I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a lengthy period of contemplation in her own way, Lia, who had made up her mind in her heart, opened her mouth with a determined expression.

 

A mere twelve-year-old child, yet she was remarkably serious and sharp.

 

It felt as if she was sifting through the other’s intentions, as if turning their thoughts upside down.

 

“In addition to granting my request, there are a few conditions. If you accept them, sir… or rather, your Excellency, I will accept your deal.”

 

“What are they?”

 

Cassian’s face, as he asked this, showed a clear favor towards Lia.

 

It seemed like he would consider any condition.

 

Considering his personality, it was a rather unconventional behavior.

 

Originally, he was the kind of person who wouldn’t care about others or compromise.

 

Regardless of the content of the deal, even if he was in a weaker position, Cassian, as a self-centered person, pushed forward without considering the other party’s wishes.

 

Therefore, if someone else had set such conditions, they would have had to persuade him in a different way or use threats to achieve their goals.

 

“First, even before finding your memories, if there is a situation where your true identity is revealed to someone else or if the Duke encounters difficulties because of you, you will immediately leave the Duke’s service. Second, you will make an exception and reveal your true identity to me. Those are the two conditions.”

 

The first condition aimed to prevent the Duke from being unnecessarily endangered, and the second condition was to establish Cassian as her guardian.

 

Does he need to know that he is the Grand Duke for the Emperor to approve him?

 

The Empire’s laws stipulated three conditions for a guardian.

 

First, the status had to be certain.

 

Second, they had to be of a certain age.

 

Finally, they had to be someone who could be recognized by the Emperor.

 

All three conditions had to be met for someone to become a guardian.

 

If he were to hide his identity from the Emperor, it would be somewhat difficult to meet the first and third conditions.

 

Nobles could be acknowledged by revealing their family, but commoners couldn’t.

 

To obtain the status of a guardian easily, it was advantageous to reveal his identity to the Emperor.

 

“Both conditions seem manageable. I accept.”

 

Even though the conditions were somewhat demanding and difficult, Cassian willingly accepted Lia’s conditions.

 

It was not something he couldn’t understand as Cassian.

 

The girl in front of him was not just a child but someone who would be responsible for a noble family in the future.

 

However, he didn’t understand the second condition.

 

Of course, he had no problem revealing his true identity to the Emperor, as he believed in the Emperor.

 

But he wondered if there was a need to do so.

 

Such doubts were resolved by Lia’s subsequent words.

 

“Then, sir… um, your Excellency, I will accept your deal. My request is for you to become my guardian.”

 

“Oh. So, from now on, I’ll be called Dad…”

 

“Becoming a guardian, not a father, right?”

 

“… Darn.”

 

Cassian, who had subtly tried to win her favor, showed a disappointed expression in response to Lia’s resolute refusal.

 

Even the most affectionate baby angels had no mercy at times, which was a bit heart-wrenching.

 

“And before we formally write a contract for our deal, please prove that you are the Grand Duke.”

 

Cassian didn’t seem to be lying, but Lia couldn’t trust his words without any verification.

 

“Thoroughness is very much to my liking.”

 

She was as sharp as a knife, almost to the point where it was difficult to consider her a child, which was quite impressive.

 

However, this admiration was short-lived.

 

Cassian used his abilities to change his hair and eye color back to their original state.

 

From brown hair and eyes, they turned into black hair and red eyes. Along with that, he revealed the pattern passed down to him, carved into his hand.

 

As soon as she confirmed it, Lia had no choice but to acknowledge that he was indeed the Grand Duke.

 

Nobles’ hair and eye colors were not easily mimicked.

 

Unlike commoners, who typically had plain brown shades, nobles had a variety of colors that revealed their unique characteristics.

 

Lia, as one who inherited the blood of the Duke’s family, naturally had silver hair and silver eyes, just like the previous Duke.

 

The pattern was the same.

 

“Now that I’ve confirmed your status, let’s write the contract immediately.”

 

Since Lia had agreed to Cassian’s deal, there was no need to delay the process.

 

She brought two pieces of paper and a pen for drafting the contract.

 

She wrote the details of the deal on the paper in elegant handwriting, including the additional conditions.

 

Cassian watched her with a sense of wonder.

 

Even though she was a young child, her writing seemed skillful and familiar, as if she had done it many times before.

 

Even if it wasn’t for a contract, her personally written characters were valuable. It was something to be treasured for generations.

 

“Since I haven’t become the Duke yet, and your excellency probably doesn’t carry an official seal, let’s use signatures for now.”

 

Despite this most likely being her first time, Lia’s attitude in writing the contract didn’t show any awkwardness.

 

She appeared adept and comfortable, as if she had done it many times.

 

Cassian marveled at her natural decisiveness and actions.

 

This was why he wanted to employ her as his aide rather than the utterly useless aide he had.

 

Unlike his current aide, Lia was highly versatile and competent.

 

Just looking at her made his mood improve considerably.

 

Especially if he were to hire her as his aide, he could see her face every day even after the contract was over.

 

It was a very appealing condition.

 

“What a pity!”

 

Why did such an adorable child have to be born as the granddaughter of the Duke of Sithran?

 

If it weren’t for that, he might have been captivated by her cuteness and taken her away.

 

In that case, he would have spoiled her as his own daughter.

 

In that sense, he felt a bit envious of the late Duke of Sithran and Lia’s mother.

 

“But…”

 

As Lia signed the documents she presented, Cassian had a slightly troubled expression.

 

Lia gave him a questioning look.

 

“Between us, doesn’t ‘Your Excellency’ feel a bit too formal?”

 

“What do you mean by ‘between us’?”

 

Lia looked a bit bewildered by Cassian’s attitude, which naturally referred to both of them as ‘us.’

 

“We have quite an affectionate relationship.”

 

“It’s not that affectionate.”

 

How could affection develop when they had only known each other for a short time?

 

“You’ll soon become the guardian of a baby angel, isn’t that affectionate enough?”

 

“Just because it’s a guardian and ward relationship doesn’t mean it has to be affectionate.”

 

“No, it does.”

 

Cassian’s voice was resolute in response to Ria’s words.

 

“Why on earth?”

 

“Because I want it to be.”

 

Cassian’s confidence left Lia momentarily speechless.

 

“So, instead of ‘Your Excellency’… I mean, not ‘Dad’… How about calling me ‘Cassian’?”

 

As soon as the word ‘Dad’ crossed her lips, Lia’s eyes turned into axe blades.

 

Seeing her reaction, Cassian quickly changed his request.

 

Actually, Cassian’s eyes contained a sense of amusement, but he had to respect the baby angel’s obvious dislike.

 

“No matter how you put it, it’s not appropriate to call you by your name so casually…”

 

“It’s a nickname. Besides, we need to hide our true identities, right? So I can’t use names.”

 

As he said this, Cassian fell into thought for a moment.

 

For some reason, the nickname that came to his mind was oddly familiar.

 

It was as if someone had called him ‘Cassian’ like that in the past.

 

But that couldn’t be. Cassian had never allowed anyone, including his aides, to address him by name.

 

Who would dare call him by a nickname, especially when they weren’t even using his name?

 

“Even a nickname could be a bit…”

 

“Sir, I don’t like it. ‘Your Excellency’ is too formal, and if everyone calls you ‘Your Excellency,’ they’ll think I’m a Grand Duke.”

 

“… Fine. I’ll call you ‘Cassian.'”

 

It was uncomfortable to use an endearment, even if only a name, to someone who was almost like her father and of higher status than her.

 

Choosing ‘Sir’ was acceptable, but judging from his plump expression, calling him ‘Sir’ might lead to something unusual.

 

“Instead, could you call me by my proper name, rather than those strange titles?”

 

“It’s my own nickname. I don’t want just anyone to call me by my name.”

 

It was a strange impulse.

 

Though their relationship had started as a chance encounter and turned into a business deal.

 

Cassian wanted to be a special presence to Lia, unlike others.

 

For that reason, he didn’t want to address her by her name as casually as others did.

 

It didn’t seem affectionate at all.

 

“… Right, in that case, could you call me Lia instead of Shulia? Originally, it was a nickname for my grandfather, but now… there’s no one to call me that.”

 

Lia’s expression as she added those words seemed a bit bitter.

 

Even though she tried to hide it, how could she remain unaffected after losing her only family?

 

She seemed to be moving through life as if she had forgotten, but when she had to acknowledge the absence of her grandfather, her heart felt heavy.

 

Simultaneously, it left her with an empty feeling like something very important had disappeared.

 

“Lia, that’s a truly lovely name.”

 

Cassian immediately embraced her nickname.

 

Now that he knew he was the only one who could use it, and given Lia’s forlorn expression, he had no intention of refusing.

 

He had never consoled anyone in his life. Moreover, he had never cared about someone else’s feelings.

 

But Lia was different.

 

He was affected by her every emotion and, when he saw her dark face, he felt an urge to comfort her.

 

That was the reason he called her by her nickname, along with the words. It meant that someone was here to call her by that nickname.

 

“Yes, I’ve never seen your face, but my father and mother said they made up the name together after much consideration.”

 

Cassian, understanding the subtle longing behind her smile, gently stroked her head in an impulsive manner.

 

He wondered why she had never seen her father’s face, but it wasn’t important.

 

What was more important was her expression and her presence.

 

So, he called her by her nickname on purpose and said those words.

 

It carried the meaning that someone was here now to call her by that nickname.

 

“Right, although I’ve never seen his face, they said my father and mother created the name together after much thought.”

 

Feeling the hint of longing in her smile, Cassian impulsively ruffled her hair, and she didn’t reject his touch, partly because it felt strangely comforting and familiar.

 

Like a father’s touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day.

 

Lia headed straight to the imperial palace with Casian.

 

It was to formally introduce Cassian to the emperor and obtain approval for him to be her legal guardian.