My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 144

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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 144
* * *
Early morning at the Libre Duke’s Residence.
“Haaaaaah.”
Axion shuffled into the bathroom with a languid yawn, his eyes half-closed.
Cheshire, already inside, turned from the mirror and greeted him.
“Good morning, Father. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes.”
The father and son shared the bathroom without much hesitation.
Axion went about his business at the urinal, shaking off the last of his drowsiness with practiced ease.
‘…? What’s he doing?’
His gaze caught Cheshire standing before the mirror, hesitating as if uncertain.
The boy had pressed his face close to the glass, a small razor gripped in his hand.
‘Ah.’
Axion chuckled.
“Already getting facial hair?”
After tidying his clothes and washing his hands, Axion took the small razor from Cheshire’s grip.
“Don’t be shy, boy. Watch me. I’ll show you how.”
Standing face to face with Cheshire, Axion felt something stir unexpectedly in his chest.
Sharp eyes and deepened gaze.
Somewhere along the way, Cheshire had grown to his own eye level, and the boy’s features had sharpened and hardened into something more defined.
“You’re handsome, aren’t you?”
The only flaw in his otherwise flawless face was the absence of expression.
‘And yet that’s become his charm.’
That impassive countenance had transformed into something coldly magnetic.
Axion caught himself, startled by his own thoughts.
He’d just sounded oddly sentimental.
Hadn’t he just gotten into a heated argument with some neighbor’s son not long ago, bickering about whose daughter was prettiest or whose son was most handsome?
He’d been terrified that he’d caught Enoch’s idiocy, and now this?
“Hmm.”
Axion cleared his throat awkwardly and worked the razor along Cheshire’s jaw as he asked, “So, you’re not interested in romance?”
“…….”
A trademark of his son.
He didn’t dignify nonsense with a response.
Axion laughed at the consistency of it.
“Come on, say something. You’re at an age where you should be thinking about getting a partner, aren’t you? Back when I received my knighthood, some of the men already had children.”
Cheshire’s handsome face certainly caught the eye of more than just Axion.
His social circle was strictly limited to three places—home, the Training Ground, and the battlefield—with no social activities in between, and yet somehow word spread.
Dozens of timid letters from young ladies arrived at the house every day.
Of course, none of them were ever read.
“The steward says thanks to you, he won’t need to worry about fuel for the hearth come winter.”
In winter, they went to the fireplace; any other time, they went to the trash.
“Hmm, I suppose I was being insensitive.”
Axion suppressed a smile as he continued, “Though, I remember—you fled Enoch pretty quickly back then, worried you might end up siblings.”
“……?”
“Give it a little time. If you’d rather wait than rush into another relationship, I won’t push you.”
Cheshire flinched as Axion’s meaning sank in.
“…It’s not like that.”
“Easy, don’t move. You’ll cut yourself.”
Once Axion finished grooming him—
“Our Sword Master Order Commander.”
—he gripped Cheshire’s shoulder and grinned wickedly as he spoke.
“I sincerely congratulate you on becoming a knight today.”
Cheshire offered a small laugh in return.
“Thank you, Father.”
* * *

The Visitor Hall of the National Gallery in Jedo.
The venue for the Young Lady Salon, a social gathering where those ranked from Octaba to Diez convened.
Prettily dressed girls sat in small clusters around elegant round tables.
“Hello?”
“Yes, hello!”
A cute-looking girl with short brown hair sat down beside me, holding a sketchpad and pen.
The nameplate on the girl’s wrist read “Lara”.
It was an alias.
Everyone used aliases at the Anonymous System salon.
“James? That’s a man’s name, isn’t it?”
Lara tilted her head as she looked at my nameplate.
“Yes, it’s an alias. I chose the name of someone I love most.”
“Oh, I see. Your father?”
Sharp, aren’t you?
I simply smiled.
“I’m fourteen, and my name is Lara. You said you were eleven, right? I’ve been watching you this whole time. Since earlier.”
“Me?”
“Yes, because I wanted to be friends with you. Because you’re so pretty. You know how people say you look like a doll? When I first saw you, I was like — wow, is this a person or a doll? — I was so confused. But then you spoke, and I thought, oh, of course you’re a person!”
“……?”
I was dumbfounded by Lara’s torrent of words.
‘…What is this? Such dazzlingly excessive flattery?’
“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my life. Really, truly, truly, I was so shocked.”
Lara kept exclaiming with apparent sincerity, scrutinizing my face.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to the shameless flattery of my household’s supreme lord of fawning, James Brown….
‘How awkward.’
Compliments from anyone other than Father rarely failed to make me feel uncomfortable.
“No, it’s not. You’re far prettier than I am.”
“How did I not know about someone this beautiful? I know the faces of almost everyone who lives in Jedo.”
Lara brushed aside my compliment and asked instead.
“So then… you must be Diez, right?”
Careful. Danger.
I raised my index finger to my lips.
“We can’t talk about rank here.”
“Oh, right.”
Lara laughed sheepishly and immediately began swinging her legs.
“Isn’t it a bit boring? Honestly, I came expecting hardly anyone to show up.”
“Why? Because no one came?”
More than fifty ladies had been invited, yet only twenty-four were attending the salon today.
And more than half of them were surely Diez.
‘Even among the lower ranks… they probably don’t want to sit with those ranked even lower.’
There was nothing to be done about it.
Change always took time.
“Well, it’s still the first day. Once the salon becomes more popular, more people will come.”
“Do you think so? Will the Rubinstein lady ever show her face here?”
At Lara’s words, I stiffened slightly.
“You know, the Rubinstein lady is also Octaba. That’s why I actually came today — to see if I could catch a glimpse of her.”
“I… I see….”
So much for the spirit of the anonymous gathering — she was trying to find me anyway.
‘I’m grateful I hid my power.’
My silver hair and blue eyes were too conspicuous, and the rumors about them had spread far enough.
So today, I had come disguised like James Brown himself — with brown hair and brown eyes.
My hair was grown down to my waist in soft waves, held back with a neat headband.
It was a style that nine out of ten girls my age wore, so I could blend in.
“Do you enjoy drawing, James?”
“Yes, I do.”
Lara asked as she watched me absently twirling my pen.
The social gathering was nothing special.
Young ladies sketching according to their whims, or reading books.
All while conversing and growing closer to one another.
“Show me your drawing too, Lara!”
“Is that so?”
I nearly burst out laughing when I saw the sketch Lara had drawn.
A poor likeness? No.
‘I know exactly who that is.’
Lara’s skill was quite impressive.
Gleaming crimson eyes, a sharp nose, a firm set to the mouth.
A handsome face rendered with clean, confident lines.
“It’s the young lord of Libre, isn’t it?”
One hundred percent. Cheshire.
“Oh my! How did you know?”
“Because Miss Lara is so skilled at drawing. And well, the young lord of Libre is incredibly popular, after all.”
Yes, his popularity was nothing short of extraordinary.
Top-tier Rank, Dos.
The sole heir to the Libre ducal house.
A boy soldier with an unprecedented record of achievement.
Cheshire had taken part in every Magical Beast Subjugation without fail, accumulating dozens upon dozens of commendations.
So contrary to convention, he received his formal knighting at fifteen, and….
‘And he’s becoming Commander of the Sword Master Order!’
He was set to surpass even Leon, the Sword Master knight being knighted alongside him, and receive the Commander’s Badge.
Four years ago, after the Seongsu Incident wiped out all the Sword Masters, the commander’s post had remained vacant until today.
‘The protagonist’s stats really are something else, aren’t they? Who on earth becomes a military commander at fifteen?’
My father didn’t achieve the commander rank until he was sixteen.
“Have you ever seen the young lord of Libre’s face, Miss James?”
“Oh yes, well. By chance, as it happened.”
“Isn’t he terribly handsome? I’ve never seen anyone quite like him before….”
Of course, much of Cheshire’s popularity—the lion’s share of it—stemmed from his appearance.
Cheshire grew more handsome with each passing day.
Really, genuinely more handsome.
Even seeing him often, he felt new every single time.
‘I wish he’d just slow down his growth a little….’
He’d grown far too tall. Which was why I’d been feeling somewhat frustrated lately.
My current height is 145 centimeters.
I’d grown at a proper pace too, diligently using my Ability to match my age.
And yet compared to Cheshire, I couldn’t measure up—now when we stood together, the difference in our statures was exactly like a father and daughter.
The other day during a walk, when my feet hurt and I asked him to carry me, I came home and looked in the mirror at us just like that.
“W-wait, what is this! Do other people see us like this?”
“…What?”
The sight of me cradled in his arms felt precisely like being held by Father, and something strange stirred in my chest.
‘God.’
It wasn’t fair to him, but today too, I prayed silently.
‘Please, just stop letting Cheshire grow any taller.’
* * *
“Hey, did you measure? Did you check?”
“…Yeah. 182.”
“Ah, damn it!”
Leon clenched his fist in frustration.
Cheshire had grown another centimeter in the month since last time.
At this rate, he’d pierce the very heavens.
“Sir Leon Antrese, since it is your turn, please enter the Grand Hall.”
It was then that the Imperial Household knight, who had been giving a meaningful look to the noisy Leon, spoke correctly.
The last two awaiting their knighting had finally come.
“Well, I’ll go first, then.”
“Right.”
The heavy door to the Grand Hall swung open.
Cheshire deliberately steadied his breath without letting his eyes drift inward.
The door closed again, and left alone, he closed his eyes tightly.
‘My hands are trembling.’
At becoming a formal knight?
At receiving the knighting?
No.
“Lord Cheshire Libre, please enter the Grand Hall.”
After a few moments of waiting, Cheshire stood before the open door.
The magnificent Grand Hall gleamed with dazzling brilliance, resplendent with gold and jewels.
At the end of the crimson carpet stood him.
The Emperor, Nicholas von Pavillion.
‘At last.’
Cheshire began to walk slowly.
Through the solemn atmosphere.
‘We meet.’
The moment that seemed to stretch into eternity finally brought him before the Emperor.
The Emperor was beautiful.
Even past fifty, he appeared young and noble.
Beneath a face unmarred by a single wrinkle, he concealed an ugliness that festered below.
“……?”
One of the Emperor’s eyebrows rose as he prepared to unfold the Knighting Order.
It was strange—a knight who did not immediately prostrate himself, but instead gazed directly at him.
A first meeting.
Cheshire felt his heart hammer against his ribs.
In this moment, blood boils within him.
His entire body trembles with purpose.
Since the day he first gripped a sword, his goal had been singular.
To kill the Emperor—this great being before his eyes.
To sever those filthy hands that reach out to break her wings.
To shatter those two legs that chase after her skirts.
And finally, to cut off his breath.
“Your servant, Cheshire Libre, has—”
Cheshire suppressed the turmoil churning within his chest and knelt before the Emperor.
For my angel,
A demon that must be destroyed.
“…I have come to become the sword of the great Primera.”
Not the demon’s blade, but the angel’s.

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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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