How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

I thought she’d give up at this point.

Asta still wanted to take Hart as her shield.

‘But Hart wasn’t as easygoing as before, judging by the way she’s trying to manipulate me through Lady Melanie.’

I wasn’t going to use this method, but I can’t help it.

“Okay, I’ll tell Dad that I want to see the Saint. Take me!”

“Of course, you should.”

Mrs. Melanie smiled as if celebrating the success of her plan.

She grabbed my wrist and hurried off toward Hart’s office. Like she was dragging the little me along.

‘Hah, I’m getting tired….’

She pretended not to notice, even as I grunted beside her. It was then that my savior appeared.

“Where are you taking the Miss in such a hurry?”

Maxim asked.

Seeing me panting, he glared at Mrs. Melanie.

Madam Melanie was stunned, not expecting to see him there. Maxim usually kept a low profile and was hard to spot. He only appeared in public when his appearance was needed.

“The Young Lady wishes to convey a message to His Highness the Prince, and wishes to invite the Saint.”

“Was it so urgent that you had to ‘drag’ the lady along?”

“The L-lady cried and wailed that she wanted to see him so badly that I had to….”

When did I?!

I glanced at Maxim with an indignant look.

Maxim gave Mrs. Melanie an understanding look and said,

“I’ll take the Lady from here.”

He snatched me away from Mrs. Melanie and swept me up in a big hug.

Melanie couldn’t say anything.

She was crushed by Maxim’s momentum.

When we were far enough away to be inaudible, Maxim sighed.

“I suppose His Highness will have to invite the Saint after all.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Saint has begged me to let her meet with the Prince, too. I haven’t told him yet, but I’m sure he’ll grant her request… if he knows about it.”

Maxim didn’t seem to want to let Hart and Asta meet.

It was an opportunity.

I clung desperately to Maxim.

“Don’t ever tell Dad. No way!”

“But I have to inform His Highness.”

“The saint is asking Maxim because Dad did not want to meet her. Dad already answered this question by not meeting Asta.”

“But it is the Saint we are talking about…”

I whispered in Maxim’s ear again.

“Will you regret it only when something terrible happens to Father?”

Maxime flinched.

“What a dreadful thing to say!”

“You listened to me at the auction house and saved him. If we’d gone to the auction house any later, he would have been stabbed with the poisoned needle.”

Maxim’s eyes fluttered at my words.

He, too, recovered quickly from the poison thanks to the medicine I applied. The physician said that if he hadn’t applied the medicine in time, Maxim’s life could have been in danger.

“If I hadn’t listened to the Young Lady, His Highness might have left us.”

Muttering, Maxim’s face darkened.

In the original work, Maxim is a character who does what Hart tells him and stayed in the background. Only after Hart’s death does he bitterly regretted his in-activeness.

When realization hit him, he tried to get revenge on Asta.

‘But he fails and is killed down the plot.’

Since Asta was the protagonist, Maxim’s role was more of an annoying villainous lackey.

‘Maxim was just a loyal henchman of Hart’s, seeking revenge for the loss of his master.’

He just needed a trigger.

If I provide the trigger, he will automatically move to protect Hart.

“If we do nothing, Dad will get even more hurt.”

I drove a wedge.

“Of course he will, and he’s already come close to dying a few times because of the Saint.”

“We saved him at the auction house, didn’t we? We can save him again!”

Maxim’s shaky eyes grew clear with conviction.

Normally, an adult would dismiss a child’s words. But Maxim knows how I dealt with Asta’s fake illness. We’ve also worked together at the auction house. The way he looks at me, his trust is evident.

“But if the Saint is determined to push through, she’ll find another way, even if I refuse.”

“If she becomes impatient, she’ll go on her own.”

“If she becomes impatient…?”

“She ran away alone from the illegal auction house, for crying out loud!”

Maxim’s mouth dropped open at my words.

“That’s right, once this news gets out, the Saint won’t be able to pressure His Imperial Highness anymore because she’ll be too busy cleaning up. Hah! Why didn’t I think of this?”

Maxim nodded with a look of relief on his face.

Now I just need to see him in action.

Maxim moved quickly.

Rumors had begun to spread that Asta was at the illegal auction house that had recently been busted. Initially it started spreading between the servants of nobles. Of course, most didn’t believe it as Asta’s ‘saintly’ image had been built up over the years.

But cracks started to form.

Besides, there are always people in the world who are eager to bring down someone as perfect and flawless as Asta.

Asta knew that.

In the end, Asta hurried off to Mount Paro to distract the public.

Instead of Hart, she took the Duke of Eisen’s men with her.

‘All they talk about now is the ‘Fountain of Life’ she went to find.’

It will be even louder when she returns.

Asta planned to destroy Duke Moltke with the evidence she brought back from Paro.

‘But even that won’t work.’

Looking out the window, I could see the vassals leaving the manor.

Baron Matthew was not among them.

Not long ago, Hart had disposed of the wretch quietly, but neatly.

That day, I was alone in the office.

“Miss! Tell me a story again today. I’ll give you a candy as a present.”

Baron Matthew appeared in front of me.

‘You’re trying to lure me with candy? You sold the information I gave you to buy the expensive clothes you’re wearing.’

Shameless!

I hid my true feelings and whispered to Baron Matthew.

“You know Dad hid something strange in that room.”

“Something strange?”

“Yes! It looks very scary, and it’s very strong, but I’ve tamed it and it listens to me.”

“Is it a demon?”

So, Prince Hart is hiding a demon in his mansion!

Baron Matthew drooled and went into the room I pointed out.

After a moment…

“No! Maxim, why are you…. eek! Aah, help me! Eek!“

There wasn’t a demon waiting in the room, it was Maxim.

‘Maxim is just as terrifying as a demon.’

Now that Baron Matthew had no business with him, Dad put him at Maxim’s disposal. And I decided to help him without my father’s knowledge.

‘I have not seen Baron Matthew since.’

It wouldn’t be good if it becomes known that he was Dad’s vassal.

So Dad had Maxim take care of it quietly, it seemed.

I turned away from the window.

“The Duchess of Moltke is coming today.”

That’s when Mrs. Melanie handed me the bottle and said.

Finally! Today was the day I would get to meet the famous Duchess Moltke.

Duchess Moltke is the Emperor’s sister and Hart’s aunt.

At Hart’s request, she has specially agreed to train me in the art of courtesy.

“Is this a gift?”

I asked, shaking the pretty glass bottle.

“Yes. I’m giving it to you to drink and relax, because if you make a mistake, you’ll be in trouble. You’re inexperienced in etiquette and tend to make mistakes, Miss.”

Mrs. Melanie said mocking me.

“They said you were a genius who saved the Saint, So I had high expectations. But it seems that the words were a bit exaggerated.”

Mrs. Melanie was displeased, not realizing that I had acted foolishly on purpose.

I looked at the bottle.

The pretty glass bottles she gave me always contained grape juice laced with sleeping pills. She wanted to put me to sleep and leave me unattended because I was too much trouble to look after.

I always threw the juice away out of Lady Melanie’s sight, but afterward I pretended to sleep. To catch her off guard.

‘This time I’ll pretend to sleep in front of the Duchess of Moltke.’

I said to myself, Duchess Moltke is too demanding to be handled.

Lady Melanie is Asta’s minion. As such, she moves according to Asta’s wishes.

‘In other words, Asta doesn’t want me to get close to the Duke and Duchess Moltke.’

The Duke of Moltke have an antagonistic relationship with Asta.

If the Duke and Duchess of Moltke get closer to me, they will naturally get closer to Hart. If they lend him support in his isolation, Asta will have less room to manipulate him.

‘Besides, if the Duchess has my back, Asta will have a harder time getting rid of me.’

That’s why I’m trying to interfere.

‘Sigh! Madam Melanie, I will get my revenge.’

I mentally punched my little fist in the air.

Then, while Mrs. Melanie was looking away, I poured the grape juice into the glass jar I had prepared.

“You’ve finished it already, you always drink so well.”

“Yep. I love this!”

“Good, drink a lot from now on.”

Mrs. Melanie looked at me satisfied.

“Oh, by the way.. Young Lady didn’t forget to ask His Highness to meet the Saint, did you?”

“Yes. I asked Dad that day.”

“Strange. Then why didn’t he say anything? Did Miss say it correctly?”

“No, I said it!”

“What the hell did you say? I’m not the only one in trouble because of you…”

Just as Mrs. Melanie was about to get annoyed with me.

There was a knock on the door.

It was Sherry.

“Master and Duchess Moltke have finished their conversation, and they want you to come straight to the study.”

I went to the study with trepidation.

Hart was not there, maybe something else had come up.

‘I feel a little empty.’

Until recently, it was natural not to see Hart by my side, but now I feel a little sad when he’s not around.

‘Feelings are so strange.’

But there’s no time to dwell on my feelings. Because in front of me stood the sharped-eyes Duchess Moltke with her shiny silver hair.

“Are you Hanelope?”

“Yes. Good afternoon, Duchess. It is an honor to meet you.”

I bowed politely, but only as clumsily as would be acceptable for a child.

This was because Lady Melanie was behind me.

Unaware of my situation, Duchess Moltke was cold.

“I don’t want to waste any time, so let’s get straight to the test. Take a seat.”

She ordered in a needle-like tone. Without realizing, I shrank back.

‘I was scared.’

As I sat down, Mrs. Melanie sidled up to me.

“Madam, please have mercy on the young lady. She hasn’t had the best upbringing, and the customs of the lower classes are still ingrained in her.”

“Did I ask for your advice?”

But it was the Duchess of Moltke who returned.

Lady Melanie, who had been trying to talk, turned to stone.

“I-I’m the Young Lady’s nanny….”

“You’d better get out of here. I’m going to test her alone.”

Duchess Moltke’s authoritativeness forced Melanie out of the room without a sound.

I also followed suit, my shoulders slumping.

I guess she’s even more prickly than I expected.

I held out my carefully prepared gift.

“Duchess, thank you for being my teacher. This is my gift to you, Duchess.”

Clink.

A small glass bottle was  placed in the center of the table.

Duchess Moltke frowned.

“What is this?”

“It’s the delicious grape juice my nanny gives me! It’s my favorite, and I wanted to share it with the Duchess.”

Duchess Moltke picked up the glass bottle with a disapproving look.

At least she was not throwing it away. Thank goodness!

Without drinking, she placed the glass in front of her.

Just as I felt relieved, I heard a harsh voice say.

“That stupid nanny asked you to bribe, didn’t she?”