I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 103
Although there was something important to investigate, as a duke, the duties could not be neglected.
Hence, Lia first completed the urgent tasks before heading straight to the office that her grandfather once used.
This office was the only place that could offer clues about her father.
Perhaps it held some information about him that she was unaware of.
Since her grandfather’s passing, the office had remained untouched, with everything left as it was.
In reality, this room was the exclusive office for the head of the family.
However, Lia had chosen not to clear out the room.
She couldn’t bring herself to disturb the place that might be the last trace of her grandfather left in the estate.
Even though she was now the new head of the family, she felt no obligation to use the same office.
There were plenty of empty rooms in the mansion, and she could simply choose one to set up a new office for herself.
Who could argue with her decision, given that she was now the head?
“…It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Lia said, her voice tinged with melancholy, as she surveyed the familiar surroundings.
The office, kept meticulously clean and dust-free, looked just the same as it had in her memory, except for the absence of her grandfather.
How could she have cleared this place?
She kept it as it was, perhaps as a way to soothe her longing for her grandfather.
Memories with him were still vivid, especially of the times when he was busy fulfilling his duties as the duke in this very room.
This space was filled with many of Lia’s memories too.
Occasionally, when she was bored, she would visit her grandfather and spend time together in this room.
He would naturally sit her on his lap while reviewing documents.
Sometimes, with a gentle question of whether she was bored, he would pat her head with affectionate eyes.
Being with her grandfather was never dull.
Just spending time with him made her happy and content.
“…It feels strange.”
Lia murmured sadly, as if she was trying to imprint every detail of the room into her memory.
It felt as though time had reverted to the past, as if her grandfather was still alive. But, of course, he was no longer there.
This reality struck her again, unleashing all the emotions she had tried to suppress.
Tears threatened to overflow, but Lia swallowed them back.
She did not want to cry in a place filled with her grandfather’s presence. Somehow, it felt like he was still watching over her.
Her grandfather, who loved and cherished her more than anyone, would undoubtedly feel pained if he saw her crying.
Even until his last breath, he had never stopped worrying about her. She did not want to cause him any more concern, even after his passing.
‘I’ll be okay,’
I won’t cry.
Though her grandfather was gone, there were still people by her side who loved and cherished her.
While they couldn’t completely fill the void left by her grandfather, they could at least offer some comfort.
Lia, after holding back her tears with difficulty, slowly began to move. There was something she needed to find here.
Though she wasn’t sure if what she was searching for was even here, she had to check.
Unfortunately, Lia couldn’t find what she sought.
She carefully examined every corner of the office, but there was no information about her father—only traces of her grandfather remained.
This saddened her again.
Instead of finding what she came for, she only ended up revisiting memories with her grandfather, which made her feel even more forlorn.
The remnants of her grandfather, along with their shared memories, filled Lia with sadness.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have come.”
She muttered wistfully. She hadn’t found what she was looking for, only unearthed buried grief.
This was her first time stepping into the room since her grandfather’s passing, as she hadn’t mustered the courage before.
How could she? She had lost her only family in the world just a few months ago. It was not something she could come to terms with so quickly.
“…But I will come back again.”
Once I feel better than now, with a brighter smile. At that time, rather than feeling sad, I would be able to revisit past memories without overwhelming pain, just with a sense of longing.
With these thoughts, Lia quietly exited the office just as she had entered.
Her next destination was her grandfather’s bedroom.
Although she was already consumed by a sense of sorrow and considered postponing her visit, Lia decided not to.
She feared that delaying now would only lead to more delays, even though it was not something she could put off indefinitely.
It was time she learned who her father was and what circumstances surrounded him.
Until now, she hadn’t felt a strong urge to find out.
To her, he was almost like a person who no longer existed. Lia had once believed that even if she didn’t seek him, her father might eventually come to find her on his own.
If she mattered to him at all, surely he would want to see her too.
However, he hadn’t appeared even at her grandfather’s funeral, which led her to bury the thought of him even further.
Revisiting these feelings would only bring more pain.
But now, she could no longer ignore the possibility that Cassian could be her father.
Regardless of how it started or what had happened in the past, Cassian had become a deeply cherished presence to Lia—just as dear and close as her grandfather had been.
Thus, she needed to confirm whether Cassian was truly her father and what circumstances had kept him away.
Additionally, there was a chance that these circumstances were related to Cassian’s lost memories.
If so, understanding them could also aid in restoring Cassian’s missing memories. He had often seemed frustrated by his lost memories, after all.
Upon reaching her grandfather’s bedroom, Lia hesitated at the door.
She had mustered the courage to come, but her body refused to move as she tried to enter.
Like the office, the room had been preserved exactly as it had been when her grandfather was alive, with only basic cleaning and maintenance done.
It was a space filled with as many memories as the office.
Eventually, Lia took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Inside, she found something resembling a diary.
It was located in a secret compartment within the bedside table drawer, not just lying inside the drawer itself.
The compartment was securely locked, as if protecting something important.
For some reason, Lia felt that the diary might contain the answers she sought.
Of course, she would have to verify this to be certain.
Lia carefully held the diary close to her chest and quietly left the room.
Meanwhile, Cassian was busy on his own, having many things to investigate.
He had already gathered all the information he could within the duke’s mansion.
Now, he needed to visit the Imperial Palace, as it held more extensive records than those available at the ducal estate.
Even though the mansion’s library contained various books, it could not compare to the collection in the Imperial Palace.
Cassian headed there without hesitation, seeking more comprehensive information.
He had already obtained some details about Saint, but it was not enough.
He needed to know everything possible about Saint to prepare for the challenges ahead and understand more about the poison he had been exposed to.
Time seemed limited for him.
Even if he planned to ask Lia for help with the antidote, he needed to discover the nature of the poison independently to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Identifying the poison could also help uncover who had poisoned him, especially if it was a rare toxin.
Currently, Cassian could not leave Lia’s side, as her safety was his top priority.
With the demonic creatures targeting Lia and even breaching the Imperial Palace, there was no guarantee of safety at the ducal mansion.
Moreover, there were no people with abilities that capable of repelling such attacks within the duke’s estate.
This was to be expected, as Lia, the head of the family, was not a people with abilities herself.
Unlike the grand duke’s estate, which was obliged to hunt demonic creatures, the ducal estate had no such obligation and thus did not employ knights with special abilities.
Although the demons sometimes showed themselves in areas where people lived, they rarely dared to enter central locations, especially where noble houses and residences were found, mainly appearing in outer regions.
But Lia was different. She was special.
However, Cassian couldn’t reveal this fact. He couldn’t demand that the mansion be allowed to hire people with abilities for protection.
So he had to protect her himself.
To do that, he needed to clear his surroundings first. He couldn’t let Lia be endangered by those targeting him, or let her be disturbed by unnecessary matters because of him.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Cassian arrived at the Imperial Palace and headed directly for the Imperial library.
As usual, he entered discreetly, concealing his presence.
There, unexpectedly, he encountered the Crown Prince, Jeshuan.
