How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad

‘When I first saw her, she used to be extremely shy, but Professor Richter has become more confident now.’

Children are meant to be troublemakers.

Fritzka raised his hand and asked a question, “I want to know about the higher levels.”

The other kids were stunned. Richter also doubted Fritzka’s words.

“Well, reaching the 9th or 10th circle is almost like stories from legends. Trying to learn about the levels of transcendents like dragons at once, will be too much for you. Let’s work on our basics and slowly move upward.”

“But I heard that when you reach the highest level, you can even use the powers of a God?”

Professor Richter’s eyes narrowed as if to ask how I knew that.

“That’s just a guess. How can a human use divinity without God’s will?”, Richter said.

Holy power is sacred power granted to humans by the gods. Divinity, on the other hand, is the power of the Gods themselves.

But after Asta’s humiliation on Blessing Day, even the existence of holy power was under suspicion.

“Let’s get started.”

I was focusing on the lesson, suddenly the back door of the lecture hall opened and a member of the Academy’s staff slipped in.

‘What happened?’

He came to me and whispered with a serious face, “His Highness Prince Hart, has come to get you My Lady.”

‘Now? But I’m still in the middle of a lecture.’

We left in such a hurry that I couldn’t ask about the reason.

“Is Dad here?”

“Yes. His Highness is waiting for you.”

“I’m going to finish the lecture and go home. Dad comes to take me home everyday.”

“His Highness asked to bring My Lady right now.”

“What?”

The employee fell silent with a heavy face. I couldn’t ask more.

‘What’s going on?’

I thought of asking as soon as I meet him.

Seeing me, Dad stood up and hurriedly left the room, “Let’s go.”

“Okay..?”

“Safe travels.”

Professor Munich, who was with us, said with a sombre look on his face.

He was having a serious talk with Dad before I arrived. Just what was happening?

Dad spoke softly, “We’ve received intelligence that forces opposed to the imperial family are going to attack the palace. You’re young and in particular danger, so His Majesty has ordered you to stay in the mansion for the time being.”

He swept me up in a quick hug and quickly climbed into the carriage. The carriage sped off.

‘Why is Dad so anxious? How dangerous are these people?’

But I thought to myself that I should maintain caution.

Suddenly, I noticed that the carriage windows were tightly closed. They were generally kept open. I wanted to open the window, but Dad grabbed my hand.

“?”

I was about to ask why wasn’t he letting me open the window, but suddenly the outside of the carriage became noisy.

It was too loud, even considering we were on the main street. Dad quickly wrapped his big hands around my ears. Their screams were muffled.

“The witch… kill… children…!”

“We must make… pay.. for her sins…!”

The words sounded terrifying. I looked up at Dad with anxiety.

“What’s going on outside?”

“It looks like people are fighting, but it’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Dad said with a gentle smile, but something in that smile seemed broken.

After that day, I stayed inside the house. Our house was indeed spacious, but it still felt stifling.

‘I wish I could go to the academy.’

Dad soon realised I was feeling cooped up.

One day, he called me to a corner of the garden. There was a pile of dirt.

“I told you that I would teach you how to build stairs with magic.”

When Dad rescued me from the Great Temple, he made a wonderful soil staircase.

I could barely make a hill.

“When you chant a magic formula, you have to imagine the outcome. Everyone emphasises academic ability when it comes to implementing magic, but you need to have a feaseable imagination to take it further.”

As he explained each step, he built up a staircase made of the soil.

Mana flowed from his fingertips, moulding the clay like the hands of a master craftsman.

I couldn’t keep my mouth closed in awe.

“Did you build the pretty stairs in our house, too?” I asked.

“I don’t think so,” Dad laughed.

“A good wizard must have both academic and artistic abilities, and you seem to have a lot of imagination.”

I wasn’t sure if he was being serious or joking, so I just laughed.

Besides the stairs, my dad and I built other things like sculptures and models. We played with the soil and got both of us covered in dirt.

As I laughed seeing the dirt on his cheeks, “Do you think it’s fun seeing dad covered in dirt?”

“Yes! It is.”

“Then let’s get covered in dirt anytime.”

“Hahaha!”

I can’t believe he’s willing to get dirty despite his noble demeanor!

I jumped with joy.

“In the future, when I have time, I will teach you magic. So that you can defend yourself.”

“I can protect myself now!”

“Not yet.”

Dad pressed his index finger to my nose.

“Until you’re older. I want to protect you. Just like now.”

Dad said meaningfully.

He got down on one knee, making eye contact, “So answer my questions.”

“What do you want to ask?”

“The pendant you’re wearing, who gave it to you?”

“Oh, this..”

“Give it to me, and I’ll return it back. I think it’s a dangerous object,” Dad said firmly.

I was puzzled. Because I didn’t expect him to be so serious about a simple pendant with a tracking spell. It wasn’t unusual to have enchanted objects, when learning magic at the academy.

‘But why are you so sensitive about the pendant?’

I was stunned by the unexpected response.

“This was my gift to My Lady.”

Professor Richter’s voice came out of nowhere.

I looked around, wondering if I was hallucinating, but it was Richter walking towards us.

“Miss Richter!”

“You have come.”

Unlike me, who was startled, Dad sounded like he’d been waiting.

“I thought you wanted to go to the Academy, so I called Professor Richter instead.”

“Dad did?”

“You like Professor Richter, and when I asked, she was happy to come.”

“Really?”

Touched, I looked alternately at Dad and Richter, my eyes sparkling.

Dad looked at me tenderly. But he quickly returned to his cold expression and turned to Richter.

“Did the Professor really give Hanelope the pendant?”

“Yes.”

“But from my knowledge, Asta went to an illegal auction house in Tarov to get this pendant.”

“It must be a different one.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because I made it myself as a gift for Princess Hanelope.”

Richter said nonchalantly. But dad couldn’t get rid of his doubts.

“The professor made it herself?”

“Yes. I don’t know what kind of pendant you saw at the auction house, but the one I made is a very common design. Anyone could make one, I just put a tracking spell on it.”

“I see, I might have misunderstood.”

Dad breathed a sigh of relief.

Richter looked at him with confusion, “By the way, Your Highness, your face is…”

“Oh, this…!”

Dad hastily brushed the clay off his face. But it was impossible to completely remove the dirt from his clothes.

“Your Highness, are you…”

“Then have fun.”

He bade me goodbye and scurried away.

‘I guess he’s embarrassed in front of others.’

I giggled as I watched him walk away.

“My Lady didn’t tell His Highness about the pendant?”

Richter asked worriedly.

She was the only one who knew about my connection to the pendant.

“No, Professor. Not yet..”

“The pendant saved your life, so I trusted you and hid the truth. But lying is not my strong suit.”

“Dad will be worried.”

“Princess, His Highness the Prince is strong. He’s not a plant in a greenhouse, he’s a weed in the wind. Of course, no weed looks as noble as he does, no matter what dirt he’s covered in…”

Richter, who had been admiring himself, came to her senses.

“What I meant is His Highness can handle the truth. I think it’s a good idea to come clean, but of course the choice is yours”, Professor Richter advised sincerely.

I hesitated, then nodded.

But after that day, Dad became so busy that I rarely saw him. I couldn’t meet Miss Richter anymore because the situation was so serious.

“But is it really that bad out there?

The hired help seemed business as usual, only shying away from me.

‘Something’s not right,’ I thought as I stood in the dirt of the greenhouse.

I was so bored that I turned the whole greenhouse upside down.

“Oh, dear! You’ve made a complete mess.”

The man in charge of the greenhouse laughed as I stood there with dirt on my cheeks.

When he saw me sulking, he decided to make jokes.

“Uncle, I’m bored. I want to go outside, please take me out.”

“I c-can’t. I’ll get in trouble, Miss!”