How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 108

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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 108

That wasn’t what was important right now.

The blue veins subsided starting from where Stella’s lips had touched.

‘She used healing.’

However, the blue veins soon swelled up thickly again.

Stella looked at Luciano’s neck restlessly.

“What should I do? You must be in pain…”

Her lips seemed about to touch his neck once more.

I frowned.

‘Painful, so painful.’

I didn’t want to care what Stella did or didn’t do.

Getting involved with her had never been helpful.

But…

‘All of that will be visible through the transmission.’

I couldn’t help but step in.

Considering how Luciano had helped me, ignoring this would prick my conscience too.

I sighed and opened my mouth.

“Stella.”

When I called her, Stella flinched and looked at me.

Her grip on Luciano tightened.

I strode toward her.

Stella glared at me with hostile eyes.

“How can you brazenly wander around like this?”

“The same way you wander around freely. I made ‘friends’ too, just like you.”

When I emphasized the word ‘friends,’ Stella bit her lips tightly.

“I never thought of them as friends. I was just trying to break through the situation in my own way.”

“How?”

“Well…”

“How is using me as a sacrifice and the princes as test subjects a breakthrough?”

“I need to be able to move first before I can do anything, so I…!”

“Right. Say it like that, Stella.”

“…What?”

“That your goal was to be able to move. That for your goal, you had to sacrifice the prince or me as offerings.”

“…!”

Stella’s face hardened completely.

Her hands gripping her dress hem trembled.

However, she soon took deep breaths as if trying to calm down.

‘She has definitely grown.’

In the past, she would have gotten excited and just repeated things like ‘I… I…’

Now she seemed to know that getting excited would only make her look foolish.

Stella stared at me intently and said.

“Yustea, I understand you want to think my sincerity is ridiculous somehow.”

“Me?”

“That way you can justify your actions. You’d want to comfort yourself that you’re living well, that you’re not bad since everyone else lives like this too.”

“…”

“But Yustea.”

Stella took a step closer to me.

Standing right next to me, she said.

“Not everyone lives as selfishly as you do.”

“…”

“Me too. I. In my own way.”

Stella poked my shoulder repeatedly as she spoke.

“I’m thinking of ways to escape this situation with minimal sacrifice.”

“…”

“So now you back off.”

“…”

“I told you. Your way, I understand it now too.”

Stella stared directly into my eyes and said.

“You’re in the way.”

I stared back at Stella.

The corner of her mouth curved up crookedly.

Honestly speaking, I hate Stella.

‘I was curious why.’

Stella wasn’t someone who had directly harmed me.

The ones who tormented and abandoned me after all my devoted suffering were Count Andres, Onel, and the Marchioness.

She hadn’t deeply wounded Mother and my heart like Emma had.

The only wrong Stella had done to me was simply being cheerful.

“Why can’t you get along well with your family, sister…? It would be nice if you were harmonious. Should I help?”

“Um, I know it’s not proper etiquette, but I don’t want to greet that noblewoman. She’s famous for tormenting servants. If Grandmother scolded you about that, I do feel sorry.”

Of course there were times when I was deeply frustrated by her meddling like that.

But the unit members were troublesome in the same way.

Antonio’s unit kept getting scammed, so I often had to step in.

Of course, they had no malice.

Stella probably had no malice either.

Yet unlike the unit members who were simply cute, I disliked Stella.

But now I understand.

‘The reason I hate Stella.’

“You resemble your mother.”

“…What?”

The way she seeks only rights without fulfilling duties.

The disgusting avoidant attitude of pushing her faults onto others.

The narcissism of needing to be the most noticed and loved.

All of that was just like Emma.

Stella’s face hardened.

I didn’t look away from Stella.

“If you want to handle this matter, then do it. But leave Prince Luciano and me out of it.”

“I told you. Some sacrifice is necessary…!”

“Why should Prince Luciano and I make that sacrifice?”

“That’s…”

“If sacrifice is needed, you do it. Don’t take others’ sacrifice for granted.”

I grabbed Luciano’s hand.

Stella hurriedly blocked my way.

“What are you doing!”

“What am I doing? Pervert.”

“…!”

When I looked at her coldly, Stella flinched.

“That was to heal him…!”

“I guess you don’t have hands.”

“The, the closer to the heart, the better the effect…!”

While Stella was flustered and hesitating, I pulled Luciano toward me.

First, I couldn’t leave Stella and Luciano together.

If Stella had to choose between First Prince Yohaël and Second Prince Luciano, she would choose Yohaël.

‘And I don’t know what might happen to Luciano again…’

That’s what I was thinking.

‘Huh?’

Strength entered Luciano’s hand.

I looked at him in surprise.

In his lifeless pupils, very faintly, light flickered.

Instantly, I realized.

‘It’s purification!’

I had received a talisman from Anne to purify the ghost that Benjamin had attached.

It was a talisman that weakened the Reconstruction Council’s barrier.

‘The effect of this talisman is still active. My 【Purification】 brought Luciano back to his senses.’

“Lu…”

“….”

As I was about to speak, Luciano stared directly at me.

He was telling me not to speak.

‘Is he pretending not to be in his right mind to gather information?’

When I looked at him intently, Luciano nodded his head very slightly.

Stella didn’t notice.

I purified Luciano a little more strongly.

And when Stella tried to pull me away from Luciano, I took that opportunity to step away from him.

Stella said fiercely.

“I’ll take good care of His Highness. You can’t deal with me anymore anyway. You don’t even have guards.”

“….”

“Let’s go, Your Highness.”

Saying that, Stella triumphantly left with Luciano.

I watched Luciano for a long time.

* * *

Stella returned to the experimental lab with Luciano.

She had put Luciano inside the lab when she heard someone entering.

It was Hera.

She smiled brightly while shaking two mugs.

“Do you like cocoa?”

“Ah, mm…”

The two sat on the windowsill holding their cups.

Seeing Stella’s complexion, Hera asked.

“Why aren’t you sleeping at this hour? Is the room we provided uncomfortable?”

“It’s not that…”

“Or did you have another confrontation with Yustea?”

“…Were you watching me?”

Stella’s expression hardened.

Hera chuckled and said.

“It’s not me watching, but Arahan’s surveillance devices. I just guessed from your expression.”

“….”

“You turn so pale every time you face Yustea.”

“That’s…”

“I understand too.”

Hera turned to face Stella.

When Stella flinched, Hera placed her hand on her cheek.

“I also have a half-sister.”

“Ah, that…”

“I’m similar to you too.”

“….”

“My sister also always stood above me with abilities beyond her station. Even though her character was ridiculously poor aside from her abilities.”

Hera whispered.

“That’s truly unfair.”

“…Right.”

“You’re the same as me, Stella.”

Stella’s eyes trembled faintly.

“Do you always feel this unfair too?”

“Yes. Enough to stay awake through countless nights.”

Hera set her cup down on the windowsill.

And while lightly embracing Stella, she spoke soothingly.

“I understand you. That resentful feeling, and hating Yustea too.”

“You hate Yustea too?”

“That child is greedy.”

“….”

“She’s not satisfied with what she has and covets other things.”

That was right.

She had a new family, so she should focus on them, but she still tried to gain recognition from Andres too.

Despite trying so hard, she pretended to push away, making herself utterly pathetic.

Stella bit her lip.

“I understand…”

“I also have someone precious to me. A blood relative that ‘that person’ entrusted to me.”

“Blood relative…”

“I must make him an excellent successor. But Yustea gets in the way.”

Hera, who had moved away from Stella, let out a displeased groan.

Her red lips twisted.

Stella blinked.

“But the Reconstruction Council said they would accept Yustea…?”

“That’s only because they covet her healing. But there’s a substitute like you instead of her.”

“Me?”

“You also have excellent healing power at the level of a high priest, don’t you? With our power, we can grow that healing.”

“Growth…”

Stella looked at her with trembling eyes.

Hera spoke with subtle eyes.

“So… shall we get rid of Yustea together?”

“How…?”

Hera handed Stella a small pouch.

When Stella tried to open it, Hera quickly grasped the pouch along with Stella’s hand.

“Don’t open it because it’s dangerous. That’s a magic-sealing stone.”

“Magic-sealing stone?”

“The stronger one’s divine power, the more intense pain they suffer. It would be even more so for Yustea.”

“….”

“Yustea is wary of me, so it’s impossible. But you could make contact with Yustea using this.”

“….”

“How about it? Will you help me?”

Stella’s eyes trembled faintly.

Hera’s eyes curved languidly.

“I’m just going to break that girl a little. In a brief moment, she’ll lose everything.”

“….”

Stella stared blankly at the pouch.

The words she had heard from Yustea came to mind.

“And you can’t bring that out into the world, you idiot.”

“So we just wanted to console ourselves by serving alongside you, that’s all.”

“If sacrifice is needed, you do it. Don’t take others’ sacrifices for granted.”

Those contemptuous eyes.

Words that made her efforts seem ridiculous.

Her grip on the pouch tightened.

Stella’s eyes took on an intense madness.

* * *

Hera gave Stella a room where she could rest.

A satisfied smile appeared on Hera’s lips as she walked down the corridor.

That’s when it happened.

“What’s your reason for wandering the castle at this hour?”

It was Oscar’s voice.

Hera frowned when she saw Oscar emerge from the darkness.

“Are you worried I might harm Yustea? Don’t worry. That girl is sleeping very well in the room Arahan provided.”

“Benjamin is.”

“Who knows. He probably went off to collect ghosts again.”

Oscar’s golden eyes glanced around the surroundings.

Hera let out a hollow laugh.

“You seem terribly worried that Benjamin might attack that girl at this dawn hour.”

“Don’t be sarcastic.”

“How attached have you become to an Irregular to act like this?”

“….”

“Get a grip. How long do you intend to maintain that attitude?”

“….”

Hera placed her hand on Oscar’s cheek and spoke.

“My little Young Master. Please don’t make me correct you. I don’t want to be cruel to you.”

“Let go.”

Oscar shook off Hera’s hand and turned his back.

Hera frowned.

“The Archduke is watching you!”

“….”

Oscar’s steps stopped.

The leader of the Imperial Restoration Council, Archduke Arcunterra.

Having ancestors who were princes of the old empire, he had survived in the shadows for a long time.

The Archduke’s son was none other than Oscar.

It was him.

Hera pressed on.

“Don’t forget. You are the one who will succeed the Archduke and become the leader of this Reconstruction Council.”

“….”

“That your family is us, not the Irregulars.”

Oscar resumed walking.

Dawn when even the birds’ songs were captured by silence.

He walked down the corridor.

And in front of the room he arrived at, his golden eyes flashed.

Yustea’s divine power was flowing out of the room.

But something was strange.

‘…The divine power is readable?’

She had removed the thread bracelet.

Not only that, but even the barrier had weakened.

She must have gotten hold of a talisman that was only given to Reconstruction Council members.

“What method did you use exactly?”

She was someone you could never predict where she’d bolt to next.

“Say you did wrong. Say you won’t do it again!”

“It’s not too late yet. Come back, Oscar.”

“….”

Just as Oscar, who had been quietly staring at the door, was about to turn around.

A note placed on the floor caught his eye.

I am safe. You will be safe too.

Don’t worry about the pursuit team members.

Because you’ll take care of them.

Let’s all return home safely.

P.S. Why do they give so little food here? I can eat two pieces of bread.

“…You really drive people crazy.”

Oscar, holding the note in his hand, let out a quiet chuckle.

* * *

The next morning.

I woke up in the Reconstruction Council Castle and patted my shoulders.

‘I slept lightly from tension, so I’m tired.’

I was sitting at the table and sighing when it happened.

Breakfast was brought in.

‘…Two pieces of bread?’

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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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