How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 132

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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 132

I immediately went down to the lower floor.

The lower floor. That is, to Father’s study.

“Father!”

I entered with a bright face, but….

“….”

As soon as Father saw me, he clutched his head.

On the desk was a newspaper with an illustration as big as a door panel showing me and Luciano embracing.

“…I know what you’re going to say. So don’t say it.”

“Father.”

“Stop.”

“Father.”

Father groaned.

I smiled kindly.

“That won’t change what I have to say….”

“….”

Father raised his head and looked at me.

He looked somewhat haggard.

I smiled brightly.

“I want to propose to Prince Luciano!”

“No—!”

Father was in agony.

Yuise, who had followed me, saw the scene in the study and let out a hollow laugh.

* * *

Yohaël and Gaspard watched the Empress pace anxiously around the room.

Gaspard rested his head on his clasped hands and said.

“What’s the big deal that she’s making such a fuss….”

The Empress turned to look at Gaspard with cold eyes.

“What?”

“What’s so bad about that girl Yustea’s reputation falling?”

“You don’t understand anything.”

Gaspard bristled.

“I know too. That Mother wants to make that girl your daughter-in-law. But so what? If her reputation falls, wouldn’t it be good since it would break that girl’s arrogant pride?”

“You fool…!”

The Empress shouted sharply.

Gaspard flinched and frowned.

“My words aren’t wrong either, so why….”

“This gossip article isn’t targeting Yustea, it’s targeting us!”

“…What?”

“All of society’s attention is focused on Yustea and Luciano.”

“That would be the case….”

“What do you think will happen if Yustea sends a marriage proposal to Luciano here?”

“That would be….”

Gaspard, who had been muttering, startled.

The Empress burst out in a thunderous voice.

“Quietly dismissing it would be impossible!”

Yustea was aiming for that.

To make it impossible to suppress the marriage proposal to Luciano.

“The moment Yohaël rejects the marriage proposal, all the media in the country will say that Yohaël targeted the Saint and interfered with young lovers.”

“How long would such talk last? If we suppress it….”

“Do you think Yohaël secured the regent position because our power was superior? No. It was because they lacked justification to push out Yohaël, the eldest son.”

“….”

“If Yohaël uses his regent authority to suppress the proposal for his own greed, the people will doubt Yohaël’s morality.”

“….”

“That would give Count Gallagos, Luciano’s maternal grandfather, the justification he needs to step forward!”

They had fallen completely into the trap.

‘To think she’d use reputation, which is like life to nobles.’

The Empress slammed the table violently.

Unable to contain her anger, she looked at Yohaël.

“Why are you so quiet?”

“…I thought it was just a handy cutter knife when I used it, but in someone else’s hands, it’s no different from a great sword.”

“You mean Yustea?”

“I find myself thinking such thoughts often….”

He muttered in a low voice.

“Now it’s becoming quite irritating.”

The Empress quietly watched her son’s back.

She swept up her fallen hair.

“…We can’t leave things as they are.”

The Empress’s eyes gleamed sharply.

* * *

I checked the letter that arrived early in the morning.

The letter bore the Imperial Palace’s seal.

The content of the long letter, three pages long, could be summarized briefly as follows:

I’ve been too busy to pay attention until now.

Now things are settling down and I’d like to meet, so come to the Imperial Palace.

I’m sending a carriage, so I hope you won’t refuse.

Yuise said.

“There’s an Imperial Palace carriage outside.”

“Really?”

“She’s probably trying to persuade you, right?”

“Well….”

I turned the letter over and hummed thoughtfully.

Then Yuise asked.

“You’re going, right?”

“I should. The Empress sent a carriage, so if I refuse, the nobles who care about etiquette will be displeased.”

Right now we’re in the middle of a public opinion war.

There was no need to deliberately create flaws in myself.

More than anything, I was worried about Luciano who had been dragged to the experiment site.

I should secretly find out what happened to him at the Imperial Palace.

“…And make the proposal too.”

“The Clan Leader hasn’t been able to sleep, but you’re still going to do it?”

“It’s because of me. Becoming a chimera, the Emperor collapsing.”

Even so, I wanted to help Luciano who was worried about me.

I carefully put away the marriage proposal and said.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

I changed clothes and got into the Imperial Palace carriage.

The weather was gloomy.

‘I wonder if it’s going to rain.’

My prediction was correct.

When we arrived at the Imperial Palace, a drizzling rain was falling.

Because of that, all the people who came to escort me were holding large umbrellas.

Yuise took one of their umbrellas and held it over me.

We walked following the escort like that.

As we went, the rain gradually grew heavier.

Yuise whispered to me.

“Your clothes will get completely soaked.”

“….”

“What’s wrong?”

“…Something feels strange.”

When it rained, it was natural to guide people to places with shelter.

But these escorts deliberately guided us across the courtyard.

More than anything, the direction they were leading was strange.

“It seems like we’re heading toward the Outer Palace….”

“What did you say?”

It was when Yuise furrowed her brow.

“Her Majesty the Empress is waiting, so please hurry.”

The voice of the escort walking ahead reached us.

Yuise quickly shielded me behind her back.

“Yuise?”

“Cover your ears.”

“My ears?”

“It’s Atrakion (Enchantment).”

A sorcery that infuses mana into one’s voice.

It compels the target with a strange attraction.

Yuise, being a sorcerer, had noticed it.

‘Using sorcery inside the Imperial Palace?’

The escort tilted his umbrella.

His face became visible.

“…!”

Because they were wearing dresses and hiding their faces with large umbrellas, I hadn’t realized.

…That they were men!

They were people with terrible scars on their faces.

The condition for palace servants was an unscarred face.

They were not palace servants.

Yuise blocked them with one arm and said.

“Stand back. This person is the granddaughter of Marquis Esgaroth and a Saint recognized by the Pope.”

“Haha….”

The largest among the escorts raised the corner of his mouth.

“How could we not know that.”

“You….”

“We received orders to give precious treatment to a precious person. It would be best if you followed obediently.”

Yuise looked at me.

I muttered with a hardened expression.

“The Empress, that woman….”

“So it really is the Empress’s doing?”

I bit my lips tightly and nodded.

The escort, no, the sorcerer approached us.

“You wouldn’t want to die here, would you.”

“…!”

It seemed that recent events had made her harbor tremendous hostility toward me.

If she couldn’t have me, she would dispose of me.

Rather than let me fall into Luciano’s hands…!

“I came here at the Empress’s invitation. If I disappear, the Empress will be the one under suspicion.”

I spoke fiercely.

However, the sorcerers only giggled.

“Don’t worry. That person will handle it well on her own.”

They had no intention of backing down at all.

Yuise reached out her hand.

It must have been to activate sorcery as usual.

However, no text strings extended from her fingertips.

Yuise’s face hardened.

“Why….”

“It’s because of the Imperial Palace barrier. As long as the barrier doesn’t collapse, attacking inside here is impossible.”

“Then what about them!”

I quickly looked at the sorcerers.

There were insignias attached to their chests.

“It’s because of those insignias.”

The insignias that the Emperor’s guards possessed.

Only the owners of those insignias were unaffected by the barrier.

Since her son had become regent, stealing a few insignias wouldn’t have been difficult.

The sorcerers kicked off the ground and rushed at us.

Yuise hastily blocked the sorcerer.

“Run away!”

“But…!”

“You being here won’t help, you know?”

“You don’t even have a weapon. How can you face them alone.”

Yuise had surrendered her weapons upon entering the Imperial Palace.

Yuise pushed me away and said.

“Even if you’re here, it won’t help. Go get help.”

“….”

“Quickly!”

Right, getting help was the priority.

I gritted my teeth and turned around to run away.

But it was strange.

No matter how much I ran, I couldn’t see anyone.

‘Why is there no one in the Imperial Palace…!’

That’s when it happened.

Boooooo—!

The sound of a horn echoed through the sky.

[Each palace should move along the designated routes.]

‘A disaster drill is in progress!’

Damn Empress.

She had perfectly set up a trap.

‘Where on earth are all the palace servants gathered….’

Just as I was thinking that.

With a whoosh! sound from behind, a hand came flying.

It was a man I’d never seen before.

But judging by the insignia on his chest, he was also the Empress’s person.

I could see people running after us from behind.

Not just one or two.

Their numbers were steadily increasing.

They had clearly anticipated that I would flee to a crowded area and stationed people along the expected routes.

I quickly bent my waist to avoid the hand.

“Ugh…!”

And I turned into a secluded path to avoid the pursuing sorcerers.

Since there was nowhere else to hide.

‘Wait, that place over there is…’

I flinched.

It’s the abandoned tower.

When the new magic tower was built, the existing tower lost its purpose and came to be called the ‘abandoned tower.’

Since all sorts of magical experiments were conducted there, the palace people found it ominous and avoided approaching it.

‘They’re driving me there.’

That place is meant to be where they dispose of me!

I stopped walking.

‘Somewhere else… I need to escape somewhere else…!’

But the pursuers behind me were getting closer and closer.

What should I do.

How should I…

It was just as I was pondering.

Something suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me.

“Huh…?”

I looked up in confusion, but the person who pulled me ran silently.

I know that back.

It’s not that he’s speechless.

He just can’t speak.

“Prince Luciano…”

“…”

He ran silently.

Into the clock tower.

I could tell how he was here without asking.

His exposed wrists were in tatters.

His whole body covered in blood.

“…You knew the Empress was plotting something.”

“…”

“So you escaped from the experimental lab? In this condition?”

“…”

He looked back at me.

His face was pale.

His fingertips were a mess.

I could tell how desperately he had escaped.

“You… when… door… no, wait… hey…”

I gritted my teeth.

My eyes grew hot, but I gripped his hand tightly.

“Let’s go.”

“…”

“You know a place to escape to, right?”

Luciano nodded.

He entered the clock tower.

It was dark inside, but he led me as if he could see everything even in the darkness.

It seemed his eyes were also affected by becoming a chimera.

“Where the hell are they!”

“Over there!”

“Catch them!”

Our pursuers didn’t give up on us either.

We ran with all our might.

But soon we were blocked by a wall…

Luciano grabbed me and rushed toward the wall.

‘We’re going to crash… huh?’

As if passing through a thin membrane, we were able to come out to the exterior.

‘I see. This place was Luciano’s playground like the Holy Tower.’

But the sorcerers who saw us pass through the wall soon pursued us as well.

The rain was gradually stopping.

However, the ground was still muddy, and it felt like my muscles were being overloaded with each step.

But hope was gradually building.

Because I could hear people’s voices from behind the corner.

That’s when it happened.

“Ah!”

A sorcerer who had caught up grabbed my hair.

Luciano stood in his way.

And pushed me beyond the corner.

“Go… quick… go…!”

With a body that struggled to say even one word, desperately.

That’s how I was able to turn the corner.

I lost my balance from being pushed by Luciano and fell messily.

Splash!

People who heard the sound turned their heads with puzzled expressions.

‘Palace people… ah, there are nobles and royalty too.’

They seemed to be those summoned for disaster training.

“Saint?”

Someone muttered.

People approached me in my disheveled state.

“What happened? Your appearance…!”

The maids hurriedly helped me up.

I grabbed them and said.

“Prince Luciano…! The Prince…!”

Has been captured…!

It was the moment I was about to speak.

“My goodness, Yustea!”

It was the Empress’s voice.

I flinched and looked up.

She came running to me.

With her two sons behind her, carrying Yohaël.

“Are you alright? Hmm?”

“…”

“I heard that Luciano harmed the mages at the experiment site and fled. When you didn’t come to my palace, I had a suspicion and came looking…”

‘This woman…’

That was the purpose.

She was trying to make Luciano the culprit of this incident.

That way, the gossip would naturally be dismissed as false rumors.

Even if I denied it, when people found out that the sorcerer used Atrakion (enchantment), they would think Luciano had restrained me.

“Yohaël, what are you doing? Hurry and take Yustea…”

“Prince Luciano saved me. From Her Majesty the Empress.”

“What…”

“I love Luciano!”

“Yohaël, what are you doing…!”

“This feeling is sincere!”

I screamed in frustration.

That’s when it happened.

Male protagonist confirmation conditions met.

Luciano has successfully completed the ‘sincere confession.’

Ending scenario.

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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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