Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 56
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Glen staggered backward with a yelp and plunged headfirst into the hot spring water. Barely surfacing and gasping for breath, I gave both him and Philip an earful.
“I’m sorry for finding the wrong bath, but that doesn’t mean you have to waterboard me!”
“Look, I’m sorry I came to the wrong place, but that doesn’t mean you have to torture me with water!”
Hack, hack, cough, gag—hot spring water was still pouring from my throat.
After hacking and spitting out all the water onto the ground beneath a nearby camellia tree, I wrung out my towel thoroughly and snapped it over my shoulder with a sharp crack.
“My apologies. I’ll find my own bath now.”
After greeting Father and William, I thanked Jack, who was calmly covering Leon’s eyes, and he replied that he was merely doing his duty—nothing to make a fuss about.
Well, at his age, seeing his sister’s bare body would certainly be stressful. You did good work, Jack.
“Don’t worry about it. She truly has no awareness of such things.”
What was that—comfort? As I was leaving the bath, I heard Father’s voice tinged with an apologetic tone.
Since I couldn’t very well turn back now, I pretended not to hear the whimpering sounds from Glen and Philip, slid the door shut with a soft rumble, gathered my clothes, and searched for the women’s bath.
As I walked down the corridor dripping water, I spotted Luke approaching with the hot spring attendants. The moment he noticed me, he tilted his head in confusion, his expression caught somewhere between laughter and tears.
“…What are you doing completely naked?”
“I found the wrong bath, that’s all.”
Rosalite of Rocksburg—such a scatterbrained thing.
“The women’s bath is that way.”
“The women’s bath is over there.”
“Ah, I see. The hot spring water is quite nice, isn’t it?”
While being waterboarded, I’d inadvertently tasted the hot spring water, and it was genuinely authentic—salty, thick, and slightly acidic.
Since we were near the sea, I’d assumed it was a saltwater hot spring, but it turned out to be genuine groundwater that had erupted as a true thermal spring. What a fortunate place. If they advertised the therapeutic benefits, even more people would flock here.
Envious of such fortune, I poked Luke with my elbow and gave him a thumbs up to show how much I’d enjoyed the hot spring.
The man mimicked my gesture, raising his own thumb before laughing good-naturedly.
“Goodness, it’s cold. I should be going now.”
Coming out of the warm water, the chill was quite biting.
I hurried to the women’s bath, carefully gathered my clothes, slid the door open, and submerged myself once more in the hot spring water.
The women’s bath was already filled with people. Lam was near the banana trees, making gurgling sounds as she played at diving, while Aster lay sprawled in the water, groaning softly.
Lily and Violet approached me, saying they’d worried when they thought I would arrive first but found no one there. I told them everything that had happened.
My encounter with Glen and Philip, the waterboarding, Father’s comfort—I recounted it all in detail. My devoted maids’ eyes gleamed as they asked about what I’d experienced during the waterboarding.
“You mean that part? It must have been that, right?”
“Do you remember the size? This is important. You’re going to be married, after all.”
Oh my, how curious these young maids are.
To provide them with accurate information, I closed my eyes, recalled the sensation from that moment, and clenched my fist in the air. As I moved my fingers to gauge the size, I could feel Lily and Violet staring intently at my hand.
Hmm…, it was…, definitely….
Glen had good reason to be confident.
“Gulp…, it was about this big, and if we account for optimal conditions, then….”
“If we account for?”
“Account for?”
“Home-wrecker material?”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Oh my, oh my, oh my!”
These brats certainly knew how to enjoy themselves.
Watching the two of them splash about in the water with their hands, I found it endearing, so I shrugged my shoulders and lifted my chin with pride.
Regardless of the reason, I felt delighted that Glen was receiving praise.
After playing in the water with the children for quite some time, I emerged and had intended to share a meal and drink with Glen to catch up, but the men deliberately kept me away from him.
Whether it was the seating arrangement during meals or the carriage assignments on the way home, these fellows had deliberately separated me from Glen, so when I voiced my complaints to William, the middle-aged man pondered for a moment before telling me:
“This time too, Young Lady, you were at fault.”
Those were his words.
Time passed without even speaking to Glenn a few times and I had to send him back to Veloce Territory in vain, but the marriage was being steadily prepared.
Unable to exchange more than a few words with Glen before time slipped away, I ended up sending him back to Beloche Territory somewhat anticlimactically, but the wedding preparations were progressing steadily.
This was possible because Glen had said he knew little of wedding preparations and procedures, so he entrusted everything to me, allowing things to proceed without hindrance. The moment I set the wedding date, the first thing I did was scatter invitations far and wide and extract wedding gifts.
Distant relatives and other nobles who couldn’t attend in person but sent cash and jewels with apologies were particularly generous.
Among them, the most exceptional gift came from the First Prince, who lived across the sea in the Largol Empire—the man audaciously sent a three-masted sailing ship with instructions to use it for leisure voyages.
Thank you, Lucius. I apologize for cursing you for having two divorces. When you marry for the third time, I shall send you an absolutely magnificent gift.
Moved by his generosity, I decided to send a thank-you letter, and while expressing my gratitude to the First Prince, I returned the wedding gift that the Fourth Prince had sent.
This fellow somehow learned of the wedding without being told and sent me a gift while inquiring how Aster was doing. When I replied that Aster had died, he began sending increasingly larger gifts.
His first gift was a necklace set with a small sapphire, but when I told him Aster had died, the next shipment brought a sapphire necklace and ring.
Thinking it was hopeless, I returned the gift again and repeated that Aster had died, whereupon the Fourth Prince sent a sapphire necklace, ring, and a wristwatch with a dial crafted from finely worked sapphire.
I deliberated briefly before telling him again that Aster was dead and to stop sending gifts, but the next shipment brought a sapphire necklace, ring, wristwatch, and a royal diamond. After much consideration, I returned it with news that Aster was deceased.
Finally, the Fourth Prince sent a golden chest filled with pearls, beautifully arranged with the sapphire necklace, ring, watch, and royal diamond, and asked for the date and time of the wedding.
I happily accepted it and replied that I would reserve a seat next to Aster for him.
The Fourth Prince was quite satisfied and sent another golden chest.
Ah, I truly adored such magnanimous people.
In that sense, I wished Theodore were dead.
Everyone from those eager to curry favor with me to the Princess, the Queen, and even the King himself rushed to send me gifts, yet this fellow remained completely silent.
Now that I was marrying Glen, he sent me letters twice daily, morning and evening, expressing his readiness to graciously accept any gift he might send, yet there wasn’t even a reply saying he was preparing something, let alone an actual gift.
Given his nature, he probably wouldn’t attend my wedding anyway, so shouldn’t he at least send something nice?
I’d already sent ten invitations and twenty letters demanding gifts, but seeing how unmoved he was, it seemed he meant for me to come fetch the invitation myself. In any case, that green youth was nothing but stubborn pride.
“You’ve arrived, Leon.”
And the only way for me to leave this place was to appoint a proxy.
I called over Leon, who was progressing well with his studies, gave the child a warm embrace, and asked various questions about whether his studies were enjoyable and whether he was eating well.
The child then stepped back from me, smiled shyly, and uttered words that broke my heart.
“I’m busy, Sister.”
You’ve simply been at the Duke’s Mansion too long.
Because Leon spoke in such a distinctly Rocksburg manner, I felt both sad and proud, tears threatening to spill, so I told him he could forget his busy schedule for today and rest here.
“I’m not a child anymore. I won’t be fooled, Sister.”
“Now, now. Hear me out first.”
I patted Leon’s shoulder to calm him, called for Lily to bring a hair ribbon, then moved behind the boy and braided his carefully cultivated hair into a neat style. I draped my coat over his shoulders, handed him the day’s tasks and a fountain pen—and suddenly he looked perfectly suited to this office.
“For today, you are Rosalite Rocksburg.”
“Are you shirking your duties again, Sister?”
“Shirking? Call it an external errand.”
“If it’s an external errand, I wouldn’t need to be here.”
Heh, this brat—he’s grown another year and his wit has sharpened considerably.
Asterion, who grew taller by the day until I had to look up at him now, I seated in my personal chair, promised to bring him a gift when I returned, kissed both his cheeks, and embraced him warmly.
No matter how much troublesome work I dump on Asterion, he always consents with just this much affection. He’s such a pitiful sister-complex.
“Then I shall do my best, Rosalite Rocksburg.”
“Hehe, yes, I am Rosalite Rocksburg for today.”
Hmm, he’s developing into quite the peculiar character.
I left Asterion grinning with that loose expression behind me and stood before the window. While Aster rested, I called for Jack, who had been my escort every day lately, and stretched both arms wide.
“Jack! Do that thing! That thing!”
“Hehehehe, didn’t I do that for you last week? You’re quite the greedy young lady.”
You enjoy this immensely too, so don’t be coy—hurry up!
I wrapped my arms around Jack’s neck and leaned in eagerly, anticipating what was to come. Jack warned me to hold on tight, then extracted a wire from the wristwatch—one of the 007 spy gadgets I’d received from Sage—hooked it over the window railing, and jumped down with a whoosh.
“Whooooaaa!”
Every time, I think the same thing—this is incredibly fun!
After savoring the thrill of the descent and landing with a laugh, I pestered Jack to do it just one more time, then climbed back to my office, grabbed Jack, and jumped again.
That was exhilarating. Now I should visit the Crown Prince and shake him down for gifts.
I went to the Stables and called for Elizabeth, waited for Jack to finish his preparations, then headed toward the Royal Palace. I didn’t need to check the Crown Prince’s schedule—I was certain I’d find him if I went now.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————