How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

I said, mimicking Asta’s tone, voice, and even her posture and gestures.

“This is the child His Highness Prince Hart brought in from outside. She has no mother, poor thing.”

I imitated Asta, raising my heels slightly.

Then I looked at the adults with a proud expression.

“The Saint told so!”

Of course, the atmosphere turned chilly. I clutched the hem of Hart’s robe in surprise. As if I hadn’t expected this reaction.

“Dad, did I do something wrong?”

At the sight of his daughter’s anxious pink eyes, Hart’s icy stare wavered.

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong. Someone else did.”

His gaze fell on Asta.

Asta’s face turned blue with displeasure.

‘You never thought the situation would come to this.’

Asta thought a child’s talk would be easy to dismiss.

But what I just imitated was impossible without seeing it firsthand.

‘Did you think you could get away with insulting me?’

And what’s more terrifying is that she had insulted the daughter of a Prince.

“…I don’t think so. Don’t we know Asta’s character? Asta is not someone who would say such rude things to an innocent child who knows nothing!”

Asta’s carefully constructed image was tarnished.

Asta’s head was spinning, unable to control her expression.

She was trying to think of a way to defuse the unexpected situation.

‘Thinking of it, she has one trick up her sleeve…’

Will she use it now? While Asta was contemplating, the argument continued.

“Patrick, are you saying that my daughter lied? Do you think a seven-year-old can act like this? Do you think it makes any sense?”

“Asta has no reason to insult Hanelope in front of the other children, does she? If she says such things, it’s obvious that the mean kids will harass Hanelope.”

“I agree with Hart, Patrick. It makes more sense to me that an adult was the instigator than a bullied child lying convincingly.”

After Hart, Duchess Moltke came to my defence.

She was my ally.

‘It was worth trying to impress the Duchess.’

But I was too proud to gloat yet.

The most important person, the Emperor, remained silent.

His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were tightly closed.

It was as if he had something else on his mind.

‘No way…’

At that moment, an uneasy premonition struck.

The Emperor suddenly staggered.

“Your Majesty!”

“Are you all right?”

The Emperor waved his hand, saying he was fine. But then he stumbled harder. An inexplicable headache had begun.

The Emperor was moved to his bedroom for stability.

Everyone in the room was also shifted there.

‘When a person is ill, it is polite to step aside, but there was no one in this room who was in a position to do so.’

“Your Majesty, rest assured, I have summoned Physician Philen. I will be by your side to help you.”

Asta tried to latch onto the Emperor, just like in the original.

“If he’s really so competent, why isn’t the Emperor cured?”

Duchess Moltke, Asta’s eternal nemesis, also spoke up.

“Aunt, it’s true that the Emperor’s headaches have eased since Lady Asta recommended Physician Philen as the Imperial Physician.”

Patrick accompanied the Emperor as his son.

“…….”

‘Why isn’t Hart going back?’

Like Patrick, he was also the Emperor’s son, but he was estranged from his father.

‘Shouldn’t we take our leave?’

Due to health complication, my formal visit was abruptly ended.

‘Unless the Emperor summons me again, there won’t be any reason for me to come here.’

In fact, Hart remained silent, just watching the Emperor. It was in contrast to others who made a fuss.

‘What is Hart thinking?’

I blinked my eyes wide as I looked up at Hart. He felt my gaze and met my eyes.

“Are you okay?”

He stroked my hair as if to reassure me.

‘Did he think I was anxious?!’

I rubbed my cheek against Hart’s hand as he stroked me.

Hart looked at me with a puzzled expression. I smiled playfully and said, “Dad will feel better, too.”

Hart’s expression softened for a moment.

“The Physician has arrived.”

Just then, a chamberlain announced Philen’s arrival.

“Your Majesty! I heard you’ve started having headaches again.”

“Even though resting would make it better, why do you have to make a fuss?”

The Emperor didn’t seem pleased with the commotion.

The Emperor was the supreme ruler of the Empire. His words were law. But there was one exception, it was when the matter concerned his health.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Didn’t the Saint bring you the ‘Fountain of Life’?”

Philen said with a tremulous smile and held out a golden tray.

On it was a clear glass of water.

Asta lifted the glass and was about to offer it to the Emperor.

“Wait. The ‘Fountain of Life’?”

Duchess Moltke stopped Asta with a puzzled look on her face.

Then Patrick stepped forward as Asta’s bodyguard.

“Asta’s reason for travelling to the East was to cure His Majesty’s illness.”

“So she actually found the fabled ‘fountain of life’?”, Duchess Moltke asked.

“The Gods recognized my diligence.”

Asta raised an eyebrow in a vexed manner, teasingly flashing a smile.

“If the Duchess is suspicious, the Gods may be angry and withdraw their grace from the spring.”

“So if it works, it’s the Saint’s miracle and if it doesn’t, it’s my fault. How convenient!”

“I risked my life to obtain the water for His Majesty’s sake. It was even apprised by the temple.”

“That’s because the High Priest is on your side.”

After listening to the two argue, Philen spoke carefully.

“His Majesty has already been drinking from the spring since yesterday, and there is nothing wrong with him.”

“Your Majesty.. No, Brother, are you sure you want to drink this?”

Duchess Moltke asked the Emperor.

The Emperor accepted the glass and said grimly.

“It’s just water, it will be alright.”

It was a strange thing to say.

‘It’s just water’ could mean not to worry, or it could mean that it would have no effect.

‘I guess it’s not easy to read the Emperor’s mind.’

I observed the Emperor carefully as he drank from the ‘fountain of life’.

His expression was unreadable. Despite his eyes being bloodshot with fatigue, the sharp red glint was prominent. And a faint flush spread across the corners of his eyes and down to his neck.

Emptying his glass, he took the pills Philen had brought him, and looked at me as he felt my gaze.

“It’s a shame you’ve come all this way and have to turn back.”

The Emperor said with an emotionless face.

Then Duchess Moltke stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, please accept a brief greeting here. Hanelope was greatly anticipating to meet you. How many questions she asked me about Your Majesty! It was almost deafening.”

“Did she?”

“Yes. What he likes, what his favourite foods are, what his habits are. I had a hard time answering them.”

The Duchess of Moltke was trying to help me.

Perhaps it was an excessive support.

The Emperor looked at me again, “What do you say? Do you want to make an appearance here?”

For some reason, Asta didn’t respond.

‘If I insist on something unreasonable in front of the ailing Emperor, he will obviously not like it.’

I shook my head.

“His Majesty’s rest is more important than my appearance.”

“You’ve been talking eloquently since earlier.”

The Emperor smiled.

For the first time, he gave me a positive sign.

I plucked up the courage to add.

“But I do have a gift for you. I’d like to give it to you, because I think it would be useful.”

“A gift?”

The Emperor looked at Hart. But he had a dazed expression. It was natural as I had prepared it secretly! Hart could not have known.

“The sincerity of bringing a gift with those small hands is quite commendable. Show it to me for now.”

I extended the box I had hidden in my arms.

When the Emperor opened the lid of the box, candy-like pills covered in white powder were revealed.

“What is this?”

“These are pills that improve your health! I made them because I wanted to give them to His Majesty.”

Touching the pills, the Emperor frowned at the powder sticking to his fingers.

“Your Majesty, please don’t take it. What would a child know about making a pill?”

Philen took this opportunity to accuse me.

“Even I, the Emperor, know that the child who woke the sleeping Saint is Hart’s daughter.”

At the Emperor’s stinging words, Philen fell silent.

But he didn’t take the medicine. After closing the lid, the Emperor placed the vial on the table beside him.

“You’re admirable. I’ll call you again when I see an opportunity.”

That was the end of it.

At that time..

“Next time, please…. call me again”, Hart said.

His voice sounded like he was opening a mouth that wouldn’t open, barely moving his parched tongue.

‘Asking the Emperor to call him again, even when Hart finds it displeasing.’

I could think of only one reason.

‘Because of me.’

The Emperor also widened his eyes in surprise.

“I will do that.”

“I’ll be waiting for your invitation.”

The two men looked at each other wordlessly.

But in reality, Hart did not have to wait.

The next day, on the daybreak, I was summoned to the palace.

The Emperor had collapsed.

He was lying on a huge bed, his whole body covered in hives. At a glance, it was clear that, he was in bad shape.

“It must be the medicine from yesterday, the medicine that Prince Hart’s daughter gave His Majesty!”

Philen exclaimed.

That’s right.

I had been summoned because I was suspected of being responsible for the Emperor’s deteriorating condition. The courtiers, who had crowded in and out of the bedroom in concern for the Emperor, all turned to look at me.

“His Majesty didn’t even take the medicine yesterday.”

Hart, who had me clinging to his side, said sharply.