I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 65

I examined the child who had revealed herself as the ‘real daughter’ with a fiery gaze.

This baby… she’s like a tiny bird.

She blinked, as if she hadn’t even imagined being left alone.

I handed her a warm cup of tea.

The child fidgeted with her hands, seemingly bewildered by the warm tea.

Meanwhile, I carefully checked her over.

I measured her body, meticulously checking her eye and hair color.

Of course, I had a plan.

First of all…

“Hey, Sir Ted!”

“Yes?”

“Originally, paternity tests can only be done at Count Yoter’s trading company, right?”

Ted, who was beside me, quietly said,

“Yes, that’s correct, Sien.”

I clenched my fist.

There was a reason why Count Yoter was acting so outrageously.

‘The only institution in the empire that can conduct tests is Count Yoter, who competes with immense capital!’

But a moment of doubt arose.

Many nobles in the empire committed adultery. And it wasn’t just them; wealthy people and ordinary commoners were the same.

No matter how I looked at it, the ‘paternity test’ industry had to be a blue ocean [an uncontested market space].

There must be many trading companies with excellent technology, so why is Count Yoter the only one doing paternity tests?

Just as those questions were swirling around, it happened.

Perhaps it was because I had left the window open just in case.

From outside, specifically from the plaza, I could hear people murmuring. It was clear that the riot was reaching its climax.

‘Dad told me to wait ten minutes. So, I need to extract as much information as possible from this child before then!’

In fact, it wasn’t even ten minutes.

Based on my intuition, I thought he would be here within three minutes.

Slightly impatient, I said the first thing that came to mind to the child in front of me.

“What’s your name?”

It was a background check.

I stared intently at the child. She looked at me with a blank expression, as if uneasy, and repeatedly muttered,

“I’m Matthias’s real daughter.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m the real daughter.”

She repeated the same words as if a broken clockwork was turning. I looked down at the child and tilted my head.

Should I deny those words?

“…No, I’m the real daughter?”

“You’re nothing. Please give me the test kit right away, Count Yoter!”

It seemed like something had been forcibly inputted.

I narrowed my brows and whispered to her,

“Unnie [older sister/term of endearment for a female acquaintance].”

“Yes?”

“Let’s grab her.”

First… I need to catch her.

I got up and approached her. And I gestured to the maid unnie [older sister/term of endearment for a female acquaintance].

The maid unnie [older sister/term of endearment for a female acquaintance] looked at me with a confident expression and said,

“Shall we… give her a hug?”

I gently hugged the child and firmly grabbed her hair. But even though her hair was being pulled, the child didn’t even flinch.

‘She’s strangely docile?’

I scratched under my chin and pondered.

But right then, with a click, the door opened.

“Sien-nim!”

Dad’s aide, Sam, who had a fierce impression, rushed into the room.

I tilted my head with a puzzled expression. Then, the aide approached me and carefully said,

“The Princess has returned to the Imperial Palace.”

“Huh?”

“Count Yoter said he would take this child as well. So, please rest assured.”

It was then that I felt something was wrong.

I couldn’t believe that the princess, who had been acting so outrageously, had left.

Until just now, she clearly didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.

“…Why did she leave?”

I had caught on to this child’s suspiciousness, so I was going to think of all sorts of ways to bring the princess back.

To leave so easily and futilely!

“Ah, Matthias-nim persuaded her well.”

“…Huh?”

“He said she left easily.”

Sniff, sniff.

I wrinkled my slightly puffed-up nose.

There was a suspicious smell.

“Oh my, she’s so puppy-like…”

“Cute…!”

…The maid unnies’ [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance] whispers disturbed my thoughts, but they couldn’t stop my suspicion.

Then, Dad started to come in with a leisurely expression.

“Sien.”

“Dad!”

“Now, let’s send that thing… no, that friend back. There was a misunderstanding. It must have been a mistake.”

It didn’t seem like a mistake or a misunderstanding, but rather that she had come on purpose.

I stared intently at the child, who was still muttering ‘I’m Matthias’s daughter’ like a broken clock.

‘She’s very, very suspicious!’

But Dad didn’t seem to think much of it. Dad firmly grabbed my shoulder and turned my gaze towards him.

“I’m going to entrust the paternity test to another trading company.”

“Woong…?”

“I need to make sure that our Sien is Dad’s daughter. But I don’t really trust Count Yoter’s side, Dad doesn’t.”

Something was a little strange.

‘Good Dad’s thoughts are the same as evil me!’

I was also going to entrust the paternity test to another trading company, not Count Yoter.

But…

“I’m sorry to the people of the temple, but it can’t be helped.”

Even in the midst of this, he politely apologized to the temple, so he still has a long way to go before becoming a great villain.

“Okay, I understand!”

I nodded at Dad.

Then Dad’s aide, the gruff-looking but soft-hearted like silken tofu ahjussi [term for older man], strode towards the little girl.

“Now go home.”

That ahjussi [term for older man] only put on weird mustaches in front of me!

When he lowers his voice like that, he looks very solemn.

I rolled my eyes and looked over there.

I was curious if she would act outrageously like she did to me earlier. Or, she might claim that she was Matthias’s daughter.

However, the child did not show such behavior.

She obediently took the ahjussi’s [term for older man] hand, as if succumbing to the logic of power.

Without a single word.

Seeing the parrot-like child who kept muttering that she was the real one leaving made me feel strange.

I frowned slightly and muttered,

“Unnies [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance].”

“Yes?”

“Something… smells suspicious.”

I clearly told the unnies [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance], but Dad quickly interrupted the conversation.

“…What, a suspicious smell?”

“Hmm…”

It was strange that Dad had persuaded the princess so well.

‘Does this world listen to our Dad’s words so well?’

Thinking that something was seriously suspicious, I ran simulations in my head.

‘Come to think of it, our Dad might be the strongest in the world. So, when he says a word, everyone knows and goes back on their own accord.’

Well, I laughed even after saying that.

‘Does that make sense? It doesn’t make sense!’

There must be some secret reason.

For example, the princess was drawing a big picture and plotting something as she left.

***

Several weeks passed like that.

Leaving aside that ‘secret reason,’ the most important thing for me right now was the paternity test. For some reason, the princess had tucked her tail and ran away, and she was still lying low…

‘She even entered the family, so she’s definitely going to do something behind the scenes.’

Besides, that child’s identity was quite suspicious.

I shouldn’t have sent her back so easily, but there was no justification for holding her. Besides, Dad and the aide joined forces and told me to send her back.

I thought, clutching the hair I had plucked from the child in my hand.

‘It’s about time… to confront the Imperial Palace, including Count Yoter.’

If the Crown Prince and Princess continue to interfere with our work, I have no intention of staying still any longer.

It seemed like the day was coming when I would have a behind-the-scenes fight with the Imperial Palace.

They threw the first punch, so my actions were clearly self-defense.

‘I’ll cut off the Crown Prince and Princess’s money supply first.’

I was planning to gradually take everything from the temple that was blocking the path of me and my pushover dad.

The foundation for that was to raise this small fist and hit the sofa with a thud.

“Let’s go.”

“…?”

The maid unnies [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance] looked embarrassed, perhaps because they were in the middle of drinking tea. Ted, Acid, and the maid unnies [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance] were drinking tea with me.

Over the past few weeks, just like the people of the Imperial Palace, I had also been working behind the scenes.

In the meantime, I finally found it in a small gossip magazine in the neighborhood.

A small trading company in the Bipal Principality that was creating paternity test kits just like Count Yoter.

The Bipal Principality was a small place attached to the edge of our empire, and it was a place that used the same continental language as our empire.

‘Besides, it’s also a neutral country famous for having many technicians!’

I heard that Sheriff Trading Company was also a commercial organization created by promising technicians from the Bipal Principality.

I raised my chin and looked at the maid unnies [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance] and said,

“Bring me a scarf and sunglasses!”

“Yes?”

“Sien-nim, why a scarf…?”

“I have something important to do.”

The maid unnies [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance] looked bewildered. But like the unnies [older sisters/term of endearment for a female acquaintance] who faithfully listen to my dignified words, they got up and brought a scarf and sunglasses.

In the original , the Sheriff Trading Company in the principality located around the empire invents simple test kits using magic.

So, all I had to do was sponsor the Sheriff Trading Company.

Unfortunately, they were people who withered without even blooming due to Count Yoter’s tyranny and black propaganda, who had the power of the Imperial Palace on their backs.

Count Yoter stepped on the buds if a proper kit was likely to be sold in order to sell his defective paternity test kit at a high price.

‘There must be people who are desperate for a paternity test, he’s a really terrible guy!’

But now that I, a wonderful ten-year-old, am here, all I have to do is help people.

Ted, the only one who wasn’t embarrassed in this place, quietly got up and knelt before me.

“Are you going to Sheriff right now?”

“Yeah, Ted.”

I could feel Acid’s gaze on me. I responded to his gaze with a bright smile, as if answering him.

“And Acid, too, together.”

Those two are the most important in this operation.

A dimple appeared on Acid’s lips. As if he was happy to be of help to me.

***

It wasn’t difficult to arrive at the Sheriff Trading Company, which was located on the outskirts of the capital.

I secretly borrowed a luggage cart and checked all the preparations inside the cart.

“This is a kit made by Count Yoter’s side. Matthias-nim’s hair too…”

“Good.”

“That child’s hair is here too.”

I secretly smuggled Count Yoter’s kit with gold bullion.

‘I secretly plucked Dad’s hair.’

I smiled slyly and held the kit in my hand.

“Um, is there no other kit besides this one?”

“Ah, no… there isn’t. Count Yoter is the only one who has supervised the paternity test.”

“Is that so? I understand.”

I held the kit and stared intently at Acid and Ted. They will be able to help me. To be exact, me and the Sheriff Trading Company.

‘According to the original flow, the Sheriff Trading Company may have entered the final stages of kit development by now.’

It’s before Count Yoter’s side wreaks havoc, so it will be a pretty lively atmosphere.

But…

The atmosphere in front of the Sheriff Trading Company, which I finally arrived at, was strange.

It felt like a funeral home.