LIGHTNOVELWORLD My Daddy Hides His Power
After nodding in greeting to Oscar, Cheshire gently offered his hand to Lilith. “Let’s go.” It was as if he wanted Lilith to quickly let go of Oscar’s hand and hold his instead. “Master!” However, Lilith, who had not seen the outstretched hand, turned around. “Mhm.” “I’m going. See you tomorrow. You know we’ll have breakfast together tomorrow, too, right?” “….” Cheshire stood blankly on Lilith’s back, unable to even lower his outstretched hand. Oscar saw that and had a hard time suppressing laughter. “Of course, you know.” “Ahaha! Let’s meet at the restaurant entrance at half past eight like today then! I have to go meet a friend, so bye for now!” “Yeah, go.” Lilith shook Oskar’s hand back and forth and turned around. “….” And then, excitedly… She couldn’t find Cheshire’s still outstretched hand and quickly ran to the carriage. Truly, embarrassingly. “….” “….” The remaining gazes of Oscar and Cheshire met in the air. “Ah.” Cheshire, who had awkwardly lowered his hand, ended up just patting his own thigh for no reason. Looking at that, Oscar thought. “Pft!” He smiled with the most mischievous expression he could.
Chapter 199
* * *
Midnight. Three men were secretly gathered in the basement of a small pub. This was an emergency meeting of the rebel forces. It was due to the Emperor’s scheme to push for a marriage proposal between Cheshire and the 8th Princess. “Ah, Joseph. Are you here?” “Yes, things have become complicated.” The last person to arrive, Joseph Luttman, lifted the robe he had been wearing and greeted Enoch. “You’ve heard roughly, right? Is it okay for me to refuse to talk about marriage?” Axion immediately got to the point. “No. Sir Axion must never intervene.” Joseph said, looking at Cheshire, who was silent and had a strange expression. “Sir Cheshire should not refuse marriage talks without justification. Then the emperor will think that his adoptive father, Sir Axion, had influence.” “Right. That wouldn’t do. According to our plan, Cheshire must not appear to be swayed by me.” The emperor wanted Cheshire. “Sir Cheshire must absolutely gain the Emperor’s trust.” Joseph’s plan is to make it look like things are going according to the Emperor’s wishes. While the Emperor was preoccupied with taking control of Chesire and preparing for a war of aggression. “3 years.” It was the right time for the rebels to make their boldest move. “Now that we have taken control of most of the key people in the middle class of the Capital and even the Wizard Tower. I look at three years.” Joseph looked at Cheshire. “Cheshire must become the Emperor’s sword and buy us three years for everyone to complete their final preparations.” “But.” When Enoch intervened, Joseph sighed. “Yes, a marriage proposal. It seems the Emperor wants to proceed cautiously. There’s no surer way to completely gain control over Cheshire than that.” “It’s difficult.” “I’m going crazy.” Enoch and Axion sighed. “For our plan to succeed, Lord Chesire must show that he follows the emperor’s wishes, but at the same time, we cannot allow the marriage proposal with the princess to progress as planned, as it would establish deeper ties with the imperial family.” Saying so, Joseph cast a sharp glance at Cheshire. ‘Cheshire Libre. He may seem indifferent, but no, he’s more emotional than anyone.’ He invaded the Great Temple, stole the holy relic <Judgment Sword>, and broke into the imperial palace. ‘While accepting the marriage proposal may seem like the wise choice, we shouldn’t create unnecessary variables for that emotional man.’ Joseph, who learned of the series of situations, couldn’t help but worry about the person named Cheshire. “Then what should I do?” Axion asked in frustration. Joseph groaned and placed both index fingers on his temples. “I’ll try to come up with a reason to refuse the marriage proposal, somehow…” “….” “….” Joseph, Enoch, and Axion face a difficult situation. Cheshire was lost in thought as he watched them remain silent for a long time. “…You can use marriage to start a business.” ‘Lilith is right.’ He soon realized. The behind-the-scenes battle to overthrow power requires complex transactions. And that many people in power are intertwined with interests that are not as pure as they appear on the outside. “Hmm. If this guy meets someone, he might show some courage.” “Maybe so. Even if you have a lover, the emperor will think that if he forces him to marry, it will backfire…” When Axion spoke, Joseph sighed and accepted. “But the emperor knows everything about Cheshire’s close relationship. If you push that kind of justification, he’ll think it’s an excuse.” As Enoch pointed out firmly, Joseph and Axion nodded in agreement. “That, Joseph.” Cheshire, who had been silently listening to the exchange, suddenly intervened. “Yes, Sir Cheshire.” Gaining the Emperor’s unwavering trust. Avoiding marriage with the princess. A good idea occurred to Cheshire, who had to accomplish both of those things at once. “I will meet the emperor and get what he wants.” Everyone was surprised by Chesier’s sudden words. “There is someone who can help.” * * * The next day. I was on my way to work at Wizard Tower in a carriage with Chesire, who had been visiting since early morning. “You want to go see Jem after this? What happened?” When I asked why he came, he said he had to meet Jem today and ask her a favor. It’s a request that Jem must listen to, but she may refuse, so he asks me to persuade her together. “It’s a long story. That’s why I wanted to talk to you while you were having breakfast…” “Aha! So that’s why you’ve been here since morning. I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I had breakfast at the Wizard Tower too.” “It’s okay. Jem needs to hear this anyway, so I’ll talk about it when we meet in the evening.” “Yeah, well.” I looked out the window. The familiar scenery on my way to work at Wizard Tower continued to pass by. “…Is the food delicious?” Cheshire, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly said something out of the blue when we almost arrived at the Wizard Tower. “What do you mean?” “I mean, the reason you’re having breakfast at the Wizard Tower.” “Aah.” I’m not a pig! “The food is delicious, but that’s not the only reason. I want to spend more time with Master.” “….” “Master was on strike. These days, he’s not working and just spends time with me. He helps me with my studies; we eat together three times a day and go for walks.” I also tried to watch as much as possible, even though neither I nor Oscar openly said anything about it. Like people who don’t have much time left for each other. “I have my own room in the Wizard Tower…” I got depressed again and muttered while looking out the window. “Maybe I should just stay at the Wizard Tower like my friends and commute from there…” “….” Soon the carriage stopped. When I turned around, I saw Cheshire staring at me strangely. “Cheshire? I’m going?” “Ah, mhm.” Is it because of the favor you mentioned for Jem? I don’t know what was going on, but Cheshire, who seemed to be thinking a lot, greeted me with a more blunt expression than usual. “…I’ll come pick you up later.” * * * “So, Dad said if Moarte Island becomes a tourist destination, Dad, Master, and I will go on a trip…” “….” Oscar looked at Lilith, who was holding his hand and walking non-stop. “…Master?” “….” Since the day he took over his grandfather’s body, he had spent almost all his time with the child. He was directly involved in educating the gifted children and was constantly by their side, sharing not only three meals but also their time. “Masteeer!” “….” During breaks, he even went for a walk holding hands like this. Now is the end of the day, after dinner and sending the child off. “Can’t you hear me!” It was as if he wanted to spend the remaining time together. “Ah, sorry.” “What’s on my face?” “Ah. You have something stuck in your teeth.” “Heuk!” Lilith was startled and covered her mouth with both hands in a panic. “Kid, it looks like you had a very delicious meal.” “Mhm… eat?” Oscar laughed and took Lilith’s hand, which had fallen, and held it again. “It’s a joke, a joke. Did you fall for that and clean it?” “Whoa!” As they continued walking, he saw Cheshire near the entrance. Oscar stuck his tongue out. “Why is that b*stard so free? He comes to pick you up every day without fail. Could he be a ghost from a past life who died because he couldn’t protect you?” “Oh! Is Cheshire already here? Today, we agreed to go see a friend together.” “Hmm, I didn’t ask.” Phew, he didn’t like it. As he muttered and approached, he saw Cheshire’s expression as he got closer. A strange gaze that was slightly averted for some reason. It wasn’t Lilith, it wasn’t Oscar, it was somewhere in between. ‘Where are you staring at me like that?’ As Oscar casually followed that gaze, he lowered his head― ‘Huh?’ He saw their hands tightly holding each other. For a moment, Oscar held back from almost bursting into laughter. ‘You’re so weird, really.’ In fact, lately, he had noticed Cheshire seeming to be wary of him. Perhaps it was because Lilith had grown quite a bit recently. ‘Everyone is going crazy.’ When they’re together, strange eyes keep appearing. Didn’t Lilith’s grandfather, Nordic, who overturned the Wizard Tower a few days ago, do the same? Nordic is the child’s grandfather, so even if it’s true, a guy with no blood on his head could be misunderstood as an impure look… Oscar felt a bit awkward but also found it amusing. “Are you here, Cheshire?” “Mhm. Did you do well in class?” “Yep!”After nodding in greeting to Oscar, Cheshire gently offered his hand to Lilith. “Let’s go.” It was as if he wanted Lilith to quickly let go of Oscar’s hand and hold his instead. “Master!” However, Lilith, who had not seen the outstretched hand, turned around. “Mhm.” “I’m going. See you tomorrow. You know we’ll have breakfast together tomorrow, too, right?” “….” Cheshire stood blankly on Lilith’s back, unable to even lower his outstretched hand. Oscar saw that and had a hard time suppressing laughter. “Of course, you know.” “Ahaha! Let’s meet at the restaurant entrance at half past eight like today then! I have to go meet a friend, so bye for now!” “Yeah, go.” Lilith shook Oskar’s hand back and forth and turned around. “….” And then, excitedly… She couldn’t find Cheshire’s still outstretched hand and quickly ran to the carriage. Truly, embarrassingly. “….” “….” The remaining gazes of Oscar and Cheshire met in the air. “Ah.” Cheshire, who had awkwardly lowered his hand, ended up just patting his own thigh for no reason. Looking at that, Oscar thought. “Pft!” He smiled with the most mischievous expression he could.
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