How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 189

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

How to Replace Father
Chapter 189
Dia’s foot connected squarely with Cubas’s jaw.
“Aaaagh—!”
With a cry, Cubas crumpled to the ground.
Esgaroth’s retainers who witnessed this erupted in fury.
“What is the meaning of this!”
“How dare you—!”
Dia seized Cubas by the collar without hesitation.
“You didn’t think I’d come back alive, did you? Though I suppose if you’d known, you wouldn’t have been stupid enough to embezzle my money.”
“D-Dia Andres….”
Dia Andres.
The Trading Post leaders’ faces went ashen at the name.
It hadn’t been a mishearing after all.
Who among those leading the merchants of the Empire would not know her name?
The great merchant who built the Merchant Guild with bare hands.
When she later married Count Andres and became mistress of the household, she had practically seized the financial lifelines of the Empire itself.
‘But I heard she lost her merchant guild in a dispute with the Andres family.’
‘Wasn’t it said she fell into the streets and contracted a grave illness?’
‘That she collapsed and could never recover…!’
Cubas’s face had gone deathly pale, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly.
He had indeed felt uneasy when he heard that Dia’s daughter, Yustea, had become a Saint.
Anxious that she might heal Dia with her tremendous power.
But after becoming a Saint, Dia had never appeared.
He’d sent people to investigate Dia, but from a certain point onward, he couldn’t find a single hair of her.
So he had actually believed Dia was dead.
Yet if Dia’s death were made public, it would become complicated with matters of guardianship and such, so he had assumed Yustea was hiding this fact.
But now….
‘She really was alive. She’s come back alive.’
This mad dog—!
Dia smiled brightly.
It was a smile ominous and sinister.
“Have you gotten a grasp of the situation now, Cubas?”
“Well, that is to say… the matter is….”
“Ah, there’s no need to move that rotten mouth of yours. I’ve already understood the situation quite well.”
Dia gripped his jaw firmly as she spoke.
“You thought I was dead, so you didn’t deliver the money I left for my daughter at the promised time.”
“That’s… that is to say…!”
“The money I entrusted to you seems to have circulated quite well in various places.”
“That’s….”
“Without a word of excuse, you’ll cough up my principal along with the profits it earned as interest. If you don’t….”
Dia pulled several documents from her pocket and waved them.
“All the unlawful acts you’ve committed and the nobles you’ve deceived will be fully exposed. In particular, I plan to take evidence directly to the Ceshard family—the ones who’ve had the most squeezed out of them.”
“…?!!”
Cubas went rigid as a corpse.
The Ceshard family was a house that operated in the shadows of the Empire.
Though obscured by the Irregulars, they also commanded a formidable assassination squad.
Ones twice as ruthless as the Irregulars.
If they learned of this, not only would his life be forfeit—his relatives and even his pets would be torn apart in agony.
“D-Dia, please… please… my granddaughter is only sixteen.”
“Is she? My daughter is fifteen. When you abandoned her, she was twelve.”
“I-I really had no choice but….”
“Then you have no choice but to cough up the money this time as well.”
Cubas sagged completely.
He intuited that the merchant guild he’d built his entire life for would be torn from his mouth entirely by this mad dog.
Only then did Dia release his collar, brushing back her hair.
“How pathetic.”
Her expression exactly matching her daughter’s.
* * *
The next day, at Cuaron Castle.
“My darling, have you been well~♡”
The castle rang with her voice from morning onward.
In a greasy tone that seemed to scatter hearts through the air.
The people in the castle who heard the commotion hurried out before the gate.
Donkey-drawn cargo wagons were streaming through the gate in great numbers.
Standing proudly before the overwhelming procession of cargo wagons was….
“Mother?”
It was Mother.
Mother in a worn, sand-colored long-hooded robe spread her arms toward me.
But I couldn’t run forward; I only stared blankly at what lay behind her.
The cargo wagons in that enormous procession were packed full of gold and silver treasures.
Not only I, but even the Irregulars had their eyes bulging in shock.
The Clan Leader’s Unit, who managed the castle’s affairs, was nearly breathless.
I asked Mother.
“H-how did this happen?”
“I’ve come to collect the money I left with you and the interest. It’s grown well over time, so it was quite satisfying to harvest.”
Mother smiled shyly.
Then, seeing I’d turned to stone at the sight of all that gold and silver, she dashed over and planted a fervent kiss on me.
“My eyes were nearly weeping from how much I missed you. Looking at you from this angle you’re pretty, from that angle you’re lovely—my precious child.”
Smack. Smack.
While Mother peppered my cheeks as though they were made of dough, I examined the gold and silver in the wagons.
The Clan Leader’s Unit, who’d been working the abacus like a madman, murmured.
“Five years’ worth of Cuaron’s entire budget….”
And so I….
“Mother—!”
threw myself into her arms.
Mother said, “Oh my, oh my,” and embraced me with an enraptured expression.
Our money troubles were finally over.
* * *
Crash—!
The goblet Javid hurled shattered with a sharp report, its fragments scattering everywhere.
“What is the meaning of this? How did this happen—!”
Red-faced and utterly agitated, he shouted.
The retainers of the Javid Faction let slip uneasy sighs.
Cubas had begun liquidating his merchant guild.
His operations in Esgaroth had completely shut down.
He had no choice but to withdraw from the Merchant Guild.
The Merchant Guild entered fierce negotiations to select a new leader.
As a result, they were busy establishing ties not only with the Javid Faction but with other groups as well.
The Javid Faction’s influence within the guild naturally diminished.
“Cuaron’s funds weren’t just cut off—they received enormous patronage. From that woman, the Saint’s mother!”
“….”
“What exactly have you all been doing!”
“….”
The retainers could only offer troubled looks and no solutions.
Javid shouted again.
“Have you all lost your voices—?!”
“W-we beg your pardon. We shall promptly devise a way to pressure Cuaron. But first, perhaps it would be best for you to meet with Aslan, to prevent Cuaron from making accusations….”
“What?!”
“W-we must at all costs prevent the Duchess from being arrested, must we not….”
“Are you saying I should actually kneel before that contemptible wretch!”
The retainers of the faction flinched, their shoulders drawing up.
Marquis Dennis, who stood as the leader of the Javid Faction, studied the faces of his men.
Some looked at a loss, while others sighed quietly.
Rather than backing Cuaron into a corner, it was the Javid Faction that found itself cornered.
Several among them had even expressed doubts about Javid in private.
“The words of those supporting Aslan aren’t entirely wrong, are they?”
“Pardon? How could that be….”
“Your rank may indeed be superior to his, but beyond that… there’s scarcely any advantage to speak of.”
“That’s….”
“All you do is push the faction around, and in prioritizing your pride, you fail to see what truly matters.”
“Well… I do agree with that part.”
‘This is dangerous.’
Fracture was occurring within the faction itself.
It was then.
“Your voice is rather loud.”
As the door opened and she appeared, the retainers hastily lowered their heads.
“We greet the Duchess.”
As the Duchess entered, Javid gave a false cough and spoke.
“What brings you to walk at such a late hour, Mother?”
The Duchess placed a hand on her son’s flushed cheek.
“Compose yourself.”
“But…!”
“Excitement only clouds the eyes. There is no need to worry so much.”
“Do you have a solution?”
“Unlike them, you possess a far greater power.”
“A power, you say…?”
As Javid’s expression grew puzzled, the Duchess’s red lips curved into a thin smile.
“A powerful ally—the Duchess herself.”
“…Pardon?”
“The mistress of a household holds far more authority than one might think. Authority such as the right to arrange the family’s marriages.”
Having caressed her son’s cheek, the Duchess turned her gaze to the faction’s retainers.
“The Saint is fifteen. Is she not now of an age to consider marriage?”
“…!”
“…?!”
The retainers’ expressions shifted.
‘Will she use the Saint as a hostage to negotiate the succession?’
There was another advantage as well.
Any family wishing to possess the Saint could be brought to their knees before the Duchess.
Marquis Dennis, leader of the Javid Faction, let out a quiet chuckle.
‘That’s right. Even if Javid is foolish, we have the Duchess as our pillar.’
The Duchess opened her mouth.
“Now then, make preparations at once. For the Saint’s marriage and for selecting Esgaroth’s heir.”
The eyes of the Javid Faction’s retainers rippled darkly.
* * *
The Clan Leader’s Unit, who managed Cuaron Castle’s affairs, was positively elated.
“What if we expanded the facilities for the disadvantaged beyond the original plan?”
“Fields! We should provide fields. Chicken coops too. That way the facility could be self-sufficient in food…!”
“And perhaps we could add sanitation systems…!”
So excited were they that they forgave themselves from leaving early and stayed, lost in dreams.
They needed restraint.
Such sums did not appear every year.
The other Clan Leader was providing that restraint.
“Preparing for the Great Famine comes first. If it’s not urgent, this money should be used to stockpile food.”
“That is true, but….”
“…that said, providing fields and chicken coops to the facility is a sound idea. And having sanitation systems in place would be….”
…the other Clan Leader was elated too.
Still….
“Let’s organize it carefully and discuss the details after the Great Famine is resolved.”
Thus they wrung their hearts, struggling to maintain composure.
I chuckled, watching them from the gazebo outside the window.
[They must be so happy.]
Luciano’s voice drifted from the Communication Stone.
‘Oh right.’
I was in the middle of communicating with Luciano.
“I was hoping we could stockpile food too. I’d even considered borrowing money from various places.”
[And yet your mother arrived like a hero at just the right moment.]
“I’m grateful to Mother.”
[She put it in as sponsorship, didn’t she?]
“Yes. Once the Great Famine is resolved, she plans to rebuild her merchant guild with Cuaron as a base.”
[And you’ll receive her assistance then.]
“I even threatened Father. I told him if he didn’t help properly, this time it would be him getting mauled.”
[And what did your father say?]
“He had a contract drawn up. Father was already consulting with various families of the Archipelago about liquefying funds anyway.”
[Given that the Duchess is holding down the Esgaroth Mansion, it would be hard for him to receive support there. …But.]
Luciano’s voice grew quieter.
An ominous mood began to pervade.
I swallowed dryly and focused on the Communication Stone.
“Is something wrong…?”
[Your messages have been too infrequent.]
What.
That startled me….
At my bewildered silence, a disgruntled voice came through the Communication Stone.
[Whenever you contact me, it’s always about work.]
“Ah….”
[You’re neglecting me.]
“That’s not it….”
Feeling perhaps I’d been too neglectful, I hesitated, and Luciano spoke again.
[You’ve laid out the groundwork, so now you need to tell me what I want to hear.]
“Yes?”
[That you miss me. That you love me.]
“….”
My face flushed red.
How could Luciano say such embarrassing things so naturally?
And what’s more….
[It’s not like I’m not embarrassed either.]
He even notices the things I don’t say.
I hesitated, then carefully opened my mouth.
“I miss you….”
“Your mother, you see….”
A sinister voice came from behind me.
Mother, eyes narrowed, was holding the back of the bench I sat on.
Behind her, Father stood in a slightly askew posture.
[Is this the moment I should flee?]
“…Yes.”
[See you soon.]
The communication cut off abruptly like that.
Luciano’s sense of timing beat Mother’s.
It had been the same on the Archipelago too.
At my awkward smile, Mother spoke.
“Yusi, didn’t Mother tell you? A man isn’t just his face. Look at the real him. You married just looking at his face and got tired of him, didn’t you? Though I did look at his station a bit.”
“Then you like people who are ugly…?”
If so, Luciano would be a certain loss.
As I looked up worriedly, Mother glared at me.
“What are you saying. That’s something I could never forgive!”
“…So being handsome doesn’t work, and being ugly doesn’t either?”
“The point of this conversation is that you needn’t be ashamed to live alone in this world.”
Mother laughed brightly and pulled me close.
Father quietly nodded from behind.
But it was then.
Yuise and Antonio came running at tremendous speed from a distance.
“Marriage…! Marriage…!”
“The Young Lady’s marriage candidates are storming in right now…!”
What?

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