How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 32
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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 32
“How…?”
Yuise, who had let go of the man’s hand, approached me and whispered.
“You really came here?”
He glared at me with growling eyes.
Ah. Did he come here to investigate personally, thinking I wouldn’t go if I couldn’t bring the Elite Squad as escorts?
My guess was soon proven correct.
Because Asta came running over, shouting happily.
“How did you come? I was feeling disappointed after hearing you couldn’t make it.”
“Well…”
What excuse did he make?
When I looked at him with that expression, Yuise instantly changed his face.
He asked with a sweet expression.
“How is the lord’s cold?”
“Oh, he got much better so we departed in a hurry…?”
Yuise nodded slightly. It meant that was the right response.
I looked at Asta again.
“That’s how it happened.”
“That’s a relief.”
It was when Asta smiled brightly.
“What are those things, Miss Sintess!”
The group led by the man whose arm Yuise had twisted shouted with flushed faces.
Asta looked puzzled.
“What’s the matter, Prince Kiyones.”
“That person twisted my arm. How dare…!”
Aha. So that man is Baron Kiyones’s son.
He was one of the trash that Yuise had specifically pointed out when I showed him the attendee list.
In other words, a sex offender.
No wonder he tried to touch me suddenly – the trash couldn’t contain itself and gave off its trashy smell.
Prince Kiyones approached Yuise with heavy footsteps, making thump, thump sounds.
Then, I spoke.
“I’m late with introductions. I’m Yustea of Sanmiguel.”
“…!”
“…!!”
The sex offender and his group flinched.
They seemed surprised that I was a Sanmiguel noble lady.
Because my attire was too modest for a noble lady.
But fancy clothes go out of fashion quickly, so it’s a waste to buy them.
And the part they were most surprised about was indeed…
“Yustea? The one from Andres?”
“Crazy. Sanmiguel really did adopt that thing.”
It was a sound I’d become so accustomed to that it now sounded almost like background noise.
However, it seemed to bother other people.
Asta’s expression twisted.
“What kind of rudeness is this.”
“Ah, no, they were rude first…!”
“Let me make this clear. Yustea of Sanmiguel is like a sister to me, so being rude to her means looking down on me.”
Asta continued with glaring eyes.
“Don’t make me draw my sword in this mansion.”
The men flinched and shut their mouths.
Asta instantly erased the terrifying expression she’d shown the men and smiled at me.
“Let’s go. The place to enjoy tea time is the West Garden.”
“Are roses in full bloom in the West Garden too? Are you controlling the temperature with magic tools as expected? How many do you usually use per square meter?”
“It’s not roses, but daisies I planted. They somehow remind me of you. Shall I ask the gardener about the magic tools?”
“Great!”
“How adorable!”
We walked laughing heartily, while the men stared at us with bewildered faces.
* * *
Many people had already gathered in Sintess’s West Garden.
It seemed they had come before tea time started to build a close relationship with Asta.
Tea time starts at exactly two o’clock, but even though it was only around one-thirty, there was only one person besides me who hadn’t arrived yet.
And I witnessed a rather surprising scene…
“Mm-hmm.”
“Mmm.”
“Ahem.”
Various girls sent signals with bloodshot eyes to the escorts they had brought.
The escorts took notes and swiftly headed toward someone.
All those escorts with notes went to one person.
“From Lady Manzana of the Wattling House.”
“Lady Veronica of the Arco House sent…”
“Lady Leona Dianne has sent this.”
And the person who received those notes was…
“Yeah, get lost.”
…Yuise.
‘Wow.’
When Yuise looked at them with a cold face, the escorts returned looking dejected.
The young ladies glared fiercely at their escorts.
I tilted my head and said quietly.
“You’re the one who rejected them, so why are they scolding the escorts?”
“They want to look good to me.”
“Why?”
“It’s natural that everyone wants to look good to me.”
“…?”
“Because I’m the most beautiful in the world.”
Yuise had an arrogant expression.
I quickly turned my head away.
“What. Why.”
When I didn’t respond at all, Yuise frowned.
But I also think he’s beautiful.
His beautiful appearance helps me too.
When Yuise didn’t budge, the girls began stealthily approaching me, whom he served.
“Nice to meet you. You must have heard of the Wattling Marquis House, right? We’re quite famous for charity work.”
“I’m the second daughter of the Dian Family.”
Hmm. So they’re drug addicts.
Though they hid their necks with scarves, I could see slightly dark red veins bulging.
It was a trace of powerful illegal drugs.
‘Right?’
When I glanced toward the veins, Yuise nodded.
Asta, being a decent person, was dealing with other people.
Then I could comfortably extract information about the criminal cartel.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yustea. Your scarf is very beautiful. It’s a brand I like too.”
I touched the scarf I had tied in place of a hair ribbon in preparation for times like this.
Interest sparked in the girls’ eyes.
There aren’t many scarves this wide.
Only people whose neck veins bulge from illegal drugs wear them.
In other words, it meant ‘I know a thing or two about drugs.’
“You have better taste than you look.”
=You look boring but you party a bit, don’t you?
“All nobles have similar eyes for these things. I’ve been using this brand since my days in the system.”
=What fun could there be in noble life? I partied quite a bit in the system too.
“Really?”
“Oh my.”
The girls exchanged glances.
They seemed interested in drugs from the system.
The underground entertainment in the system would be more glamorous than in the North, that extreme land.
“I’ll invite you to our Cricket Club next time.”
“I’d love that, but could I know who comes? There are some people I find uncomfortable…”
“You mean Kiyones? He’s not as bad as you’d think. He’s very good at cricket.”
My eyes flashed.
All the criminals were having cricket meetings.
In other words, the Cricket Club was the cartel.
‘Then I just need to raid that meeting.’
I looked at Yuise.
Yuise nodded. He seemed ready to start investigating immediately.
He quietly withdrew.
And just as he was about to leave the garden.
“I’m sorry. Am I too late…?”
A delicate voice was heard.
It was a petite girl with soft caramel-colored bob hair and large, round green eyes.
She looked about my age, but seemed a span shorter than me.
Asta, who had been talking with the guests, stood up.
“No. You came right on time.”
“Then that’s a relief… Ah.”
The girl who was hurrying toward Asta twisted her ankle.
Just as she was about to fall, the girl grabbed onto Yuise who happened to be in front of her.
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
“…”
Yuise said nothing.
Asta quickly ran to her.
“Are you alright?”
“My leg is a bit…”
“Oh dear. Please go to the lounge. I’ll call a doctor for you.”
“What should I do? I keep causing accidents…”
“Don’t worry about it. I just hope you’re not seriously hurt. I’ll escort you. Lena, please take care of the guests.”
When Asta spoke with a kind face, the girl smiled shyly.
As Asta took the girl away, one of the noble ladies beside me twisted her skirt hem.
It was Manzana, the drug addict from the Wattling House who had also invested in the system mines.
“I’ll be right back.”
Manzana Watling abruptly stood up and left.
Then the other girls said.
“Poor Miss Manzana too.”
“Why Miss Manzana?”
When I asked, the girls lowered their voices and told me.
“The Noble Lady who just twisted her ankle. Miss Siruela. She’s the adopted daughter of the Wattling House.”
“Adopted daughter? Why an adopted daughter when Miss Manzana is there…?”
“They adopted her for the image of being philanthropists. Originally they planned to disown her soon after producing some knights, but the story went completely wrong. Because Miss Siruela is a lucky child.”
Their story went like this.
After adopting Siruela recently, all kinds of fortune came to the Wattling House.
They bought Bare Mountain that Siruela recommended for a cheap price, and it turned out to have gold deposits.
They happened to rescue the Three Elders who had an accident.
‘That’s almost Stella-level luck.’
Stella being the protagonist made sense, but Siruela was truly remarkable.
“Look at today too. Miss Manzana was desperate to become friends with Miss Asta but couldn’t even say a word properly. But Miss Siruela gets supported like that in one go, right?”
The noble ladies clicked their tongues as they said this.
‘If Miss Manzana is feeling that bad, there might be a drug party today.’
That would be a perfect chance to tail her.
I looked for Yuise to tell him.
But I couldn’t see him anywhere.
Had he already left the garden?
* * *
The lounge.
The doctor who examined Siruela’s ankle said.
“There’s nothing wrong with the bone. However, the nerves might be shocked, so I’ll prescribe some medicine.”
“Alright.”
When Asta spoke, the doctor took out medicine from his medical bag and left.
Siruela looked up at Asta with a shy face.
“Now that you’ve seen the doctor, please go back to the party.”
“Will you be alright alone?”
“I can at least apply ointment myself.”
“That’s a relief, but…”
“The guests will be waiting. A host shouldn’t leave for too long.”
Asta smiled brightly.
“Thank you for understanding. Will you return to the party when you feel better?”
“Yes.”
When Siruela tried to get up, Asta held out her hand as if to say it was fine.
Then she bowed her head lightly and left the room.
Siruela, left alone in the lounge, opened the container with ointment.
“Come apply this for me, will you? Yuise.”
When she spoke, he revealed himself from behind the wood partition.
Siruela smiled slyly and looked back.
“What are you doing not applying it quickly.”
“You’re not hurt.”
An ordinary person would have seen it as a twist.
But to the eyes of someone with advanced training, it’s visible.
That it was deliberately acted.
Siruela put down the ointment container on the sofa and stood up.
Yuise asked with a cold face.
“Why are you here… sister.”
Siruela said.
“My cute youngest sibling never sends any news, so mother and the sisters are worried sick. So what choice do I have? I had to come directly.”
“…How long have you been infiltrating?”
“About four months now. I’m pleased that you didn’t notice me. I must be good at infiltration.”
“The person Marquis Watling originally planned to adopt wasn’t you, sister. What happened?”
“Why are you asking something so obvious?”
Siruela stood up from her seat.
Then she poked Yuise’s cheek and chuckled softly.
“I took care of it before coming.”
Siruela’s eyes curved gently as she draped her arm around Yuise’s neck.
“So? What about the Irregulars’ information?”
When Yuise remained silent throughout, Siruela’s eyebrows twitched.
“Did I leave you infiltrating the Irregulars too long? Do you really think you’re actually a clan member?”
“I…”
“Right, you’re the tribal chief’s only son. The successor who will take responsibility for our tribe.”
“…”
“Your mission is to obtain internal information from within the Irregulars.”
“…”
“The Irregulars should be nothing more, nothing less than that to you.”
“…”
“Or do you need more ‘education’?”
Siruela’s fingertips moved past Yuise’s collarbone toward his heart.
“Remember what kind of bomb is planted in your heart. Your answer?”
“…Everything is for family.”
Siruela smiled brightly.
“Good boy. Cute Yuise.”
* * *
After leaving the lounge, Yuise immediately left the garden.
Only when he reached a deserted place did he exhale.
It felt like the cold that had penetrated from where Siruela’s hand touched had spread to his fingertips.
‘Family my ass…!’
The sickening words he’d heard his whole life became chains that bound his body.
A tribe of female shamans, the Mage Clan.
This tribe that began in ancient times was once destroyed by the Empire.
But embers remained.
Five shamans survived and secretly took root within the Empire.
How did just five people preserve the tribe? It was because of all kinds of powerful forbidden arts and cruel methods that left no records.
The Mage Clan bought young children and indoctrinated them with the tribe’s ideology.
Yuise was one such case.
He flowed into the tribe that way, had his shamanic talent recognized, and became the tribal chief’s son.
With a ‘wedge’ driven into his heart so he could never betray them.
After spending such a terrible childhood and becoming a boy, he was given a mission.
“Infiltrate the Irregulars.”
According to the divination of the tribal chief, who was both a shaman and skilled fortune-teller, the Irregulars looked very dangerous.
He thought it was just one of the usual missions.
Infiltration was easy.
They needed information, and Yuise had the ability to give them what they needed.
But then…
“Eat up. You’re too skinny.”
“Why are you over there? Get close to the campfire. Otherwise your mouth will be crooked when you wake up.”
“When holding a bow, like this. …Don’t think about looking pretty, just grip it tight. You’re not pretty anyway, you bastard.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“The Clan Leader is killing people! Ack! Yuise, help me!”
…Because they were stupid fools different from their reputation.
Because he kept losing his resolve.
So.
‘Because I started living like a human.’
Siruela said.
“Mother thinks the Irregulars’ power has grown excessively. It would be good to take care of a couple of the Elite.”
Saying that, she handed him poison.
The Clan Leader and Antonio would eat whatever he gave them.
And they wouldn’t suspect anything until the moment they lost their lives.
Because that’s what comrades meant to them.
“You won’t disappoint mother, will you, Yuise?”
“…”
“I’ll give you three days. Take care of the Elite and come back, then I’ll stop the bomb in your heart.”
If he didn’t, he would die.
The tribal chief would never overlook defiance, even from a son she raised with her own hands.
Yuise leaned against the wall and muttered weakly.
“I want to stop…”
“Then stop.”
“…!”
When he turned his head in surprise, he saw Yustea.
Yuise sighed and said.
“Why don’t you go finish what you were doing instead of coming here to pick a fight.”
Then, just as he was about to straighten his posture, Yustea strode over and opened Yuise’s shirt collar.
“What are you doing…!”
“The bomb. Is it activated?”
“…What?”
“How much time is left? How many days, how many hours?”
“You…”
Seeing Yuise’s pupils trembling in confusion, Yustea buttoned his collar back up.
Then she grabbed Yuise’s wrist and pulled.
“Let’s go.”
“Where are we going…!”
“Well, we’re going to deal with the bomb in your heart and knock out all of your sister’s teeth.”
* * *
I knew from the beginning.
‘I said I liked the Yuise character.’
Son of the shaman tribe, the Mage Clan.
A fool who infiltrated the Irregulars on the tribal chief’s orders but couldn’t bring himself to betray the Irregulars and chose to die instead.
“You look like a prude but you’re actually the kindest one. I know it all.”
Yuise stared at me in bewilderment.
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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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