How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 272

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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 272
* * *
Night.
I grinned as I brought the plate to Mother.
“…You actually found an apple?”
Mother’s eyes widened.
I nodded.
“Luciano got it for me.”
Father and the Irregulars were half-asleep.
Even if I’d seized control of the North in my absence, this was the South.
There was no competing with the power of a prince who commanded the entire Empire.
Mother picked up the apple.
Crunch.
As the apple broke with that crisp, refreshing sound, the Irregulars and I tensed.
Afraid she might retch again.
“Are you alright?”
“It’s delicious.”
A cry of delight burst from her.
Exclamations filled the room.
I smiled with satisfaction.
What a relief.
Mother devoured two large apples.
The Irregulars urged her to eat more, but she shook her head, saying that if she ate too much her stomach would feel queasy again.
It was a shame, but considering she hadn’t eaten properly since the vacation began, today was a blessing.
Once her belly was full, Mother fell asleep.
Watching her sprawl across the bed, I smiled again with that same satisfaction.
“There, there.”
I stroked her belly and drew the quilt over her.
Then I left the room carefully, so as not to wake her.
And so I returned to my own chamber.
Just then, the Communication Stone in the room began to ring.
It was Luciano.
“Yes?”
I connected and spoke, and Luciano asked:
[How was it?]
He was asking whether Mother had eaten the apple.
“She ate it well. She hasn’t eaten for two days straight, just retching over and over—thank you for this, Luciano.”
[Good to hear.]
“How much do I owe you? I’ll send payment for the apple.”
[Forget it. That much is nothing. Besides….]
“Besides what?”
[Whatever you’re imagining as the price, it’ll probably be higher than that.]
“It’s just one box of apples. What, is it made of iron or something?”
Luciano fell silent.
When I called out “Luciano?” he remained quiet a moment longer before speaking.
[It’s nothing.]
“What do you mean? Is something wrong?”
[It’s as if you were sitting still while someone threw gold over a wall into your yard.]
“…?”
[When word of today spreads, everyone will realize just how extraordinary your influence is.]
Luciano laughed quietly.
I tilted my head, puzzled.
I didn’t understand what Luciano meant until the next morning.
Yustea’s team burst through the door—they’d gone to the farm hoping to find more apples.
“The apple—the apple—!”
The Elite asked, seeing the unit members’ shocked expressions.
“What about the apple?”
Then one of Yustea’s unit members swallowed hard and answered:
“An apple appeared at the underground auction house and sold for ten thousand gold.”
“Ten thousand gold?!”
Antonio’s unit went into uproar.
Even I found myself asking in surprise.
“Is there some kind of magic on that apple?”
“It’s just an ordinary apple.”
Everyone wore bewildered expressions.
Ten thousand gold.
Most fine swords don’t command a price like that.
You’d need something like a Yellow Bone Sword polished by Tekari himself to fetch that much.
“What kind of apple costs that much?”
Miliano, who had been communicating with Esgaroth Mansion from a distance, returned as he spoke.
“Apparently, rumors have been circulating that the apple is tied to a Divine Task.”
“A Divine Task?”
As I wore a confused expression, Miliano laughed awkwardly.
“It seems the incident involving the Irregular and Prince Luciano searching the Empire so thoroughly has been distorted into that.”
So my effort to find an apple for Mother had grown into something of this magnitude.
In that moment, Luciano’s words came back to me.
[If what happened today comes to light, everyone will realize just how considerable your influence is.]
Ah, so that’s why….
Miliano continued.
“The apple was purchased at the underground auction by Count Leporsa, one of the leading figures among the Rising Nobles. Count Leporsa has requested a meeting with Esgaroth to negotiate the sale of the apple.”
“Hmm….”
“He seems to have grown quite arrogant. From what I hear, he’s been putting on airs, demanding that you come to him directly.”
Just then, Mother descended with a yawn.
The Clan Leader stood up.
“Shall I prepare the apple?”
“Not today. My stomach feels well enough that I think I can manage a proper meal.”
Mother enjoyed the consommé that had been brought for breakfast.
The Irregulars spoke.
“Oh no.”
“Ten thousand gold, wasted.”
“What do we do with the remaining apple?”
I blinked and replied.
“We’ll share it for dessert, naturally.”
If Mother wasn’t going to eat it, the apple had no use.
As the meal drew to a close, the Communication Stone chimed.
It was Count Leporsa’s code.
I pushed the Communication Stone aside and yawned.
The Irregulars fell silent in tribute to Count Leporsa, who had just lost ten thousand gold….
Four days passed like that.
We, refreshed from our leisure, returned to the Archipelago.
* * *
The Imperial Palace.
Count Leporsa let out a contemptuous snort.
“So she’s not answering, then.”
His eyes narrowed as he gripped the Communication Stone.
The Rising Nobles asked.
“The Saint still refuses to take your call?”
Count Leporsa snorted again with a derisive sound.
“She’s trying to haggle over the price, no doubt, but it won’t work. I’m not the sort to fall for such tricks.”
The Rising Nobles laughed uproariously.
They spoke with pleased expressions.
“Count Leporsa’s skill and cunning are unmatched. And your quick execution the moment you gathered intelligence—who could rival that? I’m eager to see how much profit you’ll make from the ten thousand gold investment.”
“Ha, that’s how the world works. The swift always prevail, after all.”
“So what price are you planning to demand?”
Count Leporsa smiled with satisfaction.
“Magic Stone Distribution Rights. And the roster of knights participating in the Third Round of the Succession Competition for Crown Prince. Nothing less will I accept.”
“The Saint’s face will turn pale.”
One of the Rising Nobles burst into laughter.
Another noble inquired.
“I had heard that Prince Luciano obtained the apple first. Surely that doesn’t render it useless?”
“According to the farm owner who made contact with the Irregulars, he was trying to buy up every last one he could find.”
“Ah, if quantity is what matters, then in the end we’ll have no choice but to reach out.”
They were in the midst of such boasting when the group arrived.
Count Urbano’s entourage walked in.
Count Leporsa greeted him with a smirk.
“Welcome.”
“The Imperial Palace will be announcing the Third Round soon. We’ll need to bring the factions under control.”
“There is a more pressing matter than faction management.”
“A more pressing matter….”
Count Urbano’s eyes sharpened.
He asked in a low voice.
“What is it.”
“I have… an apple in my possession.”
The words that spilled out alongside a knowing smile made Count Urbano pause.
Leporsa’s expression brimmed with confidence.
“I apologize for not informing you sooner. We are attempting to arrange a conversation with the Saint, though it is not going smoothly. Ha — she is no simple woman, I assure you.”
“….”
“Give me your instructions. What should I do?”
“…Eat it before it spoils.”
Count Urbano sighed as he spoke.
He had already determined that the apple was not a Divine Task.
At first, when he heard the rumors, he had believed it was.
But after observing the movements of the Saint and the Irregulars, he understood.
They had been enjoying an extraordinary vacation.
‘There’s no way that could be because of a Divine Task.’
Moreover, a physician had been summoned to Esgaroth.
A physician specializing in obstetrics.
Examining the chain of clues, the answer was clear.
‘It seems Esgaroth has received good news.’
The Rising Nobles fell silent.
Count Leporsa stared at Count Urbano with a bewildered expression.
“What? What do you mean….”
“Stop talking nonsense about apples and focus on managing the factions.”
“No, wait — Count Urbano!”
“How much did you pay for that apple?”
“I gave ten thousand gold….”
Ten thousand gold….
Count Urbano shook his head and spoke.
“Then eat it down to the skin.”
Count Urbano moved on.
Count Leporsa cried out.
“What? What in the world does that mean! Count Urbano! Count Urbano!”
Count Leporsa shouted.
It was only in the afternoon that he learned he had thrown away ten thousand gold.
News spread that Dia, Yustea’s birth mother and Aslan Esgaroth’s betrothed, was pregnant.
Count Leporsa bit into the apple and let out a cry of fury.
“Damn it…!”
* * *
Two days later, at dawn, in the Imperial Household.
The Empress gazed quietly at the slowly brightening sky.
A sound came from behind — a door opening.
“You’re still deliberating.”
Gaspard’s voice broke the silence.
He strode forward and spoke coldly.
“The announcement of the final round comes down today, Mother.”
“….”
“Yield the factions to me. Surely by now I am your only answer.”
“….”
“Mother!”
“God has a mischievous streak, doesn’t she.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
The Empress fixed her gaze on the window, her expression blank.
Nothing had gone as she wished.
The Emperor had never once looked back at her.
Yohaël, whom she had placed such hope in, had lost the people’s favor and failed to advance past the final stages of the Succession Competition for Crown Prince.
And that man….
That man, Aslan….
She remembered that day.
The day monsters had swarmed the Assembly Hall.
Since then, she had never forgotten the solid arms that had drawn her into their embrace.
“Your injuries—”
His voice, dropping near her ear.
His arm around her waist.
The burning warmth she had felt through her clothes.
The reluctant foster father of a child had made her heart race like a girl of eighteen.
In all her years, she had never felt such emotion.
She, who had always prized propriety and dignity above all else, had lost her reason and wavered.
She had felt alive.
The Empress’s hand came to rest on her waist.
She bowed her head, her palm pressed against the waist where he had touched her.
‘Why.’
Why did God grant her nothing of what she had so desperately desired?
If she was to be abandoned, then….
“Then I shall abandon as well.”
If nothing was given, she would seize it with her own hands.
By whatever inhuman, cruel means necessary.
The Empress’s expression was unlike her usual self.
Her eyes darkened with consuming hunger.
“Mother…?”
Gaspard narrowed his brow and asked.
The Empress spoke.
“Summon the council. I shall place everything in your hands.”
“…!”
Gaspard’s face lit with elation.
At last.
‘She’s finally looking at me.’
Gaspard gazed up at the Empress with trembling eyes.
“I, I won’t disappoint you. I shall bring victory in the competition without fail….”
“But first.”
“Yes?”
A smile played at the Empress’s lips as she turned to her son.
She stroked his cheek and spoke.
“I have something to give you.”
“What is it…?”
The Empress withdrew a small box.
At the sight of it, Gaspard’s face went rigid.
“Mother, this is….”
“Even Yohaël was not given this.”
“Mo, Mother….”
“It will surely aid you.”
“…!”
Gaspard stepped backward.
The Empress advanced toward him.
“Tear Luciano and Yustea apart—and that man as well. Bring me victory.”
“Mother—!”
The Empress’s shadow flooded over Gaspard’s shadow.
A tearing scream echoed through the Imperial Household.
* * *
I stopped in the living room.
A scene I’d never witnessed before unfolded before my eyes.
Father was pressing his ear to Mother’s belly.
“What’s happening?”
At my question, Mother let out a giggle.
“Your little brother just moved.”
“Really?”
‘That can’t be right.’
There was no way we could feel fetal movement from a child whose limbs hadn’t even formed yet.
“You really felt movement?”
“I’m telling you I did.”
Mother grinned, amused at my skepticism.
Father remained pressed against Mother’s belly, his expression grave and intent.
Though it made no sense to me, I wondered if the bond between an expectant mother and her unborn child transcended ordinary logic, so I held my ground and waited for Father to speak.
Father spoke with utmost seriousness.
“This is….”
“Yes?”
“…the sound of digestion.”
Father rose with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Well, of course it was.’
I shook my head in resignation.
Then it came.
“My lady! My lady! A notice came down! About the Succession Competition for Crown Prince!”
Antonio and Yuise burst through the door.
“Really?”
“Yes, the notice was delivered to the Princes, they said.”
I rushed out immediately.
I arrived at the Imperial Palace by carriage.
Luciano Palace.
I hurried into Luciano’s study and cried out.
“The notice came down?”
“It did.”
“What is it? What’s the content?”
At last, it was the final round.
‘Once this is over, Luciano will…!’
But something felt wrong.
Luciano’s expression had hardened.
“Luciano?”
“…I can’t take you with me.”
“You’re doing this again?”
When I pouted, Luciano let out a sigh.
“This competition is too dangerous.”
“What on earth is it, then?”
Luciano quietly lowered the parchment.
I unfolded the parchment and reviewed the details of the competition.
And my expression hardened just as his had.
“Is this… real?”
I couldn’t believe it.

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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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