How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 47

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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 47

Emma’s face hardened stiffly.

‘Why is Yustea here?’

Why would that child who never came anywhere near suddenly visit the manor?

Emma, who had been thinking, flinched.

‘Could she have found out about the medicine?’

After Yustea met with the Marquise, she had been consumed by anxiety.

What if the Marquise decided to bring Yustea back into the family again…

And what if she even reinstated Dia, that woman’s mother…

It was she who had protected Andres while Dia was away.

She couldn’t let it be taken away.

While she couldn’t reach Yustea who was far away, she could handle Dia who was within reach on the archipelago.

So she had made an injection filled with poison and given it to the woman nursing Dia.

‘If she noticed that and came chasing after me…’

Her heart sank with a thud.

If the Marquise knew about it, she would immediately issue a stern rebuke.

She might not introduce her at today’s luncheon.

“D-dear, if the vassals find out that Yustea has come, it will cause turmoil. Perhaps we should send her away…”

It was at that moment when she was stammering.

The Marquise appeared.

“How could it be proper for the head of the family to worry about vassals’ opinions?”

Emma hurriedly ran to the Marquise.

“B-but receiving a ruffian who came without notice…!”

“If she came to see me, then she is my guest. I am the one to judge rudeness. Take her to the reception room.”

“…!”

Emma hurriedly looked at the Marquis.

The Marquis, whom she had expected to take her side, remained quiet.

Emma’s face turned deathly pale.

* * *

In front of Andres Estate Gate.

I was standing before the iron gate, waiting for Andres’s response.

It was then.

Clang─!

The sound of something dropping was heard.

The employees were looking at me with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

“Wh-what, who is that?”

“This is unbelievable. Where does she think this is…!”

They approached me as if rushing at me.

“What are you planning to do now that you’ve come all the way to the manor? Do you think this is a place you can come to?”

They pressed me harshly.

Their sharp tone was familiar.

It was always chaos like this whenever we encountered each other.

I had been beaten several times too.

They told me not to show my disgusting face.

‘I didn’t want to see them either.’

I had no choice.

The archipelago was the only place that handled Mother’s medicine.

That’s why I endured it even while being bullied so much.

When I remained quiet, sparks flew from the maid’s eyes.

“Answer me!”

It was the moment the maid was about to raise her hand at me.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her sharply to the right.

The maid, who never thought I would fight back, collapsed just like that.

The ground was muddy because it had snowed yesterday.

The maid, now in a mess, looked up at me with eyes like lanterns.

“You… you…”

“Not ‘you,’ but Noble Lady.”

“What?”

“If you don’t use proper titles, it won’t end with just falling down.”

“Th-this crazy wench…! What are you all doing!”

The thoroughly enraged maid shouted.

The employees rushed at me in a group.

It was then that Andres’s massive iron gate opened.

The Butler had come out.

The employees shouted with pleased faces.

“Butler, this wench dares to cause a disturbance in front of the manor…!”

“Shut your mouth!”

“…!”

Contrary to their expectations, it was them that the Butler glared at.

As the surprised employees froze, the Butler spoke in a fierce voice.

“She is the Great Madam’s guest. Show proper respect.”

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

The Butler was always on the side of the powerful.

That’s why he remained silent even though he knew the employees were tormenting me in every way just before I was kicked out.

Afraid that protecting me might put him out of favor with the powerful people who cherished Stella.

He must have thought there was something behind the Marquise letting me into the manor and decided to take my side.

But the other employees still couldn’t grasp the situation.

“Wh-why would the Great Madam with such a thing…”

One employee muttered.

So I…

Smack─!

Slapped him across the face.

“…!”

“…!!”

“?!”

Even the Butler looked at me with a surprised face.

I looked at the employees and said.

“I told you. It won’t end with just falling down.”

Then I turned my gaze to the Butler.

“I am Yustea, daughter of Marquis Quaron belonging to Esgaroth Estate. I will formally protest this disrespect.”

“Es-Es… what?”

The employees had thoroughly flustered expressions.

The Butler stiffened and stared at me.

I met the Butler’s gaze and said.

“If you remain silent this time too, I’ll report it to the authorities.”

“…I will convene a disciplinary committee and impose severe punishment.”

“You should. Unless you want to stain your lifelong career with the blemish of poor management.”

The Butler signaled to the guards.

The employees were dragged away by them.

“B-Butler! Head Butler…!”

She cried out desperately, but the head butler never looked back at them.

The head butler bowed toward me.

“I shall escort you.”

I followed the butler into the Andres estate.

It had been several years since I’d entered the Andres estate.

Even though this was the place I’d lived my entire life, excluding the few years of hardship on the streets, I felt no warmth.

This place wasn’t home to me—it was a testing ground where I had to prove my worth.

The place we arrived at was the interrogation room.

Employees lined the walls densely.

The Marquise sat on one of two long sofas positioned facing each other.

Behind her stood that woman.

The reason I had come to this place.

It was Emma.

* * *

The Marquise spoke.

“You’ve come.”

Yustea spread her skirt and lightly bent her knees.

Thinking of how Stella’s posture had been unsightly despite being taught the same way, Yustea’s posture was truly ideal.

“I greet you. I am Yustea of Quaron.”

The Marquise said.

“Sit.”

Yustea lightly bowed her head and took her seat.

Emma said with a tense expression.

“Lunch will be served soon. You should prepare, so I’ll handle the conversation…”

“Do you think you’re worthy of receiving my guests?”

When the Marquise glared fiercely, Emma flinched.

The Marquise turned her gaze to Yustea.

“Quaron, you say. I heard Valboa of Esgaroth merged with the mountain regions. Some mountain bumpkin got lucky and took that position.”

“My father is not a bumpkin, but the lord of Quaron.”

The Marquise’s hand holding the teacup paused.

“…Father?”

“Yes.”

“You call that thing father? My granddaughter!”

As the Marquise’s voice grew louder, the atmosphere instantly froze.

However, Yustea’s expression remained calm.

“Being the Marquise’s granddaughter was something from several years ago.”

“You, how dare…!”

The Marquise’s breath trembled faintly.

Though Yustea was called the little iron blood outside, she had always been a gentle granddaughter in front of her.

She never talked back even when wronged.

She would just bow her head, saying even the misunderstandings were her fault.

When occasionally spoken to about things other than work or studies, she would be so happy she wouldn’t know what to do.

That child…

That Yustea…

“Do you think adoption settled all relationships?”

“Not everything. This remained.”

Yustea placed something on the table.

Emma froze upon seeing it.

‘An injection…!’

That was a bottle containing an injection.

The Marquise’s eyebrows twitched.

“An injection from the Andres Medical Center. What kind of medicine is it that you’ve come all the way to the estate to present?”

Emma hurriedly sat beside the Marquise and said.

“This is what happened. So that’s… that is…”

The Marquise sensed something strange and frowned.

“What exactly is it to cause such a fuss?”

Yustea answered.

“Your daughter-in-law put sasadok poison in my mother’s medicine.”

“…What?”

“M-Mother, I’ll handle this. I can do it!”

Emma quickly looked at Yustea.

“Money. I’ll give you money. How much do you need? How much to back down?”

Yustea smiled brightly.

“How much can you give?”

Emma’s expression brightened.

Right, this was something money could solve.

No matter how much she knew about her mother’s situation, reality came first.

This was a child who had suffered terribly because of money.

She would know well the power of money.

“How much do you need? 50,000 gold? 100,000 gold? If I tell him, even today…”

“You think you can save the Andres Medical Center with such pocket change?”

“What, what did you say…?”

“This, you see, is evidence that poison came from the Andres Medical Center. The Royal Medical Department will conduct an audit. First, the medical center that released this poison will be shut down.”

“Huh…?”

“The medical center that cost astronomical amounts will disappear because of this one thing.”

“That… what does that mean…”

“Is that all? Do you know why the Marquise let you manage such an enormous place like the medical center?”

“Well, because I’m Stella’s mother… so…”

“No. When there’s a problem at the medical center, the person in charge receives severe punishment. Poison was released? Then it’s corporal punishment. At minimum, you’ll be paralyzed.”

“…!”

“With such incidents involved, 100,000 gold? Not even close.”

“Such… such…”

She hadn’t known it would be such a serious matter.

Emma turned pale.

Her whole body trembled so violently that her teeth chattered against each other.

“What, what do I do. How can I…”

It was just as she was muttering, not knowing what to do.

Smack—!

The Marquise slapped her cheek.

She struck so hard that Emma fell from the sofa.

Emma trembled after being slapped in front of the employees.

“M-Mother…”

“You stupid thing. You finally caused an accident!”

“I, I…”

Emma whimpered while holding her cheek.

The Marquise forgot her refinement and struck Emma below the sofa indiscriminately.

“Kyaak! Kyaaak!”

Emma wailed and screamed.

The employees watched the brutal scene with shocked faces.

No one dared approach due to the Marquise’s fierce demeanor.

That was the moment.

“That’s enough.”

A low voice echoed through the room.

It was Count Andres.

He had been moving with his vassals when he witnessed this commotion and spoke up.

The Marquise, spotting the vassals, gritted her teeth and turned her head.

Emma, beaten all over her body, reached out toward the Marquis.

“Darling…!”

The vassals wore bewildered expressions.

“What on earth is this…?”

Count Andres glanced briefly at the syringe.

Then he looked around at those in the interrogation room one by one.

The Marquise, so enraged she had beaten Emma to this state.

Emma, who had only screamed without seeking help.

Yustea, watching the scene with a cold expression.

That alone was enough for him to grasp the situation instantly.

“Guide the vassals to the luncheon hall.”

At his words, the employees who had been reading the room guided the vassals away.

After they disappeared, the Marquis spoke.

“I’ll praise you for coming to my manor instead of going straight to the Imperial Palace.”

“Even if I had gone to the Imperial Palace, you would have covered it up with money anyway.”

“True. What do you want?”

“The Nita mines. And a pledge.”

“…A pledge?”

“A pledge that you will mobilize your faction once to help my father.”

The Marquise frowned once again.

“You call another man father even in front of your real father? How can such an absurd thing happen?”

“There was also the absurd thing of a father abandoning his own daughter, so what’s the big deal?”

“Hah…”

The Marquis stared quietly at Yustea.

“Were you a child who could look me straight in the eye?”

“I could always look at you. I just chose not to.”

“Why?”

“Because I was shy.”

“…What?”

The Marquis hesitated.

Yustea, regardless, stood up.

“Since it would be difficult to prepare the mine transfer documents immediately, just give me the pledge for now. I’ll leave as soon as you give it to me.”

“Why were you shy?”

“Because I really liked you, Marquis.”

Both the Marquise and the Marquis had expressions as if she was asking an obvious question.

Yustea sighed and said.

“Could you hurry up? Father is waiting outside.”

“…Wait.”

The Marquis stared intently at Yustea before turning around.

The Marquise and Emma followed him toward the office.

As soon as the office door closed, the Marquise shouted.

“Throw this wench out! She cannot stay at Andres for even one more day!”

Then the Marquis said while writing the pledge.

“She is Stella’s birth mother. If we leave her outside, Stella will be anxious. That would certainly not help with the sacred training where self-control is important.”

“But keeping this wench in the manor…!”

“Mother.”

The Marquis looked at the Marquise.

“Emma will never become the mistress of Andres.”

“D-darling…!”

Emma was startled and approached the desk.

“Wh-what… what do you mean?”

“What do you think was the reason I put you, who has absolutely no ability to run a medical center, in charge?”

“Pardon?”

“It was to make you a noble by having the charitable contributions of the medical center recognized.”

“…!”

Emma being a commoner was so well-known that she couldn’t buy her status.

Official appointment was the only way.

Marriage between different classes (commoners and nobles marrying) was prohibited by national law.

If Emma couldn’t become a noble, becoming the mistress would be impossible for life.

“N-no. Darling… No…!”

Emma wailed and clung to him, but the Marquis never looked back at her.

* * *

Holding a pledge in each hand, I left the Andres estate and got into the carriage.

“Dad, I brought them.”

“…”

Dad was still frowning.

He’d had this expression ever since I said I would hand over the syringe and get the mines and pledge in return.

“I told you not to give up revenge because of me.”

“But I did get revenge.”

Quite thoroughly, too.

‘Emma can never become the Marquis’s wife now.’

Count Andres wasn’t someone who gave second chances.

But he would still need a mistress.

When someone else comes in as the Marquis’s wife, Emma will live in hell.

“Death would be too light.”

I know that living can be more painful than death.

The carriage departed.

The Andres estate wasn’t too far from the Esgaroth Second Estate, so after about 30 minutes of travel, the carriage stopped.

As soon as I arrived at the manor, I hesitantly said.

“Dad, could you put some mana into this?”

I held out the bottle.

Dad didn’t even ask what the bottle was and readily filled it with mana.

The filling speed was incredible.

“Is that enough?”

“Yes.”

I decided to purify Mother with this.

After greeting Dad, I quickly headed to Mother’s room on the second floor.

Thanks to Dad hiring a professional caregiver, Mother’s complexion was much better.

I sent the caregiver out and firmly closed the door.

Then I kissed Mother’s forehead and said.

“I’ll make it so you won’t suffer anymore soon.”

Using the technique Yuise had taught me, I infused mana into Mother.

But something was strange.

‘What?’

The traces of the poison on Mother’s body hadn’t disappeared.

Not at all, even though the bottle was completely emptied.

‘Was my mana insufficient?’

That couldn’t be.

I had purified both the mandrake and peony, so there was no way I couldn’t purify mere poison.

‘Should I try again after replenishing more mana?’

Just as I was thinking that and removing my hands from Mother’s body.

My head became dizzy.

I couldn’t stop the mana from draining out!

“What’s happening…!”

In an instant, mana depletion symptoms overwhelmed my body.

My heart raced madly, my head spun, and I became short of breath.

‘Stop… stop…!’

That was the moment.

Beginning 3rd class advancement.

[Time remaining 29:59:59]

In an instant, the sky darkened, and lightning streaked across the darkness-covered sky.

CRASH—!

Heaven and earth shook.

‘What is this now?’

* * *

CRASH—!

The Pope and Emperor, who had visited the Imperial Palace altar for the year-end ceremony, simultaneously looked up at the sky.

“What’s happening?”

“What is going on!”

As the Pope and Emperor shouted, the priest and administrator urgently cried out.

“The holy beasts are gathering toward the Archipelago!”

“The Archipelago’s barrier has collapsed!”

The Emperor frowned and turned to look at the Pope.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“The Saint has manifested her divine power!”

What?

No, why doesn’t that Saint appear when she possesses such tremendous power that destroys barriers!

Is she planning to live in hiding like this?

‘That won’t do.’

‘We must bring the Saint here.’

The Emperor and Pope simultaneously looked at each other.

“How about we work together, at least until we find her?”

“I’ll lend my strength in the search.”

The two pinnacles of power, who were always ready to tear each other apart whenever they met, joined hands.

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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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