How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

Jacob stammered.

“N-No! Hanelope and I ….”

“Exactly. We had a little fight amongst ourselves. It was getting on my nerves.”

Kathrine quickly interrupted Jacob, who was about to drag me in. Ultimately, he was left with no other choice.

Professor Munich glanced at me and Brantley, then shifted his gaze back to Jacob and the twins.

Jacob shouted in frustration, “I was hit unilaterally! You have to punish them! Otherwise, I’ll report it to my father!’

Mockery flashed across Professor Munich’s face.

Given Jacob’s usual temper, he was the one to bully people. Moreover, when nobles’ children fight, it can quickly escalate into a serious matter. In other words, this fight was not something the Munich, as a professor, should mediate.

“And Brantley made…!”

“Then let’s report it to His Majesty.”

I said.

Professor Munich looked at me.

“Why would you involve His Majesty in something like this?”

“You were the one who initially said that you will complain to Duke Eisen.”

“I didn’t want to. But because you’re lying…..!”

“His Majesty is the Chancellor of the Academy, and this happened in his academy, which is his domain. Reporting it to him is only natural. His Majesty needs to know the truth.”

Professor Munich’s gaze remained fixed on me.

Then he smirked.

“You’re right. It’s quite a serious matter that a violent fight occurred in His Majesty’s role as the Chancellor of the Academy. We should report it to him to determine right from wrong.”

“What? B- but……!”

Jacob was out of his wits.

“Young Master Jacob, you said you were beaten one-sidedly, and the Emperor will help you clear your name. When He investigates, the whole truth will come out.”

Jacob’s face turned blue at the mention of the truth coming to light. He was terrified that he’ll be found out for making the first move and bullying others.

“Why does the Young Master’s expression look like that? I’m going to report this to His Majesty and punish the students who harassed you. Aren’t you the one who asked for punishment? Or did you commit something wrong?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“If you’re innocent, you should report it to His Majesty.”

“I-I was at fault!!”

In the end, Jacob yielded and admitted his mistake.

It seemed like the memory of getting a scolding from the Emperor and wetting his pants had come back to him.

“Alright. What about the other students?”

Professor Munich asked, but they all seemed to have nothing more to say.

After glancing pitifully at Jacob, Professor Munich left.

Once Professor Munich was gone, Jacob glared at me and Brantley.

“You.…!”

“Young Master Jacob, be quiet.”

Richter stopped Jacob as he started to argue again.

“Don’t tell me what to do. A peasant like you who became a Professor has…. umph!”

Jacob’s mouth snapped shut like a clam. He was startled and as he was struggling he fell down by himself.

Richter looked at him coldly and said.

“What you just saw is a ‘shut up’ spell. It’s a spell you can cast on your rude friends.”

With that explained, Richter turned to me and Brantley with a stern look.

“Princess Hanelope and Brantley, please follow me.”

I had never seen her so charismatic and overbearing. Even the twins, Kathrine and Fritzka, turned docile and let Richter and us go.

As we walked away from the other children, Richter stopped, letting out a sigh of relief.

“I thought you were in a big trouble. Are you hurt?”

She turned back to the Richter I knew.

“I’m not hurt, Brantley saved me.”

“I see. Looks like I did a good job teaching him magic.”

Richter said with pride.

“Not many people come here, so I’ll leave you two to get some rest.”

Professor Richter left so that Brantley and I could talk it out.

Once Richter was gone, I immediately grabbed both of Brantley’s hands.

“Brantley, I’ve missed you. How have you been?”

Brantley slightly opened his mouth, and he looked at the clasped hands and nodded clumsily.

“I went to see Professor Richter as you said. At first, she refused but…”

“Then she gave in, right? Because at that time Professor Richter needed the money for her family.”

Brantley nodded shyly.

I hadn’t seen him in a long time, and it was cute to see him stuttering with reddened ears.

He’d grown up so much, he was almost like an elder brother.

“Brantley, you’ve grown up so much!”

“Yeah. Professor Richter gives me lots of treats every time she visits.”

Brantley said, although he was embarrassed, but secretly pleased inside.

‘Kids grow up so fast, I wish I could grow up too..…’

I looked at my still tiny hands and feet and sighed heavily.

“It’s all because of you.”

Brantley spoke in a trembling voice, as if confessing.

I smiled brightly.

“I told you that you’re smart and strong. That’s why you could learn so well from Professor Richter.”

“No. I-…. Hanelope, I did it for you.”

Brantley, who had been shyly hanging his head the whole time, suddenly looked me in the eye and said. His expression was determined, but his face was flushed bright red.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble. I’d have stayed in the duke’s mansion like I always have, doing nothing, living day to day in abuse. To meet you again, I….”

Brantley, who had been showering me with words, suddenly clamped his mouth with an ‘Ah!’, as if he realized something seeing my pink eyes staring at him.

He rubbed his heated right cheek with his fist.

“A-anyway Hanelope, I heard that you asked Professor Richter to bring me to the Academy.”

“Yes, but you need your parents’ permission to enter as a student, so I guess Professor Richter brought you as an assistant.”

“Now that Jacob has seen it, it won’t take long for my father to know.”

I was going to say that I’ll help him out, but Brantley’s expression surprised me. His face was full of confidence. Looks like he had a plan to stay at the academy.

‘Brantley, you’ve changed.’

The old Brantley would have been so intimidated by his father and Jacob that he would have backed down before he could barely say anything.

But now Brantley was going against his father’s wishes.

Without any fear.

“You grew up well.”

I patted Brantley on the head.

Brantley, with his eyes wide open, still had the same puppy-like face he had when they first met.

However, he soon smiled and showed a mature look.

‘You’re going to be so handsome when you grow up.’

Brantley turned to me, his dark hair fluttered in the wind, enhancing his handsome face. For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

 

***

 

Duke Eisen strode across the palace with furious steps.

He was leading Jacob to the Emperor to complain about Professor Munich.

‘How dare they let Brantley into the academy without my permission!’

A few hours ago.

A servant who had escorted Jacob to the Academy brought me an urgent message.

Brantley had appeared at the Academy. As a Professor’s assistant!

What’s more, according to the sons of the vassals, Jacob and Brantley had got into a fight. Alarmed, Duke Eisen hurried to the Academy.

Sending Brantley back to the manor, he rushed to the palace with Jacob.

“Munich is surely up to no good!”

Richter couldn’t have made Brantley her assistant without Munich’s approval.

‘Brantley.. since when did he learn magic without my knowledge?’

I thought you were living under the radar!

I’d given him just enough food to keep him from dying, and now he’s trying to backstab.

‘That sly bastard! Is this how you’re going to repay me?’

It was clear that Brantley was trying to get into the academy to impress the Emperor.

‘That wretch is trying to snatch our Jacob’s place with Emperor on his back!’

I won’t sit idly.

He gritted his teeth, forgetting that Brantley was his legitimate successor.

‘The Emperor will not be delighted to discover that Professor Munich has been employing someone else’s child as an assistant without proper consent. If we can leverage this as a reason to remove Professor Munich from his position, it would be even more advantageous.’

In the meantime, I can fill the void left by the Fork with my own men.

The Duke of Eisen was a member of the Temple faction.

‘Soon the Academy built by the Emperor would turn into a den of the Temple faction.’

After Asta’s foolishness, the Emperor had become even more displeased with the Temple.

‘Pathetic! I knew a Saint like you would end up doing something like this. After all, an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’

Duke Eisen hated Asta from the start. She was from a low ranking noble household.

Suddenly, the corner of the Duke’s mouth curved upward.

‘Perhaps this is a chance.’

A chance to sabotage the Emperor and gain influence in his domain, the Academy. Eventually that will lead to elevating my position at the Great Hall.

“I’ve come to see His Majesty the Emperor. You do know I had requested for an audience previously.”

“Yes. His Majesty is waiting.”

The servant said.

‘That arrogant Emperor is waiting! I suppose he thinks it’s a big deal.’

Duke Eisen smiled in satisfaction.

As soon as he entered the chambers, he hastily showed courtesy without even looking at the Emperor.

Then he exclaimed.

“Your Majesty! Professor Munich has taken my son into the Academy without my permission!”

“There comes your father.”

The Duke of Eisen’s eyes grew wide.

Brantley was at the Emperor’s side. In a position that only the heir to a great noble could stand!

‘It can’t be! I told them to keep Brantley locked up and keep an eye on him!’

He wasn’t the only one in the chambers.

There was also Professor Munich and Prince Hart’s daughter, Hanelope.

“Long time no see, Duke!”