I’Ll Protect My Tyrant Dad! [EN]: Chapter 7

Tyrant Dad Protects Me! 7. I Think I’ve Gotten Hold of the Future Villain’s Leash (7/140)

7. I Think I’ve Gotten Hold of the Future Villain’s Leash

2022.12.23.

Only the servant was utterly shocked by the unbelievably high grade.

Even after hearing the news, Matthias spoke as if it were nothing.

“Sienne will be pleased. I must go to the tower and tell her immediately.”

“Preparations will take time, so please keep this a secret for now.”

“……If necessary, I will.”

Sparks flew between them once more. The servant, caught in the middle, swallowed hard, looking bewildered, as Matthias continued coldly.

“Ah, before celebrating the high grade, the first order of business is to compile a list of those who have spoken carelessly about Sienne.”

The servant had a sinking feeling that the entire vassal family would soon face dire consequences.

However, that wasn’t the only news he had to deliver.

The servant carefully began, “Th-That’s! The amazing thing wasn’t just the mana grade.”

“What else happened?”

The servant continued to explain.

As Matthias listened, his eyes turned cold.

The Duchess Rouchella, who had been observing Matthias, chuckled with amusement.

“The baby seems incredibly intelligent, don’t you think?”

The Duchess glanced at the servant before turning her gaze to Matthias.

“My daughter is naturally smart.”

A beautiful face with elegant lines was now marred by a frown.

“Smart, but also too fragile, young, and lovely. Delicate, as if she might break at any moment, and her heart is so tender… A child who is easily hurt. She doesn’t belong in this family at all.”

The servant tilted his head, puzzled.

‘Well, rather than fragile, she seems bright and decisive. I distinctly remember her glaring and pointing her finger at anyone who dared to say anything.’

Of course, the servant had no opportunity to offer his testimony, as Duchess Rouchella quickly changed the subject.

“……You dote on your daughter. Are you aware that the Council of Elders is showing signs of recommending you as the Duke?”

The Council of Elders’ recommendation was a double-edged sword.

The successor must face a trial of judgment.

If they recommend a successor who isn’t ready, that candidate will likely fail and perhaps even die during the trial. The Council of Elders was undoubtedly aiming for that outcome as well.

Knowing this, Matthias chuckled and swept his hair back with a weary expression.

The breathtaking jawline and delicate features were so captivating that the servant averted his eyes.

“They seem determined to finish me off properly.”

The words, though fatalistic, were delivered with a strange allure.

Duchess Rouchella nodded, maintaining her consistently calm expression.

“It would seem so.”

The Head of the Council of Elders’ intentions were entirely within the expected range.

He smiled cynically, reminiscent of the time he’d silenced a guild leader who overstepped his bounds, and said, “I foresaw this. Then, I must be going now.”

The Duchess tilted her head and muttered ironically, “It’s the day you’ve taken a step closer to becoming the Duke. Where’s the champagne?”

“It’s a happy occasion, but I need to see Sienne.”

“Are you planning a congratulatory party?”

“Perhaps. Since it’s a good day, I wonder if I should throw a party.”

Sienne would be happy if I told her about Duchess Rouchella’s ‘gift’.

‘When would be a good time to tell her?’

A bright smile, like sunlight, illuminated his face, which had been cold until now.

***

I emerged from class to find the education officer and the discipline officer regarding me with contrasting expressions.

And…

The still-nameless boy wearing a mask followed my wobbly steps.

“What? Why are you following me?”

“Let’s do something fun together. I have something to give you.”

I glanced around. Muscle-bound maids with frowning faces surrounded us. After checking my expression, they solemnly declared.

“That is not allowed. Lady Sienne must proceed directly to the North Tower.”

The two maids’ deep, stern voices and the muscular arms bulging with strength…

‘S-Scary.’

…They were definitely maids who had been completely won over with protein and become my loyal protectors. But for some reason, I felt like they might drag me away at any moment.

But it seemed I was the only one shrinking back. The masked boy, as expected of a descendant of a dark family, stared at them with a voice that didn’t tremble.

“Why? Is it so wrong to play for a little while? It’s not written in the family law that she has to be dragged straight to the tower after class.”

‘…Logical? Like an invincible spear!’

However, the muscle maids seemed to possess an undefeated shield. They responded without any surprise.

“The Grand Duke Matthias, the baby’s father, has ordered it.”

They raised their chins as if excited after delivering that line!

‘What’s the point of Daddy ordering it? Everyone here will ignore our dad because he’s too nice.’

Especially that boy who seems like a descendant of a dark family. I glanced at the boy and then stopped.

Fortunately, the boy seemed more respectful than I thought. I couldn’t see his expression clearly, but the corners of his mouth were set firmly, and he seemed a little embarrassed.

‘Huh? It seems like there’s an impact!’

The boy hesitated for a moment and then emphasized to the maid again.

“Then step back a little. I’ll just give her a gift.”

I blinked at him.

‘A gift? What about my opinion?’

A gift from a villainous family would generally be akin to a bomb.

I looked at him and shook my head seriously.

“You don’t have to give it to me.”

However, his next words were enough to tempt me.

“Liar. You said you wanted to live, right?”

“Ung……?”

“If you receive this, you can live.”

My eyes widened even further.

Whenever the topic of ‘wanting to live’ came up, my eyes sparkled like baby stars.

‘Anyway, the maids are next to me… It doesn’t seem like he’ll harass me here… And if I cower to him, I won’t be able to take over the villainous family! I have to act confidently!’

Perhaps sensing my hesitation, the muscle maids stepped back a few paces. It was a distance where they could barely hear my small baby voice.

The boy, who watched the situation with satisfaction, said to me.

“Here.”

He handed me a small necklace. I tilted my head as I looked at the small necklace he placed in my hand.

A small fairy with wings was engraved on the pendant.

“……Uh?”

This is…

We looked at each other and said at the same time.

“It’s a healing fairy necklace.”

“Fairy necklace!”

What the boy gave me was the ‘Fairy Necklace’ that I had always wanted.

The real fairy necklace had red streaks painted on the pendant. Rare, bright red streaks that are rarely visible unless exposed to sunlight.

After examining the necklace carefully for a moment, I let out a small exclamation.

‘I thought it was fake, but this necklace is real.’

Of course, the fairy necklace wasn’t a particularly rare item.

Even though it was a medium that could summon ancient fairies, it wasn’t traded at a high price because hardly anyone could summon fairy bodies these days.

It wasn’t such an expensive item that a family’s young child could give it as a gift…

The boy seemed to know that fact as well and said awkwardly.

“Even if you can’t summon a fairy, you can use the healing power contained within it in a limited way.”

I blinked as I looked at the gift he gave me.

‘It’s a healing fairy necklace; it might be an artifact that’s only good for show to other people, but it’s precious to me as a baby! Because I’ll be able to survive a little longer!’

The muscle maids exchanged glances and whispered when I didn’t stop him.

It would generally look like an ordinary gift. Besides, since its owner isn’t stopping it, there’s no way the maids can dare to step in.

I was completely frozen.

‘This is really… an unexpected gain?’

I opened my surprised rabbit eyes and held the necklace he gave me tightly in my hand.

‘If it’s the healing power contained in the necklace, I’ll be able to protect and shield Dad, even temporarily.’

Fairy Necklace Artifact.

It looks common, but it was an item that could be used much more usefully if handled properly, even though it wasn’t well known.

I was the type to not believe in favors without a price.

Except for my dad, no one gave me favors without any price.

I was grateful, but I was always told to test even a stone bridge before crossing it.

I pursed my lips like a sharp bird’s beak and asked primly.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

The boy hesitated slightly at my question.

It was strange.

He frowned and kicked a stone stuck in the ground.

“You said you wanted to live.”

“……”

“It would be no fun if you were found dead tomorrow. You are in a very dangerous situation, and I don’t want you to die.”

…I didn’t know I was in such a dangerous situation.

As expected, it was the dangerous villainous family, Mirmord.

“I see……”

My hand trembled slightly.

He glanced at me, raised one eyebrow, and said.

“Anyway, a healing necklace that can’t even summon a fairy is not that important to me. I don’t need it.”

He wasn’t the type to beat around the bush, even to a five-year-old.

I smiled brightly as I fiddled with the necklace he gave me.

“Okay! Then, can you put the fairy necklace around my neck?”

“……Uh? Is it okay for my hand to touch you?”

He was a little different from what he had been so far. He fidgeted, forcibly clenching and then unfolding his hands.

‘Why is he saying that? And why is he acting like that?’

I didn’t know exactly what was going on, so I folded my eyes neatly and nodded.

“Ung!”

I said nonchalantly.

However, Leonhardt’s trembling hands showed no sign of stopping.

Just as I was making a puzzled expression, Leonhardt shook his head resolutely.

“……Th-That’s not allowed. You might be cursed.”

“……Huh?”

Even when I gestured that I was okay, Leonhardt was firm. He called out to the maid and said.

“Hey, maid. Put this necklace on her.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

The maid took the necklace and put it around my neck. The fairy necklace clicked and wrapped around my neck.

I smiled shyly.

‘I have a little bit of healing power now, so with this, the probability of surviving increases by 1%!’

And I decided to seriously give my thanks, which I had been putting off.

“Thank you! I’m really, really happy!”

He nodded awkwardly as he looked at my hair, which was sparkling in the sunlight.

“It’s nothing. That…….”

As I watched him kicking the stone, as if he was embarrassed by the compliment, I discovered one sense of incongruity.

I should say thank you, who are you, oppa [term of endearment for older brother or male friend]. But I didn’t even know his name yet.

“But I have something I’m curious about. What’s your name?”

“You’re curious about my name?”

“Ung! Because we’re friends!”

His face is hidden by the mask and cannot be seen. But seeing the moon-like smile spread across his mouth, it seemed that my flattery had worked properly.

Satisfied, I soon recalled the names of relatively decent people in the villainous family.

‘Was it Cecil?’

Even though that person is a wanted criminal, he seemed like a pretty decent person-.

“Leonhardt.”

……Uh?

“Leonhardt……?”

“Yes.”

His ears were red as he lowered his head and looked down at his hands. Hands that had finally stopped trembling.

But…….

Leonhardt!

I felt like my hands would tremble. My legs had already given way a long time ago.

Because I knew Leonhardt.

How could I not know the name of a very famous, very, very famous villain in ?

‘The legendary villain who annihilated an imperial military unit?’

A boy with sky-blue eyes and black hair. The one with scratches all over his face, the one with rumors that he kills people and gets tattoos, the one with the nickname of the mad dog of the Duke’s family, the news that Leonhardt was the masked boy in front of me made my head spin.

‘From what I remember, he seemed like a villain who was different from the start!’