How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 87

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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 87

I immediately got up.

‘They wouldn’t have sent the corpse to the Imperial Court yet.’

“Cesar, where is Benjamin’s corpse right now?”

I heard the sound of an annoyed tongue click, but thinking this wasn’t the time to argue about whether it was my business or not, an answer soon came.

[Courtyard. It will soon go to the Archipelago with the heads of the Seven Families.]

‘Then there’s no time.’

I rushed out of the room.

Yuise followed behind me.

When I hurriedly ran and arrived at the courtyard, the carriages of the Seven Families were gathered.

It seemed they were preparing to depart.

I saw the coffin surrounded by Andres’ knights among them.

‘That’s it.’

I headed straight for the coffin.

However, Andres’ knights blocked my way.

“This is troublesome.”

“I need to examine the corpse.”

“Unauthorized personnel cannot approach.”

As the argument between me and the knight continued, people’s gazes gathered.

Even the heads of the Seven Families who were just coming out to the courtyard stopped walking and looked at me.

This meant that Grandfather and even Count Andres were there.

To see them off, Andres’ heir Onel and Andres’ retainers were together.

“What’s the matter?”

Count Andres asked.

I answered instead of the knight.

“I need to examine Benjamin’s corpse.”

“For what reason?”

Yuise glanced at me.

It was because this was a difficult question to answer.

How could I say it?

There was an attack on the Irregular unit members.

The Elite killed two people while searching for spies.

However, we discovered that those spies were working as mages in Andres.

—Such a story.

‘I can’t even mention that there was an attack on the Irregular unit members.’

So then….

“He’s the real culprit who orchestrated Stella’s poisoning incident. You know what hardships I went through because of that. I need to confirm my enemy’s corpse.”

“…What?”

“What did you say?”

“…!”

The courtyard became as chaotic as if a meteorite had fallen.

Count Andres stared at me intently.

‘What. Why.’

His and my gazes collided in mid-air.

Mentioning the poisoning incident wasn’t just to make an excuse to examine the corpse.

‘If I have to bring up the White Dragon inside Stella, I will.’

It was that kind of threat.

The Marquis would want to pass over the White Dragon incident as quietly as possible.

If he knew about the White Dragon’s existence inside Stella, it would be proof that he knew about the Ancient Empire Restoration Society.

Even if he insisted he didn’t know, the fact that a White Dragon lived inside a direct descendant’s body for years would be a great shame to the family.

Andres’ retainers stirred greatly.

Considering they came to apologize to me, they naturally must know about the White Dragon inside Stella too.

Of course, if they were Andres’ close retainers, they couldn’t help but know.

Andres’ security had never been breached, yet if a White Dragon appeared.

‘There are only two methods they can take.’

Either grant my wish to shut my mouth.

Or use the fact that there’s no evidence or witnesses as a weapon to paint me as a crazy person desperate to restore my honor.

Among Andres’ retainers, the one with buck teeth… that is, the one who had been picking fights with me since my first day at this castle, spoke.

“What nonsensical words…!”

Trying to paint me as crazy?

‘Then I—.’

Just as I was about to open my mouth.

“Please let Yustea confirm her enemy’s death.”

Onel dismissed the knights.

‘Huh?’

So obediently?

Onel said to Count Andres.

“Considering the grievances this child has suffered unjustly, wouldn’t this be natural?”

“…!”

“…?!”

People flinched.

This was tantamount to the heir acknowledging with his own mouth that I wasn’t the culprit of the poisoning incident.

Count Andres looked at Onel.

And soon….

“Let her examine the corpse.”

…With those words, he boarded the carriage.

“…!”

I looked at Onel.

He nodded and dismissed the knights.

I quickly opened the coffin lid.

I examined the embalmed corpse this way and that.

‘It’s Benjamin. Even the crescent-shaped scar on his earlobe is exactly the same.’

I examined more thoroughly.

I even used mana.

Yuise beside me also searched for suspicious points on the corpse with furrowed brows.

How much time had passed?

“Yustea.”

Onel called me.

I hadn’t noticed because I was concentrating on examining the corpse, but all gazes were focused on me.

It was time to step back.

I nodded and stepped away from the coffin.

The knights covered the coffin again.

As I held my forehead and broke out in cold sweat, Grandfather supported me.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah… yes.”

“Good.”

He smiled warmly and patted my head.

“There have been many incidents. I’ll finish the Archipelago business and return in a week or two. Let’s go on an outing and get some fresh air.”

“Yes….”

Grandfather summarized the situation as he spoke.

The heads of the Seven Families each headed to their carriages.

Onel also went to Count Andres’s carriage, and the knights began organizing the coffin and preparing to depart.

Then, Grandfather whispered.

“Was there anything strange about the corpse?”

“…!”

When I looked at him in surprise, Grandfather smiled broadly.

“You wouldn’t have examined the corpse just to vent your grief.”

“…There was nothing strange about it at all.”

“Then….”

“That’s exactly why it’s strange.”

“What?”

“During the White Dragon incident, I performed some healing on Benjamin while taking him to the Grand Conference Hall to keep him from dying.”

“And so.”

“In doing so, even the crescent-shaped scar on his earlobe was regenerated. But that corpse has it.”

“….”

“As if to prove to people who knew Benjamin that the corpse is indeed Benjamin.”

“…This matter keeps getting bigger.”

Grandfather glanced at the people around us.

Then he whispered again in a low voice.

“Keep quiet until we can catch their tail.”

Benjamin was covered in blood at the time.

Even though he was healed, the blood wasn’t wiped away, so only I would know that the scars had regenerated.

If I went to the castle and testified about this, it would mean crossing a river of no return with the Ancien Empire Restoration Society.

“Until we’re certain we can completely destroy them, we mustn’t become enemies with those we shouldn’t.”

“…Yes.”

Grandfather smiled broadly and stepped away from me.

“Yuise, was it?”

When Grandfather asked, Yuise bowed her head.

“Take special care of Yustea.”

“Yes.”

“Good, then shall we leave this tiresome Andres?”

Grandfather laughed heartily and headed to the carriage with his hands clasped behind his back.

All the carriages of the Seven Families departed.

Father approached me as I remained in the courtyard.

“Shall we go now too?”

“Yes.”

Onel watched intently as we father and daughter smiled at each other.

* * *

Inside a dark room.

Stella looked out the window through the curtains.

“At least teleportation to the manor boundary wall….”

“It’s fine.”

“But sending you off like this doesn’t follow proper etiquette….”

“I said it’s fine.”

“Still, we….”

“I said it’s fine.”

The vassals clung to the departing Yustea, not knowing what to do.

It was the moment Stella roughly closed the curtains.

The communication stone flickered.

When connected, Emma’s voice came through.

[Why haven’t you been answering!]

Stella gripped the communication stone tightly.

[What’s this rumor? That your poisoning incident wasn’t actually Yustea but Benjamin’s doing.]

“…That’s how it turned out.”

[What do you mean by that? That’s ridiculous. Why would Benjamin do such a thing to you!]

“I’m not in the mood to talk. Let’s do this later….”

[Mood, my foot! Do you even know what rumors are spreading throughout the archipelago? There are even stories going around that you used Benjamin to expel Yustea. It’s Yustea’s doing, that girl’s scheme. Benjamin would never do such a thing to you. You know how much he adored you.]

“I told you to stop….”

[Don’t you realize how dangerous this moment is? We need to fix this quickly! Ah, right. The princes and princesses. Let’s contact them. Come on? Hurry and contact them…!]

“Please just—!!”

Stella screamed in frustration.

A startled sound came from the communication stone.

[Stella…?]

Stella threw the communication stone away.

Crash—!

With a sharp sound, part of the communication stone broke and the light disappeared.

As the communication cut off, Stella held her head with both hands in anguish.

“Ugh… huh….”

GM: Poor Stella.

A window appeared before her eyes.

GM: You thought it was a communication from your father.

GM: But in the end, he hasn’t contacted you at all.

“No… no….”

Father is just busy with work.

He’s such a kind person.

Even if I skipped just one meal, he would come to my room.

He would look at me with gentle eyes and caress my cheek with his warm hand.

“I was the only exception for Father….”

GM: What about the rear garden?

“….”

The rear garden of beautiful cosmos flowers (Stella).

My beautiful rear garden that Father created to commemorate the day I came to the family….

GM: All the cosmos flowers in the rear garden were uprooted.

GM: Remember the moment you wailed.

GM: Ah, my heart ached so much I couldn’t bear it.

Hot tears flowed down Stella’s cheeks.

Stella buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

“Why did it turn out like this….”

GM: Don’t worry. You can still turn things around.

“…I can turn things around?”

GM: Yes.

GM: You can live in a beautiful rear garden with warm sunlight and sweet breezes.

Stella looked at the window as if enchanted.

GM: So.

GM: Stella.

The square window was reflected in her tear-filled pupils.

GM: Won’t you create a body for me?

* * *

That place was within darkness.

In the thick, impenetrable darkness where nothing could be seen.

‘Light… I need light.’

At that moment, light shone from the void.

I startled and looked around.

This place was in ruins.

‘The Archipelago?’

Though it was destroyed beyond recognition, I could still make out parts of the Imperial Palace.

But what was strange was that there was no one on these streets.

I looked around with a bewildered expression.

What was this feeling of familiarity?

[Over here.]

A voice came from the void.

A low, beautiful voice.

It belonged to a man.

I walked following the voice as if entranced.

[Here, Yustea.]

The voice led me to the forbidden zone, the Black Forest.

To the sealed shrine within the forest.

The Shrine of the Former Imperial Royalty.

In that broken place, a man stood.

A man with violet-brown hair.

The man slowly turned to look at me.

[Finally, we meet. My beloved Yustea.]

The man reached out his hand toward me.

That was the moment.

“Not this child!”

Someone pulled me into their arms.

I startled and looked up at the person holding me.

“Mother…?”

Mother glared at the man with a fierce expression.

“As if I’d hand her over.”

The man’s eyes narrowed.

[You again. Damn womb.]

Mother pushed me away.

“Go.”

“Mother!”

“Go, quickly!”

But the man was faster.

The man moved as if folding space, coming between Mother and me.

That was the moment.

[Yusi?]

Father’s voice came from the void.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

I was sleeping.

This is a dream.

The moment I realized this, the man with violet-brown hair raised an eyebrow.

[Time out. Well, fine.]

The man cupped my cheek.

[We’ll meet again.]

[My □□□.]

* * *

“Yustea!”

“Young Lady!”

I startled and opened my eyes.

Yuise and Oscar were looking at me with furrowed brows.

Behind them, Father was watching me with a worried expression.

“Ah…”

As I mumbled, Yuise said.

“What kind of sleep was that?”

“When did you fall asleep?”

“Before we crossed the portal. More importantly, let’s go, it’s Cuaron.”

We must have already arrived.

Father got off first and reached out his hand to me.

I took Father’s hand and got down.

‘Finally, beloved Cuaron—’

CRASH—!!!

The moment I thought that… the castle crumbled.

I was stunned by the unexpected sight.

The Elite reacted before I did.

“What!”

When Yuise shouted, Oscar also frowned and said.

“What’s going on.”

That’s when we heard the shouting.

“Stop it!”

…It was the Clan Leader’s voice.

Looking to see what was happening, Antonio was climbing the castle wall, and Abel was standing in mid-air.

“Come down, you bastard!”

“You come up.”

Antonio and Abel were glaring at each other, while the Unit Members were giggling and watching them.

Yuise grabbed the neck of a Unit Member who was grinning and exchanging money.

“What’s going on here.”

When asked, the Unit Member said “Ah” and laughed.

“It’s a snack fight.”

…What?

Everyone’s gaze turned to the Unit Member.

“The snacks Young Lady made and froze before leaving. Those two always fight like that over the snacks.”

“…So? Why did you bet money?”

When I asked, the Unit Member said.

“Betting on who wins today is the recent trend in Cuaron… Ack!”

Smack!

The Unit Member who got hit by Yuise rubbed his head.

The Clan Leader gritted his teeth with a furious face.

I walked forward with big steps.

Then I smiled brightly at Antonio climbing the outer wall and Abel standing in the air.

“Antonio. Abel.”

When I spoke, both of them looked down at me.

Antonio said with a bright face.

“Young Lady!”

Abel also glanced at me.

I said with a gentle face.

“Both of you are banned from snacks for a month.”

“…!”

“…?!”

The two came down like lightning.

Oscar whistled sharply.

“You tamed Antonio? That’s impressive.”

Yuise pointed at Antonio, who was lying flat in front of me, and Abel, who stood with an expressionless face, and shouted at Father.

“I don’t know about Antonio, but shouldn’t we chase that one away!”

Father let out a sigh.

Then Oscar chuckled and said.

“Stop causing trouble and look at this. I brought something interesting from Andres. Oh, this is a gift for the Young Lady.”

He tossed me a pouch.

But what’s inside the pouch…!

My eyes widened as I stared at Oscar.

“If you’re grateful, will you repay me?”

“Repay?”

Oscar suddenly pulled me into his arms.

It was at that moment the atmosphere in the courtyard changed.

—————
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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