My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 60

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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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Dad concealing his strength
Episode 60
“…Yes. I’ll bring it.”
Yet contrary to his aggressive tone, the reply came surprisingly easily.
‘This is awkward.’
Cheshire glanced sideways at Rom, who was trembling visibly.
He had no real choice in the matter.
If he kept refusing, Bruce would just take out his frustration on Rom instead.
“Hah!”
Bruce, who had been tense, burst out laughing.
“That’s the spirit, kid! Don’t mix it up with Gerard’s—bring the right one!”
Cheshire left the room.
Children wearing White Nameplates hurried back and forth, cradling bread in their arms.
‘Impressive. This place.’
It was the same observation Lilis would have made.
“C-Cheshire!”
Someone called out then.
It was Rom, who had followed him out.
“C-come on, let’s go together. Y-you don’t know where the D-Dining Hall is, right?”
“Sure.”
Rom took the lead slightly as he spoke.
“L-look, I’m telling you this for your own g-good—t-try not to talk back to B-Bruce. When he gets m-mad, he tends to r-raise his hands a l-lot….”
“Why do you stammer so much?”
“Oh! S-sorry. It’s h-hard to listen to, isn’t it? I w-wasn’t like this b-before…. Ever since I c-came here, I suddenly j-just….”
Had the stress brought on a speech impediment too?
Cheshire let out a long sigh.
“H-here’s the D-Dining Hall. You j-just line up over th-there and collect your sh-share.”
There were three serving stations.
Three kinds of snacks as well.
Dry rye bread, cream bread, and macarons—each packaged singly and stacked high like mountains.
Cheshire, about to join a line, stopped short.
‘Lilis?’
For some reason, Lilis was off by herself in the distance, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Oh, Cheshire!”
Upon spotting him, Lilis waved her hand and came running over. Every eye in the hall turned toward her.
“I knew you’d come!”
Lilis huffed indignantly right away.
“You’re here to pick up bread for your r-roommates, right? Not your own?”
“No. I’m just hungry. I came for my own share.”
“Liar!”
Lilis cried out sharply.
That was when Rom suddenly cut in.
“N-no, she’s right.”
“Huh?”
“H-hello. I’m R-Rom. I’m Cheshire’s r-roommate. And y-yes, he is here to pick up the s-snacks for our roommates i-instead. He w-was asked to….”
Watching Rom speak as if he’d been waiting for this moment, Cheshire let out a dry laugh.
He’d thought Rom was just a timid commoner, but the boy had decent instincts after all.
He must have sensed that Lilis would come to his rescue.
“Thanks for telling her, Rom.”
Lilis, satisfied with the answer, began following close behind Cheshire.
“Don’t you dare spend your whole time here as a snack delivery boy. Don’t do whatever they ask. Absolutely don’t.”
“I came for my own share, I told you.”
“Ugh, you’re so frustrating!”
“Lilis.”
Cheshire, mindful of the eyes around them, leaned close to her ear and whispered.
“Don’t let on that you know me.”
“What?”
“It won’t do you any good.”
“What do you think I’m going to say?”
“That you don’t like it.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“A month is nothing. I can manage. I don’t like making a fuss. If I cause trouble here, it’ll reflect badly on your father.”
“Wow!”
Lilis grinned and clapped her hands together.
“Dad would be so thrilled to hear this! Cheshire going out of his way to deliver snacks just so I don’t cause trouble—I’m in such a good mood now! You agree, right? Right?”
“Don’t twist my words.”
No anger. No hint of displeasure.
At Cheshire’s unflinching response, Lilis ground her teeth.
“Come over here.”
Lilis suddenly seized Cheshire’s hand and pulled him toward somewhere.
It was the serving station where the macarons were kept.
They seemed to be the most popular snack, yet strangely there was no line at the macaron station.
‘Oh, surely not?’
Cheshire recalled what Bruce had said, his suspicion growing.
“…Don’t mix them up—bring Gerard’s things correctly!”
Gerard. Gold Nameplate.
Even the types of snacks distributed were being differentiated.
‘Quite something,’ Cheshire thought.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Rom, how many are in your room?”
“Uh, u-um? F-five…”
As Rom answered, Lilis handed over five macarons.
“Th-this is, w-we’re n-not supposed to e-eat this…”
“It’s fine. I’m allowed to take several of these.”
“Th-th-th-thank y-you…”
“Rom, go share these with your roommates and tell them.”
“T-tell them w-what?”
“That Lilis Rubinstein gave them to you. Be sure—mention my name.”
Lilis pointed at Cheshire.
“If anyone sees you being sent to deliver bread again, tell them I’ll come to that room myself. And when I do…”
Lilis put on what she thought was a menacing expression, making a fist-cracking gesture as she added:
“…something very, very bad is going to happen.”
“Lilis.”
“I-I’ll tell them!”
Cheshire, about to protest, saw Rom answer without hesitation and frowned.
Lilis grabbed Rom’s hand and shook it up and down, beaming.
“Thanks, Rom! I’m glad Cheshire finally has a friend who doesn’t frustrate him!”
Rom lowered her eyes shyly.
* * *
Evening meal time.
I arrived at the Dining Hall with my roommates.
Apparently the rule was that children sharing a room ate together.
‘Impressive.’
The Dining Hall was a sight to behold.
‘Quite remarkable.’
I’d thought it more than once.
The children with colored Nameplates—the nobles—sat without lifting a finger.
Only those with White Nameplates stood in line at the serving stations, carrying five trays at a time to their tables.
“Ugh, this is annoying.”
Alicia, standing in line next to me, made a whining noise.
“Other rooms have commoners doing this, but why is it like this for us!”
Gem, the White Nameplate in our room, was a temperamental commoner.
She’d never once complied with the other children’s demands, or so I’d heard.
Our room’s children, milder than most, had stopped pressing demands on Gem after she snapped at them a few times.
‘I wish our Cheshire had inherited even half of Gem’s backbone.’
I could see Gem, having already eaten, sitting alone with dignified composure.
“Hey, hey! You, bring food for that room too!”
A noble boy sitting at a nearby table suddenly ordered his room’s commoner servant.
The commoner child came scurrying toward me.
“Sit down! I’ll bring your food too!”
I turned to look in that direction.
The moment a noble child who’d been ordering trays caught my eye, they gave me a quick wink.
Something like, ‘It’s a gift from that gentleman at the other table.’
‘This is ridiculous.’
I shook my head with a smile.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll get my own.”
“Huh?”
The commoner child looked confused.
“Lilis, let’s just go sit down. What is this?”
“Alicia’s right. Ugh, even if we didn’t know better, you getting your own tray is just wrong.”
Alicia and Michelle spoke in turn.
“No.”
I replied firmly.
“My arms and legs work fine. Why should I ask someone else to bring me food? I’ll do it myself.”
“Huh?”
“You’re just going to sit around?”
“Oh, no!”
“N-no, me neither!”
“I-I’ll get mine too….”
Though they clearly didn’t want to, my roommates had no choice but to follow along.
‘This place is suffocating.’
My roommates were only getting their trays themselves because I had a Gold Nameplate.
It wasn’t because they thought it was the right thing to do.
“…?”
Just as I finished getting my food.
I spotted Cheshire at the serving line next to mine, finishing up.
His hands were precariously balancing three trays.
Behind him, Rom had two trays in hand.
“My blood pressure….”
I set my tray down with a loud clatter on the counter.
“Don’t.”
Cheshire said quietly.
“Why? What do you think I’m going to do?”
“Don’t make a scene. The nobles are all watching right now.”
“Fine, fine. But you look like those trays are killing you. Let me help!”
“No.”
“I can carry at least one.”
“Lilis!”
I grabbed one of the trays stacked on Cheshire’s left hand and turned away.
“Sigh.”
I heard Cheshire’s exasperated breath behind me.
I asked Rom.
“Where’s your table?”
“Th-that way, at the end.”
“Let’s go.”
“O-okay!”
Rom spoke as he led the way ahead.
“So, um, I w-was trying to tell Bruce what you a-asked me to, but Ch-Cheshire stopped me, so I c-couldn’t say it.”
“I figured that’s what happened.”
“S-sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
“Th-thank you. You’re r-really kind….”
“Is this it?”
“Y-yes.”
I stood before the table where Cheshire’s roommates had gathered.
‘Bruce Chamber.’
I read the Red Nameplate.
“Hello, Bruce.”
“Wh-what?”
Bruce scrambled to his feet.
And then his face flushed as he giggled, reaching out his hand as if to shake.
“Nice to meet you, Lilis. I’m Bruce Chamber.”
“Yeah. I brought your tray.”
I ignored his outstretched hand and set the tray down in front of Bruce with a deliberate thunk.
“Huh? Why did you bring that…?”
I grabbed Bruce’s wrist and rotated it this way and that, examining it.
“Does your wrist hurt? Did you sprain it?”
“No?”
“Then why aren’t you taking your meals yourself?”
“Huh?”
“If your wrist isn’t injured, then from now on you’ll get your own food. Same goes for snacks. Don’t ask them to do it.”
I gestured to Cheshire and Rom behind me.
Bruce stared at me in bewilderment, his head tilting slightly.
“Um, Lilis? You’re new here, so you probably don’t know yet… but usually the White Nameplate students do all that.”
“There’s a rule for that?”
“Well, not exactly a rule. I mean, everyone just does it that way.”
“Ah! So students with better nameplate colors automatically get obeyed?”
“That’s right!”
“I see. Well then.”
I was smiling, but my expression hardened instantly.
Then I pulled back the collar of my shirt and revealed the Gold Nameplate on my chest.
“Which means you’ll be listening to me.”

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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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