My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Father Hides His Strength
Chapter 12
‘Wow, these people….’
My nose suddenly stung.
‘They’re such good uncles.’
I gazed at Father standing before me, my chest warm and fuzzy.
Father seemed to have noticed something, for he was smiling.
“What on earth is wrong with these children? Do you really want to be scolded?”
While Aunt remained flustered.
Grandfather studied me with an odd expression for a moment, then picked up the utensils he’d set down earlier.
“Father, I’m sorry. I should have explained to the children—”
“It’s done.”
“Sir?”
“Let’s eat.”
Grandfather’s knife stroke became a signal, and my heart eased.
I speared a piece of meat that Theo had cut into bite-sized portions and slipped it into my mouth.
The moment it touched my tongue, the tender flesh melted away, sweet with sauce.
The taste of food—something I’d never truly experienced at that first uncomfortable meal—was….
‘Sublime!’
Truly sublime!
My cheeks trembled with pure joy!
“Heh heh.”
Father, now sitting across from me, rested his chin in his hand and watched my face with amusement.
I was chewing eagerly, nearly weeping with emotion, when my eyes met Grandfather’s.
“…Is it good?”
Is it good, you ask?
That’s hardly a question worth asking….
I nodded vigorously, swallowed the meat still in my mouth, and answered.
“Yes, Grandfather! It’s so, so delicious!”
Grandfather smiled—so faintly that no one else would have noticed—and spoke.
“…Yes, eat your fill.”
* * *
“Wow.”
My room was far grander and more luxurious than the Cottage where I’d lived before.
Yet it didn’t feel strange, because Father’s storybooks and my toys lay scattered throughout.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Father, who had decorated my room himself, looked pleased.
“Wow, the bed is so incredibly soft.”
I dashed straight to the bed and reveled in the cushioning, as if I were lying on clouds.
Father chuckled, pressed Tosun-yi—my beloved stuffed companion—into my arms, and crawled in beside me.
“Well then, shall we sleep?”
“Huh? We’re sleeping together?”
Father blinked, looking dazed at my confused question.
“What do you mean… you want to sleep alone?”
“Back at the old house, we only had one room, so we slept together. But here there are plenty of rooms, right? You have your own room, don’t you?”
“No, Princess….”
“What?”
“We didn’t sleep together just because there was only one room. I wanted to sleep with you, so we did. You sometimes have nightmares, and Father needs to be there for you. And when it rains and thunders loudly, you get frightened….”
“I know, I know. But I’m not a little child anymore—I’ve grown up. What will Grandfather say? That you’re still sleeping with a grown daughter?”
“Why do you keep worrying about Grandfather’s opinion? And you haven’t grown up yet. What do you mean you’ve grown? Not at all….”
Father murmured sadly.
He looked hurt, as if anguished by his daughter trying to leave his arms before he was ready.
I swallowed my sigh and nestled into Father’s embrace.
“Sigh, all right.”
“You want to sleep alone? Already?”
“No—of course sleeping with Father is what I want. I will. And I won’t worry about what Grandfather thinks.”
Father finally relaxed and pulled me close.
“You were confused at the Dining Hall earlier, weren’t you?”
“Yeah. There were so many spoons and forks—I didn’t know which one to use. I think I’ll need to study this place if I’m going to live here….”
Dad smiled and tapped the tip of my nose gently.
“That’s right. Our princess is always busy just playing. Starting tomorrow, Dad will teach you.”
“No, Dad. Now that I’m at your house, you’ll have plenty to do. If you call a tutor for me, I’ll study hard on my own.”
“…? But, Princess….”
I quickly patted Dad’s chest as he stood there with his mouth hanging open again.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’d love to do everything with you. But if I keep you busy looking after me, you’ll fall behind on your duties and get scolded by Grandfather… I don’t want that.”
…….
“Besides, I need to show everyone that I’m smart like Dad and can do anything. That way, people will praise you for raising me so well all on your own.”
Dad gazed into my eyes quietly, then smiled and pressed his forehead against mine.
“When did my daughter grow up so much?”
“I grew up ages ago.”
“You didn’t need to.”
“I don’t care. I’m going to grow even bigger~!”
Tch.
Dad pulled me into an embrace and patted my back, then let out a small exclamation.
“You know, Princess?”
“Yes?”
“That boy you met in the Alley earlier?”
“Oh, yes!”
Chesher….
“I’ll recognize him right away. I should be able to find him soon. When I do, let’s ask if he needs any help.”
“Mm-hmm, thank you. But you can take your time.”
I’d already been thinking about this anyway.
I’m sorry, but it will be hard for Dad to find Chesher anytime soon.
‘That earlier meeting was just a chance encounter, but there won’t be a second one. According to the original story, Dad and Chesher won’t meet again until two years from now.’
Right now, Chesher is being hidden and raised strictly by the Onyx Marquis Family because of the fact that he’s an illegitimate child.
Meanwhile, Dad has just returned after seven years and still doesn’t understand the current state of affairs.
He probably has no intention of reaching out to places like the Underground Guild that deals in finding people in the shadows.
‘Hmm. I’ll have to help with this myself, then.’
I burrowed deeper into Dad’s embrace, watching his eyes grow distant as he thought of Chesher.
“Let’s go to bed now, Dad. Don’t worry so much.”
Your daughter will take care of everything.
* * *
Was there some rule of this world that children had to act like children?
Right after waking up in the morning.
And when I was hungry with an empty stomach.
At those times, no matter how hard I tried to think, I couldn’t manage an adult’s thoughts.
So—
‘Oh no, this is a problem.’
Waking up hungry in the morning, no less.
Holding Dad’s hand with a drowsy, childish mind, I entered the Dining Hall feeling anxious.
“Lirith, come here, dear.”
“Hello there, little one.”
“Lirith! Did you sleep well?”
“Hello, Aunt! Good morning to you both, uncles!”
My Aunt and the Twin Uncles were one thing, but Grandfather gave me pause.
“H-hello, Grandfather….”
“Sit down, then.”
I swallowed nervously.
“Come now, our princess, let’s eat breakfast!”
Still, I felt better today with Dad right beside me.
I kept my eyes on the dishes Dad was preparing for me and focused on eating.
“Mm, why is Lirith so small and thin?”
At that moment.
Aunt looked at me with pitying eyes while she ate.
Grandfather clicked his tongue.
“That useless fool was hiding in the countryside with not a penny to his name—how would he have managed to give her proper meals? She’s lucky he didn’t starve her.”
“Mmm.”
Dad gave an awkward cough at Grandfather’s reproach.
‘No, that’s not it at all.’
I wanted to correct Grandfather’s misunderstanding.
“No, Grandfather….”
I spoke very carefully, gauging his reaction.
“Dad always made me delicious meals every single day….”
…….
“He b-bought flour and baked bread for me too.”
Carbohydrates….
“He cooked chicken dishes for me as well.”
Protein….
“And he grew carrots and pumpkins in the garden for us to eat….”
Vitamins….
“Oh! He’d buy milk from the market for me too…. I drank two bottles of milk every single day!”
Even calcium….
James Brown was a single father — a master of homemaking in every sense — utterly devoted to his daughter’s nutritious diet.
I opened my eyes wide to appeal to Grandfather about Dad’s efforts.
…….
Grandfather’s expression still showed his displeasure.
‘So, is it really about the meat?’
I closed my eyes tightly and mixed in a small lie.
“M-meat is kind of expensive, so…. But we did eat it once a week for sure….”
In truth, we had it three times a month.
Pff.
Dad was resting his chin on his hand and grinning at me.
Goodness, silly Dad. Grandfather’s obviously giving me a warning look, and yet there he is, grinning like that.
“…All right. You ate well. I understand.”
Grandfather relented, his face softening just a bit as he spoke.
I cheered silently in my heart.
In the end, Grandfather had acknowledged Dad’s hard work!
“Goodness, Lirith is such a well-behaved and capable child. Our boys weren’t like that at seven.”
My aunt, beaming warmly, glanced over at the Twin Uncles eating beside her and shook her head ruefully.
My shoulders lifted with quiet pride.
It felt good to be called more capable than the uncles who’d lived their whole lives as noble young masters.
“And such pretty manners too.”
“Yes! Dad always told me to greet adults politely.”
“Hehe, did he now?”
Aunt laughed.
Grandfather was looking at me too, his expression full of approval.
My chest puffed out a little.
“Do you remember when the Twins were Lirith’s age, Father? Always crying and throwing tantrums.”
“I don’t cry, Aunt! I don’t cry, and I listen to Dad well. I don’t throw tantrums either.”
“Impressive indeed.”
Grandfather praised me.
My chest swelled further. I could feel my breath coming proudly through my nose.
“And such terrible pickiness. Just look at them.”
Aunt pointed to the Twins’ plate.
On the nearly empty plate sat only beans, carrots, and broccoli.
“I can eat anything! Beans and broccoli and everyth—”
I started to speak, then glanced down sheepishly at my own plate.
Two enormous pieces of broccoli lay there, taking up most of the space.
“My, you eat your vegetables well too?”
The boasting I’d begun with such confidence had snowballed like an avalanche, trapping me in an outright lie.
I couldn’t disappoint Aunt and Grandfather, who were so impressed with me.
I nodded in the end.
“Yes, yes!”
Peeking sideways out of the corner of my eye, I caught Dad grinning wickedly.
I stabbed a piece of broccoli with my fork.
‘Ugh. This is too much.’
The broccoli on a noble’s table was different somehow.
It was enormous and densely packed.
“Oh my, what a good girl our Lirith is, never picky. You eat your broccoli well, then, don’t you?”
“…….”
Cold sweat beaded on my skin.
My hand trembled around the fork as I wrestled with the problem.
Then inspiration struck.
“A-and whenever there’s something delicious, I always share it with Papa!”
I thrust the fork laden with broccoli toward Papa’s mouth.
“Ah, Papa? Ahhh!”
Papa let out an amused chuckle, as if to say I was being ridiculous.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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