I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 125
Lia was already aware of the existence of Marquess Lathsiron.
How could she not be? From the moment he entered the conference room, all her senses had been focused on him.
But she deliberately pretended not to know.
She didn’t want to reveal the emotions she felt in his presence, nor show her unease and fear.
So, she forced herself to focus more on the meeting, consciously cutting off the attention that kept drifting toward him, ignoring it.
But in the end, they inevitably crossed paths.
She wished she could have pretended not to notice and walked past him. After all, the very thought of meeting him was unwelcome.
The moment she saw his face and realized the close distance between them, her body trembled once again.
An inexplicable sense of unease and tension continued to invade Lia’s body, growing larger and larger.
If Cassian had been beside her, it would have been somewhat better.
For the first time, she acutely felt the absence of the one who had always stayed by her side.
It wasn’t that she wanted to rely on him.
Even though he was her father, she didn’t want to appear pitiful like a child leaning on him.
She was simply disconcerted and anxious about facing the Marquess alone and needed someone to stay by her side.
Last time, at least Shion was with her, but now, he wasn’t.
For now… Lia had to face the Marquess alone.
She clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself not to show any signs of nervousness.
It was a reaction she couldn’t understand. She knew there was nothing to gain from exposing it.
“Indeed, we meet again like this.”
Lia responded with a calm demeanor as she received the Marquess’s greeting.
Together with the greeting, the Marquess’s gaze scanned her from head to toe. It gave her an eerie feeling.
His gaze unsettled her.
It felt as though a sinister, unknowable serpent was trying to dig into her soul.
‘Why is this happening?’
Why did she always react this way whenever she met the Marquess? She couldn’t understand it herself.
Moreover, for some reason, his face felt oddly familiar.
Of course, this was their second meeting, so naturally, his face would be familiar. But there was something beyond that familiarity.
It felt as if she had seen his face a very long time ago.
Unaware of Lia’s inner turmoil, the Marquess opened his mouth with the same overly amicable attitude as when they first met.
“Your performance during today’s meeting was truly impressive.”
His words were a mix of admiration and praise.
But hearing those words didn’t make Lia feel good.
His attitude toward her kept bothering her.
It felt as though he was hiding a rotten core beneath a pleasant exterior.
The kindness he showed her seemed suspicious. It triggered Lia’s wariness.
What appeared to be pure goodwill from him kept feeling as though it had some hidden purpose.
But she couldn’t figure out what it was.
What his purpose might be, or why she kept getting such a feeling.
“I was merely fulfilling my role as the Duke of Sithran.”
Just as her grandfather had, she mediated between the non-abilities and the abilities to achieve harmony and balance between the two factions.
Rather than sharpening their knives against each other, she wanted them to cooperate.
“That’s right. You are the head of the Sithran Ducal Family. That’s why it’s a bit disappointing,” the Marquess said with a strange undertone.
Lia’s gaze momentarily turned sharp in response.
He truly seemed to express genuine regret.
But why would he feel disappointed about the fact that she was the Duke of Sithran?
That inexplicable unease kept putting Lia on edge.
Every single word he spoke couldn’t be ignored.
“More importantly, I’ve been waiting here because I have something to discuss with you, Your Grace.”
The Marquess said, gazing at Lia with an unusual look, his characteristic gentle smile returning.
“Is that so?”
Lia responded in a composed manner, suppressing the discomfort that welled up inside her.
She didn’t want to hear it, nor did she want to know. Whatever it was, she didn’t expect it to be beneficial for her.
But she couldn’t recklessly act hostile toward him without reason or create unnecessary distance.
“If you don’t mind, would you attend the ball hosted by the Marquess’ household in a few days? While an official invitation will be sent to the Duke’s household, I wanted to extend this invitation to you personally.”
“I will gladly accept the Marquess’ invitation.”
Lia replied, hiding her unwillingness behind a polite façade.
She couldn’t outright refuse his invitation in such a setting. Making such a decision based on personal feelings wouldn’t have been a wise choice.
The Marquess Lathsiron was a central figure among the heads of the non-abilities households. Maintaining a strained or uncomfortable relationship with him could be interpreted as abandoning a neutral stance.
Given that the Duke of Sithran played the role of mediator between the two factions, she couldn’t afford to appear aligned with one side.
Moreover, this was an official invitation.
The ball hosted by the Marquess’ household was sure to be attended by many nobles, not just those maintaining friendly ties with the Marquess.
If she chose not to attend such an event, it could easily lead to unnecessary misunderstandings among others.
And those misunderstandings would do no good for her family.
Even if those misunderstandings were not entirely baseless.
“Thank you for accepting the invitation. I look forward to seeing you on that day.”
The Marquess said before turning to leave with a courteous farewell, heading off to join other nobles.
Even after the Marquess left, Lia stood still for a long time.
His words kept echoing in her mind.
They were nothing out of the ordinary.
Ever since they first met, he had displayed inexplicable goodwill toward her. Perhaps his statement simply meant he was looking forward to seeing her again at the ball.
But somehow, his words kept bothering her.
Meanwhile, as the Marquess walked away with the nobles, a sly smile crept onto his face. It was an unsettling and ominous smile, almost as if it carried a foul stench.
However, no one noticed that smile.
‘Things are going more smoothly than I thought.’
Of course, he hadn’t expected Lia to refuse.
After all, wasn’t it an invitation to a ball hosted under the name of the Marquess’ household?
Without a justifiable reason, declining such an invitation wouldn’t have reflected well on the Duke’s household either.
That’s why he had deliberately created a situation she couldn’t refuse and extended the invitation.
Furthermore…
The Marquess recalled another fact, a satisfied smile forming on his face.
At the moment, the Marquess was brimming with excitement.
The reason for his elation was none other than the Grand Duke.
‘It’s certain now—something has happened to the Grand Duke.’
That realization brought an added sense of ease to the Marquess’ mind.
Of course, he had suspected it for some time.
Although the Grand Duke rarely made public appearances, recently, there had been an absolute silence about him—no rumors, no sightings, nothing.
Just to confirm, the Marquess had sent his subordinates to monitor the Grand Duke’s demon subjugantion activities, but there had been no sign of the Grand Duke there, either.
Even though he didn’t attend official gatherings, he had always been diligent in carrying out demon subjugantions.
But now, he wasn’t even appearing for those.
That could mean only one thing.
Something had happened to him.
The Marquess could vaguely guess what the issue might be.
‘The gods must be on my side.’
The biggest obstacle to his plans was Grand Duke Cassian.
The fact that something had happened to him was nothing short of excellent news for the Marquess.
Without him, there would be no significant obstacles to achieving his plans.
There would be no chance of failure.
If his plans succeeded, the Marquess would obtain what he had long desired.
Something he had dreamed of and yearned for over many years.
What Cassian was going through, or how severe his situation was, didn’t matter to him.
As long as it didn’t interfere with his plans, that was all that mattered.
Once his plans succeeded, the Grand Duke’s presence would no longer pose a threat.
So, he hoped that Cassian would continue to remain absent.
‘If he were to die entirely, that would be even better.’
If his plans succeeded smoothly, the Grand Duke might even become a useful weapon for him. But there was no need to take unnecessary risks for him.
A blade sharpened too finely often turned against its wielder.
In any case, there were plenty of other weapons he could use besides the Grand Duke.
***
Lia decided not to return to the Duke’s estate immediately.
Instead, she chose to stop by the palace where Jeshuan was staying.
He would be arriving at the Duke’s estate tomorrow anyway, meaning she’d be seeing him nearly every day from then on.
However, since she had already come all the way to the imperial capital, she couldn’t just leave without seeing him.
Despite saying he had only dropped by for official business, Jeshuan had been genuinely happy to see her.
If he found out that she had come to the capital and left without visiting, he would surely be disappointed.
After all, she was his only friend.
Jeshuan had no other companions or acquaintances.
Since he was always alone, Lia couldn’t bring herself to ignore him completely.
And when she finally arrived, Jeshuan greeted her with joy.
Like someone receiving an unexpected gift, he smiled brighter than ever before.
“Have you been well?”
His voice was gentle, filled with an affection he could not hide.
Anyone who saw him at that moment would immediately realize—
Jeshuan liked Lia.
