I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 59

59. I Don’t Need a Stepmother

My dad, unaware of my feelings, stroked my hair and whispered,

“It won’t happen. Princess Anessa might visit the family occasionally.”

“Huh?”

“…They’ll call it a marriage proposal, but don’t believe it. It’ll be over soon, so don’t think of her as a stepmother. She’ll become a woman with no connection to us.”

That was my dad’s way of educating me.

As an adult, sharing information with me.

Dad didn’t ignore me just because I was a child.

He opened up all the information I was capable of understanding.

I could tell one thing from the information I received from Dad. Dad had no intention of marrying Princess Anessa.

But that wasn’t a big problem for me right now.

“Yeah, but Dad.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t give up on your life because of me. I don’t mean you should get married… It’s just that you’ve already given up so much because of me.”

Even if it’s not a stepmother, I hope Dad can enjoy his hobbies a little and meet friends.

As soon as I said that, Dad bit his lip tightly.

“Our daughter is already saying things like that… You’ve grown up so much.”

Dad’s eyes seemed to be getting red.

This is a disaster. At this rate, my tender-hearted dad might burst into tears again…? That’s what I thought.

“It feels like just yesterday you couldn’t even talk, but how did you grow up so much?”

Dad hugged me tightly, leaving no space.

“Ugh, ugh…!”

“Our daughter is my only pride.”

I struggled hard because he was hugging me so tightly that I couldn’t even speak.

“Mph, mph, can’t breathe-!”

But that was only for a moment. Dad’s prickly face kept rubbing against my cheek, so I ended up laughing.

***

Peaceful days passed.

Cienne continued to review the resumes of the wizards entering the merchant guild and conducted several interviews. Perhaps because of the weakness of being a children’s merchant guild, high-level wizards didn’t apply as much as its fame suggested.

Nevertheless, looking at the resumes was fun.

Around the time Cienne was starting to enjoy the merchant guild’s work.

The Imperial Palace formally requested a marriage proposal from Matthias Mirmord.

The partner for the marriage was Princess Serena Anessa, the emperor’s daughter, known as the most beautiful woman in the empire.

And so… The union between the Imperial Palace and the Mirmord family became such a huge issue that it shook the entire empire.

But the Mirmord family itself was calm.

When the princess’s carriage arrived at the Mirmord mansion, the family members weren’t very surprised.

Even if the Imperial Palace and the Mirmord family were at odds, there was still some exchange. Besides, things that exceeded imagination always happened in the Mirmord family, so the exchange with the Imperial Palace didn’t feel that significant.

The princess, who was quietly watching the atmosphere, wore a faint smile that was hard to decipher.

Today was her turn to meet with Duchess Lucella and negotiate the marriage proposal.

And as she entered the Duchess’s mansion, the princess noticed that this mansion was quite strangely run.

For example, the atmosphere of the maids was subtly bustling. It was like a mansion with a child. Moreover, they were talking about Cienne Mirmord, mentioning things like honey bread.

‘It was said in the world that Duchess Lucella had a slight interest in Cienne Mirmord.’

Usually, stories about the Mirmord mansion aren’t heard well in the world. That’s because it’s thoroughly controlled. However, as the Cienne Mirmord Merchant Guild was founded, rumors about the internal affairs of Mirmord also spread little by little.

The content was that Lucella, the nominal mistress of the Mirmord family, had a slight interest in Cienne Mirmord.

‘Maybe the Duchess is interested in the child, it might be true. Looking at the atmosphere…’

The princess was clever. Of course, she had also investigated Lucella’s temperament.

She entered the drawing-room prepared by Lucella with a faint smile on her lips.

Now it was time to start acting for her goal.

“I greet the Duchess.”

It was said that her spirit was like a tiger when she was active, but her momentum was considerable. The princess lowered her head slightly, then looked up at her again.

Then Duchess Lucella opened her mouth in a low voice.

“It’s been a while since we’ve met, Princess.”

“Yes, it has.”

The princess smiled so beautifully that dimples appeared on her cheeks. The Duchess, who was staring at her, tilted her head and said.

“Let’s get straight to the point. You’ve put in a marriage proposal.”

This is how Mirmord should be.

They didn’t have much talent in social etiquette. That was the same for Duchess Lucella, who had been rolling around in society. It was natural because people were already yielding to them without them having to cultivate their skills.

The princess hid her twisted insides and still spoke with a graceful face.

“If I may also speak directly, I want to have a good relationship. With Mirmord.”

As if gauging the person in front of her, the Duchess hardened her lips.

The princess wasn’t old enough not to know what a good relationship meant. So she must have come to this place with the determination to marry Matthias.

In an instant, Duchess Lucella’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you really going to marry Matthias?”

“Yes.”

“Even though he has a child? There’s no need for you, a princess, to take a loss.”

“Oh my.”

The princess put her hand to her mouth and laughed softly.

It was still an angelic voice.

“I think I can raise that child well too?”

For the current Matthias Mirmord, the princess was the best choice.

However, the Duchess was also suspicious of the princess.

Serena Anessa, this beautiful woman, why did she choose Matthias among so many options?

Duchess Lucella calmly continued.

“Matthias.”

“I met him once. He’s not affectionate, but I don’t think he’s bad as a husband. I think he’s a good person.”

Saying that and smiling gently, Princess Anessa was the very image of a kind angel, as mentioned in the world.

But strangely, seeing that beautiful appearance made the tip of her tongue bitter.

‘I can’t shake the feeling that she has something up her sleeve.’

And there was another thing to worry about.

A stepmother doesn’t necessarily abuse. But there are definitely people who differentiate between children born from their own womb and those who aren’t.

She didn’t know what type the princess in front of her was yet.

Could the princess, who had only grown up in the Imperial Palace, be good to the little honey bread [term of endearment for Cienne] who grew up without a mother?

If it were someone else, they would definitely say that Princess Anessa would be good to everyone.

But Duchess Lucella was the type to test even a stone bridge before crossing it [cautious and thorough].

Especially when it came to honey bread, she didn’t want to take even a little risk.

“Matthias Mirmord probably isn’t actively considering the marriage proposal.”

“Probably because of the child.”

Duchess Lucella didn’t bother to deny it.

The princess, who was staring at her, opened her mouth.

“In that sense… Can I meet Cienne?”

A lovely smile spread across her lips. But the Duchess shook her head firmly.

“It would be natural to ask Cienne’s opinion on bringing in a honey… no, a stepmother.”

Anessa bit her lip for a moment.

If she, who came from the Imperial Palace, said ‘I want to meet,’ she thought she would naturally be allowed to meet.

But the situation was flowing quite differently from her intentions.

‘The child’s opinion is also included in Matthias’s marriage proposal, she might be a stronger opponent than I thought.’

It seemed that Cienne Mirmord was exerting some influence in this family.

But it didn’t matter.

“Then ask and let me know.”

She smiled beautifully, like the reputation surrounding her.

She could crush her with her own hands anyway.

***

I was playing boss with Leonhardt and Acid. But suddenly, the maids started moving busily.

The princess came to find me. So they told me to hide quickly if I didn’t want to meet her.

But I was going to meet that princess.

I was curious about Princess Anessa’s intentions.

“Hello, Cienne Mirmord.”

Finally, the princess entered the drawing-room gracefully.

I nodded slightly towards the princess.

“I greet Your Highness.”

A picture-perfect smile appeared on her lips.

The princess used her authority to dismiss all the maids, then chose to be alone with me.

I quietly watched Princess Anessa’s actions. Without stopping her, and without necessarily supporting her.

I was a little curious about what this angel-like beautiful woman would do to me.

‘Is she a kind person like the world says? Or is she a bad person to Mirmord? I have a feeling it’s the latter.’

The princess didn’t deviate from my expectations.

As soon as she sat across from me and realized that we were alone, she took off her angel’s mask.

“I heard you used a recording magic tool when you were bullying Gabriele.”

‘I’ve never bullied Gabriele.’

But it seemed she had heard all the news as a friend of Melodia and Gabriele. She took out a ‘recording invalidation magic tool’ from her arms and smiled brightly.

“Now you won’t be able to play any more tricks.”

“I don’t play tricks.”

I really didn’t have anything like a ‘recording magic tool’ on me.

When I shrugged, she crossed her legs and stared at me arrogantly.

“I heard you’re a fake daughter.”

“No, I’m my dad’s daughter?”

She scoffed and retorted sharply.

“No way. I heard you’re a daughter from the slums.”

I didn’t expect this development.

I stared blankly at the princess with my mouth open.

I wasn’t a fake daughter, I was really Dad’s daughter. But it seemed like she believed I was fake.

And she had a face that showed she hated me very much.

A person who has been hated can at least sense whether the person in front of them likes or dislikes them.

And I could tell.

Serena Anessa, this person who came to be Dad’s wife, hates me.

“It’s highly reliable information. So, if I come into the Mirmord family…”

She held the teacup with her elegant fingertips.

“I think I’ll have to verify you first, Cienne Mirmord. Whether you’re real or not.”

I faced the princess’s transparent true feelings.

It was rather a welcome thing for me.

When I thought about it, the princess was a degraded version of Melodia. Unlike Melodia, she couldn’t perfectly and beautifully hide her true feelings even from the villainous opponent and act kindly.

Her pretending mask was breaking in front of me.

‘It’s ridiculous that she doesn’t even wear a mask because she’s a child in the first place. I guess she thought that if she threatened a child, she would bow down right away.’

But I wasn’t an ordinary ten-year-old kid.

If Princess Anessa threw away her mask, it was enough to prepare fairly from this side.