How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

It was believed in general that divine power is granted by the Gods, and magic is developed by humans.

“I see you want to send Hanelope as an envoy as well.”

“If she doesn’t go, who will? As a member of the royal family and Hanelope’s father, you should be specially careful. The Temple will be eager to find fault with you.”

“His Majesty, you seem to be planning to give the High Priest a nightmare on the Millennial Blessing Day.”

“Of course. We must not fail!”

The Emperor smiled pleasantly at his son, who recognized his sentiment.

‘What plan did he come up with?’

In the original story, the Emperor was ill during this time. Due to the death of Duchess Moltke, he was mentally unstable. He couldn’t come up with a countermeasure.

The Blessing Day chapter was based on Ulrich’s frivolous rampage in front of Asta and facing humiliation.

“Are you sure you called me here just to tell me this? You could have told me this through a messenger.”

Dad looked at the Emperor with suspicious eyes.

“It’s always better to have a face-to-face conversation, regardless of the topic. Besides, this matter is not trivial.”

“But Your Majesty has never done this before.”

“I’ve been meaning to call you, but I was worried you might say no.”

“That’s odd. I’m sure you can ignore my refusal if you wish.”

“You really don’t know how much I understand you!”

The Emperor said directly.

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. But dad didn’t believe it.

“Then why did you call for me this time?”

“Because now you have Hanelope.”

“What?”

A gleam of bewilderment crossed Dad’s otherwise sharp face.

“I called you here because Hanelope might want to meet her old grandfather.”

Then the Emperor said, looking a little awkward.

“And, I suppose, to catch up with you.”

Dad’s face went completely white.

“You want to catch up with me?”

His voice was raised in panic, causing him to say things he wouldn’t normally say.

“Did you eat something wrong? Are you sick? This doesn’t sound normal…”

And so on.

The Emperor’s ears perked up.

“To get to know Hanelope, shouldn’t I get closer to you? From the beginning, you and I have been clos…!”

The Emperor, who had unintentionally shouted with sincerity, soon closed his mouth with an embarrassed face.

An air of awkwardness filled the banquet hall.

I almost missed the stifling nerves of battle.

The Emperor kept avoiding gaze and dad was pale with his mouth open in shock.

‘What can I do?’

I hesitated, then lightly poked the back of the Emperor’s large hand with my small finger. Seeing me giggle, the Emperor looked at me with a more relaxed expression.

With a relieved smile, he said, “Hanelope, wouldn’t it be nice if dad and grandfather got along too?”

“Hmm… More than that, I want you to be nice to dad.”

“What?”

The Emperor was immediately taken aback.

Dad’s face, on the other hand, softened.

“Look at you, already thinking only of your father. How can you be so different from my children!”

“Do you want me to act the same?”

At Dad’s words, the Emperor seemed to shudder at the mere thought.

“Still, I have to admit one thing. You’ve raised your child well.”

“It’s not me who raised her. It’s thanks to her mother raising her well, and Hanelope growing up nicely.”

“Then all you did was pass on the blood, I suppose. You were just as bright as Hanelope when you were younger.”

The Emperor said with a wistful look in his eyes as he reminisced.

Dad looked away, unsure of what to do.

“You’re blurting these things just to keep Hanelope around.”

“If I was determined to keep your daughter by my side, I could have done it at any time. But if I did that, the relationship between us might become irreparable. That’s why I didn’t do it.

Dad looked at the emperor again.

‘I guess my job is done.’

I quickly dug into my pudding and pretended to nibble.

The Emperor’s attention was fully on Dad as he spoke.

“I knew we couldn’t stay in a stalemate forever, even if it wasn’t for Hanelope.”

“What are you…”

“I just didn’t have the opportunity. But Hanelope, this child, created that opportunity for me.”

Dad stared at the Emperor in silence.

Then, hesitatingly, he asked, “Can you really trust me?”

The Emperor gazed at Dad in silence.

Dad spoke again. “You’ve always believed rumors about me. What do the people gossip or what does the world say- You scolded me and shunned me away. Can you trust me all of a sudden?”

“If I tell you that I trust you, will we be as close as we used to be? Or do I need to prove it to you?”

“I don’t need a proof, Your Majesty. All I want is for you to believe in me.”

Dad looked at the Emperor with cold eyes.

The Emperor stared at his son in silence.

“Is that all you want? How naive! Do you even remember how dear you were to me?”

The Emperor said, seemingly frustrated by his son’s misunderstanding.

He was baring his true feelings.

Finally, an actual conversation was taking place.

‘If the two of you have a little more courage, things will get better.’

My heart fluttered with anticipation.

 

***

 

The morning of the Blessing Day arrived.

A day to give thanks for the blessings bestowed upon humans by the God Prache.

A day to commemorate the blessing to keep humans from being harmed by the divinity.

In honor of this legend, the Great Temple was open for all, at least for today.

There, they sang songs and made offerings to the gods.

The authority of Saint Asta had greatly diminished. As a result, fewer people visited the Great Temple. But today was different.

“Wow, so many people!”

The entrance to the Great Temple was bursting with people. Like me, Brantley couldn’t keep his mouth shut in awe.

We were attending the commemorative event as royal envoys, along with the professors.

In addition to us, the Spigent twins and Jacob were also part of the group.

‘The temple is always crowded on the day of the blessing. On this day, food is given to the poor.’

I had gotten food from the temple on the Blessing Day myself. It happened when I was a kid living with my mum.

‘Back then, we lived in a small village on the outskirts of the capital and went to a nearby small temple.’

We had returned after receiving the food. I was so surprised to see something this grand.

Richter saw me peaking here and there and smiled sweetly.

“I heard that grandfather, nope His Majesty, has sponsored food for the people.”

Professor Munich nodded at my words.

‘Grandfather was the largest contributor. With this move, he easily removed the dissatisfaction that might arise in the public.’

Blessing Day was a national holiday until last year. But this year, the emperor downgraded it to a normal event.

This was to curb the influence of the temple.

Instead, he sent envoys and sponsored food to be distributed to the people to lessen the backlash.

Until this year, the emperor would also attend the ceremony with the Knights of the Guard.

‘It’s just on the surface.’

Sending envoys of mages and making massive donation was a way to showcase the imperial authority.

The mages sent by the palace would magically grow the corn sent and distribute it in front of the people. It was to show the effects of mana.

‘Divine power can also work like growth magic. But the temple is reluctant to use it for common people.’

In such a situation, if a mage shows similar power, the people will think they no longer have to rely on the power of the temple.

Then Katherine and Fritzka said together, “Why hasn’t His Majesty abolished the Blessing Day?”

“I heard that the priests steal most of the donations.”

Jacob, who had been following with a disgruntled look, snorted.

“Don’t be silly. Poor people are content to eat cheap food. Giving them expensive things won’t be of any use. It’s better for people who know how to use it to have it.”

Katherine and Fritzka’s eyes narrowed.

“I suppose your father also receives patronage from the priests as bribes?”

“Because Duke Eisen is a crony of the High Priest!”

“W-what do you mean! My father isn’t like that. Professor Munich, you have to scold them!”

“I have no desire to get into children’s squabbles.”

Professor Munich, ignoring them, walked ahead. Miss Richter followed him.

Brantley glanced at the cornered Jacob, then turned away.

He didn’t seem to take offense at the criticism of his biological father.

It was obvious for him to react this way. As Duke Eisen didn’t treat Brantley as his child.

“People love the Blessed Day.”

Brantley said to me suddenly.

When I looked at him with curiosity, he said shyly,

“I got food from the temple on Blessing Day last year. I know it’s cheap, but it was the best I’ve ever tasted.”

“…….”

“Poor people can only eat like that once a year, so they don’t want Blessing Day to go away, whether they believed in God or not.”

Brantley was right.

Blessing Day was a popular celebration among the people.

‘Can the Emperor really get rid of such a day?’

“Aack!”

The Spigent twins’ scream made me turn around.

I was as surprised as they were.