magnificent.”
“I’m honored by your praise and know not what to do with myself.”
Whether Duke Bienar fumed or not as his sea-bleached blue hair rippled in the air, I proceeded with the meeting. When the Duchess of Noctram raised her hand, I granted her the floor. She cleared her throat, noting that while it seemed presumptuous to interject in matters of state, she had something important to say—and her opinion proved roughly equivalent to Duke Bienar’s.
“As a warrior’s wife, I’ll say this: if we remain silent now, we lose face. We must strike first.”
“Well said! As expected, Noctram and I see eye to eye on these matters!”
Yes, you two certainly understand each other well.
When I voiced my rejection once more, both Duke Bienar and the Duchess of Noctram bristled.
Was there not a single person willing to offer a constructive opinion? I looked desperately toward the King, but he still seemed lost in thought. Father had mentioned that His Majesty took considerable time organizing his thoughts, so I’d resolved not to press him—after all, given sufficient time, he handled matters competently. But then I felt someone poking my ribs repeatedly, and I turned my head.
It was the Edanelli Heir sitting beside me. She received a small box from a servant she’d brought, opened it, sprinkled some dried herb-like substance onto paper, worked her fingers deftly to roll it up, and handed one to me.
“Care for a smoke?”
“I don’t use tobacco.”
At my flat refusal, the Heir’s face fell.
Afterward, apparently intending to smoke alone, the Edanelli Heir attempted to light a cigarette, so I lectured her about not smoking inside the conference room. My sister pouted at me with a far more sullen expression than before.
I’m going to lose my mind. Could Father have anticipated this and sent me here deliberately?
Wondering if my sister had any opinions at all, I nudged Dorothy Edanelli in the ribs and pressed her, but she merely held the unlit cigarette in her mouth without igniting it and offered a few words about the Edanelli Territory.
“In Edanelli, most matters are resolved through money.”
“We cannot simply fawn over the Empire by bringing them currency. The currencies differ, and we are not even a vassal state of theirs.”
“In such cases, one sends what money cannot buy.”
Dorothy shrugged her shoulders, used her own hand as a flower vase to adorn her face like a blossom, and declared herself a treasure of the Kingdom. I decided to accept her argument.
“I see. Then Edanelli’s position shall be recorded as sending Dorothy Edanelli, a priceless treasure of the Kingdom, as a court lady.”
“A joke! A joke, a joke! Merely an Edanelli jest!”
Why would she make jokes in a conference room, of all places?
I ignored Dorothy’s gentle pats on my back and recorded Edanelli’s position in the minutes. Then the Duchess of Noctram assumed an expression of utmost gravity and spoke with weight.
“Have the heirs of each Duke come here merely to visit? The situation is more dire than ever before. You who have not experienced war cannot fathom its horrors. Fighting is not a numbers game—real people die. And those who die are innocent Kingdom citizens who enlisted. Do you not understand the resolve required to hold the front lines even as blood pools on the earth and the stench of decay fills the air, even as supply shortages leave soldiers starving?”
“That is precisely why we have gathered—to prevent that very war. Have I written the report in a manner difficult to understand?”
“To prevent massive casualties, we must strike first!”
“Exactly!”
They were delighted, absolutely thrilled. The two of them were practically dancing to the drums while charging headlong toward the Empire.
I slammed the table and stood, telling the eloquent Duchess of Noctram that her proposal was rejected, and sought the next opinion.
When I suggested that if no viable solution emerged, we should proceed with sending Dorothy Edanelli to the Empire, the Edanelli Heir looked at me with resentful eyes and clutched her head. If we had come this far, surely my sister would offer at least one sensible opinion.
“The Rocksburg Heir knows nothing but rejection! If you don’t understand war, keep your mouth shut and stay crumpled over there!”
No, just as I was trying to stay quiet, the Duchess kept muddying the point.
To actively challenge the two who were itching for war, I threw the minutes onto the table and looked at the Duchess of Noctram.
“Duchess, if you understand neither administration nor diplomacy, then remain silent. Where exactly does the money for war spring from the earth?”
“Ah, the little one won’t ask me for money, so leave me be! We’ll use our own funds!”
“When you end up bankrupt doing that, who doesn’t know you’ll come begging to us? Strike first and get beaten back, then you’ll demand money from Edanelli for post-war recovery and reconstruction. It’s painfully obvious!”
“Little one, are you now disrespecting Duke Bienar, who has no match once he opens fire? Am I a laughingstock to you?!”
“You’ve only chosen battles you could win with minimal effort thus far—is that something to boast about?”
“This child truly knows nothing! That itself is a skill! Ambushes are tactics, and when commanding an army, one naturally fights only winnable battles!”
“Duke, you’ve been managing private pirate gangs far more than your actual military.”
“This little one takes after her father—always nitpicking at every word!”
As Duke Bienar beat his chest, saying his frustration was boiling over, and we continued our back-and-forth, Dorothy quietly raised her hand and said she could provide financial support without hesitation. I glared at her.
When I could barely restrain the two of them, how could she hand them money and encourage war?
With that in mind, I snatched the cigarette from Dorothy’s mouth, snapped it in half, and made a throat-cutting gesture with my hand. The woman’s eyes rolled before she corrected herself.
“Please forget what I said about support. I believe fighting is not a good idea after all.”
“You see? Even Edanelli refuses to provide funds.”
“That temperament! That Rocksburg temperament!”
Duke Bienar, fuming, rose from his seat and approached me, so Jack Brown stepped in front of me. He was merely fulfilling his duty as my escort, but the enraged Duke seemed to take it as provocation, grabbing Jack by the collar and asking if he wanted to fight, when at last the King, having made his decision, spoke with relief.
“Perhaps we should simply have them fight it out.”
“Your Majesty, how did you arrive at such a satisfying conclusion!”
Duke Bienar of the Eastern Region sang with delight about mobilizing his entire army, and the Duchess of Noctram’s face brightened as she offered to call upon herself and her family troops to assist, but to my ears, the King’s words did not sound like approval for war.
“By ‘have them fight it out,’ you mean…?”
“The First Prince and Fourth Prince. The conflict between the Heretical Sect and the Orthodox Church of Joraab.”
I see.
It made sense. The Fourth Prince wasn’t a fool—he would certainly understand what consumed the Third Prince’s attention. Though things remained quiet for now, if the discord between the Orthodox Church and the Heretical Sect intensified, there was no telling what measures the unpredictable Third Prince might employ from abroad. The Kingdom would have no choice but to demand his repatriation.
If the First Prince desired a war orchestrated through the Heretical Sect to solidify his position, then the Fourth Prince—backed by the Orthodox Church—faced a precarious situation. The Third Prince had become a dangerous variable that demanded immediate action.
“Here, Chapter of the Apocalypse, page four. There’s a prophecy section announcing the beginning, isn’t there?”
At the King’s words, everyone turned the pages, and there lay a passage describing how the world would be shrouded in darkness when a witch from beyond the land brought the seeds of calamity.
“What if we sent a state envoy timed with the eclipse? We’ve already welcomed the Third Prince, so they have no grounds to refuse.”
This man truly possessed a sharp mind. If we dispatched a diplomatic mission timed with the eclipse—grand enough to be proclaimed throughout the entire Empire—the Heretical Sect would undoubtedly cry out that the apocalypse had begun.
Should the Fourth Prince insist after our discussion that the Third Prince cannot be forcibly repatriated, we could threaten to execute the second prophecy as well.

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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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