"WHAT?!!"
"Just as you heard, My Dear. If not, shall I repeat myself again?"
"So you mean to tell me that I will have to replace my brother in enrolling at the Military Academy, is that right?" Catherine once again asked for clarification, unable to contain her disbelief at her father's absurd proposal.
"Uh-huh." Duke Blair nodded as he gazed at his daughter's countenance that was much too identical to his son's, well, except for the long hair, that is. But that doesn't pose much of a problem. "That's right and... Oh dear! The more I look at it, the more feasible it becomes."
Catherine held her forehead as she leaned on the couch. "Father, this isn't a matter of feasibility but whether it is even legal. We're going to commit the crime of Deceiving the Emperor for Pete's sake!"
Duke Blair crossed his arms against his chest with his head held high. "So be it. It's not like our family hasn't broken the law once or twice so adding one more wouldn't matter. Besides, can His Majesty still beat me? At most, he'll just deduct my salary. Just let it be. I never needed that bit of money anyway."
Catherine was helpless at her father's arrogant demeanor and couldn't help but sigh. "Father, do we really need to go this far? My brother only got disfigured, not that he's lacking any limbs that might affect his mobility."
A few days ago, her older brother secretly snuck out of the estate and went hunting in the Dark Mountains for fun. Good news was that he didn't die or got seriously injured. Bad news is, her foolish brother stewed a rabbit he caught in a pot and added a little bit of this and that into the soup, got poisoned, and then went home this morning with a swollen face full of bumps, looking so hideous that his family almost didn't recognize him.
Until now, even with the help of countless doctors and pharmacists, it still remained unknown what kind of toxic ingredients did the Duke's heir ate indiscriminately or how to cure it.
Regarding this matter, Catherine, this good little sister laughed uproariously, unaware that misfortune would fall upon herself next right after a moment of gloating.
"That's just it!" Duke Blair slammed his hands on the wooden desk. His enchanting profile donning an expression of utmost despair. "Our family can lose a limb or two but we definitely couldn't be ugly. Just look at him! Once glance and you'll wonder which poisonous swamp he crawled out of. Let him go out like this? I might as well die here than face such embarrassment!"
Following her father's pointed finger, Catherine's eyes fell upon her older brother, Theodore, who was sitting on a couch opposite her and was instantly speechless.
"Ahem! Brother, don't worry too much. Even if you're not good-looking anymore. At least, you're still the center of attention."
Charon "..." Thank you, but I'd rather not.
"Rene, My Dear, Dad begs you. Replace your brother for a few months will you? You can't possibly wish to see me hanging myself on a beam, right?"
"...Fine." Catherine sighed. "But... just until my brother's face recovered."
"Deal!" The Duke hurriedly agreed, for fear that she would take back her words. "Besides, it's not like it's untirely a bad thing for you to go there on your brother's behalf."
Catherine raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"Think about it." Duke Blair chuckled. "You get to see countless hunky men everyday and ogle their bodies up close—
BANG!
"Bennett Eustace Blair! Just what in everything that is unholy do you think you are teaching my daughter?!"
Duchess Blair who was passing by barged into the study room and threw her shoes at her husband whose mouth kept spilling nonsense that polluted her daughter's mind.
"Ouch! Wife, my ear! My ear's going to be torn off by you!"
"Serves you right! Just what kind of father are you? Have you no shame?!"
"Aren't I just telling the truth?!" The Duke rubbed his red ear that he had finally managed to remove from his wife's claws and bolted out the door. However, even though he fled in complete disarray, he still didn't forget to shout. "Rene, My Dearest~ Remember to pick the most good-looking one and bring it home!"
Catherine "..."
Pick the most beautiful one? Dad, what did you think the Military Academy was? Your exclusive flower garden?
Collapsing onto her seat, Catherine's eyes were filled with helplessness.
"Replacing a son with a daughter, this is just plain crazy. Just what in the world is our father thinking?!"
"Thinking happy thoughts I guess." Charon replied weakly. "He was never sane in the first place."
"You're one to talk." Catherine glared at him as she gnashed her teeth. "If it weren't for your carelessness, how could I have gotten myself into this... Oh, God forbid! If you weren't my only brother, I would strangled you to death for the trouble you got me into!"
Charon cowered in an instant.
"I'm sorry..."
Catherine sneered. "Sorry? Do you think I'm in need of such empty words?"
"Then what do you want?"
"10 billion gold coins and the box of jewelry you inherited from grandmother, as well as your 300 treasured swords."
Charon instantly jumped away in shock at her words.
"My good sister, are you alright? I haven't seen you for only half a day yet how come you've already forgotten how to speak human words?!"
Not to mention whether the jewelry box that he had supposedly inherited from his grandmother even existed, just the ten billion gold coins and the 300 treasured swords she asked for...
"Even our own father didn't have that much, okay?!"
Moreover, he hasn't yet forgotten that his sister was the one managing the entirety of their family's wealth!
"Oh." Catherine sighed in disappointment. "To think that our father just proudly declared that he didn't need any salary from the court, for a moment there, I almost thought our family had some hidden assets."