My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 200

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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 200
“Oh, sorry about that. I just can’t help myself from laughing.”
……
Despite his words, Oscar showed no intention of suppressing his laughter.
His twisted lips, which he pretended to hold back, only made him look more insufferable.
……
Cheshire seemed to see right through every thought running through his head.
Embarrassed, Cheshire quickly lowered his gaze.
“I’ll be going.”
“Wait, wait.”
Oscar caught Cheshire as he tried to leave, grinning wickedly.
‘If he can’t control his expressions like this, I really should tease him more.’
Watching the usually expressionless man grow flustered struck him as both funny and oddly endearing.
So Oscar became mischievous.
“I really do appreciate you always looking after our girl?”
……
“I said, I appreciate it.”
Cheshire stared at Oscar for a moment, then averted his eyes before answering.
“…Yes.”
He turned and climbed into the carriage.
“Teacher, goodbye!”
“Take care.”
Lilis called out again through the open window.
Oscar waved back warmly, making a show of it for Cheshire’s benefit.
Pfu-hahahaha!
Once the carriage departed, Oscar doubled over with laughter, clutching his belly.
“Ah, hell.”
He wiped away the tears that had spilled from his eyes, grinning wickedly.
“Now that’s what I call happiness!”
* * *
The common district.
The carriage pulled up to Seraph Street.
〈Lilis’s Strays〉
“Ugh, seriously. I asked them to change the guild name!”
As soon as we arrived at Gem’s mercenary guild, I saw the embarrassing sign.
“Take my hand.”
Cheshire extended his hand as if to escort me down.
“…?”
I took it and descended, but Cheshire didn’t seem inclined to let go. He continued toward the guild building with our hands still joined.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived!”
“Welcome!”
“We’re honored to serve you!”
The mercenaries waiting at the entrance, apparently forewarned, bowed ninety degrees in perfect unison.
‘Oh my, how scary.’
I shrank back at the sight.
With their broad, bulging shoulders on display, it felt exactly like visiting a yakuza headquarters and being greeted with “Boss!”…
“Right.”
Accustomed to such treatment, Cheshire gave a casual wave of his hand.
‘Of course he’s used to this. Cheshire and Gem have been working together for ages now.’
They’d gone on joint expeditions dozens of times.
Everyone knew of the friendship between Cheshire and Gem—a bond that transcended rank and station.
“The boss is waiting for you. We’ll show you right in.”
“Understood.”
Is he really the boss?
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. Walking along while holding Cheshire’s hand, I felt exactly like I’d become the girlfriend of some crime syndicate leader.
“Oh, you made it?”
“Yeah.”
As we entered the room we’d been shown to, Gem grinned and extended his closed fist toward us.
Cheshire, moving naturally, lightly tapped his fist against Gem’s, then they both bumped shoulders with a sharp clap, exchanging their own intimate greeting.
‘What kind of manly greeting is this?’
Jem had the kind of build that outmatched most men. Add to that the short red hair she always kept cropped close, and the overall effect was undeniably masculine.
So it really did look like two men exchanging a hearty greeting.
“Come, Your Highness. Let me show you to your seat.”
“Ah, ‘Your Highness’ nothing—”
Jem kissed both my cheeks and gestured for me to sit.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Rom?!”
I started to take my seat, then froze when I recognized the guest who was already there.
“Rom. It’s been a while.”
Me, Cheshire, Jem, and Rom—all together!
“Since you said you were coming, I invited Rom too. How long has it been since all of us gathered like this?”
The Avengers—we’d all graduated from the Training Institute in a single Monthly Evaluation, a feat no one else had matched—were reunited under one roof.
We’d bumped into each other here and there over the years, but a full gathering like this? It had been far too long. I felt giddy.
“It’s wonderful to see you. Rom, you’ve changed so much since the last time.”
“Have I?”
Rom laughed shyly.
His pale face was unchanged, though the gaunt frame had finally filled out a bit. But more than that—
“You’ve got real presence now, don’t you? And I hear you’re making more money than me these days?”
Jem plopped down beside Rom and chuckled at her own teasing.
“Really? Rom, is your clinic doing that well?”
Rom had majored in Healing and studied Herbalism to boot; his clinic on Seraph Street had become quite renowned.
“Ah, well, you know—can’t complain.”
Rom smiled bashfully, then suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, that’s right!” and pulled a bundle of letter envelopes from his pocket.
“The patients at our clinic wanted me to pass these along to you, Jem.”
“Ugh, come on!”
Jem snatched the letters and hurled them over the back of the sofa in disgust.
I was taken aback. The beautifully decorated envelopes, just glancing at them, were unmistakably—
“Why are you throwing them away? Those look like love letters.”
“They are love letters.”
Rom covered his mouth and laughed, his shoulders shaking.
“Wow, Jem. You’re incredibly popular.”
“So what if I am?”
Jem grabbed her head in frustration.
“They’re all women—”
“All what?”
Jem shot Rom a sharp look.
“I told you to tell them I’m a woman! You’re not supposed to bring me letters like this!”
“I do tell them. Seven out of every ten leave shocked that you’re actually a woman. But those ladies don’t care either way.”
Rom gestured at the discarded letters as he continued.
“They said to pass them along regardless of whether you’re a woman.”
“Ahhh!”
Jem let out a wail of despair.
“I mean, our guild is huge now—shouldn’t word have spread by now that I’m a woman? Shouldn’t everyone know by now?”
I stifled a laugh and studied Jem’s features closely.
Her face was sharp rather than broad, true enough, but—
‘She looks like a beautiful boy.’
With a height and build that surpassed most men, and a voice that was equally deep, it was genuinely difficult to clock her as a woman at first glance.
“She’s incredibly popular. She’s received over a hundred love letters.”
Rom grinned teasingly.
“The tragic part is she’s never gotten a confession from any men.”
“Are you asking for a death wish?”
Jem ground her teeth.
“…You’re certainly popular.”
Cheshire, who’d been listening quietly all along, suddenly murmured something, his expression darkening.
“What does popularity matter anyway? Right, forget it. So what brings you here? Got a job lined up?”
When Jem asked, Cheshire exhaled a long, tense breath.
“I need a favor, Jem.”
“What kind of favor?”
“An unfair one, maybe. You might not like it.”
“Why build it up like that? Is it something that’s difficult for me to agree to?”
“It’s not that exactly, but it’ll be unpleasant.”
“Unpleasant how? What are you talking about?”
“The thing is, it’s a really urgent matter for me right now….”
Cheshire’s hands trembled as he fidgeted with them, his gaze dropping away.
“If you don’t mind, I really hope you’ll say yes.”
We were taken aback.
We’d never seen Cheshire like this before.
‘My heart aches for him!’
He had that look that made you want to grant any request.
Gem stared at him blankly for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
“Cheshire.”
“Yeah?”
“What are we to each other? We’ve been inseparable since the Training Institute days. If it’s not even a difficult favor, why are you struggling so hard to ask?”
Gem added with a flourish.
“I won’t refuse anything. For my friend—if it’s something I can do, I’ll do it without question. I swear it by Lilis’s Strays, this mercenary guild I built.”
Ugh. Everything’s fine except for that guild name.
Anyway, it was a touching moment.
My eyes stung.
Even in the original story, their friendship had shone so brightly.
‘I don’t even need to convince him!’
Cheshire’s shoulders relaxed, and he smiled softly.
“Go ahead. Tell me!”
“Alright, Gem.”
Cheshire looked him square in the eye and spoke.
“Will you go out with me?”
……
……?
……?!
Silence fell over all of us.
After a moment, Gem’s eyes began to blink slowly as he processed Cheshire’s words, and Rom’s jaw dropped.
“Ch-ch-ch-cheshire?”
Of course, I was the most shocked of everyone.
I had to clarify.
“Wait—go out with you, as in… that kind of thing? The way we’re thinking of it?”
“Yes.”
Cheshire nodded.
‘There was a romance in the original story?’
I was bewildered.
‘They were close, sure….’
I vaguely remembered scenes of them roasting wild boar hind legs together on the battlefield and sharing the meat.
‘But… no matter how you slice it….’
“I’m living for you.”
“As long as you stay safe, business and all that don’t matter to me.”
‘And he said that to me just yesterday…?’
Was he really speaking so plainly—just that he wished for my survival?
Had I misunderstood again, all on my own?
I was reeling.
“W-wow.”
Rom, the only one still holding it together, nudged Gem’s shoulder.
“C-congrats. You finally got confessed to by a guy.”
“Wait!”
Gem shot to his feet.
“Hey, Cheshire. I’m sorry, but I already like someone.”
“Sir Alfredo Burvin of the Septima Holy Sword Order?”
“……?!”
Gem’s face went scarlet at the name that tumbled out of Cheshire’s mouth the instant he said it.
“How did you know that?!”
“It was obvious. But Gem, listen to me. I can explain. The truth is….”
“I’m sorry, Cheshire.”
Gem cut off Cheshire’s words with a single blow.
“I said I wouldn’t refuse, and then I changed my mind after just a minute. I’m really sorry.”
“…….”
“But I’m going to refuse. I don’t like it.”
And she shut him down!
Coldly. Decisively.
Rom and I stood frozen, our mouths hanging open, watching Cheshire and Gem face off in stunned silence.
‘What on earth is happening….’
Gem’s eyes had gone wide as saucers, shock written all over his face.
And yet.
Though he’d been rejected outright, Cheshire seemed utterly unmoved.
“You’re not my type.”
“Ah. Right.”

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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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