I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 70

Anessa’s expression turned grim as she recalled her private meeting with Cyen.

‘Yes, Cyen Mirmord.’

The child seemed quite clever for her age.

But…

‘Yes, the Mirmord family. They’re just insignificant puppets that can be used as much as we want.’

She wondered why the late Duchess Mirmord and Grand Duchess Delphia were so overly protective of the young child. There was no way Cyen could have won over the Mirmord family so completely.

Still, something felt off.

‘That affectionate gaze is a bit strange, though.’

If they had decided to oppose the Imperial Palace, affection could easily be faked. Anessa scoffed.

“If Matthias Mirmord opposes us, how will things proceed?”

“As you know, Mirmord and we will become enemies. It’s a shame.”

“…….”

“I wanted to use them without them even realizing it, and then end them with my own hands.”

A vile look crossed the Crown Prince’s face.

“But I want to personally teach that hateful girl a lesson.”

The Crown Prince’s lips curled into a sinister smile that even Princess Anessa found unsettling.

“Don’t worry, Anessa. I plan to kill that bait first.”

“…How do you plan to do that?”

Anessa asked the Crown Prince with a dubious look, and he curled his lips.

“Right now, Cyen Mirmord, who will become that ‘bait,’ will be with Matthias.”

“…I suppose so. And then?”

“My plan is to deal with both the bait and the Mirmord family…”

The Crown Prince whispered subtly to Anessa. As she listened to his plan, Anessa’s expression changed from moment to moment, eventually softening.

“In short, you mean to set a trap.”

“Yes. I plan to use that young bait properly. Once that girl is cast aside, the Mirmord family’s prestige will plummet.”

Regardless of appearances, the Mirmord family seemed to cherish Cyen.

It meant that it would be easy to create and propagate the narrative that they were deceived by a ten-year-old fake and showed her unwavering affection.

“We could also place a fake we create within Mirmord.”

“Exactly.”

“Are you planning to set the trap… starting today?”

“Probably starting today.”

The Crown Prince and Princess’s eyes met in the middle.

***

At that time, Matthias Mirmord was with Cyen.

“Cyen,”

“…Papa.”

I was sitting on Papa’s lap. I’m already ten years old, but I still love sitting on Papa’s lap the most!

‘For some reason, Papa’s atmosphere feels a bit scary today?’

I pretended to braid my pink hair, focusing on what Papa was saying behind me.

After waiting a bit, Papa began to speak.

“…Cyen.”

“Yes?”

“What is our daughter thinking? Why can’t Papa figure it out? When you were younger, I could read your thoughts.”

I flinched and gripped my head tightly.

‘Papa probably already knows that I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old.’

I had been glossing over it by saying that I was developing my genius through Mirmord’s education, but now there seemed to be a limit.

It wasn’t a problem if he thought I was a special person.

But it would be troublesome if he found out that I was actually a reincarnator.

‘If I’m not a ‘real child,’ there might be distance between Papa and me.’

Thinking about that made my body sink to the floor.

Now that I’ve gone from five to ten years old, there have been quite a few changes between Papa and me over the past five years.

For example…

“Our daughter is too smart. What’s the saying these days?”

Papa’s gentle voice pierced my ears. The paladin, Ted, who had been hiding his presence, quietly interjected.

“It’s like she’s living her second life.”

Matthias chuckled softly, as if satisfied, and muttered to himself.

“Is that so? A second life.”

It seemed like he was really contemplating it, which made me flinch.

‘I really am living my second life!’

Then I heard Papa laugh softly.

“Our daughter is so smart that such absurd things are being said.”

It’s not absurd at all…

‘It seems like it’s hard to believe that I reincarnated.’

I dropped the hair I was braiding and mumbled, then suddenly stopped.

‘Papa, that sounded like a villain. Lately, I’ve been sensing a villainous aura from Papa…’

And so, Papa and I reached the stage of suspecting each other.

Of course, it’s still just a small spark.

I quietly jumped off Papa’s lap.

“Papa.”

“Yes, Cyen.”

“…I’m smart. I’m smart, so I know a lot.”

Papa smiled with his unique, benevolent, gentle, and cute smile.

“Cyen.”

“Yes?”

Papa’s hand gently stroked my hair.

“Do everything Cyen wants to do.”

“Yes…?”

Papa murmured in a warm voice.

“Papa will support you from behind.”

Papa’s eyes, as he said that, seemed strangely intense.

Like a villain from a fairy tale!

‘Gasp, is Papa really growing into a villain?’

Or was Papa’s original nature that of a villain?

After thinking that, I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

There was no need to deliberately have scary thoughts. I tried to shake off the strange feeling and only accept Papa’s sincere heart, which loved and trusted me.

“Okay!”

I jumped to the floor. I ended up standing in Papa’s large shadow…

“I’m off.”

Papa tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“Now? Where are you going?”

To reassure Papa, who looked anxious, I put my hands on my hips and shouted bravely.

“It’s a secret! But don’t worry. I have a plan.”

Papa looked a little uneasy. But I tilted my chin up and looked straight at Papa. Finally, a gentle voice flowed from Papa’s mouth.

“Okay, let’s do it according to Cyen’s plan. This time.”

It was as if he believed in me no matter what kind of person I was.

I quietly looked at Papa and handed him the key in my pocket.

“Then, I have a favor to ask. Please go to the family’s vault.”

“What is this…? Who did you get this from? Only the mistress of the family has this.”

“Grandma gave it to me.”

Papa’s face turned pale as he checked the key. I smiled at Papa.

“Papa.”

“Yes?”

“If you take this key and go into the family’s underground vault, there will be a swan sculpture. Papa knows what the swan sculpture looks like, right?”

“I know. But why the swan sculpture…?”

“If I become dangerous, take it and come to the Imperial Palace to save me. Okay?”

“Cyen? Suddenly…”

I quietly moved my lips towards Papa, who looked bewildered, and said seriously.

“Today, we’re collaborating partners! So please trust me. I’ll tell you the reason later!”

There wasn’t time to explain the whole story to Papa right now.

I didn’t wait for Papa’s answer and ran out the door.

“Then, Papa. I’ll be waiting at the Imperial Palace!”

I never looked back until the loud voice echoed in the hallway and disappeared.

I had to leave this place as soon as possible.

***

Inside the Imperial Palace.

Ambassador Heinrich quietly sighed. The image of the Duchy protesters kept flashing through his mind.

They grabbed his arm and shouted resentfully.

“It’s because we were wronged, wronged.”

“…Wronged, you say.”

“Yes! Because all our achievements were taken away!”

They couldn’t properly prove what had happened to them. So there was no way to help them. Protecting his own people was clearly the right thing to do.

‘I can’t just believe those words and cause a disturbance in the Empire…’

The Mikel Mine was certainly important, but the other party was the Empire. The Emperor had ordered him to act with as little friction as possible.

‘What should I do about this?’

Was there a way to resolve everything peacefully? After pacing around the detached palace for a while, he got up to take a walk.

As he was walking, someone came into his view.

Cyen slightly raised the corners of her lips. She stared at Ambassador Heinrich and tilted her head.

“What are you worried about?”

A little child suddenly appeared.

It was Cyen Mirmord, whom he had seen and talked to briefly earlier.

As he blankly stared at the girl’s fluttering hair, the ambassador replied a half-beat late.

“…Lady Mirmord?”

“Yes. You can call me Cyen!”

Her hair fluttering in the wind, her soft voice.

Ambassador Heinrich slightly held his breath at the atmosphere, which was different from what he had seen at the ballroom earlier, like a little fairy.

Cyen smiled sweetly and whispered.

“You know, mister! I saw it while riding in the carriage earlier!”

“Yes? What…”

Cyen whispered innocently.

“People protesting outside the Imperial Palace! The maids said they were from the Duchy [a territory ruled by a duke or duchess]?”

Ambassador Heinrich’s face subtly contorted. He already felt guilty about those people, and this directly stabbed at that part. Whether she knew that or not, Cyen tilted her head and smiled.

“Actually, I saw you listening to those people’s stories! You’re so cool, Ambassador!”

“No. I didn’t do anything…”

Cyen smiled brightly as Ambassador Heinrich shook his head with an uncomfortable look.

“Hehe, those protesters must trust you too, Ambassador!”

“…There’s nothing I can do for them.”

Looking into this little child’s green eyes made him feel at ease. So he ended up confiding in her.

‘She’s just a child anyway.’

As a delegation dispatched to the Empire, he was well aware of the Mirmord family’s infamy.

He also knew how much the Crown Prince was wary of that family. But when he faced such a cute and lovely little child, the barriers in his heart melted away.

Cyen whispered softly.

“But. Isn’t there something you can do?”

“Yes?”

“It seems like you don’t want to be on bad terms with the Empire…”

Cyen smiled and handed over a small business card. The business card looked very big in her small hand.

“Tada, Cyen Mirmord Trading Company!”

As his face twisted in confusion, Cyen gave a radiant smile.

But it was right then. A middle-aged man’s voice, with a greasy tone, was heard.

“Ambassador Heinrich, you were here.”

Ambassador Heinrich and I looked over there at the same time. There stood Count Yoter, the Crown Prince’s close aide and Cyen Trading Company’s rival. He raised the corners of his lips in a sneer and said.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, I don’t have business with the ambassador right now. It’s this one I have business with.”

At the same time as those words, Count Yoter raised his hand and rudely grabbed my arm. Ambassador Heinrich opened his mouth in embarrassment.

“What are you doing?”

“Arresting a criminal.”

“A criminal to a noble lady?”

“Ha! A noble? This person is a fake who dared to falsely claim the name of Mirmord.”

“Yes? No, what is that, I wanted to hear more-.”

“Ambassador Heinrich.”

He cut off Heinrich coldly as he looked at him.

“Please be quiet now. From here on out, it will be a story between the Imperial Palace and the Mirmord family.”

“…I see.”

Heinrich, who was quietly gazing at Count Yoter and Cyen, lowered his hand powerlessly after seeing Cyen’s tightly closed lips.

“A paternity test kit developed directly by our Yoter Trading Company.”

Cyen looked at Count Yoter with sparkling eyes and asked.

“What does a paternity test kit have to do with me?”

As if he had been waiting for those words, Count Yoter smirked.

“What does it have to do with you? You know, don’t you? That the truth about your identity has spread to the world.”

“You mean that I’m a fake daughter?”

“Yes. Through this paternity test kit, I will present conclusive evidence that you are a fake daughter. The Imperial Palace has graciously bestowed this favor upon the Mirmord family.”

Cyen, who had been quiet, stroked her chin and said the following words.

“Really? Even so, you can’t have a trial right now, can you?”

A trial against a high-ranking noble required the attendance of at least one member of the Imperial Family.

The Emperor was currently pretending not to know about this mine problem and had handed over the real power to the Crown Prince.

But Count Yoter proudly said, sticking out his stomach.

“You’re trying to use tricks, little one. But it’s definitely possible. His Highness the Crown Prince will be directly presiding over the trial right now. Come with me right now.”

Count Yoter’s plan was this.

While promoting the effectiveness of his paternity test kit, he would frame Cyen as a fake daughter.

The story that a fake daughter had infiltrated the Mirmord family was a sensational topic, so after the trial, the paternity test kit he had created would naturally be promoted.

‘In other words, noise marketing [a marketing technique that involves generating controversy or attention to promote a product or service]. There’s nothing to lose here.’

Count Yoter roughly grabbed Cyen. Ambassador Heinrich bit his lip and tried to step forward, but Cyen smiled casually and waved her hand as if it were nothing.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll go. But, can I take the ambassador to my trial too?”

It was as if she was the one who had planned all of this, with a relaxed attitude.

Count Yoter roughly grabbed Cyen’s small body and whispered.

“Yes, take him. Show the ambassador the sight of you falling. Because today is the end of your arrogance.”