How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 158
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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 158
* * *
Yustea blinked her eyes.
[So this child is our descendant?]
[Huh, if the 9th generation had seen this, he would have been greatly pleased. To think we produced a saint.]
[But didn’t that 9th generation die… My apologies. Didn’t he enter eternal rest?]
[Such language. This is why we shouldn’t have appointed a bastard as head of the family. Learning all sorts of useless things from the streets.]
[Grandfather, are you still saying such things?]
The ghosts surrounded Yustea as if she were some curious object.
Even when Yustea moved just a little, they scattered while screaming.
[Don’t move!]
[Stay still!]
Just like now.
Yustea froze in her half-risen position.
Only then did the ghosts of the past family heads feel relieved and gather around again.
When Yustea only widened her eyes and still didn’t move, the kindest-looking old man chuckled.
[What a good child.]
Yustea only rolled her eyes to look at the old man.
The old man spoke with a benevolent expression.
[Such a good child wouldn’t easily eliminate her ancestors, so everyone can relax.]
[But the 9th generation…]
[It was us who lost our reason and attacked. Just because we’re ancestral spirits doesn’t mean not defending oneself is foolish.]
[Well, that’s true…]
The ghosts cleared their throats awkwardly.
The benevolent old man smiled at Yustea.
[Make yourself comfortable.]
Yustea hesitantly sat down.
Only then did the current Count Andres, Rohan, speak up.
“Are you Lord Berhan?”
The 11th Count Andres, Berhan.
He was the wise ruler who brought about Andres’s golden age.
[Yes, what is the descendant’s name?]
“It’s Rohan.”
[Rohan. A good name.]
“Is regaining reason truly due to this child’s power?”
[Even without this child, we occasionally regain our reason. Though it’s not something we can choose. But regaining reason now is certainly thanks to this child.]
“What kind of power is at work? Is there a way to make you regain reason even without this child?”
[It seems to be due to the saint’s purification. Even the veil that clouded our reason appears to have been purified.]
“I see.”
[Then take the child away quickly.]
At this, the other vassals widened their eyes.
“No, why… Since things have come to this, we’d like to request a conversation.”
[Though conversation with descendants brings joy, it seems to be a burden on the child as she uses purification.]
“Pardon?”
The vassals looked at Yustea in surprise.
Now that they looked, her face was pale.
They thought it was from nervousness, but was there mana consumption involved?
Indeed, beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.
Marquis Rochette, the leader of the vassals, said.
“Then we should hurry and leave the mausoleum.”
If something happened to Yustea, Esgaroth would use that as an excuse to take the child away.
The ghosts quickly agreed.
[Yes, it would be terrible if her body was harmed. We’ll likely benefit from this child often, so go and tend to her health.]
[Bring her often.]
[As long as we don’t touch the child, we can even go outside the mausoleum to enjoy ourselves. Haha.]
While the family heads chattered, Rohan signaled to a knight.
The knight quickly lifted Yustea into his arms.
Soon Rohan bowed his head in respect and bid farewell to the ghosts.
When they reached the entrance of the mausoleum, Marquis Rochette, the leader of the vassals, approached.
He glanced at the excited vassals and lowered his voice.
“The saint’s power is truly remarkable—”
“We will secretly bring sorcerers into the mausoleum.”
“Pardon?”
“We’ll burn the coffins of past family heads to eliminate the ghosts.”
“…!!”
Count Andres’s eyes gleamed fiercely.
“We can’t keep leaving those things that hold the family’s information.”
Marquis Rochette swallowed dryly.
It was the right judgment.
If they continued to generate ghosts, there would be those who noticed the absence of the guardian stone.
It was necessary to burn the coffins to block ghost generation.
‘Realistically it’s the right judgment, but as a blood relative of the family heads, it’s chillingly cold.’
The ghosts’ eyes were sparkling with anticipation for their newly found life.
His father, the previous generation, could also gain new life if he became a ghost.
Yet he would burn all the coffins.
‘This person will never develop human affection in his heart.’
Well, that’s what made him suitable as a family head.
* * *
When the Andres party reached the front of the mausoleum, carriages were densely prepared.
Even the carriage whose wheels were damaged by tree roots was waiting after completing repairs.
The vassals boarded the carriages they originally came in.
The personnel composition of the carriage carrying the marquis and Yustea was the same as when they came.
Marquis Rochette, the leader of the vassals.
Baron Yopis, who had been Yustea’s teacher.
And Baron Namia.
However, unlike when they came, Baron Namia was quiet throughout the return journey.
‘Damn it, damn it…!’
He was humiliated because that girl pointed out just one grammar mistake.
‘It was a chance to secure the teacher position.’
On the way out of the mausoleum, he subtly sought help from the vassals, but they all had reluctant expressions.
“You were corrected on common knowledge in front of all the servants, and you want to bring up the teacher topic again? That doesn’t seem like a good choice.”
“Right. You know you made a mistake. You really can’t not know that. But that talk about being from Southern Empire Academy, have you been going around saying that? Well, I’m a bit concerned since I’m the dean.”
“Try saying what you just said in honorific form.”
Instead of helping, they were talking carelessly.
That fox-like Baron Yopis must be waiting for this moment.
Even now, wasn’t he diligently talking to the marquis?
“We’ve instructed the vassals and employees to keep their mouths shut, but it’s difficult to completely trust that number.”
Grumble…
“As soon as we return to the family, we’ll need to call in sorcerers to inscribe seals of silence.”
Grumble….
“Also, I’ll send a letter to Esgaroth informing them of the Young Lady’s mana depletion and that we’ll keep her until she recovers….”
Grumble grumble….
People’s gazes quickly turned toward the source of the sound.
Yustea, who was clutching a paper bag, hurriedly covered her stomach in embarrassment.
‘She walked a long way on rough roads and used up a lot of mana because of the ghost, so it’s natural she’d be hungry.’
Marquis Rochette laughed and said.
“You must be hungry.”
Grumble!
When her stomach rumbled loudly once more, Yustea finally pressed her stomach tightly.
Count Andres looked out the window and said.
“It’s almost mealtime, so we should stop somewhere nearby to eat.”
“N-no….”
“Come now, let’s go to a restaurant—.”
“No!”
Yustea shouted loudly.
Everyone in the carriage was startled.
The Count, who had been looking out the window, stared at Yustea.
Young Yustea was a child who didn’t know how to raise her voice.
Especially in front of her father, she would be so tense that she never opened her mouth.
Even now, Yustea had a very tense expression.
However, she hesitantly expressed her opinion.
“I need to go home quickly. I can’t keep staying out….”
Count Andres’s lips twisted.
“You want to hurry back to Esgaroth.”
“….”
“I suppose your father at the Esgaroth estate urged you to return quickly.”
“….”
“How unfortunate. We’re going to return very late. Stop!”
At Count Andres’s command, the carriage came to an abrupt halt.
The Count got out of the carriage and dragged Yustea out.
“I need to go home… home…!”
Yustea struggled, but a child couldn’t possibly overcome an adult man’s strength.
Eventually, the paper bag fell from Yustea’s hands as she was dragged out.
Items spilled out from the scattered bag.
What poured out and rolled around on the dirt ground was medicine.
All of it, without exception.
Yustea turned pale and hurriedly crouched down to gather the items.
“What the hell are you doing!”
Baron Namia shouted angrily.
‘I thought it was a holy relic, but it’s just medicine?’
Even though his role as teacher was over, he thought he could make some profit by stealing holy relics.
When his plans were completely ruined, he became furious.
“Acting so uncouth in front of so many people…!”
Count Andres also seemed thoroughly angry with Yustea, so there was nothing to hold back now.
Just as Baron Namia was about to step on the medicine, Yustea curled her body protectively over it.
“No, it’s daddy’s medicine….”
“…What?”
Count Andres stopped and looked at the child.
* * *
Esgaroth Mansion, Aslan’s office.
Marquis Esgaroth, who had been watching his son’s back for a while, opened his mouth.
“Are you planning to stay like that until Yustea returns?”
Aslan, who had returned after taking Yustea to Andres, had been staring out the window the entire time.
No answer came from Aslan.
Marquis Esgaroth sighed and sat on the sofa, saying.
“If you were going to be so heartbroken, you shouldn’t have sent her away.”
“She asked to be sent home.”
“You should have somehow comforted her until she returned to her normal self.”
“…It seems the Count was coughing in that child’s last memory.”
Marquis Esgaroth looked at Aslan as if asking what that meant.
Aslan slowly closed his eyes.
“Daddy goes cough cough. When he goes cough cough, he’s sick.”
“….”
“So I have to go.”
“….”
“Daddy keeps working even when he’s sick….”
“She said she needs to stay by his side to help him when he’s sick. Put coal in the brazier and hang wet towels.”
“….”
“And give him medicine so he won’t be sick!”
“Do you know what the first thing that child asked for in this mansion was? It wasn’t snacks or toys, but medicine for the Count.”
“….”
“Every day she would look at the bag with the medicine she put in, over and over again….”
“….”
“So how could I not send her?”
“….”
“Knowing that heart, how could I?”
When Yustea was sick, he felt the same way.
All day long, it felt like thorns were stabbing his throat.
That child he loved with his whole being must have felt the same way.
Marquis Esgaroth clicked his tongue.
“Would the Count even understand that precious heart?”
“Who knows.”
But if he did come to understand, he might make a different expression than before.
Perhaps that face would be very similar to his own expression right now.
* * *
Yustea hurriedly gathered the medicine in her arms.
Then she toddled over to the Count and showed them to him.
“Medicine so you won’t be sick.”
“….”
“This one is for when you go cough cough. Daddy went cough cough, so. And this one is for when your throat hurts. And this one is for when your head hurts, and also….”
“….”
Yustea hurriedly explained the medicines.
Even though there wasn’t a single memo attached, she had studied so hard that she knew everything.
She spoke with a very tense expression, worried that he might be angry and not listen to her.
Count Andres’s gaze turned to the paper bag.
From the moment they arrived at the Count’s estate until now, she had been holding it preciously.
Even when she jumped at the ghost, saying she would protect him.
“Daddy, no….”
Foolishly, when even grown men were scared and wetting themselves.
I was also scared and trembling.
“So I have to go to Father’s house and take medicine…”
The surroundings became quiet.
Neither Marquis Rochette nor Baron Yopis could open their mouths.
‘The reason she was shouting that she had to go to the manor even while being so hungry her stomach growled like that was…’
Even though my misunderstanding Father had dragged her out so roughly, far from being upset, she had clutched the medicine.
Yustea held out her hands dirty with dust.
At that moment, Baron Namia suddenly! pulled her hand away.
“Even after saying such things, do you still not know your mistake!”
Baron Namia’s lips twisted severely.
‘Really, how foolish.’
Would the Marquis accept such medicine covered in dirt and dust?
It would be fortunate if it didn’t anger him further.
‘Actually, this worked out well. If I show myself properly scolding her, I might catch the Marquis’s eye.’
“How dare you offer such a thing to the Marquis! Please have some refinement! What on earth did those vulgar people teach you…!”
Baron Namia, who had snatched the medicine from Yustea’s hand, raised his hand high.
It was the moment he was about to throw the medicine away.
“…Huh?”
Crack, a strange sensation like joints popping was felt.
It was the moment he felt something was wrong.
“Aaaahhh—!”
Baron Namia let out a scream.
His skin burned mercilessly and his whole body twisted.
Baron Yopis hurriedly embraced Yustea and moved away from Baron Namia.
‘Lightning.’
That power divided among the Seven Families and belonging to Count Andres!
Baron Namia, unable to withstand the lightning, collapsed and writhed like an insect.
“Why, urgh… why, to me, urghh…”
Count Andres approached him with slow steps.
The Baron with bloodshot eyes moved his mouth.
“Mar, Marquis… Marquis… sir… why…”
“For not knowing your place.”
“…What?”
“You dared to touch what’s mine.”
The Marquis took the medicine that was still in Baron Namia’s hand.
At that moment, Yustea blinked.
Something strange was floating before her eyes.
Designer of the Dark Curtain 【Rohan Andres】
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Ill-fated relationship collection complete (1/3)
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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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