I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - Chapter 103

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

<Chapter 103>

Rie ran toward the front door with Olivia.

But instead of the expected Marquis’s Wife, three men were standing there.

It was Casselik, Marquis Philip, and Jair.

* * *

They had come suddenly saying it was an urgent matter and asked to be allowed into the reception room.

“What’s the matter?”

Emilia opened her mouth with a tense look.

If Casselik had come alone, she would have kicked him out immediately, but seeing the dark expressions of Marquis Philip and Crown Prince Jair, she couldn’t speak carelessly.

Moreover, Casselik was standing with a stern expression without his usual personal remarks.

Thus, a small meeting was held in the reception room.

Rie was also allowed to participate in the meeting.

The first to speak was Jair.

“I came here because I judged that Rie, now an official time ability user, should know about this. I was away from my seat for a long time during the Cradle’s Blessing Festival.”

“Yes.”

Rie nodded her head.

Emilia was also curious since Casselik and Philip had also been away from their seats together.

“There was a sudden emergency meeting. The Imperial Knights said they caught the escaped Serena and her group of dark mages.”

“What? My goodness!”

“Huh?!”

Emilia and Rie were shocked.

If Olivia had been here too, there would have been screams everywhere.

Unlike the two people who had directly experienced Serena, Olivia had only heard stories about the dark mages like ghost tales.

‘…Olivia, it was good that I left her in the bedroom.’

Rie wiped the cold sweat that had formed on her round forehead.

Meanwhile, Jair continued the story.

“The problem is that Serena and her group didn’t get caught quietly and escaped. They even sacrificed themselves to enter other people’s bodies. No one knows whose bodies they’re in right now.”

At those words, Emilia, who was covering her mouth with her hand, asked.

“Is there a way to find them?”

“That’s why His Majesty the Emperor entered the Tower of Time. Although his ability has decreased a bit since the observation ability was transferred to me, his skill level is much higher than mine. The problem is that using the observation ability is also difficult. He has to look at every citizen of the Empire’s biological clock one by one.”

“That’s… We’ll have to be on guard around us until they’re found.”

“Yes. Especially since people around Rie are likely to be targets of the dark mages. They could let their guard down.”

“Maybe they’re already around us.”

Philip, who had been nodding along, added.

“By the way, they say that when dark mages enter other people’s bodies, they need that person’s hair.”

“Huh!”

Rie, who had been listening to the story, screamed in surprise.

“Count Gilren tried to steal Olivia’s hair!”

“What?”

In an instant, all eyes poured onto Rie.

“Count Gilren?”

Rie quickly nodded toward Casselik.

“He’s Countess Rioletta’s boyfriend, and Rie and Olivia had switched bonnets, but Count uncle mistook Rie for Olivia and stole the bonnet. But that was targeting her hair!”

And his strange gaze that had been watching Olivia.

His command to the maid to bring Olivia’s hair if she found any.

Even the maid who had gone missing after bringing his own hair instead of the child’s.

When she spilled everything she knew, everyone in the reception room’s eyes widened.

“Suspicious.”

“Blatantly suspicious. I think we should go to the Count right away.”

Jair, who had nodded, looked back at Rie.

“Rie. Where is Olivia right now… What. Where did Rie go?”

“My goodness, she must have already left. Rie!”

As they said, Rie had already left the reception room.

Jair stood up from his seat.

“There’s a high possibility she’ll use her ability. I’m the only one here who won’t be affected, so I’ll find Rie. The rest of you go to the Imperial Palace and inform His Majesty of this fact.”

Jair, who had skillfully given orders, hurriedly left the reception room.

* * *

At that time, at the Rioletta Marquis Castle.

“I’ll go out for a bit. I’m in the mood for shopping.”

“Evelyn, you’re going to Madam Clere’s Wardrobe, right? Should I come with you?”

Gilren, who had been sitting on the sofa, hurriedly stood up.

He needed to follow her who was going out alone to score points.

But Evelyn shook her head.

“There are only women’s clothes there. You’d be bored if you came with me.”

“Bored? I’d fall in love over and over again every time Evelyn changes into a dress, and my love would only grow.”

“That’s somewhat interesting, but. Don’t interfere with women’s business, Gilren. I’ll be back.”

Evelyn, who had been fluttering her fan, kissed his cheek and disappeared. Gilren couldn’t catch her.

[Madam Clere’s Wardrobe]

As she entered the most famous clothing store in the marquis territory, the customers inside glanced at her luxuriously dressed figure.

The employees were the same.

“You set aside my things separately, right?”

“You’ve arrived, Countess Rioletta. We’ll escort you inside.”

The employees treated the store’s VIP with utmost care and opened another door that was inside.

It was a VIP-only room that ordinary customers couldn’t even dare to see.

The customers who had been momentarily mesmerized by her splendid appearance whispered quietly.

“I wonder when I’ll ever get to enter that room. What’s the criteria for VIP?”

“I don’t know the details either, but the standards seem incredibly strict. You know, Countess Claria who’s a regular here.”

“Yeah.”

“I heard she bought tons of clothes trying to become a VIP here once. She spent a whopping 100 gold in one month. But she couldn’t even set foot in that room, let alone become a VIP.”

“Even after spending 100 gold? Ugh, I should give up.”

The two customers who had been looking at clothes sighed and glanced at the VIP room.

While Countess Rioletta was entering inside, they wondered if they could see the interior through the slightly open door gap.

But that veiled place was dark as if not a single light was on.

In reality, there was nothing inside the VIP room.

No.

To be precise, when the door opened, an empty corridor continued. Only the sound of the employee’s and Evelyn’s shoe heels echoed above it.

Then the footsteps stopped, and suddenly Evelyn muttered ominously.

“All shall be equal before time.”

At the password-like words, the employee smiled and opened the door, revealing the gloomy interior along with other clothing store employees.

Among them, the female employee who seemed to have the highest rank smiled broadly.

“Countess Rioletta, you’ve arrived. You seem to be getting more and more accustomed to your new body.”

“I don’t know. The face is decent so it’s tolerable, but it’s a bit uglier than my original, so I’m enduring it.”

She looked at her face reflected in the mirror and muttered while touching her cheeks.

“Don’t worry, by the time you get used to it, you’ll switch to another body. You entering the Marquis’s Wife’s body is just a process to approach Emilia.”

“Right. The final goal is to enter Emilia’s body and blend in among the time ability users.”

“Sob, huuu!”

While the two were having a conversation, a tearful scream leaked out from somewhere.

On a crude bed made of straw.

A woman with a gag in her mouth was glaring at them with bloodshot eyes.

Evelyn smiled broadly toward her.

“Oh my, the real Countess Rioletta. Are you angry because I called you ugly? It was just talking to myself, sorry.”

“Mmph, mmph!”

“Oh right, Olivia is doing well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get her hair. But since Mary needs to enter Olivia’s shell to easily approach Rie, I’ll definitely make it happen.”

At the mention of Olivia, tears welled up in the eyes of the gagged woman—no, the real Evelyn.

“Don’t cry. I told you, didn’t I? Using dark magic to enter someone else’s body isn’t murder. It’s just swapping each other’s shells. You’ll be able to meet the living Olivia soon. Though what’s inside will be Mary.”

“Mmmmph!!”

And at that moment, at the Rioletta Marquis Castle.

Screams were erupting in a completely different sense from the VIP room.

“I don’t know, I don’t know even if I die. Ahhhhhhh!”

“If you won’t tell me… tickle attack!”

Rie stood in front of Gilren, whose hands and feet were bound, tickling his bare feet with a feather.

“Ahaha, ahahahahaha!”

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