I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 03
“Lady, are you unable to sleep?”
The light in the office was on, so Sebain knocked and opened the door just in case, and when he saw Lia, he asked with concern.
“Just my kind of day.”
Seeing the worry on Sebain’s face, Lia smiled, trying to pretend she was fine.
Sebain’s face was dark as he looked at her.
After the Duke’s death, Lia was having trouble sleeping every night.
She also ate significantly less than usual.
Sebain’s mouth dropped open in dismay.
She was twelve years old.
She was still at the age where she could bask in her parents’ affection and be silly.
But suddenly, she lost her only family. Moreover, as the heir to the dukedom, she was expected to shoulder a heavy burden at a young age.
So how can you not feel sorry for it?
As it turns out, she had an unconventional birth.
Her mother, the daughter of a deceased duke, had actually disappeared on a childhood outing.
She was about twelve years old, the same age as Lia is now.
Ever since she was a child, she had been unable to interact with people because of her physical condition, and the duke had been worried about her.
Because of this, few people knew that the Duke had a daughter, much less what she looked like.
But on our first outing, she suddenly disappeared.
Since then, the duke has searched the empire for his lost daughter, but has never been able to find her.
In the meantime, a man who claim as the husbnad of the daugher of duke Sithran came, claim Lia as his child with the daugther of duke sithran, and gave her to the Duke.
As soon as the Duke saw Lia, he recognized that she was his granddaughter.
He should have known, for she bore a striking resemblance to his long-lost daughter.
The duke then formally visited the temple to confirm that she was indeed his granddaughter, and officially welcomed her as his granddaughter.
Of course, Sebain didn’t know how in the world he had met and married the daughter of a missing duke, or how he knew she was a duke daughter.
Why hasn’t he visited the duke until now?
The butler also didn’t know who Lia’s father was.
This was because he is secretly visit the duke, revealed his indentity only to the duke and living Lia on duke care.
The Duke kept the whole thing to himself. Even to his closest confidant, Sebain.
The Duke’s decision was one that Sebain did not question.
Whatever the circumstances, Lia was the Duke’s granddaughter, and she was a lady to be served.
The Duke must have had a good reason for hiding everything. Sebain wa simply faithful to his duty.
“Perhaps I’m getting old, but I’m having trouble sleeping tonight. If you don’t mind, lady, may I talk to you for a moment?”
“If you do, I’ll thank to you.”
It was very lonely and lonely to spend this time awake, alone, when everyone else was asleep.
After the death of her grandfather, she was left feeling alone and overwhelmed.
At Lia’s answer, Sebain gave her a bitter look.
He recognized the emotion that flickered across Lia’s face.
‘Who would have thought that the master would leave so soon.’
A pained look crossed Sebain’s face as he felt the Duke’s absence.
If only he’d lived a little longer.
At least then, she wouldn’t have had to deal with her biggest headache right now.
‘What’s with the damn guardianship.’
She already had the qualities to become the head of the family.
She’s doing so well with something that would have been a struggle for an adult.
“Lady.”
“Yes, why?”
Recognizing the concern and affection for her on Sebain’s face, Lia smiled, trying not to let it show.
“For now, you can be a young lady, not the heir to a dukedom.”
Feeling sorry for Lia, who keeps trying to hide her feelings in front of him, Sebain said with a bitter expression.
“You know, I’m really glad I have Sebain by my side.”
The death of her grandfather hit Lia hard and left her with an equally devastating grief, but it didn’t mean she lost everyone who loved her.
She still had Sebain by my side, who loved her as much as his grandfather.
Without Sebain, Lia would have had to face it all alone, with no one to turn to.
“… I will always be by your side, lady.”
Sebain was serious.
When the Grim Reaper comes for him, saying that the time has come.
As long as he held the Reaper’s blade, he would stand by Lia until she could stand on her own, until she met the love of her life, married him, and saw their child. He would stand by her side forever.
He knows he can’t take the place of her grandfather, but at least he can give her a little respite.
It was the only thing he could do for her.
“… Yes, please do so. Sebain. Just Sebain can do that.”
She realized that if she were to lose Sebain in this situation, she wouldn’t be able to survive.
“The duty of a butler is to serve the master of the house, and those who are of his blood, and I am a very capable butler.”
Sebain had always practiced humility as a virtue.
It was uncharacteristic of him to refer to himself as a capable butler, but he did so in an effort to lighten the mood.
Recognizing this, Lia smiled, and for once, it wasn’t a feigned nonchalance, but a genuine smile.
“That’s right, because Sebain is the second most competent person I know, the first being, of course, my grandfather.”
“I am greatly honored that you would say so.”
There’s nothing like being recognized by someone you admire.
That warm fuzzy feeling is short-lived.
A small silence fell between them.
“I’m going to go to bed now.”
Sleep hadn’t come yet, and she didn’t feel like it, but she knew that if she didn’t stay awake, Sebain wouldn’t either.
She says she’s still young enough to have stamina, but not with Sebain.
No matter how clean it looks, he’s older than her grandfather, and his body couldn’t handle a full night’s sleep.
And she didn’t want to worry him more.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll stay with you until you go to sleep.”
“No, I’m fine, I can sleep on my own. Rather, I need you to check on the man I brought to the manor today.”
She didn’t want to delay Sebain’s bedtime any longer than she had to, she said.
“So, what are you going to do about him?”
“Well, I’m not sure about that yet. For now, he have to stay in the mansion and we will take care of him until he comes to his senses.”
Because she don’t want to kick someone out since they haven’t come to their senses yet and don’t want to get into trouble.
She had just saved his life, and he was about to lose it again if that happen.
In an empire where every single person with special abilities is lacking, how could such an act be done?
‘Well. The injuries he received were also severe.’
How dare you hurt someone with special abilities?
As such, the person who injured the man was no ordinary person.
It was likely to be someone who was a abilities, or someone who was being helped by a abilities.
“I suppose I should, it’s my duty as a citizen.”
It was unnerving and disturbing to think that she would have to allow an unknown person to stay in the mansion, but she had no choice since he was a human with abilities.
That’s why Sebain understood Lia’s decision.
“It’s late, then, but have a good night, Sebain. Sleep tight!”
She said good night in a cheerful voice and headed straight to her room.
Still, the conversation with Sebain must have eased her mind a bit, because she was able to fall asleep quickly this time, despite the fact that she hadn’t been able to fall asleep before.
***
It’s been three days since the mysterious man was discovered by Lia and stayed at the mansion.
His injuries were severe, and he was still unconscious.
In the meantime, Lia has been waiting for the man to wake up and focusing on finding a guardian.
She still had over two weeks to go, but not enough time to slack off.
She hadn’t found anyone she liked, especially after days of reading about the people Sebain had found.
So naturally, she was getting impatient.
Another day goes by, and she’s not making any progress.
This is why she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to get the person she wanted as a guardian in time.
The realization made Lia nervous, and she headed to his room to check on him, hoping for a moment of respite.
If the man had come to his senses, the maid would have come straight to him and reported it, but just in case.
It’s not like a maid or butler is at a man’s side 24/7.
With that thought, Lia headed to the man’s room, and when she woke up, she saw him sitting up in bed, a surprised look on his face.
Meanwhile, Lia wasn’t the only one surprised.
The seemingly nonchalant man, who had been confused by waking up in an unfamiliar place, also seemed surprised to see her.
He looked at Lia blankly and muttered a single word.
“… Are you an angel.”
