Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 94

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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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As I entered the Tourist Port district by the fastest route I knew, the crowds forced me to slow Elizabeth’s pace. It was a weekend with heavy foot traffic, and midday at that—the perfect storm. The regular sailing ship from the Largol Empire, which only docked three times a day, was moored at the pier, so naturally the crowds were thick.
I made my way toward a sailing ship flying both the Largol Empire flag and the Alein Kingdom flag. In the distance, I spotted what appeared to be the Largol regular vessel, but the staircase connecting to it had already been removed—boarding time had passed.
“Luke! Luke Chatel, are you there!”
Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I might as well call out.
I shouted Luke’s name at the ship, craning my neck upward. If he’d already gone below deck, it would be pointless, but fortune smiled on me this time—Luke leaned out from the bow.
“What brings you here!”
What do you think, you fool? I came to catch you!
I wanted to curse at him, but safety came first—I had to tell him not to lean out like that. With the wind tugging at him and one hand occupied holding his hat, his posture was precarious. If he extended himself any further like that, he’d fall. The deck was narrow enough that if he fell, he’d be split in two.
After ensuring Luke’s safety and exchanging pleasantries with him, I shouted the one thing I truly wanted to say. I’d thought about it from every angle, but this was the only thing that mattered.
“Don’t go!”
I didn’t want him to return home. Forget the triumphant homecoming—I just wanted him to stay here and continue doing business with me, playing and laughing together.
Without Luke, who would I dance and joke with? Who would I exchange gossip with about which man in which town was supposedly attractive? A person needs that kind of frivolous fun to live. If both of us did nothing but work every day, what joy was there in living?
Here I was, dropping seventeen gold coins on the street just to find someone to chat with, knocking on their door—and I didn’t even have another friend to my name. Wouldn’t it be better to seek me out when you’re frightened or startled, rather than flip a tablecloth over your head? I can hold your hand whenever you need me.
“Do you hear me! I said don’t go!”
If he wanted to disembark, now was the only moment. The anchor was just being raised, and if I spoke to the sailors right, I might be able to delay the ship’s departure slightly.
And if Luke would just confirm that he’d stay and continue his business here, I was prepared to seek out Kaina Chatel, the head of the Chatel House. That arrogant brat had mentioned settling in Rocksburg Territory but hadn’t even come to pay his respects to me. If I complained to Kaina Chatel about his lack of manners, what could that boy possibly do about it?
All Luke had to do was say one thing: that he wouldn’t go back.
“Luke Chatel! I said don’t go!”
I shouted until my voice grew hoarse, but no answer came back. What good was an answer anyway? That man, who hadn’t even offered a proper bow before leaving, simply vanished from view and never looked back at me again.
“Rocksburg Young Lady. Are you looking for someone?”
I must have made quite a commotion. A sailor who recognized me approached and asked if I wanted him to stop the regular ship that was now departing.
But I shook my head and took hold of Elizabeth’s reins. What was the point of stopping the ship when he’d already refused me?
“No, never mind. Go back to your work.”
The sails were already fully unfurled, and the helm was being turned earnestly to set course for the Largol Empire. Once the wind caught it, the ship would sail steadily toward the Empire.
Fine then. Go, go. Go enjoy yourself to your heart’s content, Luke.
I heaved a deep sigh and turned Elizabeth toward home, pushing aside my disappointment. If he was determined to leave even when I tried to stop him, what could I do? I had to accept it. I’d lost a dance partner, I thought, and decided to let go of my lingering hopes.

It hadn’t even been four days since I’d made that resolve, yet my conviction was already wavering.
I’d been keeping my ear to the ground for news from the Largol Empire, curious about what schemes Luke—who had been doing excellent business in Aleine—was up to after being taken there. Then, quite absurdly, my intelligence operatives stationed in the Largol Empire brought word that had filtered all the way to the Duke’s Mansion.
Luke Chatel had been dismissed from the Chatel Corporation Global Operations Division. After his dismissal, I wondered where he’d be reassigned, but strangely, they’d pulled this capable man from the front lines. And here’s the amusing part—news of Luke Chatel’s marriage came along with it.
The woman Luke was supposedly marrying was a Marquess of the Largol Empire who had been widowed and was now alone, and she was said to be fifty-nine years old this year.
“….”
Upon hearing this news, I retrieved a bottle of vodka from the cabinet and uncorked it. Then I pressed the bottle to my lips and drank deeply. After a few gulps, my throat burned deliciously, and the sensation lifted my spirits.
“Glen Hofen Rocksburg.”
“Why do you address me so formally? It makes those listening uneasy.”
With alcohol warming my veins, I decided to commit to my plan and calmly summoned my consort. Though ours was a contractual arrangement, a consort was still a consort, and what belonged to my husband belonged to me.
“Summon Diana Cento from Veloche Territory.”
I had business pending with that girl. So I sought Glen’s understanding. The man looked at me with anxious eyes as I drank from the bottle in broad daylight, then carefully broached the subject.
“If you don’t mind, might I ask the reason…?”
“Incitement and fabrication.”
To fight someone fairly, one needed incitement and fabrication.

◇ ◆ ◇

Diana Cento, whom I’d only heard rumors about, had arrived in Rocksburg Territory yesterday but hadn’t yet visited me. Wondering what was going on, I pressed Will Brown—who had come to give Father his regular report—for information about her movements. Apparently, Diana had spent all of yesterday touring Rocksburg Territory.
She’d stopped by the Chatel Department, which would become relevant soon, strolled through residential areas, and even made purchases at shopping districts. Though I’d summoned her out of necessity, the fact that she was the instigator of civil unrest made me uneasy about leaving her alone.
I’d planned to have Will bring her by force if she didn’t show her face by today, but fortunately, Diana came to my office of her own accord.
The woman had peach-colored hair braided in two plaits—something that seemed impossible to occur naturally—and wore what looked like work clothes. On the front of her jacket was embroidered “Safety First,” and on the back, in large letters, were the words “Site Supervisor.”
Whose terrible design concept was this? Could it be Glen Hofen Rocksburg, the lord of Veloche? I shot a suspicious glance at my consort, and the man shook his head, denying that it was his doing.
“I apologize for my late greeting to the lord’s lady. I am Diana Cento, currently overseeing disaster recovery operations in Veloche Territory.”
“Ah…, yes, well. I’ve heard much about you.”
“That you remember my name, my lady, is an honor—even if it is infamy.”
What’s wrong with her?
I watched the fifteen-year-old child bow deeply with her hands clasped, and I shot Glen a meaningful look. What kind of education had he given her when he’d taken her in?
“I’m innocent.”
As I continued to wink and gesture with my eyes, Glen, unable to bear it, launched into excuses. He said she’d been like this from the moment he first met her, that he himself was equally baffled by how this child had developed this way, that Rosalite had no right to say such things—various explanations like these.
But why was I suddenly being brought into this?
“Anyway, the reason I summoned Diana was not….”
“I heard from the lord about incitement and fabrication?”
“Yes.”
“If you’ll forgive my rudeness, might I presume to guess your ladyship’s intentions?”
She already knew why I’d summoned her? And judging by how confidently she carried herself, she’d likely prepared some sort of countermeasure as well.
I nodded to invite her to speak and rested my chin on my hand.
“I heard that you and the Chatel Corporation’s new branch director are at odds.”
“News travels fast.”
“You must want to get Luke Chatel back from the Largol Empire. You have feelings for him, after all.”
“You know that much as well.”
“I understand. As the saying goes, heroes have always been lustful.”
Huh? Heroes and lust? Something about that phrasing feels off…
I could feel gazes converging on me from three directions—Glen, Asterion, and Jack Brown—and her remark was certainly prone to misinterpretation, so I tried to correct her. But Diana’s eloquence was faster.
“Remove the eyesore and reclaim what is yours. If it were me, I would aim for the complete withdrawal of the Chatel Corporation Alein Branch. Surely you share this view, my lady.”
Exactly.
I found myself drawn in by Diana’s forceful gestures and conviction, nodding along. What I wanted wasn’t to reinstall Luke as branch director of the Chatel Corporation Alein Branch. That would only be a temporary measure anyway—I needed something more fundamental.
“But before that, I must ask! Is it true that you intend to completely demolish the slums within your territory and pursue redevelopment?”
Oh, what a start. I flinched at Diana’s stern rebuke and spent a brief moment reflecting on my past actions. Redevelopment… was there something problematic about redevelopment?
“Those living there are the extreme poor of Rocksburg Territory. If they’re swept up in this development, they’ll all lose their livelihoods. It seems you have no intention of protecting them whatsoever.”
“Of course not.”
I answered immediately to a matter not worth considering, and the fifteen-year-old Diana’s eyes widened. To the child lamenting how I could not know that the people are the foundation of a nation, I stated my position.
“Those living there do not engage in ordinary social activities. Generally, their economic activity is confined to their own community, and dirty money that cannot be openly acknowledged flows in from outside. Moreover, security is poor, and the Public Security Bureau has suffered meaningful losses of personnel in the surrounding areas. Therefore.”
“Therefore?”
“Those who don’t pay taxes aren’t my subjects! Whether they starve or not is their own concern!”
“You have been implementing policies favoring the bourgeois classes! Do you not feel responsible for the difficulty common people face in social mobility?”
“Welfare is the nation’s responsibility, not Rocksburg’s! Take that complaint to the Royal Palace!”
“Our lord of Veloche Territory practices virtuous governance that prioritizes the underprivileged! Does this not stir something within you?”
“That region is nothing but the vast majority of poor and uneducated people! Who do you think is footing the bill for investment in a city just beginning to develop? And wealthy territories have their own methods of governance!”
“I understand.”
Diana, who had been agitated for some time, suddenly grew calm as if her heavy breathing had been a lie, and knelt respectfully. She bowed once more, then spoke with utmost courtesy.
“I apologize for testing you with my words. I believe you to be someone worthy of respect, though your ideals differ from my lord’s. I, Diana Cento, shall devote all my strength to becoming your support.”

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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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