How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Replace Your Dad

Chapter 21

* * *

Godin’s matter was resolved well.

He ran away in a panic.

Even leaving behind his thick money pouch.

Antonio gasped when he opened the pouch.

“Are citadel managers originally this rich?”

“It’s because he’s embezzled a lot.”

Then the Clan Leader asked.

“Is it okay to accept this kind of money?”

“It’s not like we received it in exchange for something.”

Of course, Godin probably thinks he gave it as payment for keeping quiet about the corruption.

I was currently diligently writing a report.

Though it would be delivered under a different name, not mine.

And there was one more thing Godin left behind as he fled in panic.

“…Well, um, thank you for saving me.”

It was the Blacksmith.

Leaving him behind was something I had demanded.

‘I’m the saint, so it’s a bit much for someone to be captured in my place.’

Godin probably tried to bring someone who roughly met the conditions because Gaspard told him to bring the saint.

It was probably to avoid falling out of favor with the other Princes or the Teretsa Order.

He probably did it thinking Gaspard wouldn’t actually kill him…

‘He’d really die.’

That scoundrel Gaspard would have cut off Godin’s head the moment he presented the old man.

The innocent old man might have been harmed too.

That’s why I told him to leave the old man behind.

Antonio looked at the old man with a surprised face.

“Old man, you know how to greet people? I thought you only knew how to scam.”

“…Since I received help, showing gratitude is only natural.”

The old man cleared his throat and slipped me a piece of paper.

When I looked at it, it was written as a pledge.

The content was that he would grant me anything I wanted, just once.

“This is fine.”

When I said that, the old man scratched his neck.

“This is all I have to give, so please accept it.”

Then he quickly ran away as if embarrassed.

I just blinked while looking at the pledge.

Then the Clan Leader chuckled and said.

“Keep it. It will surely be helpful.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no blacksmith as skilled as him in the empire. He’ll make something incredible, whatever you need.”

If that’s the case.

I decided to keep the pledge safe.

“Will you depart for the citadel tomorrow?”

I nodded at the Clan Leader’s words.

The other servants were already at Esgaroth Mansion.

Of course, it’s right to call them before the Princes arrive.

I had been appointed to the second group by Luciano’s order.

“I should go before it gets any later.”

All preparations were finished before the advance party arrived.

Now only the journey to Esgaroth Mansion remained.

I clenched both fists and said.

“I’ll do well.”

“I believe in you.”

The Clan Leader smiled gently.

And so, finally, the next morning.

I boarded a carriage with Sanmiguel’s flag to depart for Esgaroth.

…Together with the Clan Leader.

* * *

“….”

“….”

The inside of the carriage was quiet.

The Clan Leader was quietly looking out the window, and I was fidgeting while watching his mood.

I understood why he was going to Esgaroth.

‘Probably to meet immediately when I create an opportunity to arrange a meeting with the Duke.’

Because no one should notice anything suspicious while news travels back and forth to Sanmiguel Territory.

Still, I didn’t expect we’d travel together in the same carriage.

While I was thinking such thoughts and watching his mood.

The Clan Leader spoke while keeping his gaze fixed outside the window.

“You don’t ask anything.”

I flinched and raised my head.

“Huh?”

The Clan Leader’s gaze turned toward me.

“Why I didn’t simply buy a person for the mission but took in an adopted daughter. Why I need to meet the Duke so secretly.”

“Uh… Wasn’t taking me in as an adopted daughter to prevent betrayal?”

“And.”

He was asking why I wasn’t curious about the reason for wanting to meet the Duke secretly.

The Clan Leader was suspicious of me.

A murderous aura flickered in his red eyes.

It was an intimidating presence that would make anyone’s face harden.

However, unlike before, I just blinked.

‘Is it strange to work without asking for reasons?’

Of course, having played the game, I knew the Clan Leader was actually a child born without the Duke’s knowledge.

But…

“Should I be curious?”

“…What?”

“The Clan Leader gave me a job when I came out of nowhere, and saved me when I was in danger.”

“….”

“And I like the Irregulars. I want to stay here.”

“….”

“So even without a reason, I’ll do whatever the Clan Leader asks me to do.”

Yes. I would have done it even if I didn’t know.

I have no other options besides here.

To others, the Irregulars might be nothing more or less than vicious murderers, but to me they were like a campfire barely found in bone-chilling cold.

They tell me to go and come back, greet me in the morning, and speak to me kindly.

“….”

The Clan Leader stared at me silently.

After looking at me like that for a while, the Clan Leader soon turned his gaze back to the window.

“It’s a clear day.”

“…!”

He’s talking to me.

So I wouldn’t feel awkward.

I laughed sheepishly with a grin.

“Right? The wind feels nice.”

“…Yeah.”

“They say the cabbage harvest will be good this year. I’ll buy some good ones soon and make steamed cabbage for you. It’ll be delicious.”

“Anything you make would be delicious.”

“I’m also good at sewing.”

“I never thought there was anything you couldn’t do.”

The Clan Leader gave me answers, even if they were short.

Having never had such conversations even with my biological father, I kept chattering away because I was happy that he responded to me.

But then….

‘Huh?’

I couldn’t see his lips because he was resting his chin on his hand, but I thought I saw the corners of his mouth turn up for a moment.

It was probably my imagination, but I hoped that’s what had happened.

* * *

The carriage arrived in front of the castle gates.

I got out of the carriage and looked up at the Clan Leader.

“I’ll work hard.”

“Take care.”

That’s how we said goodbye.

The Clan Leader left to join the Irregulars’ elite in Esgaroth, and I turned my head toward the castle gates.

“I am Yustea of Sanmiguel.”

I was finally entering Esgalott Castle.

I showed the servant selection document and Sanmiguel’s identification badge at the entrance and entered the castle.

A young maid who had been waiting guided me.

It was an annex building attached to the castle.

‘This must be where the servants stay.’

“The rooms are shared by two people, and supplies including formal wear are prepared in the room.”

With those words, the maid disappeared.

I entered the room.

But inside the room were girls dressed in what appeared to be servants’ formal dresses.

‘Didn’t she say it was two people per room?’

There are so many people here.

The girls continued their conversation without paying any attention to my entrance.

“It’s completely different from what I expected.”

“That’s right. We don’t even have time to have separate conversations with the princes. Even when we try to guide them around Esgaroth, they rarely make time for us.”

“And there’s even a stone that rolled in. If it were a meritorious family, that would be different. But what is Sanmiguel? It lowers the standard.”

They really don’t like me.

The girls selected as servants would be daughters of influential families in Esgaroth.

But I came from Sanmiguel, the most backward place in Esgaroth.

‘On top of that, I became a servant without even taking the exam, so they must be dissatisfied.’

Of course, I had accomplished the ‘alliance between the Second Prince and Fourth Prince,’ which was harder than the servant exam.

But from their perspective, I was just a stone that had rolled in.

Then, the only girl who had been quiet spoke up.

“Don’t be so harsh.”

She was an elegant girl with an impressive, proper posture.

At her words, the other girls grumbled.

“The problem with Miss Ayabel is that she’s too nice to people.”

‘Ayabel?’

As soon as I heard the name, I knew who she was.

Ayabel Balboa.

The granddaughter of Marquis Balboa, one of the Three Pillars of Esgaroth.

A girl who possessed both beauty and family background, the object of envy among her peers.

‘So that girl is Ayabel.’

Ayabel stood up and approached me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ayabel.”

“Hello.”

“I’ll be sharing a room with Miss Yustea. The others came to visit so you wouldn’t feel lonely. Everyone, please introduce yourselves.”

Ayabel turned around and spoke, but the girls kept their mouths shut with displeased faces.

Ayabel sighed.

“Everyone.”

When she spoke as if scolding them, one of the girls made a sullen face.

“You don’t need to be so kind even to someone like her.”

“We’re all servants together. It would be good if we got along well. More than anything….”

Ayabel smiled brightly and looked at me.

“You’re the eldest daughter of Andres, right?”

“….”

“Oh, please don’t be offended. I just happened to overhear.”

At Ayabel’s words, the girls flinched.

“Andres?”

“That Yustea?”

A few girls were surprised. And the remaining girl wrinkled her face in disgust.

“This is unbelievable!”

Her face showed how someone as terrible as me had rolled into Esgaroth.

The other girls’ expressions also became more hostile as they glared at me.

But Ayabel tried to calm the girls with a troubled tone.

“Rumors are just rumors.”

“If it were just rumors, would she have been kicked out of her family?”

“Even so, she’s our colleague now. More than anything, if she was a daughter of such a great family, there would be much to learn from her.”

“But think about it. It’s famous that the Second Prince and Yustea Andres are like enemies. So what does it mean that he specifically called her? He wants to mock her for hitting rock bottom.”

“His Highness might have taken pity on Miss Yustea, who had connections with him in the past, and given her an opportunity.”

Even at those words, the girls didn’t seem to want to associate with me at all.

They immediately stood up and left the room without a word.

Only Ayabel, my roommate, and I remained.

Ayabel sighed.

“You must be offended, but please understand them. I want to get along well with Miss Yustea.”

Ayabel smiled brightly and extended her hand.

“Let’s get along well, shall we?”

“Please.”

I took her hand and shook it.

* * *

The work of servants wasn’t just staying by the prince’s side.

Pre-checking places the prince would visit.

Monitoring the prince’s condition.

Accompanying schedules.

Responding to the prince’s requests.

Preparing tea time, and so on.

And the servants of Esgaroth did that work….

“The servants can handle such tasks just fine.”

“That’s ridiculous. Why should I have to prepare tea?”

…They were absolutely disgusted by it.

The maid helping the servants was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“You need to specify which tea leaves to use so we can prepare the tea…”

“Just prepare tea with the best quality leaves available.”

The maid looked troubled at his cold attitude.

I approached the maid.

“I’ll go.”

The maid’s face instantly brightened.

The servants, regardless, were only focused on grooming themselves.

So I followed the maid’s guidance to a certain room.

As I entered the room, I looked around in amazement.

It seemed to be a room dedicated solely to tea preparation, and the scale was enormous.

Cabinets storing tea leaves were packed tightly together.

They were even so high that you’d need to climb a ladder to reach them.

It seemed they even processed tea directly to bring out the best taste and aroma.

There were even kneading frames used for rubbing and oxidizing dried tea leaves, and fermentation chambers.

‘Amazing.’

It rivaled the Imperial Palace… no, just looking at the variety of teas, there were more types than even the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace only used certified Royal Warrant tea leaves, but here they even had teas that common people drank.

‘Then perhaps…’

I quickly climbed up the ladder.

The maid looked startled.

“I’ll do it.”

“No. I want to look at the tea leaves.”

I examined the tea leaves with eagle eyes.

And finally found it.

After searching through the cabinets for a while, I finally discovered what I was looking for.

“Let’s use this tea today.”

“Um, that tea hasn’t finished processing yet.”

“It’s fine.”

The maid looked troubled, but couldn’t object further.

I diligently prepared the tea.

Just preparing the tea leaves took a long time.

Then I carefully selected even the tea set.

The maid watching me couldn’t help but mutter.

“You’re amazing…”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just my first time seeing a servant prepare tea.”

“When I wasn’t here, didn’t the other servants do it?”

The maid made a troubled expression.

‘Nobody did it.’

They must have all passed it off to others.

“When we prepared tea, they would come listen to explanations and then leave.”

Tea explanations were an opportunity to make an impression on the princes.

Kids who didn’t know much might think tea preparation was just a bothersome task.

But what Imperial Palace maids care about most is their master’s tea time.

Since they drink tea two or three times a day, maids who brew tea well are precious.

I was thinking this as I placed the prepared tea utensils on the tray.

Creak.

The door opened and the servants entered.

“If it’s ready, bring the tray.”

The servants quickly took the tray I had prepared.

And then…

“Don’t think about showing off in front of the princes just because you prepared tea. Explaining the tea is Ayabel’s job.”

They meant for me to keep my mouth shut and stay quietly in the back.

“I think it would be better if I explained this tea.”

Then the servants let out incredulous chuckles.

“Look how arrogant you’ve become, trusting in Prince Luciano’s consideration.”

“We shouldn’t have given you a chance to speak.”

Ayabel let out a small sigh.

“I understand wanting to explain the tea since you prepared it. But we finished dividing roles before Yustea arrived.”

“…”

“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t hear Yustea’s opinion, but please understand.”

“…”

“If Yustea had become a servant through proper procedures, this wouldn’t have happened.”

She was pointedly mentioning that I came without taking the exam.

Ayabel looked at the maid who had prepared tea with me.

“What tea did you prepare?”

“Moonlight.”

Then another servant said.

“Moonlight? That’s tea only commoners drink.”

The servants looked exasperated.

One frustrated servant said.

“Prepare Ceylon again right now…”

“Moonlight is good for recovering from fatigue.”

It was Ayabel’s words.

She looked at me.

“Since they’ve already enjoyed plenty of Ceylon and Darjeeling at the Imperial Palace, the people’s tea would be interesting. Since it only grows in the north, it would have special meaning when served by Esgaroth.”

When I nodded, Ayabel smiled brightly.

“I’ll explain the tea well, so don’t worry.”

And she left with the servants.

The maid glanced at me.

Her expression asked if I was okay.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

I followed behind the servants.

* * *

Today’s tea time wasn’t just for the princes alone.

Esgaroth’s retainers had conveyed their desire to join the princes.

Before the retainers arrived, Ain sighed and said.

“Why do they cling to us even during rest time?”

“It must be the Marquise’s orders.”

“The Marquise?”

“She probably wants us to support the succession matter.”

The only son born between the Duke and Marquise was over thirty but still hadn’t become the Duke’s heir.

“The Marquise’s pride relies on the Imperial Court? She must be getting desperate.”

The Marquise was the previous emperor’s daughter, sister to current Emperor Augusto.

Moreover, she was the beloved princess who monopolized the previous emperor’s love.

So at one time, she boasted stronger influence than anyone else in the Imperial Court.

Ain let out a sigh with an irritated expression.

‘Nothing good has come from being in Esgaroth.’

The Marquise was being bothersome.

Despite attaching tracking animals to Luciano’s subordinates, the saint was nowhere to be seen.

The only fortunate thing was that Gaspard wasn’t bothering him, as he was out searching for the saint from dawn until midnight.

It was just as he was thinking this.

Esgaroth’s vassals arrived.

“It’s an honor to be invited to tea time.”

They were all vassals active in Esgaroth.

And not long after they entered, another knock was heard.

“We’ll bring in the tea.”

It was a servant.

The servants who entered with trays bowed respectfully.

Among them, the platinum-haired girl at the front smiled brightly and said.

“Today’s tea is prepared with Moonlight.”

“Moonlight?”

The vassal asked back as if wondering why they had prepared such a trivial tea.

The platinum-haired girl answered politely.

“Though it hasn’t received Royal Warrant certification, it’s effective for fatigue recovery. Above all, the raw material is a flower that blooms while enduring the cold in the northern mountains, which I judged perfectly suits Esgaroth’s resilient spirit.”

Upon hearing those words, the vassals looked at Ayabel with proud expressions.

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