How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 168

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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 168
* * *
The dining hall of Yongbin Palace.
Gathered at this evening meal were the Iparam delegation, Prince Terius, and Stella.
Prince Terius gazed at Stella, who sat to his right with her head bowed.
Since the competition ended, Stella had been silent the entire time.
“What do you say we get you something to drink?”
At his words, Stella snapped to attention and laughed awkwardly.
“Ah… yes.”
“You seem dispirited.”
“….”
Stella worked her lips for some time before finally opening her mouth.
“I’m… sorry….”
The Iparam envoys regarded Stella with displeasure.
“At least you understand that much.”
“With respect, it cannot be remedied by mere words. I’m not certain it’s fortunate at all.”
The envoys delivered their sharp remarks.
Stella’s shoulders curled further inward.
Watching this, Terius pushed a water glass toward Stella.
“You needn’t be so crestfallen.”
“But—!”
When one of the envoys frowned, Terius spoke.
“The Emperor of the Empire said something in the arena, did he not? That nurturing talent is more important than recognizing it.”
“Indeed. Such arrogance and presumption.”
“I agree with him.”
“Your Highness—!”
“If you become fixated only on the fact of defeat, you’ll remain defeated forever.”
Terius continued in a gentle tone.
“I understand that this defeat is not pleasant. I myself am not in particularly good spirits either.”
“….”
“Yet if we reflect on our loss and learn the opponent’s strengths, it becomes a step toward growth.”
“….”
“This competition has not left us empty-handed. We’ve recognized our shortcomings, learned from our opponent’s advantages. Furthermore—.”
The Prince of Iparam wore a gentle smile.
“The Iparam I dream of is not a flawless nation, but a land that offers its people greater opportunity than any foreign power. Through this, we grow together. Thus shall Iparam earn the honor of being a land of progress.”
The envoys fell quiet.
Stella looked at Terius with trembling eyes.
She began to understand what it meant to be a Seed of a Sovereign.
It was a bearing she had never seen in Yohaël.
Even Iparam’s chancellor smiled gently.
‘He erased the shame of defeat from their minds and planted tomorrow’s hope in its place.’
Growth is the privilege of those who dream of tomorrow.
The envoys would transcend today’s shame and grow into far greater vessels.
It was the mark of a wise ruler.
“Indeed so. While the loss of eight hundred Mana Stones stings, the entire continent has learned that our nation possesses resources of such magnitude to wager them. We have not surrendered our standing as a nation rich in resources.”
“Quite right.”
Stella took the water glass Terius offered, her face flushed with bashfulness.
‘With him at my side, I feel I could do anything.’
Her heart swelled.
It was at that moment—
“The Second Prince and Young Lady Yustea Cuaron Esgaroth have arrived.”
The attendant, who had waited for the delegation’s conversation to end, announced the arrival of two figures.
‘The Second Prince?’
‘Prince Luciano?’
The invitation had been for the Saint alone.
The envoys rose upon hearing that the Second Prince had come.
Luciano entered first, with Yustea following in his wake.
Terius, greeting Luciano, smiled.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”
“The Saint was invited to this gathering. Since all the competition’s participants are now here together, I wondered if I might claim a seat as well.”
“Of course.”
Both Luciano and Terius were smiling, yet their gazes clashed with sharp intensity.
‘He should have kept his mouth shut.’
‘Afraid she might be snatched away, is he?’
Yustea observed them keenly.
The veins in their clasped hands for the handshake were visibly distended.
From the force they exerted, their hands trembled noticeably.
‘At this rate, one of them will snap a bone.’
Yustea swallowed a sigh and bowed respectfully to Terius.
Only then did he release the grip and gesture to the seat on the left side of the head table.
“Be seated.”
“Yes.”
After Luciano and Yustea took their places, the formal dinner commenced.
Stella’s expression was uncomfortable.
She attempted to smile, but kept stealing glances at Yustea as they ate.
Yustea herself found little comfort in the meal.
“I understand you have been comfortable during your stay at Yongbin Palace. Should you find anything inconvenient, please do tell us.”
=So they say you work the ceremonial family’s heirs like dogs? Couldn’t find anywhere to show off your authority until now, could you?
“I sense the dignity of a great nation in the manner in which you receive your guests.”
=The Empire bragged so much, and now suddenly all this flattery. Wagging your tail, aren’t you?
The princes and royal seemed to emit light from their eyes.
‘Once the meal ends, I’m taking a digestive.’
She was thinking this when another person’s fork descended onto her plate.
Luciano had taken the broccoli.
When Yustea looked at him with a questioning expression, Luciano whispered in her ear.
“They say you melt broccoli before eating it.”
“…?”
“That you dislike it.”
How could he possibly know that?
She did genuinely dislike it.
It was simply that her grandmother detested picky eating so intensely that Yustea made an effort not to show it.
That’s why neither Count Andres nor her mother knew of her distaste for broccoli.
In place of the broccoli he’d taken, salmon was placed on her plate.
The salmon, seared lightly on the outside, was something Yustea enjoyed.
“….”
How could he know that either?
Yustea hesitated briefly as she considered.
“I venture to ask—could it be that we were never simply colleagues…?”
Had he finally understood?
A smile played at Luciano’s lips.
“Were we friends?”
“….”
“…?”
“…Eat.”
Luciano exhaled, and Yustea regarded him with cautious eyes.
As she brought the salmon to her mouth, she felt a gaze upon her.
Yustea looked up.
The envoys, Stella, and even Terius were watching her.
As Yustea’s eyes widened slightly, Terius remarked, “Ah.”
“I’m amazed the rumor turned out to be true.”
“What rumor are you referring to?”
“It’s too embarrassing for me to speak of it. Let’s move past this.”
“…?”
“Do you enjoy salmon?”
“…I do prefer it.”
“I did not used to. I’m not particularly fond of seafood in general.”
Yet the plate was covered entirely in salmon dishes?
As Yustea looked at him that way, Terius cut into a salmon steak with his knife and spoke.
“But I’ve grown quite fond of it. Four years ago, I heard something wonderful.”
“What was that?”
“Salmon swim upstream against the current to spawn. Rather than avoid hardship for the sake of their offspring, they exemplify sovereignty more than any beast of prey.”
Yustea stiffened.
‘That’s something Mother told me.’
After hearing that, Yustea too had grown very fond of salmon.
“At the time, I was fleeing from assassins into foreign lands. The person who helped me shake off my pursuers spoke those words to me.”
Terius gazed at Stella with gentle eyes.
Stella laughed awkwardly with a start.
“Ah….”
“What do you think, Saint?”
Yustea looked at him.
“Why do you suppose that person told me such things?”
“That is….”
“Was it to encourage me not to abandon my flight?”
At this, the Iparam envoys laughed heartily and answered.
“Of course.”
“Surely it was to inspire you to overcome hardship like the salmon, grow strong, and become the foundation for future generations.”
“Not only did they rescue the prince, but they offered such wise counsel too—a true benefactor of Iparam.”
Stella nodded in agreement.
Yustea blinked.
“…Did you happen to go to the riverside while fleeing the assassins?”
“Yes.”
“Did dead salmon not wash up on the shore?”
“They did.”
“Then I doubt the remark carried any particularly profound meaning.”
“What?”
The Iparam envoys, as well as Stella, Terius, and even Luciano all stared at Yustea.
Yustea cut the salmon as she spoke.
“Dead salmon washed up on the shore, and you likely thought you should eat one. But His Highness stopped you, didn’t he?”
“How could you possibly—”
“Dead carcasses washed ashore could be poisoned, so it’s only sensible not to eat them. But since salmon bodies do drift onto riverbanks naturally, there’s no actual poison involved. So when you told him not to, he was probably just making an excuse because he found it bothersome.”
“…!”
Terius’s eyes widened.
The envoys stared at Yustea with expressions of disbelief.
‘Does the Empire’s Saint possess no human heart?’
‘Does sensitivity truly not exist within her?’
To reduce such a beautiful memory to mere gluttony!
The envoys erupted indignantly.
“Saint of the Empire, mind your words. How dare you slander the benefactor of Iparam!”
“Apologize at once!”
Then Yustea spoke lightly.
“Salmon do swim upstream against the current to spawn, so they are indeed creatures that resist hardship. However, after spawning, they die within days.”
“Wh-what?”
“Wh-what are you—!”
The envoys’ mouths fell open.
Yustea continued.
“That’s why their corpses drift ashore and become food for beasts like bears.”
So one could hardly use salmon as an example when urging someone to persevere.
Yustea put another piece of salmon in her mouth without expression.
‘Yes, salmon from the sea truly is delicious.’
The fat makes it savory and rich.
When they swim upstream against the current, all that fat is depleted.
Terius watched Yustea eating salmon with an expression of complete bewilderment.
* * *
After the meal, Luciano and Yustea departed from Yongbin Palace.
Luciano watched Yustea walk silently beside him.
“Did you accept the invitation for a purpose?”
“Yes. I hoped to secure an investment opportunity.”
“Then shouldn’t you have said something more flattering?”
The Prince seemed to hold his benefactor very dear.
He would have been pleased by flattery toward her.
“Opportunities secured through kind words hold no value.”
“What?”
“I wanted to invest because I believe Iparam is a nation that will advance. But if a prince is swayed by a few compliments and grants investment opportunities, that nation cannot possibly prosper—and even if it does, it won’t exceed expectations. More importantly, if you bow from the start, you can never be a true partner in a transaction. You become merely a source of funds.”
Luciano’s eyes widened.
Yustea continued, her gaze forward.
“As a merchant’s daughter would, no?”
“Indeed. My mother taught me many such things—!”
Yustea, who had remained composed until now, suddenly raised her voice at the mention of Dia.
She quickly fell silent with an embarrassed cough and looked forward again.
“When I look at you like this, I see the girl you were before.”
“…?”
At three years old, Yustea had been docile and gentle.
But at eleven, she had prioritized killing her emotions.
She had lost herself beneath the yoke of Andres’s education.
‘At fifteen, you cast off that yoke and sought your true self.’
That’s why she had become so lovable, so pitiable.
Seeing Luciano grow quiet, Yustea faltered.
‘Why is he looking at me like that?’
Yustea hesitated before speaking.
“So… we’ve become colleagues or friends of some sort, I’ve noticed. But how did it happen?”
“….”
“I need to understand the details so I can adjust my attitude accordingly—”
Mid-sentence, she was lifted bodily into the air.
Luciano had picked her up.
“Wh-what are you—this is—”
Floundering in confusion, Yustea heard Luciano speak.
“Adjustment wasn’t necessary.”
“Wh-what—no, wait, at least put me down—”
“I’ve cared for you since long ago.”
“…!”
Yustea’s eyes widened sharply.
He’d cared for her since long ago?
“That’s a lie!”
It had to be a lie.
Hadn’t he been hostile? Hadn’t he stolen his credits and handed them to Yohaël countless times, treating her shamefully?
As her voice rose in surprise, he laughed.
“I liked you enough not to mind you growing smaller.”
“…What?”
“I wanted your past to hold even a small good memory.”
“….”
“It’s a pity that in a moment as lovely as this, I cannot kiss you.”
Luciano gazed at her with infinite tenderness.
His eyes were so kind.
Yustea could only swallow dryly, her throat tight.
“Why—why are you—no, when did—no, wait, that’s not—first, please let me go—”
His cheek brushed against hers.
He whispered.
“Don’t strain yourself.”
“….”
“It’s fine.”
“….”
Yustea bit her lip hard.
Her throat felt choked.
The truth was, she had been lonely. Very, very lonely.
Ever since she’d awakened at Esgaroth Estate and learned she’d been abandoned by Andres, she had been achingly, relentlessly alone.
Unable to find words, she could only bite her lips, and she spoke hesitantly.
“I’m sorry… I have no memories, so I cannot return the same feelings you hold….”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“But I wish to return love in measure—”
“However much you love me, I will love you far more.”
The arms holding her were infinitely warm.
Her heart felt ticklish.
Yustea, who had fidgeted uncertainly, seemed to reach a decision and looked at him.
“…Please let me go for now.”
That came first.
Luciano sighed again.
There was someone watching this unfold.
“It seems taking the Saint back to our homeland will be impossible, Your Highness.”
“….”
“Your Highness?”
“Ah, it is a sight I would rather not have witnessed.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Oh?”
“It seems my benefactor is not just one person after all.”
As he laughed, his eyes gleamed sharply.

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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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