How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 162

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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 162

Emma laughed softly as she looked into her daughter’s sparkling eyes.

“That’s right. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

How long would the woman of Count Andres and her daughter continue to live in a place like a barn?

Emma’s eyes wavered as she held her daughter close.

“Mother will make it so Father has no choice but to come find you.”

“How…?”

“I’ll need some help though. Help from your good friends.”

Good friends?

Stella looked at Emma with a puzzled expression.

And soon her face darkened.

“Since the Family Ceremony finals, no friends have been responding to my messages…”

“The Empire’s people would be like that. They’d be worried about the Imperial Palace’s reaction. But you have friends who aren’t from the Empire, don’t you?”

“Friends who aren’t from the Empire… Ah!”

She seemed to know who Emma was talking about.

“You mean the Prince of Ilfarm?”

The magical powerhouse, Ilfarm.

It was the second most prosperous nation on this continent after the Empire.

When she was young, GM had persistently nagged about a Quest that absolutely had to be completed.

It was to save a boy who had drifted to some riverside at the Empire’s border.

Though the long journey to the border was difficult, she had struggled through the Quest because it was about saving a person.

The boy she saved through that Quest was none other than Terriars, the Prince of Ilfarm.

“Terry cherishes me greatly so he’d help, but Ilfarm is too far. It would take a very long time to go there and back, wouldn’t it? Also, we don’t have the travel expenses…”

“I heard the Ilfarm royalty is visiting the Empire as an envoy.”

Stella’s eyes widened.

“Then…!”

“From what I heard in the village, they’ll arrive in three days. If you meet the Prince and explain the situation, you should be able to get help.”

“Terry would definitely help me!”

Prince Terriars of Ilfarm was a good person with a strong sense of justice.

How angry would he be if he knew about this unfair situation?

In the current circumstances, even the Empire had no choice but to be mindful of Ilfarm.

The Empire was in chaos due to the Reconstruction Society.

In contrast, Ilfarm had already organized its internal affairs several years ago and had been steadily building its strength.

The Emperor wouldn’t want relations with Ilfarm to become strained at this point.

“It’s the perfect opportunity for us mother and daughter to return to Andres. Look, Stella. See how much fate loves you.”

“Yes…”

Stella nodded while sniffling.

* * *

Morning.

The Esgaroth Estate hadn’t regained its former vitality despite Yustea’s return.

Yustea had become quiet again.

Even more than before.

Charlie from Antonio’s Unit approached stealthily and offered a snack container.

“Would you like a snack? You like candied tomatoes, don’t you? Today we’re having snacks before lunch as a special treat!”

“….”

The child who would have sparkled her eyes at other times just shook her head glumly.

Charlie, having failed, groaned and retreated.

Next was Antonio.

He came with the Clan Leader’s hawks, Shimyeon and Sunguang, fluttering irritably at his sides, and shouted energetically.

“These are the bird-brains Young Lady likes! I snatched these guys who came down for food. You want to play, right? You really want to play, right?!”

“…Geulomon gayeoeo. (…Then they’ll be pitiful.)”

At least she spoke, but her reaction was even gloomier.

When the Unit Members kicked Antonio away, he retreated screaming “Ack! Ack!”

“Move aside.”

The next opportunity went to Cesar.

He walked majestically carrying a large Ttiniping doll.

“It’s the newly released Helleleping. Banggeut-ping’s older sister.”

Yustea, who liked Banggeut-ping second only to Hachu-ping, would surely be interested.

He had waited 6 hours among parents who had lined up at the toy store from 5 AM to buy the last remaining Helleleping.

The Unit Members clapped and cheered “Ooooh!” seeing Cesar’s arrogant face.

And Yustea…

“….”

Just shook her head back and forth.

“Why! It’s a Royal-ping!”

When the shocked Cesar shouted, the Unit Members kicked him out.

Yustea sat silently with drooped shoulders, only looking out the window.

Seeing her back view like drooping rice cake, the Unit Members huddled together and whispered.

“Why is she like this?”

“Does she want to go back to Andres?”

“No, no. I think it’s because yesterday Count Andres, that bastard, grabbed Young Lady’s shoulders and yelled at her. Originally, hearing yelling makes you feel like shit.”

“But she wasn’t scolded. The Marquis is a bastard whose duodenum should be pulled out through his mouth for jump rope, but yesterday he said something close to remorse.”

“How would Young Lady, small as a millet grain, understand such meaning? When someone yells, she thinks she’s being scolded.”

The Unit Members glanced at Yustea.

She seemed to have drooped even more.

They groaned.

“What should we do to cheer up Young Lady…”

Just as the female Unit Members were muttering sadly.

“Yustea, look at this.”

Aslan’s voice was heard from outside the door.

In his hands as he entered the room was a puppy the size of a fist.

“Woof!”

Hearing the barking sound, Yustea turned her head to look at the puppy and jumped up as if bouncing.

The child who came running had cheeks flushed with excitement.

“Monmoni… (Puppy…)”

“That’s right. Duke Navarro’s dog had puppies. I brought one to show you.”

“Aeppeo… (Pretty…)”

Yustea stared at the puppy as if enchanted.

The puppy was very energetic, wagging its tail frantically and flailing its front paws wildly.

“Why don’t you hold it? It seems to want to come to you.”

“Angdae! Yustea, tteoleotteulyeo! (No! Yustea, you’ll drop it!)”

Yustea hid both hands behind her back with a frightened face.

The puppy, startled by the shouting, hid its face in Aslan’s hands.

Yustea’s face darkened with a start.

Aslan knelt in front of Yustea and said.

“Why are you shouting? Do you dislike the puppy?”

“No, no. Monmoni joa…”

“Then?”

“There, there, Yustea worried about monmoni. If drop, monmoni hurts.”

“Then why did Count Andres shout yesterday?”

Yustea’s eyes widened.

After fidgeting with her fingers for a while, the child spoke carefully.

“Yustea is stupid, so Father isn’t angry, right…?”

“That’s right.”

“…!”

Yustea’s face brightened.

“And the puppy isn’t angry either, it was just surprised.”

Aslan extended his hand.

When the puppy peeked its head up again, Yustea hesitantly reached out her hand.

“Woof!”

The puppy soon licked Yustea’s hand and wagged its tail vigorously again.

“Ah…”

Yustea blinked her eyes.

She didn’t look as dejected as before.

Seeing this, the unit members smiled warmly.

“The Clan Leader seems like a good father. Don’t you think?”

At Antonio’s words, Cesar answered with an arrogant expression.

“Of course.”

“The parenting book seems to be quite effective.”

When Yuise chuckled and spoke, Miliano also smiled and nodded.

* * *

Yustea regained her spirits.

Marquis Esgaroth watched through the window as Yustea ran around frantically with the puppy.

The child burst into giggles as she hugged the puppy that jumped into her arms.

Marquis Sintus, his closest aide who had come up from Esgaroth Estate, chuckled softly.

“A heavenly sound, isn’t it?”

“Since she seems to like dogs, it would be better to raise that one at Esgaroth.”

“Actually, Marquis Nevarro has already sent two letters asking us to return it without a single hair harmed, saying it’s the prettiest of the litter.”

“That petty old man.”

“It’s a dog meant as a gift for the royalty of Ilfarm.”

When Ilfarm was mentioned, the Marquis’s eyes immediately gleamed sharply.

“The Ilfarm delegation enters the country in two days?”

“The delegation’s entry is indeed then.”

“‘The delegation’s entry is.’ So someone has already entered ahead of them.”

“Prince Terius, the delegation’s representative, has secretly entered the Empire first.”

“What’s his purpose?”

“He seemed to be searching for something.”

“A person? What could it be that a prince would personally search for it?”

“My apologies. We’re still investigating.”

“We must find out as quickly as possible.”

“Yes.”

Just then.

The sound of someone falling with a thud and the Irregulars shouting “Young Lady~!” came from outside the window.

Yustea had tripped over the dog and fallen.

“Ow…”

Seeing Yustea rubbing her head, Marquis Esgaroth shot up.

“Get that damn dog out of here right now!”

‘Didn’t you just say you’d raise it?’

Marquis Sintus looked at the indignant Marquis Esgaroth with an incredulous expression.

* * *

Cafe on the outskirts of the district.

Emma’s expression, which had been anxiously looking out the window, suddenly brightened.

The person she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Soon the chime bell rang, and that person entered the cafe.

Emma quickly stood up and bowed to the person who entered the cafe.

“I greet Prince Terius. I am Emma, Stella’s mother.”

“Why has the mother come instead of Stella herself?”

When Terius asked with a puzzled expression, Emma clasped her hands together with a troubled face.

The knight accompanying Terius spoke in a cold tone.

“Did His Highness not ask you a question?”

“I apologize. My daughter is in no condition to move, so I came to deliver the news.”

At this, Terius frowned.

“Is she unwell?”

“She vomits whenever she eats, and spends every day in tears, so she’s bound to fall ill…”

“Oh my. I heard the news. That she’s in a difficult situation?”

Emma forced a smile and gestured to the seats with both hands.

“Please sit down and let’s talk. It’s an embarrassing place to host such an esteemed person, but due to circumstances, I couldn’t secure anywhere better.”

“I don’t care about the venue when meeting a friend, so don’t worry about it.”

When he laughed heartily and took a seat, Emma sat across from him.

As soon as they were seated, Emma sighed and spoke.

“My daughter insisted on coming to this meeting, but I dissuaded her. Not only is it difficult for her to move, but if Your Highness saw her face, you would worry.”

“Is her condition that serious? What did the doctor say?”

“It’s embarrassing to say…”

“Stella is my lifesaver. A benefactor’s matter is also my matter, so don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so… Actually, our financial situation is also not good. Even though I work day and night, it’s hard to secure even a place to rest.”

Emma bit her lips tightly and continued.

“Because of that situation, my daughter stubbornly refuses to receive medical treatment. She says she can’t be more of a burden to me…”

“That sounds like Stella. She’s such a thoughtful child.”

Terius groaned.

“I don’t understand why such a child has a bad reputation.”

“So you’ve heard the rumors. Your Highness, please don’t misunderstand my daughter. That child is naturally thoughtful, so she let my sister take advantage of her even knowing it was a scheme.”

“Sister?”

“Yes. Her name is Yustea.”

“Ah, I know her. The Saint, right.”

Emma sighed.

“Yustea has been jealous of everything about Stella since childhood. She would secretly pressure and torment Stella constantly.”

“What?”

“Still, when they were young, she didn’t cross the line because she was mindful of my father, but as she grew up, she used the Saint’s authority to drag Stella into a quagmire.”

Terius’s face, strong in chivalrous spirit, contorted.

“What a wicked creature. There were such siblings in Ilfarm’s royal palace too. But they were all dealt with by my hand.”

“Stella says that if my sister is happy, that’s enough, but how could that be her true feelings? When I see her unable to eat or sleep, I know she’s frustrated and suffering. A mother’s heart watching that…”

Emma burst into tears.

Terius, who had been watching her pitifully, removed a brooch from inside his robe and handed it over.

Emma’s eyes flashed.

The brooch, as large as an adult man’s palm, had a sapphire of incredible purity attached to it.

At first glance, it was tremendously expensive.

“I don’t know if I should accept such a thing…”

Though she said that, her hand was already reaching for the brooch.

“There’s no need to refuse.”

“But…”

“It’s fine, so please accept it. Considering you shook off the assassins and treated me, I could give you much more than this.”

Emma flinched.

‘Shook off assassins?’

Stella hadn’t mentioned anything like that.

She had only said she rescued a prince who had washed up on the riverside.

“Could I hear more details about shaking off the assassins?”

“Didn’t you know?”

“Oh, of course I knew, but my daughter is modest and doesn’t tell me such stories in detail. She’s always embarrassed about it.”

When Emma quickly made excuses, the prince chuckled.

“That’s just like Stella.”

“Yes, it is…”

“At the time, I had lost my sight due to an assassin, and suddenly Stella appeared to help me. She used the terrain to shake off the assassins, but one last one kept pursuing us to the end.”

“….”

“But with amazing quick thinking, she snatched the bow from him and shot the last assassin. The wind was blowing quite hard, but she hit him accurately from that distance.”

‘It wasn’t Stella.’

Stella at that age didn’t know how to shoot a bow.

“Well, the assassin used his last strength to attack, causing us to fall off the cliff into the river. But I’m incredibly grateful for what happened.”

“Ah… I see.”

“When I woke up on the riverside, perhaps because she felt relieved, she became more talkative and gentler, but I prefer that brave appearance from before… well.”

Ahem, Terriars coughed awkwardly and smiled with embarrassment.

‘The fact that the prince is mistaken means their voices are similar.’

A girl with a voice very similar to Stella’s.

If it was a girl who was in the area where the prince was rescued at that time…

Emma’s expression hardened instantly.

Terriars said.

“So I’m prepared to do anything for Stella. First, I’ll deal with that Saint who made Stella like this.”

Terriars’ eyes gleamed coldly.

Like a predator who had eliminated enemies in the royal palace and proven himself by reaching the top of the pyramid.

Emma twisted her skirt tightly.

‘It’s fine. The prince doesn’t know. And he never will.’

That the real benefactor is Yustea…!

‘Besides, that child has become younger.’

She would never be able to recover until the prince returned. Even if she did recover, Yustea’s voice had changed a lot from when she was young.

So the prince would never learn the truth about what happened.

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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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