How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 163

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Replace Father
Chapter 163
* * *
The next day, someone from the Nevarro Ducal House came to collect the puppy.
Duke Nevarro and his wife, Guinevere’s parents, had come in person.
“Yustea!”
Guinevere cried out with a bright smile, and Yustea scurried behind Yuise’s calf and clung to it.
“What, why—!”
Guinevere was flustered.
The Marchioness Nevarro laughed softly and spoke.
“It seems Yustea is shy around strangers.”
“Does she really not remember anything at all…?”
Aslan informed Duke and Marchioness Nevarro of Yustea’s condition so that she might receive help when called upon in the future.
The news that not only her body but her mind had regressed as well was conveyed through the Duke and Marchioness to Guinevere.
Duke Nevarro spoke to Aslan.
“We have informed Guinevere. We thought that her peer, rather than us, might be more helpful to Yustea.”
Duke Nevarro was a cautious man.
No matter how much of a daughter she was, he would not carelessly leak information about another house.
‘Yet the fact that he shared the information with his daughter means there must be good reason.’
Aslan, who had been thinking for a moment, looked at Duke Nevarro.
“Are successors being mobilized for the reception of Ilfarm’s delegation?”
“That is correct. The Empire’s pride, the Saint, has no choice but to attend. Guinevere will be able to help in that regard.”
“I am grateful for your assistance.”
Duke Nevarro, his wife, and Aslan took their seats at a table in the rear garden.
While they shared information over tea, Guinevere began a desperate campaign of seduction.
She waved a hand puppet behind Yuise’s calf.
“It’s cute, right? Huh?”
“….”
“It can even make a popping sound. Look.”
“….”
Yustea sidled away in a crab walk.
“Then how about this? These are jewels I played with when I was little. Aren’t they pretty?”
“….”
“Then, perhaps a picture book? This is an easy interpretation of Langus’s Lock of Jade, so it’s educational too…!”
“….”
“Ugh, you don’t just dislike strangers—you hate me, don’t you?!”
“…!”
When Guinevere cried out sharply, Yustea bolted away in the opposite direction.
Guinevere finally had to shout with tears in her eyes.
“Why does everyone hate me—!”
Then it happened.
Yuise opened his mouth quietly.
“I do not intend to stop your outcry, but the location of your outcry appears… somewhat inappropriate.”
“Ah.”
Guinevere rose awkwardly.
Because Yustea was clinging to this man’s calf, Guinevere had ended up circling around him, with his leg as a centerpoint.
The Unit Members watched the man—who had inadvertently become a central pillar of reunion for the young nobles of House Esgaroth—with soundless laughter.
The Marchioness Nevarro, watching from one side of the garden, placed her hand on her cheek and sighed.
“I told her that it’s human nature to run when chased.”
“Perhaps it would be better to first teach her that it is unseemly for a young lady to circle a man’s legs, madam.”
“This child seems determined to never learn that one must make the other chase her, whether man or child.”
“I beg your pardon, madam, but are my words not reaching your ears…?”
While the couple exchanged such remarks, Guinevere stared at Yustea with a downcast expression.
Yuise, glancing at such a Guinevere, let out a sigh.
“…The toys do not align with our young lady’s tastes.”
“What?”
“Well, that mantis doll is somewhat… difficult for small children to enjoy.”
“Why a mantis? The mantis is our house’s crest. It’s a beneficial insect. It eats pests.”
“It is a matter of form.”
The doll was crafted far too realistically.
It looked as though it might charge forward with its claws at any moment.
Yustea had gone pale at the sight of it.
“Moreover, she does not particularly care for jewels or picture books. She prefers books with detailed explanations over picture books. Our young lady’s toy preferences are….”
Yuise gestured with his eyes, and the Unit Members swiftly produced ‘those’ that they had been carrying.
Tinypinkies in red, orange, pink, purple, and so forth.
In particular, the adult-sized Hellelelpinky that Cesar held was chosen as the favorite, despite having been rejected the day before.
Yustea’s face brightened and she ran toward Cesar (and his Hellelelpinky).
Cesar grabbed the arms of the Hellelelpinky and shook them deftly.
“Yustea, hello. Nice to meet you.”
It was the fruit of Aslan’s passionate education.
“Hel-rel-rel! Yustea hello…!”
A Unit Member whose muscular physique seemed ready to burst—a body as large as a warehouse—pulled out a purple Tinypinky no bigger than his fingertip and spoke in a blunt tone.
“Sister, me too, I want to play with Yustea, y’know.”
Of course, this too was the fruit of the Clan Leader’s fist-accompanied education.
“Cute-pinky, let’s play…!”
Watching Yustea bounce about gleefully, Guinevere’s eyes widened.
And she shouted at the knight who had come with her house.
“Go buy them right now!”
“E-eh, which ones should I purchase?”
The variety of dolls the Esgaroth people held was enormous.
“Everything! No, buy lots of the prettiest ones! Colorful ones, or pink…!”
Then Yuise spoke in a grave tone.
“That is inadvisable.”
Guinevere faltered.
‘Is buying her lots of things not good for the child’s upbringing…?’
Yes, thinking about it, her own mother hadn’t given her everything she wanted either….
“We already have the colorful Rainbow Pinky. The pink Hatuepinky is our Marquis’s role.”
“Oh, there’s such a thing…?”
“Yes. There is Sharallapinky, Couragepinky, Popsiclepinky, Elegantpinky, Gracepinky, Lulupinky, Lalalapinky, Sleepypinky, Innocentpinky, Kissy-Kissy Pinky, Awesomepinky, Glamorous-Glamorous Pinky…(abbreviated)…Didipinky, Whypinky, This-Very Pinky, So-Many Pinky, Hopepinky, Heroine Pinky, and Flower Pinky, so we recommend purchasing other Tinypinkies.”
“T-there are that many?”
“Not many at all.”
Two million, three hundred thirteen thousand, two hundred forty-six Tinypinky varieties.
The world of Tinypinky was still vast and deep.
* * *
At dusk.
Guinevere, holding Cutegigglepinky and Mantisspinky in both hands, let out a happy sigh.
“Guinevere, does it hurt?”
“No, I’m just happy….”
Little Yustea asked with a worried expression.
Most children avoided Guinevere.
Though Guinevere’s heart was soft, her appearance alone was cold and haughty, resembling the previous Marquis.
Moreover, she had to present a perfect image befitting the sole heir of Nevarro in the eyes of the outside world.
It was difficult to win the affection of young children.
Even cousin children would slip away whenever they saw Guinevere.
But Guinevere always longed to befriend small, cute children.
All the more so, being an only child.
“Guromon, guromon, does Guinevere like…?”
“I’ve never felt this warm…!”
Yustea, grown close through sheer force of Tinypinky numbers, treated Guinevere with genuine tenderness.
Walking over unsteadily with her tiny hands grasping milk,
“Guinevere, eat….”
she offered it shyly.
When Guinevere put on an enthusiastic puppet performance and pretended to collapse, Yustea jumped up and looked her over with concern.
Among all of this, what Guinevere enjoyed most was poking Yustea’s soft, plump cheeks with her fingers.
She felt she could spend an entire day just kneading those cheeks.
“Now we must go. Grandfather will be waiting, Guinevere.”
Guinevere had become so enamored with young Yustea that her mother had come looking for her three times.
Now it truly was time to leave.
Guinevere rose with reluctant expression.
“Guinevere, come again? Come often?”
“…Could I not take her with me?”
Guinevere asked her parents seriously.
Of course, it was not to be.
Aslan and the Esgaroth people had widened their eyes, and her parents had laughed awkwardly.
“Yes. I’ll come again. I’ll visit often….”
“Mm-hm.”
“I mean it. I’ll come often, so you must never forget me. Promise!”
“Mm.”
After saying goodbye to Yustea, Guinevere sighed even as she climbed into the carriage.
Her gaze remained fixed on Yustea, who was waving her arms eagerly in farewell.
Until the child’s figure was no longer visible at all.
“Sigh….”
“Yustea really is cute.”
At her father’s words, Guinevere nodded.
“I want a little sister….”
“Yes.”
“I want one.”
“What?”
“I want a sibling.”
“….”
Duke Nevarro quickly averted his gaze.
Guinevere clenched her fist and shouted.
“Please have another baby~!”
Duke Nevarro averted his gaze even more intently.
Only the Marchioness laughed merrily and spoke.
“It’s not entirely impossible, is it? Shall we have eel for dinner tonight?”
“W-wife….”
“Hmm, I wonder if eating it will give me the strength to do it.”
“Wife…!”
While her father’s voice rose in bewilderment, Guinevere gazed out the carriage window with reluctant expression.
The carriage had entered the streets before she knew it.
It was while gazing indifferently at the streets lit by sunset.
‘Hm?’
Guinevere’s eyes widened.
“Wait, wait. Stop!”
The carriage was halted at once.
“What’s the matter?”
The Marchioness, whose face had reddened as she asserted that she could still exert herself, pushed her husband’s face away and asked.
“Please go ahead. I have something to check.”
Though her parents exchanged bewildered looks, Guinevere hurried out of the carriage.
And accompanied only by a single knight, she dashed into the alley she had just glimpsed.
“What brings this on, young lady?”
The knight asked, and Guinevere narrowed her brow.
“Stella was there.”
“Is her being in the city not a usual matter?”
“But she was with nobles!”
Nobles of her age, that is.
She had heard Stella was avoiding contact with them, so why was she associating with them again?
“Could she be plotting something against Yustea using them?”
“Who could touch a Saint under the protection of Duke Esgaroth and Prince Luciano?”
“True, but….”
Guinevere’s brow furrowed.
Though Yustea might see her as a soft-hearted friend, she was the sole heir of Nevarro, one of the Seven Houses.
She had been educated in everything by the previous Marquis and the Marquis himself.
Guinevere’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“Something’s off. Kase, mobilize the Intelligence Department.”
“Yes.”
That night, the head of the Nevarro Intelligence Department came to find Guinevere.
Guinevere ground her teeth as she read the report.
“Relentless, aren’t you, Stella.”
The report contained the names of those who would handle the ceremonial protocol for Prince Terius, the representative of the Ilfarm delegation.
The following entries were written in the lower section.
Nox Sanponce (House of Sanponce)
Yustea Cuaron Esgaroth (House of Esgaroth)
.
.
[Special Request] Stella (formerly House of Andres)
“Inform House Esgaroth.”
“Yes.”
* * *
Aslan set down the letter Guinevere had sent.
“The information came too late.”
Yuise lowered his head in fluster.
“My sincerest apologies.”
Cesar, who had been leaning against the window frame with his arms crossed, spoke.
“It is not solely Yuise’s fault. The noble families responsible for the ceremonial protocol colluded to disrupt our intelligence network and that of House Nevarro. They acted under the orders of that accursed Ilfarm prince.”
“For what reason?”
“Wasn’t it to prevent House Esgaroth from interfering? Since we might prevent Stella from being included on the protocol list.”
“Then the question is, why does Stella need to handle the protocol so badly?”
“That is….”
Cesar lost his words.
‘It is certainly strange.’
Young nobles wanting to handle the ceremonial protocol for the Ilfarm prince was to win the prince’s favor.
But seeing that they went to such lengths for Stella, there must already be a deep connection between Stella and the prince.
But why exactly?
Then it came.
“They seek to give Stella and Yustea an opportunity for comparison. Naturally, in Stella’s favor.”
Luciano entered the study with Duke Esgaroth.
Aslan rose from his seat.
“What do you mean?”
“Ilfarm discovered Mana Stone mines this year. The largest deposit on the continent.”
“I heard they brought two thousand stones for trade.”
“They actually brought two thousand three hundred stones.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“They plan to wager three hundred stones as entertainment. So the noble families, eyes blazing, suppressed the information as the prince demanded.”
“…!”
A wager.
The reason Stella needed to handle the protocol.
“So they intend to have Stella win and prove Yustea’s inferiority?”
At that, Antonio let out a scoff.
“Inferiority? Our young lady has beaten Stella multiple times. That Mana Stone will be ours.”
The room fell silent.
Yes, Yustea had proven her superiority over Stella more than once.
So why would they push for a contest bound to be lost?
Aslan’s brow furrowed.
“You know Yustea’s mind has regressed as well.”
“…!”
“…!!”
The Irregular Elite flinched.
There was no way to know yet where or how they had learned this information.
Since Andres retainers knew, they may have sold the information to them.
What mattered now was one thing alone.
“This contest will ultimately become a clash between Stella, backed by Ilfarm, and Yustea, the Empire’s Saint.”
At Luciano’s words, Aslan nodded.
“If they represent Ilfarm and the Empire, this is a battle that cannot be lost. If Yustea falls….”
“They will seize pretense from Yustea through the Temple, the Imperial Court, or House Andres under the guise that the issue lay in House Esgaroth’s education.”
Cesar and Yuise ground their teeth.
‘Terius, clever bastard.’
‘To think the man who subdued Ilfarm’s civil war and rose to the top would play his hand so well.’
If Stella holds the three hundred Mana Stones, it will return to Ilfarm’s hands.
Without incurring any cost whatsoever, they will have humbled the Empire’s National Prestige and boasted of their own national power.
Luciano spoke.
“However, they still do not know one thing.”
Yustea, summoned by Duke Esgaroth, tilted her head.
A Status Window flickered before Yustea’s eyes.
Little Young Lady, big brother is very upset?!
You’re upset, aren’t you!
Tell me your name!
Won’t you level up your age?!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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