Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father

Translator and Editor: Effe and Elnie

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Chapter 83

I waited for Shaula for a while and grabbed my essentials for going out. Fur hats, fur gloves, and coats.

Today, when I matched everything in pure white, Shaula drooled.

“Your Grace, did I tell you I like rabbit meat?”

“…I’m not going.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m just kidding! I won’t touch a single finger until Your Grace approves!”

After Shaula begged, I pretended to agree and got into the carriage.

This wild-dog-like woman also felt uncomfortable riding the carriage, so she decided to ride only until we were completely out of the Cyclamen Castle.

Still, as time passed, Shaula’s expression softened. Perhaps she really wanted to go out.

“I can live with this kind of arrangement for a while. It hurts when I’m in the castle. It’s annoying wherever I look.”

“That’s why you smashed it?”

You don’t know how many tears the butler and Tolyman Elliott shed when they saw the smashed central garden.

When I was conversing with Shaula, her personality made it feel like a miracle that she had assumed the position of commander of the knight, even for a moment.

The place where I took Shaula was the downtown area that Regen had also visited.

“Ugh, are we here again?”

I coaxed the disgusted Shaula with a honeyed voice, sweeter than usual.

“If you don’t hurt anyone here and play well with me, I’ll reward you.”

“I won’t be satisfied with any kind of reward.”

Yes, of course you won’t.

I bought an orange-flavored candy and a blueberry-flavored candy and gave one to Shaula.

“Here.”

“What’s this?”

Shaula looked down at the candy with a questionable face, like Thuban, who said it was the first time he had tried chouquette.

“Candy. Snack. Something to eat. Do not break it with your teeth, but eat it by melting it little by little.”

As I put the candy in my mouth, Shaula followed me and did the same, grimacing with her eyes.

“Should I wait for it to melt? How frustrating.”

“Yes, it has to be melted. You’re so used to dealing with things or people. You’re too impatient.”

“Is that bad? I’m strong, aren’t I?”

With the candy in our mouths, our pronunciation was a little muffled. I advised her with a full mouth.

“Then, the moment you are careless, your back will get stabbed by a knife. You have to live a long life, Shaula.”

“Even if I lived a long life, nothing very good will happen~”

Shaula stretched her words, like a little boy who was listening to his grandmother’s nagging.

“How long have you lived?”

“No matter how old I am, I don’t like counting my age, but I’m sure I’d have lived a lot longer than Your Grace.”

Yes?

I almost spit out the candy.

“Really?!”

“I won’t answer.”

Really.

I went out to eat street food with Shaula.

I ate chicken skewers, roasted corn, sugar-coated fruit, and crepes with spicy meat in thinly baked dough.

She complained that we were just coming out for a bite to eat, but she was, in fact, right.

There was no particular reason to come out. It’s just eating and killing time.

It’s much better to eat a lot than to go to the gloomy foothills with Shaula.

Fortunately, Shaula was outspoken about her impatience, but did not cause an accident.

“Aren’t you going to talk about that today?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m so weak, so where can he use me? Is it natural for Aedis to abandon me?”

Shaula blinked.

“What, you didn’t seem to care at all, but you kept thinking about it?”

“I don’t feel good when I hear that and sleep on it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

“Honestly, I said it without much thought. Actually, I forgot about it a while ago, and then I remembered what Your Grace has said.”

“…”

“Your Grace? Let’s go together!”

You continue on foot.

There was nothing funny. The ignored Shaula walked over to the carriage, which was parked in a place. The coachman came out and waited.

Just before getting onto the carriage, I felt the same gaze watching me again.

Who are you…!

I quickly turned my head in the direction where I felt the gaze.

A few trees were planted sporadically, but in the open space, it was only me, Shaula, and the coachman.

Shaula, who was slowly chasing after me, showed me a puzzled expression.

“Your Grace? Why did you suddenly stop? Why? Do you want me to carry you up?”

I asked nervously.

“Can’t you feel that gaze?”

“I don’t know.”

Shaula said without looking around.

She would be very sensitive to a presence, so she wouldn’t even try to turn her head like I did. She would have been able to tell at once.

Still, I didn’t let my guard down.

I felt very dirty.

Even this time, as I noticed, they still hadn’t looked away.

They were confident that they wouldn’t be found out.

“Well, you can’t even see it, so don’t stress about it.”

Shaula said very dryly and lifted me up.

She set me behind her and pulled the greatsword from her back.

“I don’t know what it is, but I’ll chase it away.”

The cloth-like fabric that had hidden the blade fell to the ground without a sound.

Shaula lowered her posture and she swung the sword into the air.

Swish swish swish!

The sound of the wind being slashed made my spine shiver.

It was quiet for a few seconds as if the atmosphere had been sliced in a single blow. Then, suddenly, a great wind was generated and the surrounding area was destroyed.

Shaula was blocking me, but the pressure from the gusts choked me.

Dust rose to a height that was taller than me. There was also the sound of something breacking.

Using less force, Shaula swung her sword again, scattering the dust.

I blinked as I breathed in the clean air.

All the trees that were more than 50 meters away were cut down. It was neatly cut.

“Your Grace, do you think they’re still watching?”

I shook my head.

“No. I don’t feel it anymore.”

Then, Shaula picked up the cloth she had dropped and covered her greatsword.

“Okay then. I’m sorry about it, but the person who pulled the carriage seems to have passed out.”

“…”

My silence caused Shaula’s pupil to quake.

“Should I pay for this as well…?”

***

Shaula carried the stunned coachman all the way to the castle. I said to her in a sweet voice.

“Thank you, Shaula. I’ll give you the reward I promised you.”

As I shook my head, the maids stood in front of me.

As if she already knew what I was going to do, there was a maid who took a deep breath with a desperate face.

I pointed my index finger at Shaula as the maid noticed.

“Take her and wash her. You’re going to have to scrub her hard with the thought of peeling off a layer of her skin.”

Shaula was astonished.

“Your Grace? Reward?”

I smiled softly at Shaula, who unknowingly stepped back from me.

“I’m going to make your dirty body clean, so why isn’t this a reward? Shaula, you have the habit of dealing with people and things. You have a quick temper. You don’t wash your hair well. I’ll help you.”

“No, I really don’t want to…”

“Actually, you had so many accidents that I just wanted to throw you away… but it seems like you like being next to me. I decided to give you a chance, but I hate people who have bad hygiene. People like me are weak because of the germs you carry. I can get sick too. So, should I fix it? Should I wash you clean, Shaula?”

Shaula’s face turned as red as a tomato as I spoke slowly, as if to appease a five-year-old who complained about brushing her teeth before going to bed.

Okay, she’s not running away.

“Then, let’s go. Of course, you know you shouldn’t hurt the maids, right?”

“Wait, I think there’s a point, but why do I feel like I’m getting cheated?”

It’s an illusion. It’s an illusion.

I sent Shaula off with a smile.

“I’ll give you a delicious snack when you come back after a gentle wash. It’s completely different from what you usually eat because you usually just eat to survive and not to enjoy, isn’t it?

Eventually, Shaula put down her greatsword and was dragged by the hands of the maid chief and the maids. She didn’t seem to be offended since she didn’t resist.

As Shaula disappeared from across the hallway, I removed the smile from my lips.

It was the second time today that I felt the invisible gaze.

It was all felt outside the castle.

The owner of that gaze was invisible to the eyes of Shaula, a natural wild dog and beast hunter.

Maybe that’s why I was able to narrow the range of the options of who the owner of the gaze was.

***

It wasn’t long after sending a bunch of treats to the fluffy Shaula.

Tolyman Elliott invited us to visit.

He was unexpectedly punctual for his appointment, which he said was a habit he developed while raising cats.

Tolyman watched me, reporting a plan to crack down on an area away from the city center. It had relatively poor security management. .

“What’s wrong with your face?”

In fact, I didn’t expect an answer when I asked the question.

I just asked it as a courtesy, and Tolyman answered it straight away.

“Your Grace.”

Toliman took a deep breath and he said with a sullen face.

“From now on, I will dedicate my life and soul to be loyal to Your Grace. I used to be loyal, but from now on, I will pray three times a day for Your Grace’s health!”

“What? All of a sudden.”

I don’t need those prayers.

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