Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 48

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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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Whether man or woman, to avoid attracting strange people, one must be strong and intelligent.
Hmm… Yes, I should wait until they’re over twenty before asking about their wishes. That age is still quite young, but at least they won’t say they wish to avoid studying.
『Am I really going mad?』
『Why do you keep calling me mad?』
『No, it’s just that your expression keeps changing every moment.』
There’s a very deep reason for that.
When I casually changed the subject and asked about Imperial Court affairs, the First Prince eagerly shared all sorts of gossip about the Fourth Prince and his mother, along with various criticisms. Since the conversation was fascinating, I listened intently, and the man—who had been enthusiastically tearing into the immature Fourth Prince—added that he had somewhere to be, but promised to visit often.
I asked why he would want to visit when this was enemy territory and I had already betrayed him once. He replied that there was nowhere else he could eat snacks without worrying about dying. Feeling sympathetic toward Lucius, I told him not to worry about timing and to visit whenever he pleased.
Truly, the Imperial Court is frightening in ways different from my homeland. What a pitiful fellow.

After enjoying a bit more of my private tea time, Aster entered the room looking as though she were about to expire. The moment she opened the door, she scanned the room for me, approached my feet, dropped to her knees, and poured out her words while clutching at her hair.
“Miss, let’s go home quickly. I hate that bastard. He keeps trying to hold my hand, and I hate it. He keeps trying to put his mouth on my hand, and I hate it. What possible meaning could there be in putting one’s mouth on the hand that wipes excrement? Is that man a pervert? A pervert who blushes while smelling someone else’s filth?”
Wow. This is the first time I’ve heard Aster speak with such venom at such length.
More than that, watch your tongue. If others hear, they’ll think our household has no toilet paper.
“Your expression is strange. Kissing the back of one’s hand is a sign of affection and goodwill, isn’t it? You yourself put your mouth on my hand when you swore your oath as a knight.”
“That situation is different from this one.”
“How is it different?”
“You don’t defecate, Miss.”
Hmm…
What on earth do you see when you look at me?
I pondered whether I should preserve her innocence or tell her the truth, then decided to preserve it and rose from my seat.
“Aster, I’m asking just to be sure—you do wash your hands after using the toilet, don’t you?”
“Of course I do?”
But then why does she keep saying her hands smell? Why is she so vocally expressing her dislike of the Fourth Prince?
Still, Aster’s dislike of the Fourth Prince is what it is, and we have work to do. At least until the Third Prince is repatriated and we meet with the High Priestess, we need to keep up appearances.
“Hohoho, by the way, surely the Fourth Prince didn’t send you a gift because he was thinking of you?”
Her reaction was predictable, but I still had to do my best to lift her spirits.
I approached Aster with the surprise gift the Maidservant had brought earlier. Since Aster would never open it with her own hands until it rotted away, I opened it for her instead, and with a flourish, I held up a fiery red evening dress and smiled.
“Oh, how beautiful. This fits snugly, so when our stylish Aster wears it, she’ll look absolutely gorgeous~.”
“I won’t wear it.”
“Come now, just try it on once, Aster. The person giving it has good intentions. Oh, how beautiful. Look at this—there are even cubic zirconia crystals on the hem, all sparkly~.”
“If it looks that beautiful, why don’t you wear it, Miss?”
“How could I wear this with my frame! It would drag on the ground!”
This girl, bragging about being tall now!
Suddenly flustered, I composed myself again and suggested she just slip one sleeve on, then followed after Aster with the evening dress spread open.
After resisting for some time, Aster realized she couldn’t overcome my will, and with tears in her eyes, she reluctantly took hold of the dress, saying “just this once,” and received the Maidservants’ assistance.
Since the Fourth Prince’s card contained a message that he was urgently hosting a party at the Fourth Prince’s Palace tonight and wanted her to attend without fail, I attended the party as a gatecrasher while helping Aster with her outfit, adorned as she was with jewels dangling from her hair, ears, and neck.
The moment the Fourth Prince saw Aster in her finest attire, he collapsed to his knees, weeping that the goddess of beauty herself had descended upon him. Meanwhile, I spent the night dancing with the soldiers of Noctram and the other neglected guests, and they matched my pace effortlessly, their usual rigorous training keeping them from tiring.
After so long without such spirited dancing, I was thoroughly satisfied.

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Over the following days, I continued to monitor whether the Fourth Prince was handling his duties well, while Aster withered away. Every night, the Fourth Prince carved out time to host parties, turning each evening into a parade of new steps and the joy of encountering fresh choreography. After the First Prince decided it looked amusing and forcibly crashed the party venue, I even gained the opportunity to learn new dances from him.
Each day was rewarding and fulfilling. Though the Fourth Prince seemed displeased by the First Prince’s appearances at the party venue, whether they had struck some bargain or whether he was simply content as long as Aster remained at his side, I found myself learning the Imperial Court’s signature tango every night from the First Prince.
Personally, I found swing dancing delightfully straightforward and fun, but the tango he taught me was unexpectedly exhilarating and intensely expressive—nothing like traditional tango. There were moves where I’d slide across the floor, aerial steps woven throughout, and I felt a twinge of envy that the Imperial Palace had kept such entertaining dances to itself all this time. But now that I’ve learned them, it doesn’t matter!
When I return home, I’ll teach Father and Leon, and I’ll have words with Luke about why he never mentioned such dances existed.
In any case, I spent every day having fun with Lucius, but Aster changed into newly delivered dresses of different designs daily and barely ate properly, so she stumbled about listlessly. She resembled those inflatable balloon figures shops used to place outside their entrances during grand openings.
I had initially prevented her from eating too much because Aster had a tendency to devour party venue food until her stomach was distended, worried the dresses wouldn’t fit properly. But seeing her so drained made my heart ache.
The Imperial Court was already renowned for its excellent preparation of four-legged meat, which Aster loved. At the very least, before we left for home, I’d make sure she ate her fill.
In any case, my patience had paid off—today I finally received an imperial decree from the Emperor commanding the Third Prince to return to the Empire with haste. With all business concluded, nothing remained but to meet with the High Priestess, gather the diplomatic achievements and the decree, and make our triumphant return home.
“Aster, what are you doing! Change your clothes quickly!”
“…Again?”
“This is the last time, so bear with me a little longer.”
The moment I finished speaking, Aster’s face brightened considerably.
Could she really be that eager to go home….
Aster, humming cheerfully about never returning to the Empire again once she got home, donned the outfit the Fourth Prince had prepared, fastened a sword she’d grown accustomed to at her hip, and stood confidently before me.
Today the Fourth Prince had prepared a ultra-mini dress adorned with pure white lace frills and a lily hairpiece, but with the thought of finally leaving, Aster seemed to have shed all sense of modesty or concern.
Don’t bounce around so much or your underwear will show. Especially with those trunks you’re wearing underneath.
“Let’s hurry, miss!”
This was the first time I’d seen Aster looking so vibrant in such an outfit.
Watching Aster stride forward confidently, sword at her side, something stirred in my memory…. What was it…. Those girls from old manga who went around beating people up. You know the ones—girls in pretty clothes who’d fight people, destroy buildings, and do all that pretty, cure-cure stuff.
Those girls were always so spirited and charming. Since Aster was also prone to hitting people, I found myself drawing parallels. A pretty and cure-cure Aster. It suited her well.
In any case, I took the flower-adorned Aster to meet the Fourth Prince, and as always, the man collapsed in tears and called out to the heavens.
That fellow certainly has deep faith. It must not be easy for him to speak in tongues like that every time.
Aster and I waited for the Fourth Prince to compose himself, then proceeded with the schedule we’d been anticipating all this while. The allotted audience time was shorter than expected, but since our business was simple, thirty minutes should suffice.

◇ ◆ ◇

As the carriage raced forward, an enormous structure appeared that rivaled the Imperial Palace itself in its majestic grandeur. Since this was the Imperial Capital, the streets were already impeccably maintained, but the path leading to the Zoroab Church Main Temple was nothing short of the height of extravagance.
The ground was lined with tile murals based on religious scripture, each one composed of finely polished marble, jade, and celadon. With treasures like these embedded in the floor, the citizens of the capital were remarkable for not stealing them, the security system was impressive enough to catch and punish any who tried, and the empire’s wealth was such that any damage could be swiftly repaired.
This spoke volumes about the Zoroab Religion’s standing in the Empire. It was no coincidence that people said it was harder to gain an audience with the High Priestess than with the Emperor himself.
“We’ve arrived. Please, try not to be disrespectful to Her Holiness.”
“You worry too much.”
I bit back the urge to tell him to watch himself and Aster—lest you both fidget and slip into your provincial dialect in your excitement.
Following the priests’ guidance, I entered the Audience Chamber and came face to face with the High Priestess seated in the hall. The elderly woman, attended by three individuals who appeared to be high priests, seemed to have anticipated my arrival before I could even offer my greetings, and she guessed the purpose of my visit.
“I’ve been expecting you. It seems a guest I’ll be seeing for many years to come has arrived.”
“…Pardon?”
What on earth was she talking about?
I had no choice but to question her, as the High Priestess had uttered something so unexpected. Expecting me? Seeing me for many years? What did she mean?
“…”
Was this… a Zen riddle?!
Well, religious folk did love their Zen riddles. I began to ponder deeply what the High Priestess’s words might mean, and she tilted her head in surprise at my contemplation before asking me a question.
“Haven’t you come to cleanse yourself of the spiritual defilement clinging to you?”
“…?”
Defilement? From a religious perspective, defilement didn’t simply mean physical filth clinging to me. Could she mean a curse?
…A curse?
“Wait! I’m cursed?!”
“…You came without knowing?”
How was I supposed to know that?! More importantly, what kind of curse?!
This is strange. I’ve never had contact with dark magic, have I? Did the Princess’s dark mage do something? Or did Lam unknowingly cast a curse on me? That’s actually possible! Lam could easily cast a curse in her sleep!
“How disrespectful. Rosalite Rocksburg,” the Fourth Prince said, poking me repeatedly as he noticed my outburst, trying to warn me, but I had no room for such concerns now. With this wretched life already unbearable, and now cursed on top of it all, it was enough to drive anyone mad!
Unable to bear watching me make a fuss, the Fourth Prince kept poking me to get my attention, but I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that right now. My life was already so miserable that I couldn’t even die properly, and now I’m cursed on top of it all—isn’t that enough to drive anyone mad?
“Calm yourself. It’s not a defilement beyond salvation.”
“Really?”
Right, this was the High Priestess!
Thank heavens I came to the Empire. A chill ran down my spine. If cancer were caught early, surely this was what it would feel like.
“Indeed. If you convert to our faith and undergo fifty years of ascetic practice under my guidance, you’ll be able to cleanse it all away.”
…How much longer do you plan to live, Grandmother?

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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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