How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 101
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Replace Your Dad
Chapter 101
It wasn’t just me and Stella.
Even the Pursuit Team Members muttered silently.
“How….”
Stella muttered like that until she received a sharp glare from the Ghost Head Maid.
But right now, I understand too.
Even Luciano was furrowing his brow.
‘Gaspard…!’
That man with vacant eyes was definitely Gaspard.
Gaspard’s pupils moved.
It felt somehow unnatural, as if he was forcibly turning his eyeballs.
The Head Maid said with a bright smile.
[Is there a child you fancy?]
Gaspard’s finger moved again as if stiffened.
The person he pointed to was….
‘Me?’
My Pursuit Team Members and even Luciano watched the situation with sharply alert eyes.
The Head Maid laughed, “Ohohoho.”
[An excellent choice. That child is clever and calm, so she’ll serve you without any problems.]
The Ghost Young Master… no, the Head Maid who said that to Gaspard looked at me.
[Right?]
I obediently bowed my head.
The Head Maid looked pleased.
Then she pointed to the two people on either side of me and continued.
[With you as the lead, the three of you will serve the Young Master starting today. I won’t tolerate even the slightest negligence.]
The people she pointed to were one of my Pursuit Team Members and a man I was seeing for the first time in this castle.
“Yes.”
After answering, we followed behind Gaspard.
Gaspard limped up the stairs.
Just like a doll forcibly connected with strings.
* * *
Serving Gaspard wasn’t difficult.
He consistently stared into space with a vacant face.
It was much easier work than dealing with the whining Ghost Girl.
The strange thing happened during mealtime.
Inside the silver dome brought out as a meal was a living young lamb.
Gaspard staggered up and approached the lamb.
Then….
“…!”
“…?!”
The lamb shriveled up just like that.
Its volume shrank drastically as if dried, becoming twisted.
And then it collapsed with a thud.
‘Its life force was drained.’
It was at that moment that Gaspard’s mouth opened.
[Ah, I was suffocating from frustration.]
He spoke for the first time.
His movements, which had been creaking like joints colliding, became fluid.
He finally began moving like a human.
[Hello, young lady?]
Gaspard curled up the corners of his mouth.
Just with that change in tone, he was a beautiful boy with a mysterious atmosphere.
‘Right. Gaspard was also a male lead candidate in the game.’
Being Yohaël’s half-brother, he was a gorgeous beauty.
I quietly bowed my head.
Then Gaspard approached me.
And thrust his head close to mine.
[Why don’t you show me your cute face?]
One of my Pursuit Team Members tensed up with a start.
He was worried that my life force might be absorbed like what happened to the lamb.
I slowly raised my head.
Gaspard looked at me intently with his head slightly tilted.
The place where he had been massaging his neck reached his earlobe.
[You’re not flustered, so it’s no fun.]
He shrugged his shoulders.
Then he waved his hand dismissively.
[I’m bored now. Go away.]
With our heads bowed, we hurriedly opened the door.
Just as I was about to leave the room, I heard a voice filled with laughter.
[I’m looking forward to it, young lady.]
With those words, the door closed.
The three servants walked silently down the corridor.
And we reached the dining room’s tableware storage, which was like a waiting room for people.
Only after entering there did the servants except me slide down in a heap.
The Pursuit Team Members hurriedly approached.
Stella and Luciano were among them too.
Antonio’s Unit Member asked.
“How did it go?”
“It was brutal. That guy who looked like a corpse suddenly started laughing. And for a meal, he absorbed the life force of an animal.”
Then other people said.
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“He doesn’t just absorb the life force of animals.”
“He’s violent, so when he gets upset, he even devours people.”
Then the Pursuit Team Member who had been serving frowned.
“He didn’t seem violent though.”
“You were lucky. Today it seems it wasn’t that ‘personality.'”
“Personality?”
“Right. Sometimes he’s violent, sometimes he grins like a madman while experimenting…. Anyway, he’s a scary guy.”
I was quietly listening to their conversation.
Then Stella approached.
“How was Gaspard? He didn’t seem hurt anywhere, did he?”
“….”
“Did he say anything else to you?”
“….”
“Wasn’t there anything strange or anything like that?”
“…There was.”
People’s gazes focused on me.
I said with a stern face.
“That thing is absolutely not Gaspard.”
…He had Gaspard’s appearance, but the essence was definitely a different person.
Originally, he would act like he was having a seizure whenever he saw me.
There’s no way such a person would call me Young Lady.
It was strange from the moment he chose me as an attendant over Stella.
Stella flinched and looked at me.
“What? But anyone can see that’s clearly Gaspard.”
Yes, only his outward appearance was identical to Gaspard.
The small face and sharply falling jawline.
The horizontally long cat-like eyes.
Even the hook-shaped scar on his chin.
Stella muttered with a confused expression.
“If it’s not Gaspard… then who is it…?”
“…Benjamin.”
“What?”
Stella’s face hardened.
Even Luciano’s eyes narrowed, knowing Benjamin who had been the heir to House of Becker.
I know it sounds strange too.
But his behavior was definitely Benjamin’s.
The languid smile, the tone.
“I’ll pay since I also earned money. I received quite a lot from the young ladies’ brothers.”
“Won’t you go to a more interesting place, Young Lady?”
His way of speaking.
And….
‘Even the habit of touching his earlobe.’
There was a small wound on his earlobe.
That wound that had been healed away at Andres Castle.
Benjamin had a habit of touching that wound when he was troubled.
I looked at the people who weren’t Pursuit Team members.
“Was the Young Master originally supposed to look like that?”
Then the people looked at each other.
And the man who had been in this castle the longest said.
“The Young Master always changes.”
“What did you say?”
“Last time he was a man with a bear-like build, and before that he was a small mage.”
“You’re saying the castle’s heir changes every time?”
“He’s not the heir.”
“Then what?”
“The Head Maid said so. The ‘Young Master’ is one who protects this castle.”
Other people also nodded and said.
“Yes, what the Head Maid truly cherishes and loves is the Young Lady.”
“When the Young Master and Young Lady face danger together, the Head Maid always chooses the Young Lady.”
“When the corpse-like Young Master hurts the Young Lady, she gets extremely angry and eliminates him.”
Stella, Luciano, and the Pursuit Team members frowned.
They had expressions of not being able to understand the situation.
However, my eyes lit up with interest.
“…I see. So that’s how it was.”
I looked at the people with an extremely excited expression.
* * *
The Head Maid furrowed her brow.
After looking around, she spoke to a passing Ghost Servant.
[The humans are nowhere to be seen. Do you know where they went?]
[Wouldn’t they be in the restaurant?]
[They’re not there even though mealtime has passed.]
[Shall I look for them?]
The Head Maid’s eyebrows twitched.
[Please do so.]
[Humans are really stupid anyway. Give them a little praise and they get so cocky that they soon become confused.]
The servant continued grumbling.
[I thought these humans might be somewhat useful this time. I’ll find them and send them to the Punishment Chamber.]
[Leave the child with golden eyes. The Young Lady is pleased with her.]
It had been a long time since there was a human the Young Lady was pleased with.
[But then won’t there be insufficient offerings for Lord Cockatrice?]
[We can just release the petrification of the underground statues and throw them in.]
[I’m worried that Lord Cockatrice might be displeased with such poor quality food.]
[It’s fine. When the Young Lady gets tired of that child, we’ll use her as an offering too.]
Her precious Young Lady was very fickle.
Even if she’s pleased now, she’ll soon lose interest.
Just like with countless toys.
But then it happened.
[Lady Margaret!]
The urgent voices of ghosts could be heard.
When the Head Maid turned her head, the ghosts shouted.
[All the statues in the underground have disappeared!]
[What did you say? Did thieves break in?]
[There are no signs of intrusion.]
‘Then….’
The Head Maid’s face contorted.
[Find the humans!]
It was their doing.
‘I wondered where they went, and they were doing such cute little tricks.’
The Head Maid’s eyes rippled blackly.
The forms of the ghosts wavered with anger.
Wherever the ghosts passed, doors swung open with bang! bang! bang! sounds.
[They’re not visible in the underground.]
[Not in the warehouse either.]
[The first floor too….]
Just then, those who had been searching the second floor approached urgently.
[The statues on the second floor have disappeared.]
Even the decorative statues had vanished.
The Head Maid’s form rippled greatly.
And she, having grown enormous enough to touch the ceiling, roared.
[How dare these little rats——!!]
Creak creak creak.
As the Head Maid raged, all the furniture in the castle shook as if an earthquake had struck.
The Head Maid, grown as huge as a house, opened her mouth wide.
Trees swayed from the strange vibrations.
Doves flapped and soared through the air, cutting through the sky.
The doves’ eyes glowed red like lights.
[Find the humans! They must not be left alive!]
It was the moment when ghosts and doves swiftly glided through the air.
“You never intended to let us live anyway.”
Yustea’s voice echoed into the courtyard.
Behind Yustea, at least fifty humans came pouring in.
In their hands were metal objects like garden shears and silver knives.
The Head Maid’s eyes blazed with fury.
[How utterly foolish. Do you think such trinkets will work on us?]
“They won’t work now.”
[What?]
“But before dawn comes…!”
[…!!!]
The ghosts’ expressions hardened.
The Head Maid’s eyebrows twitched.
[What nonsense are you…!]
“You disappear when dawn comes, don’t you? You become doves, right?”
[…!]
“You became doves to guard this castle. That’s why you turned Prince Yohaël into a statue when he tried to escape. That’s also why you attacked Stella, isn’t it?”
How… how does that child know…!
The Head Maid’s gaze wavered.
Yustea smiled brightly.
“But that’s not enough. When you become doves, you become very weak. That’s why you need a ‘Young Master.'”
A Young Master to guard this place even during the day.
Then, someone walked down into the courtyard.
Walking down with a smile was Gaspard… no, Benjamin.
The area beneath Benjamin’s feet grew darker.
The form that gradually darkened eventually became completely human-like.
A black shadow fell beneath his feet.
“How clever indeed, Young Lady.”
All the ghosts in the Ghost Castle looked at the Head Maid with bewildered faces.
The Head Maid trembled with rage.
[No. It’s a foolish thing.]
The Head Maid approached Yustea with a hissing sound.
[You were so delighted to have figured it out.]
The whites of her bulging eyes flashed.
Yustea only looked at her with her hands clasped behind her back.
The Head Maid’s lips twisted.
[But it’s night now. This is our time, foolish human.]
“Is it?”
Yustea smiled brightly.
It was the moment the Head Maid’s eyebrows twitched once more.
“Your Highness!”
At Yustea’s voice, the ghosts murmured.
Come to think of it, the two men were missing.
The two men with exceptionally beautiful faces.
Luciano and Yohaël.
One of the ghosts shouted.
[Lady Margaret!]
And pointed outside the window.
The ghosts who turned their gaze following that hand froze.
Two men stood before the swaying bridge connected to the Cockatrice.
The man with disheveled spring blossom-like golden hair, Yohaël.
And him with winter wind-like cold silver hair, Luciano.
Massive bows were held in both men’s hands.
Margaret’s face hardened.
[No…!]
But the moment she cried out.
Swoosh—!
Arrows released from the two men’s bows flew cutting through the wind.
And.
“Kieek—!”
They struck the Cockatrice’s head.
The massive body swayed.
The two serpents coiled around the Cockatrice’s lower body opened and closed their mouths as if letting out final death cries.
Hissss…!
Then.
[Aaaaah!]
[Aaak!]
[Gah, ah, aah…!]
The ghosts trembled violently.
The dark veil of night was lifted.
Light shone from beyond the mountain peak and the light brightly colored the sky.
The Head Maid let out a scream.
[Kyaaaaaaak—!!]
The ghosts’ forms distorted into spirals as if being sucked somewhere.
Flutter!
Doves flapped their wings roughly.
Amidst the chaos, Benjamin standing on the stairs and Yustea below met eyes.
Yustea said.
“Come down, I’ll kill you once more.”
Benjamin narrowed his brow and smiled.
* * *
Inside the dark room.
Those watching the mirror clicked their tongues.
The mirror’s screen moved according to Gaspard’s gaze.
“She’s really something.”
“I like her. I have a fondness for clever girls.”
“What’s so clever about her? She seems to think Benjamin is changing the form of his soul, but the consciousness input there belongs to Prince Gaspard. We’re just controlling it. Not knowing even that, what’s the point.”
The pigtailed girl grumbled while hugging her doll.
Then, chuckling sounds flowed out.
Benjamin propped his chin and said.
“Well. We’ll have to see if she really doesn’t know.”
Benjamin glanced at the head seat.
‘That man’s’ eyes watching the mirror held anticipation.
As if finding it very interesting.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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