Touch My Brother And You're Dead!!

Chapter One

Touch My Brother and You Die — Chapter One

In my first life, I was seriously clueless. It took me well over a year to recognize that I’d become Rosalite from the classic of all classics, Asterion of the Starry Blue Night. It was a boys’ love novel dripping with ridiculous drama, devastation, and, at times, outright crimes (of passion, allegedly). It took me two more years to realize that I was the older sister of the main character, Asterion.

However, it wasn’t my fault! How was I supposed to know that Asterion was part of the duke’s family? They always called him “Rion,” and he lived in the servant’s quarters. He even worked at the estate, just like any other laborer in the royal household.

Only two years after I became Rosalite, Rion officially became a member of the dukedom. My father, the duke, couldn’t stand by and let my cousin—some irrelevant viscount—constantly abuse Rion. With the gavel bang, Mr. Cousin was exiled, and Rion became the duke’s legitimate son.

From then on, well… I thought it would be just like any other gay romance novel.

Confused? Of course, you are. Well, one day in my past life, it occurred to me that cleaning crumbs from my bed was a hassle, so I went to my younger sibling’s room, climbed into their bed with a bag of greasy potato chips, and stuffed my face while scrolling through their tablet. That was when I accidentally fell off the bed, hit my head, and woke up as Rosalite.

Since then, I’ve let go of a few things. I freed myself from my obsession with the internet. Eventually, the phantom tremors I’d get from a cellphone’s absence stopped after about two years. Thankfully, the conditions in my new surroundings were livable—a flushing toilet and hot water were available (likely because we were a wealthy household).

Asterion of the Starry Blue Night is a fantasy novel, so I didn’t have to look far for a mage or swordmaster. Thankfully, this world provided quite a bit of entertainment. Even watching Rion suffer from relentless harassment from other men became routine after a few years.

Hah. Keep your chin up, Rion.

Needless to say, I didn’t interact much with him, thanks to the whole “step-sibling” trope. My maids-in-waiting were always going on about how I shouldn’t acknowledge him, as he was just a bastard born of the duke and a woman of lowly origin. Still, I rooted for him on the inside.

Stay strong, Rion—even though all that’s waiting for you is tragedy, drama, and pointless death. Still, stay strong.

I knew the ending.

A life that began with being assaulted by your cousin eventually ended in death. In despair, after the relentless harassment from men, Rion took his own life at the young age of twenty. It was the type of ending that would be hated these days. Actually, no—it was probably criticized plenty back then too. Either way, whatever. It was just an old novel, you know?

Except on the day Rion took his own life, I returned to age sixteen. That was to say, I’d rewound to my first day as Rosalite.

Just like that, I was rendered helpless.

***

In my second life, I rejected reality at first. Eventually I decided to calm down and accept my situation through some light self-brainwashing. I knew this trope. There was a similar premise in a novel I’d once read. I just had to be the good guy and prevent Rion’s death. Then, everyone and their grandmother will live happily ever after, right?

So, I raised Rion with loving care. He hadn’t been violated yet, so I grabbed the degenerate who kept harassing him and laid into him, calling him a son of a bitch and an asshole. I hugged and comforted Rion and even took the initiative and demanded that the duke accept Rion as an official family member.