Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 76

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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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I wanted to see that darkness with him and make a fuss over it together, but since I hadn’t witnessed it myself, there was nothing to be done. Lifting the lamp to confirm the moisture glistening at Jack’s eyes, I squeezed his arm firmly in return, closed the door securely, and turned to leave.
“Tonight we’ll sleep holding hands tight. Stop this at once.”
“I wasn’t crying, miss.”
“Of course you weren’t.”
Of course he wasn’t crying—I should remember that.
Returning to the room where Theodore still slept peacefully, I rolled Aster to the side and pushed him away, then made space for Jack to lie down.
The man retrieved several towels from somewhere and vigorously dried my rain-soaked hair, then lay down beside me as I suggested, gripping my hand tightly and curling his body close.
I kept assuring him that I understood—that I would never let go of his hand—and watched until his breathing became shallow and steady in sleep before closing my own eyes.
The storm seemed destined to last quite a while.

◇ ◆ ◇

Though it was technically morning, the heavy clouds made it feel nothing like dawn.
Outside, thick storm clouds cast everything in gloom, and the wind that had blown all night continued to batter the windows.
Despite my warning against splitting up, Lucius and Theodore had already risen and vanished somewhere—they were nowhere to be found indoors.
“Aster. Where are the Crown Prince and Lucius?”
“The Crown Prince went to bathe and hasn’t returned, and Lucius went for a walk.”
A walk in this weather? Where could he possibly go?
Anxious at the thought of him wandering alone and getting into trouble, I hurriedly bathed with Aster’s help and changed into fresh clothes.
Irene has no standing in the Imperial Court, so any trouble with her I could handle myself, but Lucius is different. If he were injured, it would be like losing a pillar of my household.
“Jack. Will you help me with my hair?”
“Me? Really?”
“Would you rather I ask Aster?”
I handed the hair ribbon to Jack, who nodded in agreement, instructing him to simply gather it all up and tie it firmly, then sat in a chair and began tying my shoelaces.
Without Lily or Violet here, this is terribly inconvenient. All the attendants capable of serving have been organized into patrol shifts for security, so I can’t even call for help.
“Are you truly going out like this?”
“It’s an emergency, so everyone will understand.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Without anyone to help me dress properly, I was wearing nothing but riding breeches and a simple shirt. I could claim it was practical attire in case something happened today, but it was certainly not proper for meeting the Crown Prince and members of the Imperial Court.
“I have spare dresses. If you help me with the petticoat first, we can dress you properly step by step.”
“No, let’s just go. If my outfit ruins my life, that’s my problem, not yours.”
Why must he speak so dramatically about a mere outfit?
I cautioned Jack against such exaggeration—a bad habit—then passed word to those patrolling the designated areas to gather for breakfast, and went to find Lucius. The man seemed to have found my detective work yesterday amusing, for he was questioning the servants to learn the identity of the corpse.
“Have you learned anything?”
“Nothing whatsoever.”
“Don’t go causing discord among the people. Stay calm and behave yourself.”
“For the great Rocksburg to worry so—I’m quite overwhelmed.”
“Even if it weren’t Rocksburg, I’d still be concerned. Didn’t His Highness himself say yesterday that we’re not strangers to one another?”
The man raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he obediently followed me toward the Dining Hall. Thank heavens he at least pretends to listen when I speak.
Mere seconds after that thought crossed my mind, the man made a strange sound and grabbed my hair bun, yanking it downward.
“How old exactly is His Highness?!”
“The person he’s going to marry must have quite the rotted sense of judgment.”
Why did Glen suddenly come up?
I huffed indignantly, thinking he was just making excuses because he’d played a prank on me, but for some reason Jack patted my shoulder and shook his head.
“You speak the truth. Please treat Glen well.”
So what am I supposed to do?!
Lucius and Jack exchanged some sort of knowing nod as if they’d received the same transmission, then looked at me like I was someone deserving of divine punishment before hurrying on their way.
In any case, I have no allies here. As I grumbled while watching them, Aster stepped forward to say he also couldn’t understand what those people were saying, but it wasn’t much comfort.
What good does it do if Aster takes my side? I’m still the one who looks strange.

When we arrived at the Dining Hall, Imperial Princess Irene had arrived first, so the Crown Prince guided her to the seat right beside where he would sit and asked if she’d slept well the previous night.
“It seems you didn’t sleep at all last night. Your face looks a bit swollen.”
“Thank you for your concern. But I’m fine.”
The Imperial Princess said the heavy rain and wind had frightened her, but her Maidservants being by her side had made it bearable, which put me somewhat at ease.
Wait, now that I think about it, we all slept together—why didn’t we call the Imperial Princess? For safety’s sake…
Right, the truth is I was afraid His Highness would be so fed up with more people joining our sleeping arrangement that he’d run away, so I didn’t call the Imperial Princess. Fortunately, nothing happened last night.
“By the way, where is Theodore?”
“Ah, that cleanliness fanatic.”
He’s probably scrubbing himself raw, cursing all the filth in the world.
I was about to say as much, but decided to rephrase to avoid shattering the Imperial Princess’s illusions. Besides, if the meeting went poorly later and she blamed me for ruining it, I’d find it tedious to deal with.
“His Highness places great importance on cleanliness, so his bathing time tends to be quite lengthy. Moreover, wanting to make a good impression before a lady he wishes to impress, it will likely take even longer.”
“Oh my.”
Goodness, what are you thinking about? Your face is all red.
Yes, since we’re stuck on this island anyway, let’s cause some proper chaos before we leave. Doesn’t everyone say that when humans face crisis situations, their reproductive instincts heighten?
If you could just produce one royal heir—boom!—then you’d be tomorrow’s Crown Princess of Aleine. Best of luck to you, Imperial Princess Irene.
“Why do you all find it so amusing to exclude me from the conversation?”
Wow! A tiger, a tiger.
As I was chatting merrily with the Imperial Princess, the man who’d been bathing all morning finally appeared. He seemed to want to show off that he’d taken care with his appearance for the meeting, as he gave off a subtle floral fragrance. The moment he spotted me, his expression became peculiar as he looked me up and down.
“…What is that getup?”
“It’s an emergency situation. I found comfortable clothing, so please forgive the appearance.”
“Did that strange escort of yours teach you to wear that ridiculous thing?”
What are you talking about?
Unable to comprehend his meaning, I tilted my head in confusion, but the man recoiled as if avoiding something filthy, moved far away from me, sat beside Imperial Princess Irene, and spent a long time muttering and expressing his exasperation.
That man’s always been odd—it’s nothing new—so I’ll let it pass… but why does he keep glancing at me like that? It’s irritating.
“So, when can we return to the Mainland?”
“I don’t know.”
“What have you been doing all this time without even finding that out?”
“What am I, a meteorological bureau? How would I know when a typhoon will pass?”
Of course, I could simply ask the sailors staying in the servant quarters and get an answer immediately—my failure to check was indeed my oversight—but if he kept nagging me like that, I wouldn’t lift a finger to help him.
As I grumbled and nibbled on the smoked ham from this morning’s breakfast, our local Crown Prince clenched his fists tightly.
Oh, you want to throw a punch? Really? Should we drop our titles and have a proper fight?
“I’ve already looked into that matter. It appears we’ll be able to set sail by sunset today.”
“As expected of Lucius. You’re in a different league from certain people of the Duke’s House, whose only talent is nagging.”
“I cannot help but be moved by how you take the initiative on behalf of your subordinates. The Crown Prince from a certain place really ought to see this and learn from it.”
“The Crown Prince from a certain place? Are you perhaps referring to the one from Aleine?”
“My goodness, there aren’t just one or two Crown Princes in the Federation. The Crown Prince from a certain place must have a guilty conscience, which is why he’s so touchy.”
“A certain Duke’s heir is such a nag and so oblivious that he doesn’t even understand when I’m insulting him.”
“I don’t know which Duke’s heir you’re talking about, but it’s truly pitiful to have a master who gossips about his subordinates behind their backs.”
“You’re constantly making fun of him right on top of his head—what’s so pitiful about that?”
“Apparently it’s a fun place to play!”
“Don’t think I have as magnanimous a heart as the King! You’ll be sorely mistaken!”
What would happen if I had a narrow heart? Would you have me thrown in for treason?!
When Theodore and I both abandoned our meal and slammed the table, standing up abruptly, the Imperial Princess gently tugged at the Crown Prince’s sleeve while Lucius grabbed my shoulder, both moving to mediate.
“It’s truly an honor to witness that famous fight with my own eyes, but please, both of you, calm yourselves.”
“Y-yes, that’s right. Rosalite, Theodore, we can leave the island by evening—let’s not fight.”
I’m only holding back because I’m embarrassed in front of the Imperial people!
As I let out a scoff and turned my head sharply, His Highness threw a fit by himself and walked off somewhere with heavy footsteps. Watching him leave the Dining Hall without even finishing half his rice bowl, I found it impossible to hold back my nagging, no matter how hard I tried.
“Where are you going without even finishing your meal!”
“How could food possibly go down in this situation! I’m not made of steel nerves like the Rocksburg Young Lady!”
“If you don’t eat breakfast, your brain will deteriorate!”
And there he goes, leaving without finishing his breakfast!
Since His Highness ultimately left without finishing his meal, I organized the Maidservants into groups and had them pack up the remaining food to follow after him.
Fortunately, the Imperial Princess Irene offered to accompany him, so I entrusted the Crown Prince to her care. I then filled my own belly by munching through the leftover food and drank a refreshing glass of cold water.
“Does the Aleine court always have such entertaining incidents?”
“This isn’t entertaining at all. It’s not fun whatsoever.”
“No, if I didn’t have to watch, I would’ve been holding my sides laughing.”
“Your sense of humor is quite low.”
“I’ve lived such a boring life.”
Why, just hearing stories about the Imperial Court is spectacular enough.
Not out of propriety, but simply because it’s not mentioned—the tale of how Empress Aidemock, suffering from postpartum depression, destroyed her firstborn son’s right eye shortly after his birth was famous even in our country.
In a place where people die, get injured, and face social ruin every time someone gets bored, what entertainment could our country possibly offer? If you wake up in the morning, you’d be curious about what happened last night.

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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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