Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 96

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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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If I could just arrange a marriage between that princess and our Crown Prince, he promised to secure me a position as an honorary princess. The mere thought of it made my heart race so wildly I feared I might suffer a heart attack. Those princesses and princes from that region—they’re called royalty, but they’re really the backbone of the nation. What did he call them? Capos? Were the executives called capos?
“By the way, where’s Aster…?”
I found it odd that Aster wasn’t near the fire, so I glanced around and spotted her sitting a distance away from where Lily and Violet were cooking.
Having apparently known all along that the two of them wouldn’t properly prepare her share, Aster had set up her own bonfire and was roasting corn in abundance. Looking closer, it seemed she’d brought potatoes as well. I wondered if she’d get upset if I asked for a small portion.
“Young Lady. This was the first to finish roasting.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Jack Brown bounded up the ladder and handed me a plate that, surprisingly, contained meat. My goodness, what is this? Lamb ribs? I’d thought we were having a corn party, but it seemed Violet and Lily had brought barbecue supplies as a set.
These children certainly had good taste. I pulled on the cotton gloves Jack offered and grabbed the hot bone, tearing into the meat. It was delicious.
Eating lamb ribs in an open space while watching someone else’s conflict unfold—the flavor was truly honeyed. Did I need seasoning? Watching the Chatel Department Store collapse in real-time was the most delightful taste in the world.
I tore into a piece of meat and laughed with delight, then bit into corn and laughed again before raising my opera glasses. Diana had delivered a lengthy speech, and now she was even singing folk songs.
Well done, keep going, go ahead and smash it all to pieces.
As I shadowboxed in encouragement, I heard someone humming near my feet. Glen, who’d received his plate of food from Jack, seemed to have caught the spirit of the song and was humming along.
“Hey, Glen! No singing!”
At my shout, the prince flinched and looked at me. After getting scolded so thoroughly by our Father for singing folk songs in front of him, how could you be humming along to this? I’ll grant that Glen has a fine voice and sings well, but why is his entire repertoire limited to that sort of thing?
I doubted Melissa had taught him such songs, and while I wondered if it was connected to his biological father… but Glen’s biological father is also a nobleman, isn’t he? Hasn’t the Hofen Territory Baron title been passed down through his family?
“Sister! Would you like something to drink?!”
“Yes!”
Our Asterion, though somewhat annoying, had certainly grown into a capable young man. When I gave my permission, he came bounding up the ladder with a silver tray and tea set, performing even more impressive acrobatics than Jack, and poured my tea.
It appeared he was supporting himself by hooking his feet under the chair’s lower frame, but somehow he’d learned to pour tea so stylishly without any practical purpose. I didn’t recall assigning him such a teacher, yet Asterion’s abilities never ceased to amaze me.
“It’s still hot. Please blow on it gently.”
“Thank you.”
“Or would you like me to blow on it for you?”
“How annoying.”
“Hehe!”
What will happen if this boy plays pranks while standing in such a precarious position!
Asterion, having momentarily forgotten that he was standing precariously high up, played around as usual and knocked all the dishes off the silver tray, his body swaying dangerously.
I quickly placed the teacup on my lap and grabbed Asterion’s waist, and the boy barely managed to throw his arms around my shoulders, letting out a startled gasp.
“Be careful! What would you do if you fell!”
“Thank you. I’m alive thanks to you, Sister.”
“Here, hold on tight. Stay close. That’s right. Don’t fool around.”
As I instructed him to hold onto my shoulders and waist, Asterion, apparently terrified by his near-fall, clung to me tightly and pressed himself against me.
Below, Jack Brown, borrowing Glen’s hand, was throwing stones at Leon, but my proud younger brother skillfully dodged them all while happily eating the meat I fed him.
The boy had grown sturdy and strong. To think he could evade every stone Jack threw with such precision. I’d have to give his combat instructor a bonus.
“Isn’t it difficult dodging the stones?”
“This much is easy.”
“Good. That’s what I expect from my brother.”
I praised the child, who’d grown as large as a mountain, and raised my opera glasses again. As the union workers’ protest grew more violent, some wielded wooden clubs and smashed the department store windows to pieces, while others overturned carriages bearing the Chatel House seal, displaying increasingly brutal behavior.
In any case, my territorial subjects certainly have plenty of vigor. All that energy comes from eating well and living comfortably every day, doesn’t it? It’s a hundred times better than those wasting away because they can’t even get a decent meal.
“My Lady. There’s a pint-sized fellow at eleven o’clock.”
“Is that so?”
So he’s finally made his appearance.
Following Leon’s direction, I turned my head toward eleven o’clock, where a man who could be called a mere pea compared to Luke stood with a furrowed brow.
He bore almost no resemblance to Luke whatsoever. Perhaps only the red hair was similar. It seemed Luke must be adopted. He certainly inherited the prettier genes.
“My Lady. It looks like the pint-sized fellow just slipped a bribe to someone from the Public Security Bureau.”
“That’s quite far away. Your eyesight is remarkable.”
“It’s the result of regular training.”
What kind of training improves one’s vision? In any case, I should thank the combat instructor with a generous bonus.
As I continued observing the situation, the pint-sized fellow glanced in the opposite direction from the protest crowd. Since it seemed he was waiting for something, I followed his gaze, and two cargo wagons came racing down the street with armed men beginning to pour out of the cargo beds.
These men, who appeared to be Chatel House mercenaries, brandished weapons to disperse the union members, and our local Public Security Bureau officials didn’t lift a finger—apparently because of that bribe they’d accepted earlier.
And I understood. Diana must have invited me here for this very moment.
“Wait just a moment!”
I quickly called out, entrusted my teacup and plate to Leon, grabbed just one corn skewer, and leaped down from the top of my chair. Aster had been watching me while grilling potatoes and corn, so he was already rushing over before I could even open my mouth. To avoid a collision, I decided to designate Aster as my landing point.
“Aster! Catch me!”
At my cry, Jack, who had been about to stand, stopped mid-motion, and Aster gently caught my body. With my feet safely on the ground, I crunched on the corn as I walked toward the pint-sized fellow.
“How dare you cause a disturbance without permission!”
I cleared my throat importantly and strode through the crowd like a dignitary making an entrance. All the territorial subjects who recognized me parted the way toward the pint-sized fellow, and Diana, standing in the front row, bowed her head to me.
And since the fellow who’d accepted the bribe earlier looked quite flustered, I decided to deal with him first.
“You’re rather slow with your reports, aren’t you?”
“My apologies.”
“I suppose you were trying to overlook it since I’ve built a good relationship with Chatel House up until now.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
“Your approach shows a complete lack of tact. I dislike the sight of a new branch director, so I’m issuing demerits for your late reporting, dereliction of duty, and for injuring my precious taxpayers. A total of six months’ salary reduction and one rank demotion. Your badge.”
“…Thank you for your leniency.”
I’ll make sure to tell Security Chief about all the others gathered here and have them penalized as well.
I took the badge from the man, tossed it to Aster to keep, and stepped closer to the pint-sized fellow. So, his name was… Martin? Martin Chatel?
“Tell me, what should I make of the fact that you’ve armed mercenaries on my land? Martin Chatel.”
“It’s Milton Chatel, actually.”
“Silence. If I say you’re Martin, then you’re Martin.”
Since his height was just about level with my eyes, I easily flicked my forehead against his, and Martin slightly furrowed his brow.
If it were Luke, he’d have made a fuss as if dying from pain, but this child wasn’t cute at all.
“I had no ill intentions. I merely thought to suppress employees who take payment without doing their work.”
“Even if it means injuring my precious territorial subjects?”
“The actual damages to our company are greater. Surely you can see the situation before your eyes.”
“Chatel House must have made a serious mistake. That’s why my dear territorial subjects are so angry. Martin.”
“It’s Milton.”
“If I say you’re Martin, then you’re Martin. How many times must I tell you?”
I flicked his forehead three more times, and only then did Martin finally clutch his forehead and pretend it hurt. See? If he’d pretended to be in pain earlier, he wouldn’t have gotten hit so many times.
“Young Lady, you may not realize it, but their demands are utterly unreasonable! This is nothing but malicious interference with business operations!”
“Do you truly believe I wouldn’t know?”
How amusing. Does this fool think I’m here by mere coincidence? I’ve brought picnic tables and barbecue sets and set up camp, for heaven’s sake.
“Are you perhaps not particularly intelligent?”
“I skipped grades and graduated university at twenty. People call me a prodigy.”
“Unable to read the context, it seems. Not particularly intelligent indeed.”
“Young Lady!”
“The moment you became branch director, a labor union formed and employee grievances erupted. The executives split into Empire and Kingdom factions. I’ve purchased land and shops adjacent to the Chatel Department Store—roughly 1.5 times the size of this building your company boasts, I’d estimate.”
“….”
“So, what conclusion emerges from this, Martin Chatel?”
As I finished speaking, I bit into corn with obvious relish. Martin fell silent. He glared at everyone gathered there, ground his teeth, then bowed deeply to me.
“I will give the employees’ requests positive consideration. It would be an honor if you would agree to meet formally in the future.”
“Positive consideration? Deliberation?”
“Aren’t you curious what my gift is?”
I’ll admit, I’m curious about that. He’s the legitimate son of the Chatel House, and he holds more authority than Luke, so I’m genuinely interested in what kind of gift he might offer.
The bastard—still, as a member of the Chatel House, he knows how to negotiate a deal.
“If you withdraw now, I will take that matter to my grave.”
“That matter?”
“Smuggling.”
“…I don’t follow.”
“I don’t know who recorded it, but someone incredibly diligent has been meticulously gathering evidence in a secret vault.”
“My dear subjects! Today, we adjourn!”
When I see Luke again, that brat’s getting an earful. Gold bar smuggling—when was that? And he’s still keeping records? Please don’t tell me he’s documented everything else in ledgers too.
As I loudly declared the dismissal, some of my subjects grumbled, but since it was my direct order, most accepted it without complaint and dispersed.
Under Diana’s guidance and that of the union leaders, everyone found their way home in orderly fashion, and the bustling demonstration vanished in an instant, returning the streets to their everyday peace.

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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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