How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 121

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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 121

When our eyes met, she shyly covered her cheeks.

Jewel-like purple eyes sparkling beneath long eyelashes.

Cheeks flushed pink against porcelain-smooth skin.

Empress Regina’s shy expression was like a work of art.

…If only it weren’t for this situation.

‘What is she being shy about?’

I looked at Luciano with that kind of expression.

Luciano let out a sigh.

As if his mother being strange was nothing new.

Even though she must have seen her son’s disgusted expression, Empress Regina didn’t care.

She simply walked toward me with light steps.

And looked even more pleased as she gazed at the hand I was holding with Luciano.

“What a magnificent sight… Don’t you think so?”

The Empress asked in an enchanted tone.

Then her ladies-in-waiting smiled brightly and answered “Yes~.”

I thought they were going to start singing in chorus.

Embarrassed, I tried to let go of his hand…

“Don’t do that.”

The Empress gently tapped our hands with her fingertips, as if afraid Luciano and I might separate.

“It looks so lovely.”

“…”

“Come have tea at my palace like this. You’ll need a place to wait for your father, won’t you?”

“Ah, I’m grateful, but…”

I glanced at Luciano.

Then Luciano let out a sigh.

If you don’t mind, then do so.

Just for today.

Seeing the words that appeared in the air, the Empress was delighted.

“How wonderful. I prepared lots of sweets that children like because I wanted to give them to my daughter-in-law when she came.”

I smiled awkwardly.

It was flustering how she kept calling me daughter-in-law.

But it would be awkward to refuse the title in front of others.

It could be twisted into ‘Yustea publicly refused the position of Luciano’s consort.’

That would make Luciano’s position even more precarious.

“Well then, let’s go.”

The Empress laughed heartily at Luciano and me, then turned her head.

To be precise, toward Yohaël.

She looked at Yohaël with a completely different expression than she had with me.

“Since that’s how it is, wouldn’t it be better if you returned now. This is the last chance to appear harmonious on the surface.”

“If Your Majesty the Empress would invite me to the palace as well, it would look even more harmonious.”

“How unfortunate. Since my invited guest seems to find the smell of garbage revolting, you’ll have to excuse yourself.”

Yohaël raised an eyebrow slightly.

But he said nothing more.

He only stared at my hand holding Luciano’s.

He spoke.

“You’re going to regret today, Yustea.”

His voice was very low.

There was a sharp glint somewhere in his eyes as he looked down at me.

So I told him.

“I told you to stop pretending to be fatal.”

People’s eyes widened.

Not only the Empress and her ladies-in-waiting, but even Luciano glanced at me.

I pulled Luciano’s hand and said to Yohaël.

“Don’t go blaming me while kicking your blankets later.”

I walked past Yohaël like that.

Luciano laughed silently.

* * *

The Empress giggled the entire way to Regina Palace.

She was so excited that she stopped several times before reaching the palace and bent over at the waist.

She seemed quite pleased that Yohaël, who looked exactly like the Empress, had stiffened up.

Even the palace servants passing by failed to manage their expressions when they saw the Empress giggling and bending over.

Only after reaching Regina Palace did the Empress rub the corners of her eyes and say.

“Ah, I laughed too much. My stomach muscles are all tingly.”

Then her ladies-in-waiting—

“Indeed they are.”

“Indeed they are.”

—chorused brightly once again.

The Empress rubbed my cheek with the back of her hand.

“I like you more and more. Where did such a child drop down from?”

Luciano took the Empress’s hand.

Mother.

“I know. You want to say it’s not proper. You never stop nagging even after losing your voice.”

I flinched.

Was it okay to say such things?

Wouldn’t Luciano be hurt?

I looked at him worriedly, but his expression showed no damage at all.

Rather, his expression told me not to worry about it.

Mother being thoughtless is nothing new.

“Right. My being thoughtless is an ancient matter. That’s why His Majesty calls me a filly, isn’t it?”

The Empress wasn’t affected at all either.

She simply turned her head with a huff.

“Well then, you two go and play.”

“Aren’t we having tea?”

When I asked, the Empress waved her hands.

“I was planning to help you escape from Yohaël, not actually inviting you for tea.”

“Pardon?”

“I may be thoughtless, but I’m not oblivious.”

“What do you mean…”

“In the early stages of romance, you’d want to kiss just from making eye contact. I was like that once too.”

“…”

I was really unfamiliar with the Empress’s way of speaking.

There were many times I wondered if this was okay.

The Empress said with a bright smile.

“The vine wall in my garden is high and dense, perfect for rubbing lips.”

“…”

“I’ll clear out the people for a while, so enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content.”

“…”

Luciano and I fell silent.

But the Empress paid no mind and headed into the palace with her maids.

Even in the midst of this, she must have thought of Yohaël as she stopped, bent at the waist, and laughed heartily.

After the Empress left like that, only Luciano and I remained.

I fell silent.

Because the Empress’s talk of kissing had reminded me of something I’d forgotten.

‘Come to think of it, Luciano kissed my cheek…’

After kissing me, he had shamelessly said,

[You did it too.]

—I remembered him saying that.

And asking to become lovers too.

‘Wait a minute.’

I paused and frowned.

Back then, Luciano had said

to make the reward becoming lovers instead of marriage.

I hadn’t answered that.

But considering the context of our conversation, there were some ambiguous parts.

I looked at Luciano.

Then I flinched.

He was looking at me with an intense gaze.

‘He must have been watching me the whole time…’

I hesitated before speaking.

“What kind of relationship are we?”

“….”

Luciano was quiet.

After briefly looking into the air, he rubbed his throat and arranged glowing letters.

You seem to have forgotten.

I said I liked you.

When you look at me like that and ask what kind of relationship we have, there’s only one thing I can do.

“What?”

As I widened my eyes, he suddenly brought his face close to mine.

When I stepped back in surprise, letters appeared right in front of my nose.

Should we go under the Vine Wall?

“Are you crazy!”

My face turned red instantly.

When I flinched, Luciano chuckled and stepped back.

He waved his hand, making the existing letters disappear and new ones appear.

I’m in the phase of waiting for you.

“….”

As always, and in the future too.

“…You must have waited quite a long time.”

When I muttered this, Luciano smiled brightly.

If I said even the moments of waiting were enjoyable, would you go under the Vine Wall?

I glared at him slightly.

He wasn’t like this when he was young, so why had he become so cheeky?

Having that thought, I sighed.

‘He’s telling me not to worry.’

He was being brazenly forward to appear that way.

So I wouldn’t get upset about him not being able to speak.

‘So then…’

I grabbed his collar and pulled him toward me.

This time, it was him whose eyes widened.

“Your eyes look fine. Your skin too… yes, still pretty.”

“….”

“You look perfectly healthy.”

“….”

“Is your heart the same way?”

“….”

Luciano stared at me intently.

He slowly blinked his eyes.

As if to say yes.

“Then I won’t worry anymore. So stop talking about the Vine Wall. It doesn’t suit you.”

“….”

“If you keep it up, I’ll drag you there myself.”

Luciano’s eyes widened again.

I lifted my chin and smiled arrogantly.

“You’ve never been engaged or anything like that, have you, Your Highness? Sorry, but I’m your senior in this area.”

“….”

“You’re being cheeky. Junior.”

With that, I let go of Luciano’s hand and walked ahead first.

“This is my first time at Empress Regina’s Palace. Please show me around.”

Letters appeared haphazardly before my eyes.

How flustering.

“There are so many lilies blooming. I might get intoxicated by the scent. Did you know? Lilies were also used as tools for suffocation.”

Hey, senior.

“What’s that building over there?”

Senior.

Are you really going to go to the Vine Wall?

“Hurry up!”

Senior, please stop for a moment.

Luciano followed behind me with a playful laugh.

I walked while exchanging jokes with him.

Despite it being winter, the Imperial Palace maintained a temperature that wasn’t too cold through mana stones.

Perhaps that’s why.

…There was a snake, no, a python.

“What’s that?”

I pointed at something python-like with a width similar to a bicycle tire.

Luciano, who had been following me, made letters appear in the air.

Eppy.

“Prince Ain’s Bi?”

That is, the death servant.

The death servant that was called Eppy when pretending to be mad, but whose real name was actually Bi.

Luciano nodded.

“Why is Bi at Empress Regina’s palace?”

Just as I asked that question,

there was a rustling sound followed by a languid voice.

“Because I’m here.”

It was Ain.

He had been lying near Bi’s head area and was groggily getting up.

Since the place he’d been lying was grass, he had bits of it stuck all over him.

“Why are you here, Prince Ain…?”

“Because of someone, I grabbed the wrong line and got abandoned by my mother.”

“Pardon?”

“So my mother is trying to kill me. By framing it as Prince Luciano’s poisoning.”

Ain added with an annoyed expression.

“She’s useless because of her madness, but she happened to stick with Prince Luciano who became a chimera, so she fell out of the Empress’s favor. This can’t go on anymore. I need to get rid of her. —Well, that’s probably how it went.”

“Ah….”

“After what happened to Brother Luciano, all the imperial consorts are trending toward Yohaël’s side.”

When I remained silent, Ain asked.

“What, do you pity me?”

Ain smiled while resting his chin on his hand.

He was smiling, but it felt cold.

Though he didn’t want to show it, the situation seemed to be painful for him.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I was also abandoned by my biological father, so not really.”

“….”

“Shall we abandoned people get along well together?”

“…Wait, isn’t that person trying to seduce me?”

Ain asked.

Luciano glanced at me.

What a shame.

As of today, you’ll have to move out of my mother’s palace.

“That potato was the one doing the seducing, so why do I have to move out? I didn’t fall for it.”

Then I’ll let you continue boarding here.

“I’m so grateful I could cry.”

These guys, really.

I let out a deep sigh.

“I wasn’t trying to seduce anyone. I meant I’d help if there’s anything I can do.”

“Really? Then first get me some mice for Bi to eat. Mice are absolutely forbidden in Regina Palace.”

Any thoughts of refusing?

“What choice do I have when I’m in a position where my mother is trying to kill me, so I fled to the palace of a brother who shares no blood with me?”

Ain said that and then looked at me.

“If you can’t get them, then persuade that brother to make me a room in his palace.”

“I think he entrusted you here because Regina Palace would be safer. Right?”

When I asked, Luciano nodded.

There are spies stationed throughout my palace.

After my condition became like this, many switched over to Yohaël’s side.

“I know, but I’m dying of frustration. How is it that only Bi is allowed?”

Blame the fact that your hobby doesn’t match mother’s aesthetic sense.

Ain sighed.

He stood up with an irritated expression and looked at me.

“But you, why did you come to the Imperial Palace?”

“There’s something I need to confirm.”

The favorability of the princes who are male lead candidates.

Originally, I had planned to check during lunch.

‘But I didn’t see several of them.’

I learned that to check favorability, you need to be within a certain range.

It was impossible unless you were as close as Ain and I are now.

‘Since I’m here, shall I check his favorability?’

As I thought that, a window appeared before my eyes.

And….

Prince of Avalon 【Ain】.

[Favorability cannot be confirmed.]

‘…Huh?’

What’s this?

Just in case, I checked my status window.

Name: Yustea Esgaroth

Class: Saint

Traits: Purification, Healing, Status Window (Active), Divine Fortune (100% (More)), Crest Bestowal (1/1), Favorability Reading (Active)

MP:1492/1500

.

.

‘Favorability Reading is in active state.’

But why can’t I confirm it?

As I was pondering this, I startled.

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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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