How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

“What?”

The maidservants were taken aback by Mrs. Melanie’s words.

My own eyes widened in surprise.

“I will manage where the Young Lady will be and what she will do from now on. You don’t need to worry. Because I’ll make her a noble lady worthy of the title.”

The maids looked at me with hurt faces.

I quickly grabbed Mrs. Melanie’s hand.

Lady Melanie flinched, then looked at me and smiled sweetly.

“Don’t worry, Young Lady. You just have to trust me.”

It was the same warmth that had just reassured me, so why-

Why am I so anxious?

Scritch.. scritch..

Indecipherable handwriting was scribbled on a piece of paper.

Above my scribbles was Mrs. Melanie’s handwriting, which she had written for me to copy.

“Done! Here you go!”

Accepting my paper, Mrs. Melanie gave me a subtle look.

“You’ve never formally learned how to write, have you? This handwriting is a mess….”

“Uh, messed up?”

I clapped my hands together, feigning surprise.

Mrs. Melanie gave me an apologetic look.

“You’ll get better with practice. Don’t be too disappointed. You’re not like the other noble young ladies with good pedigrees.”

‘You’re only pretending to be comforting..’

I squeezed the tiny hands I’d gathered together.

‘She called my writing ‘a mess’ when I’m just learning! And she even mentioned my bloodline.’

She was clearly trying to crush my self-esteem and make me feel small.

‘She was bad.’

But that’s not all.

‘About the writing style she gave me to practice.’

My mother, who worked as a noble physician for a long time, taught me how to write. Thanks to her, I knew both the writing styles used by nobles and those used by commoners.

‘This is the handwriting style that commoners mainly use.’

Mrs. Melanie was teaching me a manner unbecoming of a ‘Prince’s daughter’.

Ever since she stopped me from going to see Hart, Lady Melanie had been like this.

“You learned the wrong dining etiquette. Your mother’s social status was low, so there was nothing you could do, but even the maidservants have a such a low level. Don’t worry. I’ll teach you everything.”

One by one, she taught me the wrong etiquette.

If I made a mistake in front of the emperor while learning this way, I might be chased away.

‘She’s doing this on purpose.’

There she was again, telling me it was okay to be a troublemaker.

‘Maybe she’s actually trying to ruin me.’

Mrs. Melanie was a reputable nanny. She would never have earned that reputation if she had been manipulative before.

‘Why would she do this to me?’

Why would she risk ruining her reputation?

I don’t think an adept like Melanie would do this simply for personal reasons.

Someone might have asked her.

With a price she couldn’t refuse.

‘She has been a nanny for a nobles for a long time, so she couldn’t have been bought off for any amount of money. Which means she’s either in trouble or someone has taken advantage of her weakness.’

It was too obvious who the ‘someone’ was.

Someone who was trying to break me down and push me out of my position as ‘The Prince’s Daughter’.

‘There’s only one person.’

Asta Appel.

‘That’s too much. I haven’t even got to know Hart yet, and you’re trying to kick me out.’

I later came to know, the reason why I had to go back to Uncle Sandy and Aunt Judy.

According to the servants, it was Asta’s doing.

‘She sent me away in a hurry without asking Hart’s permission.’

It was obvious. She wanted to monopolize Hart.

Hart was important to Asta. If he starts neglecting her, she wouldn’t be able to use him freely.

‘I don’t think she needed to worry about that already.’

“Miss, you’ve been studying hard, I’ll give you some delicious juice for a snack.”

While I was lost in thought, Mrs. Melanie held out a pretty bottle.

“Wow, what is this?”

“It’s grape juice. Go ahead and try it.”

The juice smelled very sweet.

My mouth watered.

I took the bottle back, and in my haste to drink the juice, I knocked over my pencil case.

The pencil case and writing utensils went flying down the table.

“Oh, you should be careful.”

Mrs. Melanie bent down to pick up the pencils.

Meanwhile, I discarded the juice out the slightly open window.

“Oh my, have you finished it already?”

“Yes! It’s so good, I want another bottle.”

“I’ll give you a bottle another time.”

Mrs. Melanie was satisfied with my naturally virtuous words.

From then on, Melanie’s behaviour became noticeably suspicious.

She kept checking the time and kept asking me, “Aren’t you tired?”

“Do you feel sleepy? I think you should go to bed a little early tonight.”

“I want to play with Mrs. Melanie some more… yawn“

“You seem tired, you’re even yawning. It’s because the Young Lady has been studying so hard, let’s go to bed.”

‘Hmm. Maybe she put sleeping pills in my juice?’

I agreed with her.

I flopped down on my bed and pretended to fall asleep shortly after.

Mrs. Melanie’s hand, which had been patting my back, fell coldly away at the sound of my ragged breathing.

“Annoying brat, I barely got you to bed.”

Her voice was hurtfully chilly.

“Even though it’s because of debts, I can’t believe I have to take care of a half-baked like you. I need to finish this quickly.”

Mrs. Melanie grumbled and stormed out of the room.

I opened my eyes and glared at the closed door.

“I expected this, but I didn’t expect the change to come so quickly! That baddie!”

I wanted to call her every name I knew, but it wasn’t the time.

‘There must be a reason they wanted to put me to bed.’

Asta made Melanie do it, so it must have something to do with Hart.

I tucked the pillow under the duvet and tried to imitate the sleeping me then quietly left the room.

‘Where is Hart now? In his office? In his room?’

But Hart was neither in his office nor his room.

My heart was pounding anxiously.

‘Where is he?’

I paced nervously, then absentmindedly looked out the window.

It was a deserted backyard with a path leading to the back door. It was also an area where people rarely passed by.

But now, coincidentally, someone was on the path.

“No way!”

I murmured and lifted my heels to look down again. There was Hart with Maxim.

Their cloaks made it hard to see their faces, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t recognize them.

‘Maxim is the only person who is seen most by Hart’s side.’

Despite his rugged appearance, Maxim was indeed Hart’s follower.

In the original, he pitied Hart, who was used by Asta.

But he wasn’t the type to take action. He just quietly followed his master. That’s why he couldn’t stop Hart.

‘Only after Hart died, did he regret not doing anything.’

Maxim eventually joins forces with Yenna to get revenge on Asta.

‘But where are they going now?’

It was getting dark.

Late at night, both of them wrapped in a cloak. A small carriage, ready to sneak out.

A scene flashed through my mind.

‘I wonder if today is the day!’

The day when Asta would bring Hart to another crisis.

I rushed to my little lab, panting.

I grabbed the medicine I’d prepared for this day and ran to the backyard.

‘I’m not going to hold you back or bother you. I’ll just stay quiet so that I don’t get caught…..’

I opened the door to the outside and stepped through.

My body leaned forward.

I’d forgotten there were steps in front of the door.

‘Am I going to fall?’

I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘I won’t make a noise even if I get hurt. Why is….’

But I didn’t feel any pain.

Instead, I felt my body being carried.

“The nanny said you were sleeping?.. Were you sleep walking?”

I opened my eyes and saw Hart’s red eyes glaring at me.

Startled, I clamped a small hand over my mouth.

“Fortunately, It doesn’t seem so.”

“P-Put me down!”

As she struggled, Hart obediently put her down.

“It seems like you were very bored. Seeing you wandering around here.”

My heart flinched at Hart’s words.

Did he think of me as a burden?

I looked up anxiously, and Hart’s pupils narrowed.

“I’m afraid I can’t play with you right now, I have to go somewhere.”

I was stunned by his words, and my mouth fell open.

“Huh? When did you play with me?”

“What?”

Hart laughed as if he was surprised.

“I prepared a place for you in the office and played with you every day. Don’t you remember?”

Was that supposed to be playing?

He just sat me down like a sack of potatoes and let me listen to the adults’ complicated problems.

Hart put his hand on her head and took it off again.

If that was playing, this would be ‘Hart-style head-patting’.

As I thought absentmindedly, then shuddered at the thought that it might be true.

“I should probably get going. Go back to your room.”

“Okay…”

I nodded meekly.

But Hart clenched his jaw, as if he didn’t like something.

“That’s strange. Why….”

“?”

“You’re not whining or begging me to not go?”

“……?”

“The vassals said that’s what kids usually do. They want to follow their parents wherever they go. To the point it’s annoyingly persistent.”

“…….”

“I’ve never been bothered like that.”

Is it my imagination, or does Hart’s face look disappointed somehow?

‘Shouldn’t he be happy that I’m not bothering him?’

Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to pretend to be a polite child who doesn’t bother her parent?

My breathing became ragged with frustration, and I pressed my lips together.

I had to answer anyway, so I said, half-sincerely, half-embellished.

“Well, that’s because only bad children bother their Dads!”

“What?”

“Grown-ups don’t like it when children whine, and Hanelope doesn’t want Dad to hate me.”

Hart’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

“You…”

He opened his mouth to speak, but instead let out a short sigh.

Then he leaned down to my eye level.

His fiery red eyes met my eyes that resembled my mum’s pink ones.

“This won’t happen again. It’s just for today.”

He sounded like he was making excuses.

‘He was just bluffing, that’s what adults do to soothe children, but… it feels weird.’

My heart tickled so hard, my stomach churned.

When I didn’t answer, Hart sighed again and stood up.

Then he went to Maxim, who was waiting for him.

I saw Hart climb into the carriage and Maxim took over the horseman’s seat.

Now that their eyes were off me, this was my chance.

I sprinted over and climbed into the luggage compartment at the back of the carriage.

I slammed the door, and the carriage began to move.

Rattle..rattle…

***