My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 21

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

Father hides his strength
Chapter 21
“Hm? What did you say, Lilith?”
Watching Theo tilt his head in confusion, my heart raced with excitement.
The Saint’s Heart—something that Chesire wouldn’t discover until years after Theo’s death in the original story.
As a devoted reader, I naturally knew the absurd truth behind it.
‘It’s not just about healing! Every time I had a seizure it hurt so much, and now I won’t have to suffer through that anymore!’
Giddy with anticipation, I bounced on my feet like I was jogging in place.
“Oh, oh, brother, brother!”
“Yes, yes!”
“Me, me, me!”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“Buy me something pretty!”
Theo, who’d been staring at me intently, burst into laughter.
“Of course, I’ll buy you anything you want!”
* * *
A Rabbit Doll, a Princess Mirror, a Jeweled Ring….
Moving from shop to shop without suspicion to obtain “it,” I pointed to our next destination.
“Let’s check here too!”
A former Mage Swordmaster—
—or rather, a general store run by someone who used to be a Mage Swordmaster’s attendant.
The sign advertising medicines didn’t look particularly trustworthy.
‘Still, it’s the biggest general store in the area, so they should have it.’
It had to be here.
The Saint’s Heart.
“Glory to great Primela!”
The shopkeeper, a man with a shabby mustache and the look of someone who’d fleece customers without hesitation, greeted us warmly.
“You seem to be people of distinction—what brings you to a place like this?”
“Hm.”
“Ah.”
The twins exchanged uncertain looks as they entered.
The store was lined with practice wooden swords and poor-quality low-grade blades meant for mercenaries, with monster-hunting armor, cloaks, and boots haphazardly displayed everywhere.
‘There it is.’
I quickly scanned the display cases and gasped.
“Wow! This is so pretty! I want this one!”
Everyone’s eyes followed my finger, then widened in alarm.
“Oooh! The purple just kind of shimmers—it’s so fascinating. It looks just like a star twinkling in the night sky….”
I pressed my cheek against the transparent glass display case like a steamed bun and marveled at it.
These dark purple spheres that looked like they’d leave grime on your skin the moment you touched them.
What these were—
“Ah, little miss? Well….”
Even the shopkeeper, who’d been planning to overcharge some wealthy noble children, shook his head.
“Those are Beast Cores. They’re extracted from the corpses of defeated monsters. They’re most inappropriate as playthings for young noblewomen….”
“Buy me those!”
“Absolutely not.”
Leon pulled my arm back firmly.
“Why not?”
“It’s dangerous.”
“How?”
“Beast Cores continuously leak Mana. If you keep them on you, you become addicted. Only Ability Users with enough control carry them around.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The shopkeeper chimed in and tapped the glass display case two or three times with his finger.
“This isn’t ordinary glass either—it’s a special material called Block Glass that partially blocks Mana.”
“It’s fine. I’m an Ability User too, you know.”
“What are you talking about? You haven’t even been to a Training Institute yet, kid.”
“Come on, it really is fine.”
“No means no. Don’t whine about it.”
Leon spoke with unusual firmness.
Faced with his uncharacteristically stern tone, I rolled my eyes quietly and thought hard.
‘He said the attack would come in five days. If not now, I won’t have time to get this separately without suspicion. I know how to stop the pain—I don’t want to make him endure it.’
I finished thinking, then puffed out my cheeks in a sulk and crossed my arms.
Being a child had its advantages, after all….
I had the privilege of throwing myself flat on the ground and whining, “Mom, buy me this!” without reason.
“If you don’t buy me this, I’m not going anywhere.”
“There are prettier things all over the place!”
“This one is the prettiest.”
“Where? What’s wrong with your taste, you little squirt?”
“What? You’re only now finding out? I like hairy tarantulas, I’m telling you!”
“Ugh…!”
Leon’s words died in his throat.
“Absolutely not! I can’t buy you anything dangerous!”
“Yes, you can!”
“No, you can’t!”
“Lilith said so! If you don’t buy me this, I’m not moving an inch from this spot!”
“Fine, go ahead! You think I can’t carry a tiny little thing like you?”
“Nooo?! Don’t, don’t do it! Brother, don’t do it, please!”
“…Wait.”
Just as Leon reached down to hoist me up.
Theo, who had been pondering seriously while watching me throw my tantrum, approached the display case.
“Could you perhaps make it into a pendant by encasing it in Block Glass—the smallest size?”
“Ah! That’s an idea? Well, if you do that, there would be no problem with the young lady carrying it, but…”
The shopkeeper grinned.
“This Block Glass is incredibly expensive per unit. Are you sure about that?”
* * *
[Purchases: 1 Lower Beast Core, 6 sheets of Block Glass.
+Cutting and setting fee
Total: 56,000,000 Terr]
“You’re officially in debt to mom now.”
“Don’t use such crude language, Leon.”
Theo’s face had gone pale as he looked at the invoice sent to House of Antrace.
A single charge of roughly fifty-six million won—that’s what we’re talking about here.
But for a life, it was cheap. Soon enough, everyone would understand that.
“Brother.”
“Yes?”
I fastened the Beast Core—cut and set into a pendant inside a small glass box—around my neck and took Theo’s hand.
“Thank you… It’s so pretty….”
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah. You’re the best, brother. When I get my allowance, I’ll buy you a gift. Is there anything you want?”
“Hmm.”
Theo pondered for a moment, then smiled and tapped his own cheek lightly.
“Then give your brother a kiss.”
“Okay, great!”
I tilted my head down slightly and planted a kiss on Theo’s cheek.
“Hehe.”
“Hihi.”
We were creating a warm atmosphere when Leon grumbled from behind us.
“You two are just goofing around.”
“You come here too. Brother will do it for you.”
“…Really?”
“Nope! Just kidding!”
“What? Hey!”
“Nyahahaha! Now let’s go get something delicious to eat!”
I flapped my short arms and rushed toward today’s final destination.
’13, 3, 3….’
Lumen Street 13 in Valentine District, where commoners mostly lived.
The third building on the right when you turn from the third alley of this street lined with restaurants.
The place the protagonist Enoch Rubinstein had found while memorizing as “13, 3, 3,”
That place, exactly.
<Rico’s Diner>
I spotted a shabby wooden sign without any difficulty.
‘Oh please, give me credit for my memory.’
I said this while trying to hide my satisfaction.
“Should we eat here?”
“Wow, but it really does look shabby. Do commoners actually eat in places like this?”
“It was smart to slip away. If Mother or Grandfather found out we came somewhere like this… we’d be in serious trouble.”
Leon and Theo surveyed the restaurant’s exterior and made faces.
“But older brothers, are you really sure? You’ll eat this sort of thing with me?”
When I asked hesitantly, the twins nodded readily.
“Hey, runt. I’ll eat anything. Don’t worry.”
“That’s right, Lilith. If you want to eat something, you should eat it.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
They followed me in without a second thought.
Nobility appearing in a commoner’s establishment…!
‘Uh-oh, we’re drawing attention as expected.’
The moment we stepped inside, the commoners who had been scattered about their tables jumped up in surprise and hurried over.
They bowed and greeted us in our fine clothes, then returned to their seats and kept stealing glances at us.
“You… really? You actually ate things like this back when you lived in Xenon?”
“Is food like this actually tasty, Lilith?”
“It’s delicious though….”
Watching the twins flip through the menu with expressions of amazement, I felt embarrassed and scratched my nose.
“Excuse me, could we place an order?”
A moment later, when Theo made an elegant gesture, the red-haired female server who had been weaving between tables rushed over.
“Yes, sir. What may I get for you?”
“Bring everything on the menu. I’ll pay double. Just make sure to prepare it with care—my sister is looking forward to it.”
Theo smiled and stroked my hair, and the woman laughed along as she nodded.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Miss! Just a moment!”
I called out to the woman as she turned to leave.
The woman stopped short, and the shocked stares of everyone around us suddenly fixed on us.
“Uh, Lilith.”
Theo glanced around, then whispered quietly.
“You can’t speak politely to commoners like that in public.”
“Come on, don’t be so strict, Theo. Grandfather isn’t here anyway, and Lilith hasn’t adjusted yet.”
“That doesn’t make sense. She needs to adapt quickly. If she makes a mistake in front of Grandfather later, she could get scolded.”
The two of them started bickering.
‘If I act like a noble throwing my weight around here, there’ll be real trouble.’
With that thought, I rummaged through my rabbit bag and pulled out a gold coin.
The Empire’s gold coins had the country’s name embossed on one side and the Emperor’s profile on the other.
‘As expected.’
At my sudden action of producing the coin, the woman’s eyes sharpened.
Of course, it was subtle enough that no one else would notice.
“It’s not on the menu, but…”
I continued watching the woman’s expression as I placed the gold coin on the table.
More precisely, with the Emperor’s face facing down.
A mockery—pressed into the surface like an insult.
“Do you have any fermented herring?”
The herring that the Emperor favored. A “fermented” version of such herring.
Pressing the Emperor’s face to the table while ordering a fermented herring dish was an act of mockery toward the Imperial House….
In the Red Sparrow—a secret intelligence guild masquerading as an ordinary restaurant—it was the method of requesting a transaction.
The woman, unmistakably an information agent of the guild, fixed me with a searching gaze.

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