How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

Hanelope, who had been snuggling up to the Emperor, suddenly jumped from her seat and gave a cheerful greeting.

The Emperor uncharacteristically let out a chuckle at seeing her cute appearance.

“No, how is this….!”

Professor Munich said sternly to the bewildered Duke Eisen and Jacob,
“The Princess wanted to introduce a new friend from the academy to His Majesty. As she rarely acts like this, so His Majesty specifically ordered me to bring Master Brantley.”

“D-Did His Majesty order……?”

“The Young Master happened to be on his way home, and his employees seemed too loyal to let him go.”

Munich’s words were screaming sarcasm.

Duke Eisen gritted his teeth.

‘Is this Professor Munich’s plan? What is he up to?’

But whatever it was, Duke Eisen had an upper hand. Because Brantley had become an assistant at the Academy without his father’s permission.

Even the Emperor could not justify using a child as an assistant without his father’s permission.

If His Majesty were to admit Brantley to the academy, he would have to prove his qualifications first.

“Your Majesty, my son was sent away to the academy without my permission…!”

“I apologize for bringing your successor as an assistant without your knowledge. As a sign of my apology, how about admitting him to the academy without a test and placing him directly in the advanced class?

“What?”

Duke Eisen opened his mouth in shock.

The son of the Heavens, the Emperor, was apologizing!

It was also a surprising turn of events, but there was something more important at play.

His plan had been shattered with a single word from the Emperor. After the Emperor had apologized, pressing further would be seen as insubordination.

Duke Eisen stammered in confusion.

“B-But Brantley lacks the qualities…..”

“Count Munich praised the Young Duke’s skills. Also, it was unusual for my grand-daughter to want to study with him. Haha…”

The Emperor glanced at Hanelope, who was clinging to his side.

He tapped her nose with his index finger.

“All because of this little fellow.”

“You’re really going to do me a favor, Grandfather, are you sure?”

Hanelope looked up at the Emperor with an affectionate smile on her face.

Even the Duke of Eisen, who thought Hanelope was a nuisance, found her incredibly adorable.

And addressing His Majesty as ‘Grandfather’.

‘How did it come to pass that when his own sons call the Emperor as His Majesty than father?’

Even an Emperor couldn’t help it when it came to his own grandchildren.

Duke Eisen was perplexed.

At this point, Professor Munich said,

“Young Master Brantley is superior to Jacob in both general education and magic. You need not worry about his qualifications, Your Highness the Duke.”

“Better than our Jakov?”

Duke Eisen was outraged.

“My Jacob has been gifted since birth, and has had the finest private tutoring since he was a child, so how can……!”

“Huh? Only Jacob gets the finest tutoring, not the Young Master?”

Hanelope narrowed her pink eyes at Duke Eisen.

Duke Eisen felt a sign of the impending.

“That is strange. Why isn’t Young Master being taught as the heir? Grandfather, maybe the Duke only favors Jacob and hates the Young Master.”

Hanelope spoke in a childlike tone.

Duke Eisen grew impatient.

“T-That’s absurd!”

“Duke Eisen is right. How dare the Duke of Eisen disrespect the heir that I have recognized!”

For some reason, the Emperor sided with Duke Eisen.

Hanelope tilted her head, then her strawberry pink eyes twinkled as if she realized something.

“Perhaps Young Master Brantley excels without formal lessons. Jacob needs extra lessons because he’s not as skilled as Lord Bradley, right?”

Hanelope’s innocent voice pierced Duke Eisen and Jacob’s hearts.

Under the Emperor’s gaze, Jacob, who had been unable to say anything, finally looked at Duke Eisen with a resentful expression.

It was a plea for his father to speak up.

“Your Majesty, our Jacob is…..”

“Is my grand-daughter wrong? Tell me, isn’t Jacob receiving lessons because he’s lacking? Surely the Duke won’t dare to discriminate against his heir.”

The Emperor’s red eyes burned coldly. A shiver ran down Duke Eisen’s spine. Now was not the time to take Jacob’s side.

“……Your Majesty is correct. Jacob was gifted from birth, but he’s not quite up to par with his brother. So it’s only right that I educate him further.”

“You shouldn’t be so ashamed of that. It is natural for a younger brother to fall short of his elder brother.”

Then Brantley said, “No, His Majesty. Jacob didn’t fall short. He was born later, so he didn’t get to learn as much as me yet.”

“Isn’t that a difference of a few months at most? Young Master Brantley is so humble. The Duke has chosen a great heir.”

Jacob looked up at Duke Eisen, feeling betrayed.

“Father! He can’t be. I-I’m the real heir…….”

“Hush! Shut your mouth. You dare to speak in front of His Majesty!”

The Duke of Eisen finally snapped at Jacob.

Jacob looked like the sky had fallen.

‘Brantley, you damn bastard!’

Duke Eisen rolled his eyes and glared at Brantley. But the child stood with a confidence he had never seen before. Unlike Jacob, he didn’t seem cowed by the Emperor’s presence.

Frankly, the comparison was too much for the Duke of Eisen to bear.

Hanelope was looking at Brantley with an amused smile.

‘How dare that little thing set me up!’

She was the one who insisted on studying with Brantley at the Academy. From what he had witnessed, Hanelope was no ordinary child.

But the Duke of Eisen wasn’t going to let it slide.

‘Is that the best she can come up with?’

“Your Majesty, but Brantley still lacks the qualifications.”

The Emperor frowned.

“Jacob who receives lessons to cover up his lacking can attend the academy, I don’t see why Brantley can’t?”

“Yes. Brantley may excel in ability. But he leaves a lot to be desired in terms of manners and basic demeanor, which is why we haven’t sent him to the Academy until now.”

“From what I witnessed, Brantley seems a well-behaved young man.”

“His Majesty, Brantley got into a fight the first day he went to the academy. Jacob almost got hurt in the process.”

The Duke of Eisen patted Jacob, nudging him to talk.

Jacob was initially taken aback by his father’s sudden change in attitude, but he quickly nodded with shamelessly.

Hanelope couldn’t believe her ears. Brantley and Professor Munich looked at them in disbelief.

“It was Young Master Jacob who initiated the fight.”

Professor Munich said in a low voice.

Duke Eisen glared at him.

“Count wasn’t there when the fight broke out, was he?”

“Yes, but….”

“Just because the children said so, Count Munich jumped to the conclusion that our Jacob was in the wrong, and swept it under the rug. The newly appointed Professor, a commoner, even cast a spell on our son as punishment. How dare this commoner subject, Jacob, who carries the blood of the Duke of Eisen to this!”

“…….”

“Jacob wasn’t even released for a long time. No matter how much they wanted to restrain him, how could they do that to an innocent child?”

Duke Eisen angrily retorted.

It was true that Professor Munich hadn’t been present when the fight occurred, which left him unable to refute. Hanelope and Brantley were there, of course. But the Duke of Eisen had faith in Jacob and his vassal sons.

‘It will be easy when match their statements.’

Duke Eisen thought triumphantly to himself.

Hanelope, watching the scene with a grim expression, flushed deeply and suddenly cried out.

“Hngh.. You can’t let Brantley leave the Academy. People will misunderstand!”

“Misunderstand? What do you mean?”

The Emperor asked. He was startled seeing his bold grand-daughter suddenly cry.

Duke Eisen said disdainfully,

“There will be no misunderstanding. Everyone here knows that Brantley is intelligent, as Princess Hanelope has seen, and his manners and attitudes can be corrected with instruction at home, so who can misunderstand him?”

Hanelope sobbed and shook her head.

“No.. Jacob said Professor Munich wasn’t throwing this ‘filthy blood’ out!”

The adults, taken aback by Hanelope’s childlike directness, fell silent.

“Jacob said his father wants to make Professor Munich leave the academy..”

“…….”

“If Brantley leaves the Academy, they’ll all think Jacob was right!”

Hanelope squeezed the Emperor’s large hand in her chubby little one.

“If Bradley leaves the academy, people will think that Munich Professor was afraid of being expelled, so he got rid of Bradley instead, with his ‘dirty bloodline’ and all. People will criticize the academy. It’s a prestigious academy you cherish, Grandfather. If they hear bad things about it, won’t you be upset? I don’t want you to be sad.”

Hanelope’s words implied that if Bradntley left the academy, people would spread rumors that Munich Professor was driven out because he didn’t want to be associated with ‘filthy bloodlines’ and that Duke Eisen was manipulating the academy.

The fact that it was Duke Eisen who controlled the academy would become common knowledge.

As the implications of the child’s words sunk in, the mood sank further.

Professor Munich chuckled and glared at the Duke Eisen with a murderous gaze.

But even more terrifying was the Emperor looking at them expressionlessly.