Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 61

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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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At the time, that Dark Mage had crafted an object—a cursed totem capable of driving the Crown Prince to death. But a curse of such magnitude couldn’t possibly be smuggled into the Crown Prince’s Palace, and if the Crown Prince died, it would spark a succession war of catastrophic proportions. So it seemed the order had been to remake it as something that would cause only mild discomfort.
Following the command, the Dark Mage brought forth a totem imbued with a curse that would tear one’s entrails asunder. But the Princess said,
“That’s… far too painful.”
And so the Dark Mage had no choice but to craft a totem containing a curse that merely induced eye strain and shoulder stiffness—a pitiful tale that could scarcely be recounted without tears.
“Your Highness… are you perhaps a fool?”
“Quiet, you fool! The person calling someone a fool is the real fool?!”
If anyone had uttered the word “fool” most frequently thus far, it would surely be the Princess herself.
Knowing she’d only grow angry if I spoke, I held my tongue and asked Sage whether it might be possible to animate the doll.
“It seems feasible, but… the material costs…”
Good heavens, you worry about the most trivial things.
I placed a portion of the money from selling the land to Luke onto the table with a decisive thunk. I hadn’t counted it, but it should easily amount to a hundred Alain gold coins.
“If I could make His Majesty eat nothing but candy, I would gladly pay a fortune for it.”
“Rosalite. I hate to say this, but you’re truly the sort of person who would leap into the depths of hell itself for the misfortune of others.”
“Goodness, does your betrothed even know about your character? Isn’t this a fraudulent marriage?”
A fraudulent marriage? Glen and I have thoroughly examined each other’s gains and losses, reached mutual agreement, drawn up a contract, and held a proper wedding ceremony.
As I spoke with pride, the Princess said that if I truly believed such things, she wouldn’t interfere, and demanded more pastries. Sage, meanwhile, said she would consult with the Magic Workshop in Rocksburg Territory as well, gathered up the money pouch, and departed.
On the way out, it seemed Sage had encountered Father, for she let out a piercing shriek that sounded like a threat. Father, fleeing from Sage into the Indoor Garden, called for the Princess and asked what we were doing, but I could only tell him it was nothing at all.
Father holds the Crown Prince in high regard and hopes he will grow to become a just and virtuous ruler. I couldn’t very well confess that I was scheming to cause him stress.
I claimed that I had simply invited the Princess for tea since it had been so long since we last spoke. The Princess agreed readily, and Father gave me a suspicious look before his shoulders sagged.
“So you can tell that old man things you cannot tell me?”
“No, sir, Duke. That’s not it at all.”
“Enough. I don’t wish to hear lies.”
Oh no. Have I upset Father?
As I watched him turn and leave, William, who had been observing quietly, approached my side and whispered.
“You were at fault again, Young Lady.”
Everything is always my fault, apparently.
William, aren’t you actually my mother-in-law rather than Father’s bodyguard?
“Well now. You’ve summoned me all this way—surely the entertainment doesn’t end here?”
Watching William chase after Father and exit, the Princess seemed to think she should at least get her money’s worth, for she demanded the next activity from me.
Very well then. I suppose I’ll work late tonight and entertain the Princess for now. After all, it wasn’t often I saw her in such a lucid state of mind.
I spent the evening with the Princess discussing a recent bestselling science fiction epic, played a rather exquisite game of chess with the wager of removing our bodyguards’ uniforms, and served her roasted duck—a dish she was particularly fond of—before sending her back to the Royal Palace.
Your Highness enjoyed the entertainment thoroughly and remarked with a shudder that it was eerie how well I knew her tastes, cursing Rocksburg and all. But regrettably, that suspicion was mistaken.
I need not investigate beforehand to understand your preferences.
Though it happened only once before, I did become friends with you in a previous iteration.

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The automatic return system for the Rosalite Rocksburg doll is entering its completion phase. Beloche Territory shows no abnormalities today. Leon is expected to complete his studies within a year, and Aster should be able to return within four days.
Work was proceeding smoothly and the weather was fair, so I leaned back in my chair with a relaxed mind. If only every day could be like today. And Aster, once you’ve recovered, please don’t go throwing yourself at Jack again.
Now that I think about it, once Aster returns, she’ll definitely try to kill Jack in revenge, so I need some kind of countermeasure. From Aster’s perspective, Jack’s retaliation must have felt like a bolt from the blue, so she’s probably harboring quite a grudge.
Letting Aster beat Jack until her anger subsides would… realistically result in Jack’s death. It would be nice if she could just land one hit and then we could all pretend it never happened.
“Young Master. Melissa Diamond requests an audience with you.”
As I was pondering various ways to soothe Aster’s feelings, Lily approached me to inform me of a visitor. Wait, but I don’t have any appointments scheduled for today, do I?
Wondering if I’d somehow miscalculated the date, I checked my schedule, but as expected, no one was scheduled to meet with me today.
“Tell her I’m busy. Have her make an appointment and visit another time.”
“I shall convey your message.”
Melissa Diamond—Glen’s biological mother and the woman Uncle Louis remarried—what brings her all the way here? She’s someone who stays cooped up in Diamond Territory and rarely even ventures to the Capital, so it seemed unusual, but I couldn’t grant her an audience.
Aside from protocol, no matter how smoothly my work is progressing, I don’t have time for idle conversation with someone who has no important business. If it were something profitable, I might consider meeting her, but… there’s no way someone who doesn’t even leave her mansion in the countryside would suddenly bring something worth my time and money.
“Young Master. Melissa Diamond insists that she must see you, no matter what.”
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s no particularly urgent business, but she says she must see you.”
“Tell her I’ll wait for her to make an appointment and visit again. If she doesn’t listen, throw her out.”
Lily is strong, so she’ll throw her out just fine. As Lily bowed and turned to leave my office, the door suddenly burst open.
A blonde, glamorous beauty who looks nothing like Glen whenever I see her came barging through the door and approached me.
The lady, dressed in a gown with a neckline so low that her cleavage was fully visible—apparently quite confident in her assets—was flushed and breathing heavily as if angry for some reason… Ah, the way her face reddens so quickly is something she does share with Glen.
“Rosalite! When I say I want to see you, you should open that door immediately…!”
“Jack Brown.”
I jerked my chin to indicate he should remove her, and Jack responded with “understood” before hoisting Melissa Diamond onto his shoulder.
The woman screamed and hurled insults at Jack about how a mere servant had no right to lay hands on her, so I, annoyed, added an instruction to dump her outside the front gate.
According to Karl’s report from his post at the gate at the time, Melissa Diamond apparently intended to stage a protest, standing her ground and refusing to budge unless I personally came to escort her away. But less than an hour later, she was crying and begging Karl to call the Duke, according to his account.
Melissa Diamond is currently resting in the Guest Room under the Duke’s orders, and since the full details of the incident have reached the Duke’s ears, I’ve been summoned and have now arrived at the Family Dining Room.
The stated reason was that Leon, I, and Father would gather together for dinner after a long time, but it seems the real purpose is to discuss the matter of Melissa Diamond.
“I apologize for my lateness.”
Father and Leon are already eating their appetizers.
I apologized for arriving during the meal and took a seat next to Leon, then asked Austin, our kitchen’s dedicated servant, to bring me both an appetizer and soup. I popped the appetizer that arrived on a small plate into my mouth in one bite, then gulped down the broccoli soup in one go, finishing it instantly.
Whew, I skipped lunch because I was busy, so I thought I’d starve to death!
Now that my stomach is warming up, I finally feel blood returning to my head. Thinking I could finally catch my breath, I leaned back against the chair and rubbed my stiff neck when Father and Leon gathered around me.
“You must have been very hungry. Eat my portion too.”
“Sister, please have mine as well.”
No, this really isn’t necessary.
However, the appetizer—seasonal vegetables paired with brie cheese and seasoned with balsamic vinegar—was delicious, so I didn’t refuse and readily popped the offered portions into my mouth, savoring them. It was delicious.
“So then. What’s this about the Countess? According to her, she’s made several requests to see you.”
Huh? That can’t be right.
Regardless of who’s requesting an audience, I review all requests first, weigh the importance of each matter, reject what should be rejected, and document all confirmed appointments, distributing copies to myself, my escort, and to Lily and Violet.
I might forget something myself, but there’s no way everyone else would forget simultaneously.
“There has been no request for an audience from Melissa Diamond.”
“According to the lady, she sent several letters.”
A letter?
Yes, I’ve grown tired of receiving those. But it wasn’t a visitation request.
“It wasn’t a visitation request—it was a letter asking me to visit the Marquis’s Mansion. I only replied once and discarded the rest.”
“I see. There was a misunderstanding then.”
Father seemed satisfied with my explanation and suggested we continue eating. I quietly finished my rice, then enjoyed dessert while we made small talk.
While the two of them savored the main course, I was on my third helping of imperial jelly when Father remarked that perhaps eating so much was contagious when standing next to Aster.
“That’s too harsh, Father. No matter how much I eat, it’s nothing compared to Aster.”
“My apologies. You’re right.”
If William had been present at this moment, he surely would have told Father he was wrong.
Where did that man go without eating? Is Brown cooking dinner today? Why is it that he’s always right beside me when I make a mistake, yet vanishes the moment Father is at a disadvantage?

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The next day, I came to the Model Water Walking Path at lunchtime and arranged for Jack and Aster to meet.
Since Aster had recovered and returned sooner than expected, I persuaded Jack to take just one hit as compensation for his previous behavior, and convinced Aster to throw just one punch and call it even for his usual transgressions. Only then did I take my place.
In the clearing midway through the Model Water Walking Path, I held a meat pie in my mouth and explained the rules to Aster, emphasizing multiple times that there was to be no aura, no running start, and no rotational force. Only then could I finally sit on the bench.
Surely he understood. Jack wouldn’t die from a single casual punch from Aster, would he?
Anxious about all manner of things, I nibbled nervously at my meat pie when Jack’s voice reached me, attempting to reassure me.
“Don’t worry so much, Young Lady. A punch from Aster without aura won’t hurt or itch.”
Don’t provoke him, you fool!
It was obvious that Aster had grown angry at Jack’s attempt to act tough. Without giving him time to prepare or uttering a single word, Aster twisted his body—
“Hey, I said no rotational force!”
“What do you mean!”
That’s exactly what you just did!
Twisting his body to its limit, Aster unleashed a right hook at Jack with all his strength.

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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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