How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 171

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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 a Father
Chapter 171
Stella, who had been hanging her head for some time, murmured softly.
“The Clarens family?”
A smile spread across Emma’s face.
* * *
The next day.
Emma walked through the corridors of Yongbin Palace.
It wasn’t for any particular purpose.
She enjoyed watching the palace attendants bow their heads as she passed them in the hall.
Her childhood dream had been to become a palace attendant.
Emma’s hometown was a remote village in a small estate that couldn’t compare to the grand manors.
Important personages would never visit such a place.
Only occasionally did palace attendants come on official business—searching for rare medicinal herbs or managing epidemics.
The Lord, who had little connection to power, would rush out in his finest clothes and wring his hands each time.
People who could make even the Lord bow his head.
She had wanted to become someone like that when she grew up.
She had harbored such dreams.
But now it was those very palace attendants who bowed to her.
‘I’ll continue to receive this lavish treatment.’
As long as Prince Terius and Stella succeeded.
As long as Count Andres came to need her and Stella again, and they returned to the family.
And if this time she finally became the Countess herself…!
Emma’s eyes gleamed with desire.
‘I can do this.’
For that, she absolutely had to dispose of Dia this time.
That woman—no, that mother and daughter—were like demons bringing misfortune.
Demons who stood in her way and ruined her daughter’s life.
‘But this time….’
Things were going well.
Last night, Stella had met secretly with Young Lord Clarens.
When she asked her daughter how it went, Stella said this:
“The conversation went smoothly.”
“Really? Can I trust that? You always struggle with the final steps—.”
“Mother.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve come to understand through this. That kindness, pity, affection—such things are meaningless. So I’ve decided to discard them all.”
“What do you—”
“It means my resolve won’t waver. So the plan will succeed.”
Stella’s expression was different from before.
“That said, we need a human sacrifice.”
“A sacrifice?”
“The Spiral Tower Crown is a sacred artifact. There’s no way to destroy a sacred artifact without a cost. If there’s no sacrifice, the craftsman will bear the full defilement, he said. Clarens doesn’t want to lose their precious craftsman.”
“Clarens will provide a sacrifice, surely.”
“It’s what Young Lord Clarens demanded. The human to be used as a sacrifice, and first rights to the Mana Stone.”
“The man wants to lose nothing. How petty.”
She had no hesitation in her eyes even as she spoke of needing a human sacrifice.
‘It’s for the best. I was always worried about her soft heart.’
“I’ll prepare the sacrifice.”
“It can’t be just anyone. If word got out, it would be troublesome.”
“Do you think I wouldn’t know that? There’s a suitable person.”
“Who would that be?”
“Your maternal uncle.”
“What did you say?”
Even Stella, who had remained composed throughout, opened her eyes wide at this.
“A bloodsucker who lives off the scraps of those around him. When you were young, he tried to sell you for gambling money. Now he sells your name and mine just to get by.”
“But even so—”
“For your future, it’s better if he doesn’t exist. I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”
“….”
Stella seemed to consider for a moment, but soon nodded.
‘Ah, finally I can breathe freely.’
Such were her thoughts.
Then she spotted a familiar face at a distance.
A face that could plummet her mood to rock bottom in an instant.
It was Yustea.
“You’re arriving early to court,” Emma said, striking up a conversation.
Yustea glanced at her briefly and walked past without responding.
The palace attendants flinched and turned away.
Emma’s face flushed with embarrassment at being snubbed in front of others.
Emma grabbed Yustea’s wrist roughly.
“Is ignoring someone’s words your idea of good manners?”
Yustea twisted her wrist free and looked at Emma.
Emma gritted her teeth.
That gaze always irritated her.
Though Yustea’s face resembled the man she loved, her eyes were the same as Dia’s.
Every time she saw that evidence—that the woman she hated had slept in the arms of the man she loved—fury welled up within her.
“Propriety is expressed through respect, not through how one conducts oneself.”
“What?”
“It means propriety is something you show to someone you respect. You’re not that sort of person. Try to remember that now.”
“You—!”
“And your form of address was wrong too.”
Just then, the Protocol Office attendants who had turned the corner after Yustea burst into giggles.
Emma glared at Yustea with a crimson face.
‘She’s always treated me this way.’
When Yustea was this age, Stella had arrived at Andres.
Whenever she went to the manor under the pretense of meeting Stella, Yustea would always regard her with that dismissive gaze.
‘I wonder how much Stella suffered because of her.’
But she couldn’t cause a scene in front of the nobility.
This was a critical moment for Stella.
She couldn’t afford to fall out of favor with Prince Terius because of herself.
Yet it was too bitter to let pass.
Emma forced a smile.
“I was just concerned. Surely you wouldn’t carry yourself like that in Esgaroth?”
“….”
“Even if things have become strained between us, you and Stella don’t share blood. Though my heart feels slighted, I can’t help but worry for you as though you were my own daughter.”
“….”
“Be gentler in your manner. People are drawn to warmth, after all.”
“….”
“That’s why your father also sought warmth and came to me and Stella—”
Emma trailed off as if by accident, a subtle smile playing at her lips.
Everyone present understood the implication of those words.
She was mocking Dia.
And implying that a child who resembled Dia would ultimately be abandoned.
Emma adjusted the ribbon around Yustea’s neck.
“I’m saying this for your sake, so please don’t take it the wrong way. And with Stella, I hope you two will—”
“Count Andres doesn’t seem to be feeling your warmth at the moment.”
“…What?”
“If he were, he wouldn’t have cast you out.”
Emma’s lips clenched tight.
Her hands trembled slightly.
When her most shameful weakness was struck, heat surged from the crown of her head.
“He’s merely putting distance between us and him for now!”
“Then I hope that distance closes again. Though I can’t say when.”
“You—!”
“It’s not ‘you,’ by the way.”
With a sharp sound, Yustea shook her off and walked away with long strides.
The Protocol Office attendants followed her with barely suppressed laughter.
One of them stopped before Emma, who was trembling with indignation.
It was Guinevere of the Nevarro Ducal House.
She looked around at the palace attendants while standing before Emma.
“The management of Yongbin Palace is deplorable. To allow someone of such poor bearing to enter?”
The attendants quickly bowed their heads.
Emma flinched and looked at Guinevere.
“Prince Terius himself summoned me directly—”
“For Stella’s peace of mind before the match.”
“Yes, exactly.”
Emma’s lips curved upward.
Terius had been so considerate of Stella.
Guinevere regarded her with a cold expression.
“That means now that the match is over, there’s no reason for you to remain in Yongbin Palace.”
“…Pardon?”
“Leave.”
“Without Prince Terius’s permission—!”
“I’m the head of the Protocol Office. I have the authority to dispose of trash in this palace.”
Guinevere said nothing more and walked away.
The palace attendants approached Emma.
Emma’s face hardened completely.
* * *
Emma hurled a wine glass and let out a scream.
She had returned once again to this shabby tavern’s second floor.
She had been thrown out of the palace after all.
“Those green little things, believing their parents’ lies…!”
She couldn’t contain her rage.
Her daughter was in the imperial court.
Being favored by Prince Ilfarm, called the rising sun even in the Empire.
‘Then why me! How could I—!’
Emma, tearing at her hair in fury, soon found the Communication Stone.
When she connected, her daughter’s voice came through at once.
[Yes?]
“Why did you just watch while I was thrown out of the imperial palace!”
[I can’t quarrel with Guinevere. It would be difficult for Prince Terius.]
“Do you feel nothing about me returning to a room like this?”
[Stop it. I need to see the Prince.]
“Stella!”
She shouted, but there was no answer.
The communication had ended.
As Emma shrieked, a giggling sound came from the corner.
It was Gilbert, Emma’s older brother and Stella’s maternal uncle.
Gilbert, whom she had summoned to be used as the sacrifice, had been staying in this place.
“She’s foolish, that one.”
“What did you say?”
“How gently have you raised her that she cuts off her own mother and runs away? If only I’d been attached to that brat from childhood, I could have educated her properly—”
“Don’t even dream of meeting Stella!”
What kind of trash was this man?
He had tried to sell his own sister, his only sibling.
Had he been left alone with Stella, there was no knowing what he might have done.
When Stella was young, he had often tried to contact her.
At that time, they didn’t live in the Andres manor, so there was no one to protect her.
She had no wish to see him, but when he called, she had no choice but to go.
For fear that if she didn’t give him money, he’d come to the house.
For fear that he might lay hands on Stella as he had on her.
Whenever he said he wanted to see his niece, no matter how many times she was beaten, she never let him into the house.
“Why are you being so sensitive? Would I really do anything improper to the Count’s daughter?”
“Absolutely not. Don’t even think about going near Stella.”
“Can’t we share some honey together? Between siblings, you know?”
“…What did you say?”
“Don’t hog that girl all to yourself. Let your brother get a piece too. I’m running short on funds lately.”
“You spent all of it already? When did I give you that money, and you’ve burned through it all—!”
Part of the money from selling Prince Terius’s Brooch had gone into that hand.
She gave him money so he wouldn’t do anything reckless if he ran short.
So he wouldn’t cast a shadow over Stella’s future.
Gilbert smirked and shifted his position.
“There’s a good investment opportunity. They say they’re turning children into combat ghouls. If it succeeds, you own a Mercenary Corps. Your older brother becomes a Mercenary Corps leader.”
Emma grabbed the wine bottle.
She wanted to smash his head in.
There was an opportunity now.
‘Calm down. You must calm down.’
There was a way to deal with this man.
A chance to receive help from this man who had wrung her dry her entire life.
Emma gritted her teeth.
“Come with me.”
“Where? You want me to use a Portal again? Ah, I hate that—it makes me dizzy.”
“It’s not a Portal, so come on. You said you needed money.”
Gilbert’s face lit up immediately.
* * *
Emma ventured out into the streets with Gilbert.
She had sent Stella a message beforehand.
[I’m going to that place with your uncle. Don’t worry—Mother will finish things thoroughly.
Are you eating well?
Are you keeping yourself warm under the covers?
You catch cold easily this time of year, so be careful.
Sorry for shouting at you this afternoon.
I love you, Stella.]
There was no reply.
‘Is her heart that wounded?’
Well, perhaps she had been too harsh lately.
Caught up in the excitement of this newfound opportunity.
Gilbert, watching Emma turn the Communication Stone over in her hands, spoke.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“…Nothing much.”
“By the way, this Archipelago is a really nice place to live. So different from our hometown.”
Yes, she would live in this beautiful place.
This hard-won happiness.
‘If I become the Countess… then I could be even happier.’
There were times when she would take Stella’s hand and ascend to the Archipelago.
When the child whined for her father, it hurt her heart, and she had no choice but to bring her along.
Still, she couldn’t go directly to the family residence, so she would lose herself in the crowd and gaze at the Count.
“Mother, that’s our father! Father is passing by!”
“Oh, yes… that’s right.”
At those moments, she smiled awkwardly while watching her excited daughter.
Because the Andres procession didn’t contain only Count Andres.
Dia was beside him, and Yustea, holding Dia’s hand, was there too.
‘If I become the Countess, I could hold Stella’s hand and receive that longing gaze…’
Thoughts like these consumed her.
‘No, don’t get lost in reverie.’
Emma swallowed a sigh.
When they arrived at the Clarens Count’s Residence, Emma spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“You’re saying we can get money if we go here? If you’re lying, I’ll—”
“That’s how it is.”
Emma took a deep breath.
Now this trash would be saying goodbye.
And she would start anew.
Dressed in luxurious gowns, draped in beautiful jewels, she would rule the world as Countess Andres.
As they entered the room, a voice spoke.
“You’re late, Emma.”
It was a familiar voice.
This voice was….
Emma’s face froze.
“Y-Yustea…!”
“Did you think Esgaroth would have entrusted the Spiral Tower Crown to you without any safeguards?”
Yustea’s face, illuminated by moonlight, was more menacing than ever.

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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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