Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 8

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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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Nothing seemed to have changed. The servants went about their duties as always, and since I’d monopolized Leon’s schedule with lessons all day, there was no risk of him sneaking after me. I’d been caught once before, so I’d thoroughly searched the carriage—from the storage compartment to beneath the cushions—but found no trace of him.
That boy and his adolescence! Everything’s fun except studying!
I understood Leon’s feelings well enough, but all of this was ultimately for his own good.
…Why do I sound like a fusty old codger right now?
“Young Mistress, I think that corner would be ideal.”
“Good. Secure it for me.”
I settled into the secluded spot Aster had found, pressed coins into the hands of the servants Aster had brought, and listened to the latest Royal Family gossip. Though I already knew most of it, verifying that nothing had changed was crucial.
If the previous report said A, I’d believe it absolutely—only to have someone cheerfully announce “Actually, it was B all along!” The shock is paralyzing. I know from experience.
“Nothing significant seems to have occurred.”
“Shall we head inside now, Young Mistress?”
Aster looked absolutely thrilled. Not about dancing, certainly—her real target was the food at the party. She’d grown up in a household with plenty of servants, so… never mind.
“Young Mistress, your hand.”
Good—your love of food hasn’t made you abandon me. I hid a slight smile behind my fan and took Aster’s hand. You’re probably fantasizing about eating your fill at the party, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible today.
“Did you eat before coming, Aster?”
“No, I’ll eat here.”
“Oh dear….”
You won’t be able to.
I’ll keep that secret for now.
Today, I was also presenting my escort knight Aster publicly, so I’d given her an invitation and we’d walked together. When we announced our arrival at the Banquet Hall—Rosalite of Rocksburg and her escort knight Aster—dozens of eyes suddenly gleamed as they looked at Aster.
Since this was an irregular gathering, most attendees were nobility with time to spare or young heirs from noble families, so no particularly striking figures were present. But then the heir to the Duke’s House appeared. Approaching me directly would be improper, so Aster would become their target.
I offered Aster a sympathetic nod as she was surrounded by a throng of people bombarding her with questions, then turned away. I’ll eat plenty of the food you can’t have, Aster. I’ll definitely tell you later which dishes here are worth trying. The Royal Palace’s seafood cuisine is supposedly exquisite.
So I should indulge in king crab to my heart’s content.
Perhaps because there was a trading port in the Eastern Capital, the seafood here was remarkably fresh. Spices arrived in abundant variety, lending depth of flavor and refined preparation techniques. If I’m being honest, I’d love nothing more than to slice fresh fish raw and dip it in gochujang sauce, but what can I do when they don’t have gochujang here?
On a rainy day, sitting on the rocks by the shore, eating fresh-caught fish as sashimi dipped in gochujang, then boiling up a bowl of ramen and eating it while getting soaked by the rain—that’s absolutely divine.
Now that I think about it, I’ve even cried wanting ramen before. It’s too recent to call it a distant memory. I still want ramen.
“Young Mistress of the Duke’s House. Would you honor me with a dance?”
Huh? What’s this now?
I was gnawing on king crab legs in both hands when a hand in pristine white gloves extended before me. I didn’t particularly want to recognize the voice, but it was Idiot Number Three.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. My hands are in such a state that I fear I would soil Your Highness.”
“One can simply wash them afterward. Or perhaps the Young Mistress spends all her time at a desk and is simply inexperienced with such matters?”
“That’s not the case, but should I dance with you now, you’ll end up wandering about reeking of crab shell. Wouldn’t that be unfortunate for all the young ladies who’ve been waiting for you all evening?”
“Since the Young Mistress will be my final partner, I need not concern myself with that.”
“You’re being so insistent that I suppose I must accept, Your Highness.”
Whether I protested or not, Theodore simply smiled, and I set down the crab plate, washing my hands with the warm towel the attendants brought.
Why am I his last dance partner when the party just started?
Wondering if he’d already danced enthusiastically before my arrival, I took his hand, and the Crown Prince smoothly escorted me to the center of the Banquet Hall. Once we took our positions, a gentle melody began to play, and I fell into the familiar steps.
“I hear the Duke’s House has welcomed a new family member?”
Ugh, ugh, ugh. So that was his real objective all along.
I frowned in disgust at the very existence of BL novels.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“We should at least see it by the Queen’s birthday, shouldn’t we?”
“I suppose so.”
“Your words are sparse. Is he really that adorable, speaking so curtly?”
Hey, hey, hey, hey. Watch your manners, you third-rate fool.
As Theodore spoke as if he were about to tease Leon, I spun around, locked my arm around his neck, and threw my weight backward to bend his body. The Crown Prince gasped at the sudden ambush and grabbed my waist, and I flashed him the same bright smile in return.
“That’s right. If anyone touches him, I intend to make them regret ever being alive.”
“That’s frightening.”
“Please don’t forget that the Crown Prince has an older sister and a younger sibling.”
Theodore’s expression remained unchanged, but I could tell he was displeased somehow. It was merely a guess, though. There was no real evidence.
“For someone who sits at a desk every day scribbling pointless letters, your technique was unexpectedly impressive, Young Mistress.”
“Your Highness, your hands trembled slightly as they held my waist, but you led quite well.”
After finishing the social dance, we exchanged appropriate comments, bowed politely, and then turned away sharply.
Without looking back, I went searching for my king crab and began glancing around to locate Aster.
“Excuse me, Young Mistress, might you spare a moment?”
What now?
Just as I was about to leave and enjoy myself, annoying matters kept arising. I scowled and turned around to find several young ladies standing there in a pitiful state. The one who had addressed me had tears glistening in her eyes, and with her red hair and dark complexion, I suspected she was from Edanelli.
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose. But for people like us, simply having the opportunity to come here is….”
The Red-haired Young Lady’s tears began to fall.
Hey, hey, don’t cry. It’s not as if you’re cursed to never die, so what’s there to be sad about?
“Here, eat this. This one. It’s sweet and delicious.”
Yes, eat something sweet and calm down.
As I comforted the Red-haired Young Lady, I heard the situation from the other young ladies. Apparently, they had bribed their way into this irregular gathering to find a bride for the Crown Prince, and knowing he typically didn’t entertain many candidates before leaving, they had agreed among themselves not to resent whoever was chosen, waiting eagerly for the Crown Prince to extend his hand.
But then I appeared out of nowhere and was chosen as his first partner, and he declared he would leave because the other young ladies were bothered by the smell of crab shells on me.
Good grief…. This fool pried so much about his brother from another family, yet he didn’t even glance at the women before leaving.
After letting out a long sigh, I asked the ladies where that third-rate fool was. They answered that since he said he’d rest for a while, he must have gone to the corridor leading to the Rest Room. I opened my fan, fluttered it a couple of times, and moved forward.
I came to rest, but I’m busy.

Okay, there he is.
I quickened my pace and caught up to the Crown Prince, positioning myself directly in front of him. He asked if I had business with him, and I nodded vigorously before bowing deeply.
“Your Highness! Please hear me out!”
I called out loudly. The maidservants passing nearby glanced over before hurriedly scurrying away.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Your Highness! You must consider your heir! Your Highness!”
“If this is a jest, stop it. What concern is my heir to the Young Mistress?”
“It is very much a concern, Your Highness.”
I straightened my posture and lifted my head.
“How many years has it been now? Playing with Your Highness loses its charm after one or two times. Perhaps others might overlook it, but do you truly believe Edanelli and our houses are blind and mute, simply watching from the sidelines? Outside these walls, a daughter of the Edanelli branch weeps. You must maintain at least a modicum of decorum.”
“It seems the Young Mistress should be the one maintaining decorum.”
“Goodness, are we really debating propriety now? If I had abandoned decorum, I wouldn’t be speaking in such refined and gentle terms. I would have told you to stop your nonsense.”
“….”
“No matter how you resist, you cannot tarnish the bonds between the Four Great Ducal Houses.”
As I spoke with certainty, a smile deepened across the Crown Prince’s face. The man was clearly in a foul mood. Of course, this too was merely intuition on my part.
“If you find this unjust and unbearable, perhaps in your next life you’ll be royalty in a nation with stronger monarchical power.”
Yes. This is the fault of this nation where aristocracy flourishes—hardly your fault.
After delivering that final blow, the Crown Prince turned silently and headed toward the Banquet Hall.
Well, those young ladies from before will at least get to hold the Crown Prince’s hand once before returning home. They won’t face any scolding from their household heads.

As I noticed the sun setting and the lighting growing brighter, I returned to the hall with the thought that I really needed to feed Aster now. The Crown Prince was dancing with one young lady, apparently having taken my words to heart, and the Red-haired Young Lady seemed delighted to see me.
She’s stopped crying now. The way she bounces around is rather cute. I wonder if dancing with that bastard is really so enjoyable.
“Aster!”
I called out to Aster, still buried in the crowd, and received the shawl I had brought. I draped it over the shoulders of the young lady who had been sniffling earlier and gave her back a reassuring pat.
“The evening air is chilly. Take your time and enjoy yourself.”
I gently pushed the young lady back toward the Crown Prince and took Aster away to get some food.
Aster ate the food I brought as if possessed, devouring it with gusto.
In any case, having grown up in a household with many attendants, she was… and so on.

“Sigh….”
I didn’t want to go home.
I gazed wistfully at the party winding down to its conclusion. Whether I returned today or tomorrow, my workload would be the same, but I simply didn’t feel like leaving. One doesn’t wish to cut short an outing, after all.
“Young Mistress, aren’t you heading back?”
As I fanned myself to cool the heat burning within, the group of young ladies who had been dancing enthusiastically approached me. They mentioned they were thinking of departing soon and suggested I join them for conversation in the Garden while waiting for their carriages.
It seemed like a splendid idea—breathing in the night air and growing closer to the ladies—but I simply wasn’t in the mood.
“Thank you, but I’m afraid I’m not quite ready to leave just yet….”
“Ah….”
When I released a sigh so deep it seemed to come from the depths of my being, the young ladies let out sympathetic murmurs, as if they understood something.
“We’ve heard from our fathers that we can live in peace because of the Rocksburg Ducal House. Young Mistress, please take care of yourself.”
“We hope you’ll take care of yourself.”
Led by the cadet branch of Edanelli, the young ladies bid me a formal farewell, and I nodded in acknowledgment. The young lady from the cadet branch in particular clutched the shawl I’d given her and insisted she would repay my kindness, which made me smile despite myself. Her determination to repay me for such a small gesture was endearing, though I couldn’t fathom what she could possibly do to repay me.
“Young Mistress, it’s time we headed back.”
You seem to have eaten your fill.

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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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