Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Dad Will Protect Our Daughter
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……Dad’s words sank deep into my heart.
I was bad and immature. I had thrown people who tried to ruin our family’s happiness into hell first.
Even so, Dad said it was okay to be bad. He told me I deserved to be happy……
Unknowingly, a tiny sound slipped from my lips.
“……Yeah.”
Dad laughed, ha ha, as if even that made him happy.
I cautiously lowered my corn kernel-sized hand.
It was obvious he’d fret if I cried, so I’d tried to cover my face with my hand for no reason.
Now I was confident I wouldn’t cry. I wasn’t moved at all. He was just our fool of a dad. I’d brainwashed myself like that.
I won’t cry. It’ll be fine.
“Eh? Our daughter’s eyes……”
“Why? They’re ugly?”
My eyes must’ve turned into rabbit eyes by now. But Dad said even rabbit eyes were fine……
Still, ugly and unattractive things had no value. Seeing me a little anxious, Dad laughed brightly.
“Like a crucian carp. So cute.”
I started to cover my eyes again but stopped, mumbling softly.
“……I’m not a carp. And I’m actually really, really bad.”
Dad stroked my head and said softly but seriously.
“I told you, it’s okay to be bad. Even if you’re a carp. Anyway, Dad will protect our daughter’s happiness.”
“Uuung……”
“Now say ahh.”
Dad scooped cake onto a fork and brought it to my mouth. I nodded and opened my mouth wide.
I really tried to chew the cake he put in my mouth.
Because the cake was so, so delicious.
I tried to chew the whipped cream with my tiny baby teeth, pretending it was nothing, but my body froze.
My heart felt a little strange.
Suddenly, a wave of emotions surged in quickly, like someone pounding a huge drum inside my chest, boom, boom.
With my mouth full of whipped cream that felt like it would burst, I softly called Dad.
“Dad.”
Was calling “Dad” such an emotional word?
Before I could even wipe my eyes, they grew hot, and tears streamed down.
“Sien? Sien, why are you crying?”
“Hwaaaang.”
With cake still in my mouth, I burst into wails.
I’d always thought I had to be useful or die. I never imagined hearing that I didn’t need to do anything, just be happy.
The words Dad said every day pierced my little heart so deeply today.
“Dad’s too nice.”
I resented him for being so kind to me, for loving me so much. My heart melted.
Tears dropped from my eyes.
Dad anxiously wiped the corners of my eyes gently.
“Sorry, Sien. Did Dad do something wrong?”
He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he apologized first.
With bean-sized eyes shedding tears nonstop, I scolded him for no reason.
“How do you survive in the world being this pure? Idiot!”
Next, I wanted to say I love Dad, there’s no one but Dad. I really like Dad the most in the world. Dad’s the only one for me.
But after calling him idiot, the tears poured so much that I couldn’t say anything, just sobbing loudly.
Dad wiped my tears hurriedly with his fingertips, his face full of worry. He furrowed his brows into an eight shape and murmured cautiously.
“Did Dad say something wrong? Sorry, Sien. Dad’s new at this too…… I’m clumsy.”
Our fool dad always said something like that whenever I cried unexpectedly.
As if he’d done something wrong to make me cry. What a real idiot.
That misunderstanding can’t happen.
Because I love Dad the most in the world.
Dad’s the best dad in the world.
“No. Dad didn’t do anything wrong.”
His arms hugging me tight and patting my back were so warm.
I couldn’t help but cry my eyes out until they swelled like a crucian carp.
In the countryside village, Dad whispered softly into my ear every night when I had nightmares.
Sien, you don’t have to do anything.
You’re my precious daughter just by existing.
Let’s live happily together.
It’s okay to cry. Cry your heart out and let it all go.
You don’t have to force yourself to cheer up.
Suddenly, I thought I wanted to live happily forever with Dad.
Repeating that thought, I chewed and swallowed the teary cake.
***
It was a pitch-black night, so dark even dusk seemed to be coming.
Maybe because I cried during the day, Dad canceled all his afternoon schedule and stayed by my side.
I gazed at Dad, who had fallen asleep with his arm as my pillow, lost in thought.
‘I don’t have time to just cry. I need to get stronger.’
After a good cry, my heart felt firmer.
Like how the ground hardens after rain.
‘It’s fine. Those bad guys can’t affect my life at all!’
I’d taken down the academy director too, so I was brimming with confidence.
I’d keep going, seizing the villain duke family in my grasp! And eventually, the empire!
With my swollen crucian carp eyes, I made an ambitious face.
‘Dad told me just to be happy, but I can’t. To be happy, I have to survive first.’
Did he notice my sparkling eyes? Dad called me in a sleepy voice.
“Sien.”
“Yeah?”
Lying on Dad’s arm pillow, I asked drowsily.
‘If I steadily build strength bit by bit, we can be happy.’
Steadily, slowly, little by little, expand my influence in this family.
Until I’ve built enough strength, stay out of everyone’s sight!
But……
Dad muttered casually, like it was no big deal.
“Dad’s been confirmed as the family heir. Now I’ll become the young duke and earl of the Rocherne territory.”
Thud.
That was the sound of my fingernail-sized heart plummeting to the floor.
I bolted upright in bed.
‘Why is our dad already the heir?’
It clashed with my plan of ‘slowly building strength and becoming the great villain.’
“Eh, how already?”
Unlike my panic, Dad stayed lying down, eyes half-closed.
“A while ago, I joined the council of elders and persuaded them nicely. Then they said I should be the heir, so yeah?”
“Huh, heuk. Really?”
The council head would never! That guy’s a total villain?!
That scum definitely wanted to make our dad a puppet.
Oblivious to my crumbling heart like a ruined mansion, Dad said brightly.
“Yeah, that’s what they said!”
I urgently opened my mouth and asked Dad.
“Why, why make you the heir?”
“Ah!”
Gulp.
Clutching a faint thread of hope, I looked at Dad.
‘M-maybe Dad has some hidden power…… and that guy recognized it?’
Thinking back, when Dad farmed potatoes, they sprouted really well.
I snapped to my senses after that thought.
Straining to open my eyes wide, I stared at Dad.
He shyly scratched his cheek, a kind smile on his lips. An ominous feeling hit me, and I clasped my hands tightly in front of my chest.
“Well, the council head said Dad has such a kind and gentle heart, perfect for our fine duke family.”
Lies.
That’s really……
Total nonsense!
Recapping Dad’s words about becoming heir because he’s kind, I despaired.
‘Anyone can see this is a scam…… That council head scum. He’s planning to manipulate our kind dad as his avatar from behind the scenes……!’
In the original story, the council head was a sly villain. He was definitely targeting Dad.
I handled the academy director easily because I knew his signature dark magic. But the council head was different, and the Mirmod villains appearing one by one after would be even more so.
When Axel hears this news and returns, we’d soon be dead rats.
‘I can see the future: our kind idiot dad gets used by the council head and killed by Axel.’
With my trembling hands, I clutched Dad tight.
‘Refusing the heir position might be the easy way, but since they’ve already named Dad heir, there’s no backing out now.’
Even if Dad tried to avoid it, it was impossible now.
Once named heir, even if he gave it up or ran, the Mirmod family’s ambitious sharks would come after him to kill.
Now the only way was to build strength so Dad could safely become the Mirmod duke.
No choice.
I’d have to use all my original story knowledge and get strong as fast as possible!
I stared at Dad with fierce eyes.
“Dad, you have to become the duke.”
“Yeah, sure?”
“I’ll back you up!”
“Just your words give me strength, our daughter.”
Dad sat up and kissed my cheeks, smack smack.
Normally, I’d hee hee and rub my cheek on his stubbly one……
Not now.
I’m Sien Mirmod, who will become super strong, so no more undignified stuff.
I said sternly.
“Dad, go train now. Don’t forget to spit.”
“Huh?”
“Pthbbt, do it. Hurry. Say bad words too.”
“Bad…… words?”
Dad’s hands started shaking a little.
Of course he’d panic at “bad words.” How innocent do you have to be to tremble just hearing that?
Idiot dad. Wait! I’ll train you into a bad villain!
“Yeah, say it well!”
“……Okay.”
Dad looked at me with a super tense face.
Pointing into the air, I whispered.
“You, jerk! XXXXX! Pthbbt.”
Dad’s eyes went huge.
Black hole huge, like it’d suck you in. I tilted my head. First time seeing fool dad like that.
“Where’d you learn such a scary word!”
Dad shouted with eyes wide. I tucked my lips in and shook my head no no. Can’t say where I learned it!
But……
“You answer first! Say jerk, pthbbt!”
“What? No way. I won’t say bad words.”
“Why not?”
“Sien, look at Dad’s face.”
Dad was super firm.
“No. I won’t!”
I shook my head no no while staring at Dad.
Then Dad narrowed his eyes and said to me.
“What do you mean no, where’d you learn it?”
“Hmph!”
I absolutely couldn’t answer. Because it’s a curse from my past life. How could I say that! Dad has to understand my situation.
I shook my head no no.
When I didn’t answer, Dad made his brows into an eight and put on a pitiful face. Seeing sorrow on his sculpted face made my heart ache too.
“Our daughter’s changed. Keeping secrets from Dad. Saying bad words.”
But I know!
That’s the pity play tactic!
“Tch! I have tons of secrets! Don’t wanna tell!”
Dad staggered in shock. Who knew sitting people could shake like that from shock.
What happened after…… I don’t want to imagine again……
Dad, devastated by my words, lectured me for an hour!
Getting scolded by Dad like this was the first time since I was really little. He practically brainwashed me with “don’t use bad words.”
‘And he vowed to hunt down whoever taught me bad words.’
Kind Dad investigating people here would probably just give them a stern word.
Anyway, thanks to Dad’s discipline, I’m grounded now.
Hoo, hoo. After a few long sighs, I calmed down a bit.
‘Dad’s way too straitlaced and pure. Big trouble, big trouble.’
‘Spitting is bad, calling someone a jerk is cursing and hurts others,’ he said like a million times.
Even then, he lingered like he couldn’t leave, before going to the spire. Said he had documents to receive for reinstatement as family heir.
Once our dad becomes young duke, the villain heirs would swarm like dogs, obviously.
What to do. I gripped my sheep head hard. Until the fluffy hair was squished between my fingers.
Seeing me suffer, the maid sisters exchanged glances and whispered.
“Were you worrying if snack time should be strawberry cake or chocolate cake today?”
No, that’s not it!
To live or die. That is the question!
My five-year-old head felt like it would burst.