Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 82

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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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The escort in black bowed respectfully to me before launching directly into his business.
“A body has been discovered. I would like to reorganize the patrol personnel—would it be acceptable for me to handle it?”
“Has Rocksburg’s escort not even learned the most basic courtesy? And why do you speak so carelessly?”
“If you have complaints, take them to the Young Lady. I am someone whose freedom of expression is guaranteed.”
With that woman’s insolence setting the tone, her subordinates naturally grew equally presumptuous and unrestrained.
I told him to handle the corpse—or whatever it was—as he saw fit, and instructed him to leave gracefully.
Yet the man in black did not exit the room, merely staring at me blankly.
“What is it? Weren’t you busy?”
“My apologies. I noticed something familiar.”
Something familiar? My gaze followed the direction of his, and my head naturally lowered. Surely he wasn’t referring to the book I held in my arms.
“Are you talking about The Pirate with the Blue Ribbon?”
“Yes, that’s the one! What memories. I enjoyed it when I was young as well.”
This book, printed in only three hundred copies in its first edition, and he had read it? I had never met anyone who knew of its existence.
“Hmm, so you’re not entirely without refinement.”
“The illustrations were extraordinary. The male protagonist was also quite beautiful.”
“Female. A cross-dressing woman.”
“…Is that so?”
“An illegitimate daughter of the fallen House of Feldin, ten years old in the early chapters, twelve in the middle, and sixteen in the latter half. She has long silver hair and favors waterproof boots that reach to the knee. Are you certain you actually read the book?”
“You remember it disturbingly well.”
Well, I’ve been reading it regularly even recently, so of course I would.
Irreverently, he regarded me with such pity that I wanted to detain him and administer punishment, but since he worked for my safety, I had no choice but to let him go.
“….”
Wait. If there’s a body, that means someone died here, doesn’t it?

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As I had anticipated, it meant someone had indeed died, and I was forced to endure a restless night’s sleep.
Whether someone died or the culprit was found, it was Rocksburg’s responsibility to handle—I merely needed to focus on dealing with Irene—yet the prospect of grown men and women sleeping in the same room still filled me with discomfort.
Most shocking of all was the realization that Rosalite Rocksburg, that arrogant, presumptuous woman who seemed to embody every unpleasant character trait in existence, did not regard me as even remotely romantic.
A lord-subject relationship has nothing to do with gender, she had said. What kind of absurd logic was that? I was, after all, a fully grown adult man. In any case, the people of Rocksburg possessed an uncanny talent for wounding one’s pride.
Irritated beyond measure, I spent longer than usual washing myself, then made my way to the Dining Hall that woman had insisted upon, where I witnessed a truly appalling sight.
Rosalite Rocksburg had her hair bound tightly with a blue ribbon and wore a shirt and trousers—but most disturbingly, she had on glossy boots that rose to her knees.
“What on earth is that getup?”
“It’s an emergency situation. I simply found comfortable clothing, and this is what resulted. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Did that strange escort of yours teach you to dress like that?”
The woman did not answer, but the circumstances were obvious. That escort who had visited my bedroom last night must have suggested it.
Because I favored the fairy tale of the pirate with the blue ribbon, she had apparently decided to dress that way.
“….”
Wait. Why would this woman go out of her way to dress in a manner she thought I would like? Why? Could it be…?
“…!”
I understood. With that realization, all the puzzling pieces suddenly made sense. Now every fragment of the puzzle fell into place.
Rosalite Rocksburg…had been fond of me all along!
Yes. Even while she complained that I was unintelligent, she had ultimately prepared medicine with my health in mind, had not she? At the Royal Palace, the only pretext she could use to approach me was marriage. And even if she claimed to torment me, would anyone without genuine affection invest such effort and expense into creating a doll with so many intricate mechanisms? Moreover, the doll’s uncanny resemblance to Rosalite Rocksburg itself spoke of masterful craftsmanship. Creating such a doll alone would have required considerable expenditure. I knew better than anyone, having observed her all this time, that she was not a woman to spend money without reason.
Yet to torment someone one cares for—as if she were a mere child….
Come to think of it, she was considerably younger than I. I had forgotten this, never having occasion to notice it in our usual interactions.
Had she truly been fond of me all this time? I had stumbled upon a terrible truth. Since when had this begun?
Could it have been from the start? Had she fallen for me at first sight? I suppose it was inevitable—I had been handsome enough since youth that countless women fell for me instantly. It was beyond my control. Perhaps Rosalite Rocksburg was merely another unfortunate woman who had succumbed to my appearance.
Now that I understood the truth, I could not even tell whether the breakfast was going down my throat or my nose, while Rosalite Rocksburg, the very person who harbored these feelings, sat contentedly licking smoked ham.
What manner of nerves did she possess? She continued as always to provoke and disparage me, yet in the same breath she lavished praise upon the First Prince of the Empire, which left me deeply unsettled.
Thus I decided to abandon my meal and leave the table.
“You’re leaving without finishing breakfast!”
“How could I possibly eat in such a situation! I am not made of steel nerves like the Rocksburg Young Lady!”
“Skipping breakfast makes you stupid!”
There it was again—that tiresome comment about my intelligence! Could this woman not approach me without insulting my mind?
If one has come to care for someone, one should employ gentle means to win their affection, not resort to such crude tactics. No wonder she cannot find a marriage partner without resorting to threats.
As I grumbled my way out of the Dining Hall, Irene caught up with me and offered comfort, attempting to soothe my mood.
After speaking with her briefly and taking a cup of tea, I found myself bound to my bed.
I was startled when Irene began tearing at my clothes and climbed atop me with clear intent, yet I accepted her confession when she began rambling about her true identity.
In truth, I had suspected as much.
The letters bore what appeared to be bloodstains, and while the early portions were clearly written in Irene’s hand, the later sections devolved into erratic scrawling.
Upon hearing that Irene would be meeting with me for a betrothal interview, she had snuck into the Imperial Palace, murdered the Imperial Princess herself, flayed her face and worn it as a mask, deceived those around her with mind-altering magic, and succeeded in reaching this place—the self-proclaimed Dark Mage rambled on, explaining that the Maidservants who died yesterday and today had been the Imperial Princess’s close attendants, and she had been forced to kill them for fear of exposure. I felt neither surprise nor particular emotion.
Had I encountered such individuals only once or twice? Especially before my appointment as Crown Prince. In those days, I had no one to protect me and lived in ruins with no security whatsoever.
I had always overcome every hardship alone. But in this present situation, there was no need for me to act directly.
Without my even calling for her, Rosalite Rocksburg would notice that matters were proceeding strangely and would come to ensure my safety. That woman would do anything for my protection—she would smash through any door and burst in, heedless of whether I was locked away having a secret meeting with the Imperial Princess.
“Your Highness! Are you unharmed!”
There. Whether or not a Maidservant stood guard at the door, that woman would demolish everything and force her way in to protect me.
That arrogant, reckless woman with her vile temperament—the one who did nothing but tear me down and spew endless nagging the moment she opened her mouth—had accomplished her tasks with the efficiency I’d expected, freed me from her bed, chased after me all the way to the island, and then placed Rosalite Rocksburg Mark II into my arms before preparing to return to the Mainland.
Like some gaudy doll. She crossed that entire sea?
Now that I understood she harbored affection for me, facing this doll that bore such a striking resemblance to Rosalite Rocksburg stirred something almost tender within me.
Yes, this one and that one who goes off to work—when they keep their mouths shut and stay still, they do become rather endearing.
I stroked the doll in my arms gently, contemplating how to make Rosalite Rocksburg cease her admiration for me. Her affection was touching, certainly, but I had absolutely no intention of spending my entire life ensnared by a nagging shrew.
“….”
And yet.
“….”
If she cares for me, why does she insist on marrying another man?

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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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