How to Replace Dad 1
Hidden among the vines, I held my breath.
'They're here. Finally.'
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the group I had been anticipating was finally approaching.
They were completely covered in hoods, their faces hidden, and not a single sound escaped them even in this rugged mountain terrain.
After all, they were the infamous assassination squad known as the Irregulars.
The lives they had taken were countless.
They had toppled the strongest knights.
They had mastered ancient magic.
They had even brought down the most absolute rulers.
But the reason a child like me was waiting for them in the kitchen was simple.
'I catch them.'
I steeled my resolve and bared my eyes.
"Uwaaaaaah─!"
A scream-like battle cry burst from my throat without me meaning to, driven by the terror that made my entire body tremble.
And I leaped out from the vine pile, lunging straight at the man in front of me…!
"Dad─!"
I stuck to him like glue.
"What?"
"Dad?!"
The Irregular members who had been following the man froze, their faces twisted in shock.
Even those who had drawn their weapons at the sound of my scream looked dazed.
Especially the man whose leg I had latched onto….
"…What are you?"
The chilling pressure that emanated from him made my entire body tense.
Just his voice was enough to make me want to faint.
Indeed, he was the leader of the continent's premier assassination squad.
My body shook violently, but I clung to him like a leech, refusing to let go.
"…I will serve you, my lord."
"…"
"Please take care of me."
The Irregular members stared at me as if I were insane.
I felt like I was going crazy too, so how insane must they think I was?
'But the only way to survive is through this man.'
I was Yustea Andres.
A fifteen-year-old who had been reincarnated into this world.
* * *
My life hadn't been particularly dramatic from the start, being tied to the leader of an assassination squad.
My parents had arranged a political marriage.
My father was the duke leading a prestigious noble family.
My mother was the head of a major trading company.
My father needed funds, and my mother needed backing.
'My parents were doing fine at first.'
At least enough to have me.
'It wasn't overflowing with love, though.'
Since my father had remarried, I had a half-brother.
He didn't show my mother and me any affection.
My father was so strict that just seeing his shadow made me quake with fear.
But I had a mother who loved me endlessly, so it was fine.
This balance broke a few years ago.
'When my father's first love appeared.'
After his first love divorced his mother, he finally understood true love.
But he had been opposed by my late grandfather.
His first love had been a maid.
Yet she was raising his child.
By chance, my father met his first love and learned about his daughter's existence.
'That's how he brought her into the estate.'
The cracks started there.
My father was extremely strict with me and my half-brother.
But not with the maid's daughter.
He even pitied her for growing up on the streets.
The maid's daughter was naturally bright and overflowing with charm, easily breaking down walls.
Not just my father's, but my half-brother's too.
'From then on, it was painful.'
The maid's daughter was lucky.
Even though I tried my hardest, I couldn't even get a glance from the noble friends who were my long-time rivals.
I even received the love of the first prince, my longtime crush.
Thanks to that, my subordinates started treating her like a precious little sister.
Comparing her to me constantly.
'Mom was heartbroken.'
She fought with my father every day.
Don't treat me and her differently.
Control your subordinates.
But nothing changed.
'The most painful part came after that.'
The maid's daughter fell seriously ill after eating something wrong.
My father, my half-brother, and her amazing friends all went wild searching for the cause.
And the one they pinned it on was me.
"Poison was found in Yustea's room. The poison that was meant to kill Stella."
"How dare…."
Mom tried to protect me, but it was too late.
Everyone who loved the maid's daughter had banded together and taken away my mother's trading company.
It was to strip her of her voice.
And my mother and I were exiled just like that.
My mother, already weakened by shock, worked hard to raise me.
Then she collapsed and lost consciousness, and she still hadn't recovered.
'After that, I really suffered.'
I did everything to nurse her back to health, leaving no stone unturned.
As the daughter of a noble, I washed dishes in a restaurant and carried fish at the market.
But life didn't get better.
'In the meantime, my useless father brought his first love into the estate.'
Even now, it made me furious.
But since I couldn't even afford to eat, all I could do was work.
I even helped catch tuna at the port.
While working, I nearly drowned and died.
'But at that critical moment….'
It came back to me.
The memories of my previous life as a Korean.
And I realized.
'This world is a game!'
That was why the maid's daughter had received such tremendous luck and was thriving.
It was because she was the protagonist of this game.
What's more, I recalled the game's story and learned the ending of my own life.
'Long-term storage….'
When the protagonist was in danger, I was the one who donated my organs.
In the game, I sold my organs to revive my mother.
'Organ sales are illegal, right?'
It was a damn game only the protagonist knew.
Of course, I didn't have to sell them.
But if the protagonist was in danger, would those bastards—my father, half-brother, the first prince, her noble friends—really leave me alone?
After all, my father had already found me in the game.
If I didn't sell, they would forcibly take me.
'So to protect my organs, I needed a savior who wasn't connected to the protagonist's guard.'
Strong people not tied to the protagonist's guard.
That's why I chose the assassination squad Irregular.
Here, inside the cave.
It was the hideout the Irregulars used when working in this area.
Currently, I was surrounded by the members, shaking violently.
Like a squirrel thrown into a tiger's den.
'Not just the regular members, but the elite squad too.'
Exactly seven elite members in the Irregulars, including the leader.
Two of them were here.
The leader and that man named Antonio.
'They say one elite can defeat a hundred soldiers….'
While swallowing dryly, the elite Antonio approached me closely.
"Are you really the leader's daughter?"
Then the other members burst into laughter.
"The leader wouldn't do that."
"Maybe. Where did you mess up… Ack!"
While the other members were chatting, Antonio, who had been pinching my chin and examining me, screamed.
The coin attached to the leader's hand shot out with a sharp sound and embedded into his eye.
'Whoa….'
How could a coin make that sound….
Just flicking my fingers made it fly like that.
'Should I run away now?'
But I immediately shook my head like a rattle.
'The only answer is the leader.'
The leader stared at me quietly.
My blood ran cold.
I had caught tuna before, but the real killer's aura was something I couldn't handle.
'Stay calm.'
I closed my eyes and took deep breaths.
Of course, I was terrified.
If I could, I would faint right now.
But I was someone who had done everything after being exiled from the Andres family.
Plus, there was a bunny-like mother waiting at home.
I couldn't back down.
While thinking that, the leader slowly removed his hood.
For a moment, I thought my breath would stop.
'What kind of face….'
Because of his stunningly handsome appearance, which even an idol or actor would struggle to match.
Even with all my memories as a Korean, I had never seen such looks.
Pitch-black hair.
Crimson eyes like drops of blood.
A man with eyes like that looked so good.
Sharp jawline, features carefully chosen by the gods, beautiful eyes covered by long eyelashes.
Plus the tightly fitted chest visible from the hood or broad shoulders that looked like a model from some luxury brand.
But even his beauty couldn't hide the terrifying pressure.
The moment our eyes met, my blood felt like it was draining to the floor.
'I can't turn back now. I've seen the face of the assassination squad leader.'
A being whose face was supposed to remain hidden had revealed himself.
Meaning, if things went wrong, he could kill me and leave.
The leader stared at me with a pale face.
"Who are you─."
"Yustea Andres, 15 years old! The daughter of the duke who was exiled from the Andres ducal family three years ago! The jobs I've done since then include washing dishes in a restaurant, information disruption, carrying fish at the market, catching tuna, and occasionally following herb gatherers to assist! I was exiled with my sick mother and now live with her, and my residence is renting the basement of A-115 in District 5…!"
"How do you know our location─."
"I think the Galego Count's estate annihilation incident from last night was done by the Irregulars! The only group that can annihilate a count's estate in just one day is the Irregulars! Considering the imperial army's deployment, I judged this mountain to be their hideout! So I was lying in wait here…!"
"You are─."
"Yustea Andres, 15 years old! Three years ago…!"
"I'm not asking for your name."
"Huh."
I was so tense that I blurted out everything, then covered my mouth with both hands.
Then the members burst into laughter.
"Cute."
"No way. Where is that cute?"
"Your head isn't bad. Should we check your skills?"
"When do we have time to check skills? We have to outrun the imperial army right now."
While the members were arguing, the leader remained silent.
His expression was unreadable, but he didn't seem like he would accept me at all.
"Um, um."
I cautiously raised my hand.
"You don't have to worry about the imperial army…."
Then the leader narrowed his brows.
"What do you mean?"
"The three squads assigned to search this area ran into trouble."
"How do you know that?"
"I made it happen…?"
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out something.
At first glance, it looked like a fern, but it was a herb used in this world.
The members who recognized the herb flinched.
"Betium?"
"Yes, that's right."
Betium had incredible effects for abdominal bloating and constipation caused by foreign substances.
In other words, it was a powerful laxative.
"I put a lot in the military's meal yesterday."
Thunder would be rumbling in their stomachs.
They would be suffering, but they couldn't stop the search just because of diarrhea.
More importantly, the commander of the three squads searching this area was a man obsessed with promotions.
I was a bad guy who would push soldiers out into the streets even if I was locked in the bathroom.
The members' mouths fell open at my words.
But among them, there was one who was suspicious.
The only female member of the Irregulars, who had shouted, "Where is that cute?!"
"No way. How did you sneak into the military kitchen?"
"I worked at the military restaurant before…."
"You worked there in the past. You aren't working there now, so why would the military open the kitchen door for you?"
"Um, it's because I have good hand taste and the commanders still welcome me…."
I pulled out recommendation letters from my superiors in the military, which I had carried to find work.
[★★★★★. Honestly, better than home cooking. -Dorothy Lieutenant Colonel]
[Hand taste is amazing. -Lagoni Colonel]
[The urge to assault superiors is tamed by this child's cooking. -Munyo Major]
"They always begged me to come back. Because they felt sorry for me, I would visit when there was no work and cook for them."
"…How delicious must it be?"
The members looked stunned.
'Was this a waste of time?'
Maybe they had prepared another way to escape.
Hah. Then I had interfered.
I asked, my heart pounding.
"Should I go and get the antidote?"
Then the leader thought for a moment and said.
"Check the military's movements and confirm their movements."
"Yes."
The member who received the order disappeared immediately.
It was so fast I could barely track him with my eyes.
'I guess I didn't interfere with their work.'
The leader stood up.
"Rest."
"What about this kid?"
"She doesn't seem like she wants to run, so leave her."
At those words, I flinched.
Chance.
"Then should I prepare lunch?"
"Huh?"
"Should I check if there are any ingredients?"
"The rations are over there…."
"I can add my own twist to the food, so should I watch?"
"G-go ahead."
Seeing me start moving briskly, one of the members muttered.
"…What is this crazy situation."
—And.
* * *
Aslan, the leader of the Irregulars, quietly watched Yustea.
Yustea was cooking while clinging to one of the members.
She skillfully lit a bonfire, stacked stones around it, and placed a large pot on top.
Then she poured water into the pot and sighed. "No vegetables."
At that, Antonio, who had been attached to Yustea, said.
"It's perishable, so it's not suitable to carry as rations."
"Still, without vegetables, nutrition… Ah, right. Can I borrow a knife?"
After borrowing the knife, she pulled Antonio along.
And about thirty minutes later.
The other members, checking their watches, frowned.
"Why isn't she coming? Did she run away like that?"
"Antonio-ssi is attached to her, so that's unlikely."
"Antonio-ssi has a special way of handling things, maybe she tricked him."
Just as the members' expressions turned stern.
Yustea and Antonio returned, each holding something beautiful in their arms.
There were various vegetables and even fish.
"You waited, right? I had to trim the ingredients at the river."
"Leader, amazing! I took all this from the ranger!"
"I also worked at the coercion and blackmail squad…."
Antonio was excited, and the members were dumbfounded, as the real cooking began.
She cut the vegetables with the knife she had polished at the river, then threw them into the pot.
She boiled vegetable broth, then trimmed the fish and added it.
She also crushed the raisins from the rations pouch with the handle of the knife.
The cave was filled with the aroma that whetted the appetite.
Some members were already drooling.
Even the members who had been guarding Yustea slowly approached the pot.
"…Is this enough?"
"You have to wait a little longer. The radish needs to cook properly."
"It's been a while since I've eaten vegetables…."
"Really? Then I'll add a lot of vegetables."
Despite the members drooling, she boiled it for another ten minutes.
Then she served the completed dish into bowls.
And the members who tasted it recalled.
The recommendation letters that had been scribbled on by the colonel and lieutenant.
[Hand taste is amazing.]
Yes.
It really was amazing hand taste!
After that, they ate like a swarm of ants… No, they started eating.
One member who was about to lick his bowl to eat stopped, startled.
He carefully offered his bowl to Aslan.
"Leader, the food seems fine."
"…If there was anything, it would have been gone."
After eating that much.
The leader let out a sigh and tasted the soup.
It was enough to understand why the members were eating like crazy.
'Indeed.'
The members were in a frenzy.
"Put that ladle down. You've already had two bowls."
"You take your hands off the pot."
"I'm only on my first bowl."
Just as a fight was about to break out.
Yustea stealthily approached the leader.
'Is she trying to distract me with food?'
It was ridiculous.
Her dry hands, barely covered with skin, weren't a threat.
At that moment, Yustea quickly pulled something from her pocket.
Just as the leader was about to suppress her.
Yustea quickly offered something.
"I secretly made this. …Sausage."
"…"
What the hell was this kid?
But one thing was clear.
"That kid ran away with the pot!"
"If caught, you're dead!"
…I wonder how delicious this sausage was.
Aslan received the sausage.