How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 194

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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
Episode 194
* * *
A guest had arrived at the Esgaroth Mansion.
The Marquise, her face hidden beneath a hat draped with lace, greeted the visitor.
“Forgive me for summoning you during such turbulent times.”
At the Marquise’s words, the man let out an awkward cough.
“Well….”
It was the sound of discomfort.
Javid’s expression darkened with sudden anger, and he shot to his feet.
“How dare you—!”
Screech! At the loud cry of his chair, the invited guest flinched and held his breath.
The Marquise raised a hand lightly.
“That’s enough.”
“But Mother—!”
“Yeong-sik’s mind must be complicated. The Second Prince and Yustea must have made him uncomfortable. Isn’t that right? …Yeong-sik of Menod?”
Powell Menod—one of the men who had brought the betrothal document to Yustea.
His expression was sour.
“I admit the situation is unclear. I prepared the betrothal document believing the engagement with the Prince was off the table.”
“Yes.”
“But then the Prince came himself and humiliated me like that…. To be honest, it felt as though I’d become a fool.”
Powell Menod complained.
“It’s true that Yustea is not engaged to the Prince.”
“Pardon? Then why—”
“It took time to understand. But His Majesty the Emperor has determined he has no interest in the engagement.”
Were these merely the whims of youth?
Powell Menod let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s absurd. The Saint clearly needs to relearn propriety and dignity.”
“Won’t you teach her?”
“…Pardon?”
“I have taken note of you as a match for Yustea.”
Powell Menod’s expression became bewildered.
“Among them, I suppose I’m the best suited, ha….”
A temperament easily inflamed by violent impulse.
A dull and arrogant mind incapable of reading the times.
Yet before the strong, he knelt instantly—an attitude of unparalleled baseness.
He could never be a source of strength for Yustea and Aslan.
Most of all, she was pleased that his father was a Border Count.
An estate adjacent to the borderlands would prove useful in quietly disposing of Yustea.
‘That girl cannot be allowed to live on.’
“Though he is lacking, with proper instruction he may yet prove useful—for your advancement, that is.”
“In that case, then….”
Powell Menod’s face brightened.
The Marquise spoke in an amused tone.
“We shall keep the procedures simple.”
“Is that truly acceptable?”
Powell Menod’s eyes widened.
For a noble family like Esgaroth, betrothal procedures were exacting.
The expenses involved were staggering.
But the Menod family was not particularly wealthy.
As a borderland region, the population of subjects was sparse, making it difficult to levy sufficient taxes.
Though he received state subsidies as a Border Count, those funds vanished quickly due to the profligacy of the Menod household.
He nodded with a simpering expression.
“We too find elaborate procedures tiresome. Marriage is hardly a grand affair.”
“Marry as quickly as possible and take that child away.”
“Yes, yes. I shall prepare the documents at once. I shall come to receive my bride—my wife—by week’s end.”
“Very well.”
Satisfied smiles bloomed across the faces of both the Marquise and Javid.
To separate the Saint—Aslan’s greatest pillar—was the goal.
* * *
Days later.
I groaned and stretched my back.
Again, I’d woken before dawn and not set foot outside the office.
The work was immense.
I was not the only one busy.
The Clan Leader’s adjutant, dark circles beneath his eyes, handed me a document.
“The Taed Marquis family has requested a provision of fresh water, and the quantity is rather large.”
“Hmm.”
A High Noble family with a vast estate.
I suppose we should have that much available.
After checking the water reserves, I groaned again.
“There’s no choice. Sell it to them.”
“Pardon? But if we do, what remains will—”
“Taed is the region suffering the greatest hardship. We save lives first.”
“Will we truly be able to endure two more months….”
The adjutant was about to sigh when—
“What in—?!”
A thunderous shout came from beyond the door.
Antonio’s voice.
Startled, I hurried outside.
A crowd was churning in the courtyard.
Curious, I went out and saw a familiar face.
“…Yeong-sik of Menod?”
Powell Menod, his expression panicked, was being seized by the collar by Antonio.
The men Powell Menod had brought with him wore bewildered faces.
Antonio’s unit members were eyeing Menod’s people sharply.
Powell Menod’s face brightened the moment he spotted me.
“Lady Yustea!”
In Antonio’s grip, he trembled like a mouse before a beast, but the instant he saw me, his confidence soared.
He spoke with an arrogant tone.
“Is this how Cuaron treats its guests?”
Antonio’s expression darkened as he spoke.
“This bastard showed up out of nowhere and spouted nonsense about the young lady—!”
“Nonsense?”
When I asked, Antonio continued through gritted teeth.
“He demanded to know where you were, so I told him you were in the office. Then he had the audacity to snort and say, ‘What business does a woman have administering?'”
“…”
“Then the bastard shoved some ridiculous papers at me saying he was taking his wife and left—!”
I glanced at Powell Menod.
He produced the document with a triumphant air.
It was a document permitting my marriage to Powell Menod.
…Bearing the Marquise’s official seal.
I spoke to him in an expressionless voice.
“Are you well enough?”
“How could I be well after being seized like a beast? My neck is far from fine.”
“Your legs seem intact, at least. The exit is that way.”
At my nod, Powell Menod’s face twisted.
“Pardon?”
“Cuaron does not receive uninvited guests.”
Then I turned to the unit members.
“Hold the gate guards accountable. They admitted an unwelcome visitor.”
“Is there anywhere in Esgaroth I cannot go?”
It was the Marquise’s voice.
She strode into the courtyard.
Behind her came Javid and his cohort.
“Show proper respect. You must greet your betrothed.”
“Betrothed?”
“You saw the betrothal document.”
“I saw nothing of the sort. What I saw was a shabby scrawl with only the Marquise’s seal—nothing more.”
The meaning was clear: without the Clan Leader’s seal, it meant nothing.
Javid’s expression darkened.
“Since Father is absent, Mother can stand in for him.”
“He’s not absent—he’s in the Archipelago on state business.”
The Marquise let out a low chuckle.
“The Marquis’s seal will be affixed soon enough, so worry not.”
“Does it seem His Majesty the Emperor will persuade Grandfather?”
“Yes, once you’re settled in the Menod household.”
“Until then, there’s no need for any action. Though truly, I’m uncertain whether Grandfather will ever consent.”
The Marquise murmured “Ah” and approached me.
“Procedure no longer matters.”
“…”
“I am now the law of the Empire. You should understand that by now, shouldn’t you?”
“…Taking your people hostage while playing Emperor.”
I glared at her sharply.
“Don’t you know that falsely claiming to be Emperor is high treason—!”
A piercing shout burst forth.
Following Antonio’s roar and my own voice, all manner of people within the castle rushed out.
The Irregulars’ unit members assessed the situation and surrounded me from behind.
Yet the Marquise remained unperturbed.
Her hair was white with age, her exposed skin creased with wrinkles, yet her bearing remained perfectly composed.
“No matter what precedent or law you invoke, I have nothing to fear.”
“…”
“You should remember what I hold in my hands.”
“Having taken the people’s lives as hostage, you’ve earned another sin.”
She chuckled softly.
“No matter how many sins I accumulate, it matters not. There is no one to punish me.”
“Wielding unwarranted authority does not make you divine, Aurelia.”
Only when I shifted my form of address did the Marquise’s eyes twitch.
Javid’s face contorted savagely.
“How dare you—”
“—is what I should say to you.”
A familiar voice came from the staircase above.
The Irregulars tensed.
They were beginning to sense what kind of tempest this voice’s owner could unleash when truly enraged.
The voice’s owner descended into the courtyard.
…It was Mother.
“Oh, Mother.”
I called out in surprise, and Mother raised an arm to shield me.
Unlike before, her body did not immediately surge forward.
‘…She’s furious beyond measure.’
It was the Marquise’s vassals who recognized Mother first.
“Dia of the Baul Trading Company—!”
Mother had made a commotion finding money that Cubas Nosa had previously intercepted.
It seems that incident had revealed her identity.
Even without that, her face had been printed in articles here and there, so they would have recognized her soon enough.
Mother strode forward toward the Marquise and Javid.
The Marquise spoke.
“So you were sheltering here. Once you regained consciousness, you should have taught your daughter the things you failed to instill—propriety and respect for one’s elders. Your daughter scarcely seems to…”
Crack—!
Mother’s fist flew.
…Straight at Javid.
I covered my face with one hand.
‘Oh no….’
Javid, struck without warning, stood frozen with his head turned to the side.
“Wh-what are you—”
He had been raised gently and had never been struck by anyone before.
His face had gone pale, and his mouth hung open uselessly.
Sparks flew from the Marquise’s eyes.
“What is the meaning of this—!”
Crack—!
‘Ah!’
Mother’s fist struck Javid once more.
“You, you—”
“Does it hurt?”
“Wh-what?”
“Does your heart feel like it’s tearing? Are your eyes spinning?”
“I…”
“That’s how I feel.”
The Marquise stood with her mouth open, drawing harsh, scorching breath.
“How is this even possible….”
“An absurd thing to say from one who dares claim divine authority above the Emperor.”
“You—!”
The Marquise raised her hand.
Mother calmly seized her wrist.
“I do not lay hands on women or the elderly. Be grateful you survive—it is because of that principle.”
“What are you all doing!”
“One more step and this woman dies—!”
“…!”
Mother gripped the Marquise’s both wrists firmly.
“I have crossed countless thresholds of death and passed through death itself to swear this: my daughter will never suffer the fate I have suffered.”
“Wh-what…?”
“You have crossed the line.”
From Mother’s wide-open eyes poured a killing intent so severe it made the air cold.
Only then did Javid’s vassals snap to attention and cry out to me.
“Do you think we’ll simply stand by!”
“Saint!”
Even the panicked Powell Menod joined in.
“If-if the main family and the Imperial Palace learn of this, heads will roll! Quickly, the Marquise—!”
I sighed.
When Mother’s eyes went this wild, no one could stop her.
Behind that expressionless face, a thousand schemes and calculations were unfolding.
Schemes and calculations to reduce Esgaroth to rubble.
She would see all their necks severed, as she always did.
As she always had.
‘But I’m not a child waiting to be protected anymore.’
I took Mother’s hand.
“Stop.”
“Yustea.”
“Stop your calculations too.”
“But—”
“I’ve already finished all my calculations.”
I looked at Powell Menod.
“Your neck will be the one that falls.”
“What…”
“Third Prince.”
“…!”
At that moment, Powell Menod’s eyes widened in horror.
With perfect timing, a group entered.
Irregulars’ elite that had been absent from this place until now, and Father.
Powell Menod’s face went rigid at the sight of who Father was dragging in, drenched in blood.
“Father—!”
That was right.
The near-corpse being dragged along by Father was Powell Menod’s own father.
The Border Count of Menod.
The Clan Leader who had come with Father approached me.
“We found this in the Menod Border Count’s bedchamber.”
A Blue Box.
At the sight of that box with its strange inscriptions, both the Marquise and Javid let out hollow laughs.
“So you’ve unearthed some corruption among the Menod family?”
“Spare your trouble. There are plenty of base men to choose from, even without these. Any one of them could stand beside you and—!”
I opened the box.
A blue light burst forth from within.
The incident occurred at that very moment.
Tap….
Pat….
A vassal of Javid’s, standing near the entrance, looked up at the sky in alarm.
He murmured softly.
“…Rain?”
I looked at the Marquise.
And I spoke.
“Tell His Majesty the Emperor: thanks to the authority you lent me, I’ve uncovered the corruption of the Border Count, and furthermore—”
“What…?”
“I’ve recovered Bi.”

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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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