How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

“Miss, wait a bit…”

“D-Dad!”

I pushed past the squirming Baron Matthew and ran to the centre of the garden.

Hart, who was coming this way, opened his eyes wide in surprise.

I clung to his leg.

“Dad, I missed you!”

“I thought we saw each other at breakfast this morning.”

“It’s lunchtime, and I haven’t seen you for loooonng.”

I rubbed my face on Hart’s leg and whined.

He looked down at me with glee as I let my body tell him that I was almost dying to see him. Maxim, who was watching the scene from the side, whispered.

“Doesn’t she look like a puppy?”

“Did you just call my daughter a ‘dog’?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. You can see how much she loves you, it’s like a puppy’s tail wagging. His Highness is fortunate. When have I ever received such love?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Ah, Your Imperial Highness. Did you just come?”

Hart’s expression sharpened.

When he saw Baron Matthew approaching, he swept me up in a quick embrace.

‘So sudden?!’

I gasped in surprise, but his embrace was surprisingly comfortable.

He seemed to have become quite adept at holding children over the past few days.

‘I guess the practise paid off.’

I chuckled, but Hart looked at his vassal with some wariness.

“The meeting is scheduled in the evening, why are you already here?”

“I came early, waiting for His Highness. I also wanted to meet the cute Miss.”

“In future, just arrive on time. Inform the others.”

“That-“

“Frequent use leads to wear and tear.”

Hart wrapped his arms around me and walked coldly past Baron Matthew.

I looked over Hart’s shoulder and saw Baron Matthew standing there, looking dumbfounded.

Once we were out of the garden and Baron Matthew was completely out of sight, Maxim whispered.

“Wears out? Is the Young Lady like an eraser?”

“What?”

“You must be going crazy.”

“Why have you been talking nonsense so much all of a sudden? Lately, you haven’t been listening to me well either.”

As I listened to Hart and Maxim bicker, I raised my head up as if I’d remembered something.

“Dad, I’m in trouble!”

“What trouble?”

Hart said nonchalantly.

“Did you break something in the Office? Don’t worry, they’re only worth the price of a luxury house in the capital anyway.”

The price of a luxury home in the capital!

Those dainty decorations were that expensive?

“How can I not care about that?”

I said in disbelief.

“Well, it’s not like that…. I made a slip of tongue with the uncle I was with.”

“Slip of tongue?”

“Yeah. The day the bad designer came, you were upset. He had asked me the reason why you were upset.”

“So?”

“I couldn’t remember, and I said you were angry because the designer broke something important to you…..”

After listening to the story, Maxim said with a serious face.

“It’s the same story as the one in today’s 《Crimson Ears Bulletin》.”

“I was wondering why they published such a ridiculous story, turns out it’s because of my daughter.”

Hart smirked and patted my head.

“Did you tell that story to anyone else?”

“Oh, no! I only told him.”

“I see.”

Hart nodded.

‘I suppose it’s evident Baron Matthew was an informer.’

I hung my head, feigning dejection.

“And just now I did it…”

“Again?”

“I told him the Saint refused to take Dad with her. I think she’s going to take Dad somewhere far away again, so I don’t want to send you….”

“Haha.“

Hart laughed as if he was in full spirit.

But unlike Maxim, who was worried, Hart’s face showed signs of amusement.

“Are you sure this is a mistake?”

“Huh?”

I said, my eyes widening in surprise.

Hart’s red eyes lit up with laughter.

‘Did he realize that I did it on purpose to catch Baron Matthew?’

Adults love a smart child. But it’s a different matter when a child traps an adult.

‘Maybe he thinks I’m clever, and that’s why I said it was a deliberate slip of the tongue….’

I shook my head, looking even more innocent.

But Hart still looked intrigued.

“What are we going to do about it? We’re in trouble if the rumour spreads further.”

Maxim said anxiously.

“It’s a good thing.”

“What? What do you mean ,Your Highness?”

“Well, thanks to Hanelope’s ‘slip of the tongue,’ we know who the informer is.”

“What do you mean…. Oh, no!”

“Only someone who heard the story from Hanelope herself could have relayed that ‘nonsense’ to the 《Crimson Ears Bulletin》.”

“Baron Matthew, I’m going to send this son of a….!”

Maxim started to storm off, but Hart stopped him.

“Leave him alone, not yet.”

“Why? He deserves to have his neck snapped in two right now.”

I covered my ears with my hands at the horrific words, and Maxim quickly corrected himself.

“I mean, I’m going to stomp or rather, massage, his neck until it feels like it’s been snapped in two.”

“Stomping or massaging, you can do it later. After Baron Matthew has given the last of his information to the 《Crimson Ears Bulletin》.”

Hart seemed to understand my intentions.

Asta had chosen to play the press as a last-ditch effort to drag Hart to Mount Paro.

She hoped he would be swayed by public opinion and follow suit.

‘But what if the opposite story came out, that Asta herself had said, ‘I don’t want to cause trouble and take him in good conscience.’

If she still does, she would become a ‘conscience-free’ Saint.

There’s no way Asta, whose image is her life, would do such a thing.

Just then, Hart poked my cheek.

My plump cheeks jiggled like pudding pressed against a spoon.

“Your complexion is worse than before.”

I winced.

‘No one’s ever noticed it previously.’

How did Hart find out? In fact, I had been feeling unwell for some time.

‘My genetic disease was progressing.’

I was secretly making a cure, but I was missing an important ingredient.

Unripe Morning Glory berries.

‘I’ll try to impress Hart and get the last ingredient, but it’s not time yet.’

Not until I’ve earned his trust.

It was too expensive and too much of a luxury.

‘We can’t get the berries at this time of the year anyways. They’re only available at the beginning of the import season.’

There’s no point in striving for something you can’t get.

‘I planned to get the berries next season.’

I said with an innocent look on my face, “I don’t like to eat carrots.”

“Don’t be a picky eater. It’s not good for your health.”

Hart said, pinching my cheeks with his fingers.

“A chubby cheek like this doesn’t suit being a picky eater. It does not seem right.”

Even though it felt like he was teasing me, I could feel his concern for me and my heart fluttered.

 

***

 

‘How can it be!’

I trembled as I licked my lips.

I couldn’t believe it.

‘How can carrots taste this good?’

It wasn’t just the carrot cake that was delicious. There was the bouncy carrot pudding on the spoon. And the sweet carrot macarons in my left hand. Plus, the sandwich with carrot jam spread.

Before I knew it, I burst out laughing.

“Take your time and enjoy. There’s still plenty left,” Sherry said with a smile.

“How can Miss fit all of these in her little mouth? She’s like a baby squirrel,” she added, lightly tapping my inflated cheeks.

‘I guess my capacity for indulgence is bigger than it seems’, I thought, looking at Sherry and the piles of carrot on my plate.

“The carrots are delicious!” I exclaimed.

“We prepared only the most delicious carrot dishes because Master requested it. He said the Miss doesn’t like carrots,” Sherry explained.

As I gulped down the carrot cake and took a bite of the macaron, I paused.

‘I just said that to cover up.…’

In truth, there was no food that I disliked.

‘I’m still holding back so much. If I show my true self, would they think I’m a gluttonous pig?’

But Sherry looked sad.

“My Lady didn’t like the carrots? But you didn’t even say it….”

“No! No, I like what you make, Sherry,” I whispered to her, looking around nervously.

“But I don’t like what Mrs. Melanie makes.”

Sherry looked at me in surprise.

“As expected, Lady Melanie to Miss….”

At that moment, my bedroom door opened and Mrs. Melanie came in.

“Sherry, if you’ve brought all the food, you can leave now. That’s your job.”

“But, but….”

Sherry tried to protest.

“I’ll help you with the Young Lady’s meals. Come on.”

Sherry had no choice but to leave the room.

“They are just putting anything in any room.”

Mrs. Melanie muttered to herself.

But I heard it clearly.

‘I was pretending not to understand her words.’

At first, Mrs. Melanie was cautious with her words.

But from the moment she mistakenly thought she had figured out my character, Mrs. Melanie’s behavior became unrestrained.

“Didn’t the Young Lady complain to His Highness that you doesn’t like carrots?”

Mrs. Melanie suddenly spoke with anger.

“I heard that he sent delicious carrot dishes. His Highness must cherish the Miss. So….”

She added with a smirk.

“You can throw tantrums in the future too. Dads find their daughter’s tantrums as cute.”

Is she trying to make Hart sick of me?

I cursed inwardly and nodded my head.

“Oh, by the way. You like Saint, don’t you, Miss? Do you want to meet her?”

Mrs. Melanie suddenly leaned in close and asked.

‘Why is she suddenly acting friendly?’

When I felt uncomfortable and twisted my body slightly, the hand that gripped my shoulder became stronger.

“The Saint hasn’t been coming to His Highness’s mansion lately. She used to come often before.”

“Is Dad and the Saint not talking to each other? Are they having a fight?”

I asked, pretending to be concerned.

“They didn’t fight or anything, but if the Miss begs His Highness to meet the Saint. Even if they had a fight, they would happily reconcile.”

‘You’re trying to sweet talk me.’

I smiled inwardly.

As expected, today’s 《Crimson Ears Bulletin 》had the story of Asta rejecting Prince Hart’s persistent requests to travel together, saying “I cannot put you in harm against my conscience.”

 

***

 

Notes:

• • In the passage Hart is seen replying, “Frequent use leads to wear and tear.”
  Here a  Korean phrase “자주 보면 닳아” is used. It can also be translated as  “Familiarity breeds contempt.” In short he’s warning Baron Matthew to not get close to Hanelope unnecessarily. I had to go with the first one as Maxim is seen making a lame pun out of it.