How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

The door to the empty lecture hall where I and Fritzka were sitting opened roughly, and Katherine stomped in.

“Let Hanelope do what she wants, you idiot.”

Katherine glared at Fritzka for the first time in almost a year. Fritzka returned the glare to his sister, whom he had ignored for a year.

“Aren’t you even worried about the consequences?”
“I am worried. So what?”
“What are you even saying?”
“If she’s in danger, I’ll protect her. I’m not a coward like you. I would do that for a friend.”

I got emotional and jumped on Katherine and hugged her.

“Katherinee!”

I hugged her tightly and pecked her on the cheek, and she pouted unnecessarily, “Why are you annoying me again.”

“Thank you, Katherine, that’s really sweet of you!”
“Do you like me that much?”
“Mmm! Katherine, I love you!”

Katherine puffed and smiled with satisfaction.

Fritzka, who was staring at her blankly, suddenly clenched his fists.

“Okay, I’ll help you too! The more dangerous the job, the safer you’ll be under my protection than Katherine’s!”
“What?”

Katherine glared at Fritzka. Fritzka didn’t back down either.

It was a long time since I saw them quarreling. They even pretended to not know each other. Now they were finally getting along like the old times.
I barely suppressed a snort.

 

***

 

From that day on, I went to see Brantley every day. With the help of Katherine and Fritzka, I was able to do so.

“Peep, Peep, Peep!”
“Peep, Peep, Peep!”

I wish those sparrows could help me too. I sighed as I watched two sparrows chirping at the cave entrance.

Todd and Natu were arguing with a golden vine that stretched up the cave wall. The vines were trying to catch them, and the sparrows were trying to peck at them with their beaks.

‘I sent for Maxim, but he was running late.’

Here we are again.

I coughed deliberately and the golden vines scurried away into the cave.

“Why is it avoiding me?”

As I stood there puzzled, Todd and Natu flew towards me.

“Did you enjoy playing here?”

– We weren’t playing, we were fighting for our lives!
– That b*stard knows how to break the seals, but she won’t tell me.

My eyes widened, “Shouldn’t she try to break out of the seal?”

The sparrows pointed to their legs with the letters. There were two in total.

I opened the letter from Maxim first.

---

I was delighted to hear of your discovery of Young Master. Furthermore, I sent a Guild agent to Cran to confirm, and it was indeed him, without a doubt.

Here’s what we’ve been able to find out about his past- ‘

---

According to Maxim’s research, Brantley had been with the Mercenaries ever since his disappearance.

---

‘He has traveled all over the continent and suffered all kinds of hardships.’

The borderlands were especially difficult. They had to deal with bandits as well as demons.

‘At that time, the Young Master was called the Dark Moon.’

Through his deeds, he was known as a hero to the people. But one day, he suddenly disappeared, and mercenaries and Margrave are still searching for him.

---

Hero!

‘He calls himself a brute, and yet you were revered as a hero.’

I continued reading-

---

‘Your report on the change in direction of the Scholarship Foundation has been approved by His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness Prince Hart.

Enclosed is the letter of approval.

Everything will go smoothly according to ‘Master Brantley’s Return Plan’ phase 1. I do think bringing him to the capital is reckless. But when has Her Highness not taken bold steps? Considering the baby princess who followed me to the auction house, this is much safer.

---

He was grumbling, yet expressing his trust. I smiled and checked the attachment. It was a formal authorization with the Emperor’s seal.

“Great, now I just need to convince Brantley!”

Todd shook his head at my gleeful muttering.

– What about Aite? Do you think she will let Brantley go?
“Even when I offered to help the order?”

On the day of the village festival, I shared my proposal. Brantley relayed my offer to the Order. The Order’s reaction was split: half in favor, half against.

“But they’re getting more and more in favor.”

The Order knew I was a princess, the daughter of a prince, which meant I had the power to help them.

‘But most importantly, they were getting tired of hiding.’

Living in secretion was taxing. People were raising suspicions against them and they had to make a move soon.

‘But Aite was the decision maker.’

I thought Aite would like my suggestion.

Natu said to me, his eyes narrowing.

– Aite is suspicious of you.
“What?”

I was surprised.

– You said Aite had wrapped you in vines before?
“Yes. Wasn’t that a sign from Aite to fulfil my love?”
– No, it was a way for her to sense your power, to gauge you.

I shook my head, “If I have powers, then I can help the Sealed Ones, right? Isn’t that good for Aite?”

– Aite has not seen a human using divinity since she was sealed, so he suspects your powers belong to Prache.
– She thinks you’re a spy for Prache, and me and Natu are in cahoots, which is why she won’t tell us how to break the seal.

Todd added.

I snapped out of my reverie.

‘No wonder! The Elder told me that Aite never responded to my suggestions. She was suspicious of me.’

If so, I was in trouble. He might not even co-operate in taking away Brantley.

“How should we solve this?”

I peered into the darkness of the cave.

“Where has everyone gone?”

Are they uniting another couple? I looked up at the ceiling. Shrouded in darkness, I couldn’t see a single vine. But up there was Aite, the sealed god.

“We need to talk!”

I called out with all my might. But as usual, no answer came.

I wasn’t going to give up.

“I heard that you are doubting me. I want to clear up the misunderstanding!”
– …….
“I want to help you!”
– …….

Aite was blatantly ignoring me.

I released some of my divine power. Soon it felt like someone was coldly pushing my power away. It wasn’t an attack, but it was definitely a rejection.

‘I guess I’ll get the same reaction if I use mana.’

I scanned the cave walls. I found a good foothold and began to climb up it myself.

As I scaled the cave wall, I felt a tremor in the ceiling. Soon, a golden vine emerged from the darkness.

‘It’s responding to me!’

I exclaimed confidently.

“Help me, Aite!”
– …….
“I’ll help you too!”

It was then that I heard a shout from below.

“… Who is that?”
“Isn’t that the lady from Barbetz?”

Before I knew it, people gathered and were looking up the sealing. Among them was Brantley.

“Hanelope!”

He shouted urgently. I was about to ask what was wrong.

Swish!

A golden vine swiped at me causing my body to tumble downwards. I prepared myself to be slammed against the stone slab. But Brantley caught me in the nick of time.

“Hanelope, are you okay….?”

Brantley’s face hardened as he asked.

The golden vines descended with terrifying force from the ceiling. The vines tangled together on the floor, forming a giant shape.

It was that of a woman, her face contorted into a fiendish grimace.

“A-Aite!”
“Aite is angry!”

The believers started trembling and started prostrating. But Brantley only held me tighter in his arms and glared at Aite.

Aite’s face was filled with rage, and she formed a vine into a sword and swung it at us. Brantley slashed at it with his sword. But another vine flew out and flicked the sword away.

– Foolish thing, how dare you stand against me!

I could hear Aite’s angry cry in my head. When she shot a spear Brantley tried to protect me with his body.

Aite suddenly stopped attacking.

The sharp tips of the vines tapped Brantley’s sensitive parts. Brantley flinched but didn’t dodge. The vine wrapped itself around Brantley’s neck like a snake this time.

‘It’s trying to strangle him.’

I grabbed the vine and struggled to pull it off. To deal with a god, I have to use divinity.

‘But if I use my power here, it will trigger Aite more.’

There might be no turning back.

‘But I’m more concerned with protecting Brantley.’

Brantley was already gasping for air. I started using the spell. But before I could release the full force of my power, the vines retracted themselves.

Brantley gasped and staggered.

“Sir Knight, are you okay?”

I cried, peering down at him in pain.

“Huek… I- I’m fine.”
“Why didn’t you dodge? You were in danger!”
“If I ducked, you’d be in danger, so why would I avoid it?”

‘But I almost lost you again.’

I looked at Brantley resentfully with tears.

“Why do you keep putting yourself in danger?” Brantley asked, sounding exasperated, “Why were you trying to climb up? I can’t take my eyes off you for a moment.”
“I don’t get it either. Why don’t you value your own life, Sir Knight?”
“You’re the one to talk..”
“If you’re so anxious, why don’t you come with me to the capital?”

Brantley’s eyes widened at my retort.

“What?”

“I’m afraid neither you nor I can live without each other, so you’re coming with me and I don’t care if you object.”

I spat out the impudent words.

Brantley rolled his silver eyes at Aite. At that moment, Brantley’s expression changed to one of horror.

“Sir Knight, why are you looking…”

I followed his lead and looked at Aite.

“!”

Aite was crouching in front of us, supporting her chin with both hands and looking at us with a happy expression.