I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 134
Cassian looked at Lia with a deliberately wounded expression in response to her words.
His sharp gaze softened, making him appear somewhat pitiful as he stared at her. That look made Lia flinch instinctively.
She had only spoken up because he kept interrupting Jeshuan, getting in the way.
But judging from Cassian’s reaction, it felt as if she had committed some grave offense.
“My angel baby, have you already grown tired of me…?”
He spoke with a lingering gaze, as if addressing an ex-lover he couldn’t let go of.
At that, Lia’s expression, which had faltered for a moment in response to Cassian’s seemingly hurt face, immediately cooled.
He always said things like that whenever he had the chance.
If anything, she was the one who was truly getting tired of hearing it.
‘How did things even end up like this…?’
Since when did she have to hear such words from her own father and even feel the need to explain herself?
Still, it was hard to simply dismiss his nonsense and ignore him completely.
“That phrase is banned from now on. If you keep saying things like that, I really will get tired of it.”
“A woman’s heart is like a reed…”
“And I’ll make sure that reed bends for real.”
“…..…”
Cassian fell silent at Lia’s firm retort.
Instead, his face turned sulky, revealing his displeasure.
“You already know, don’t you? You know how important Khal is to me. Even as a joke, saying things like that isn’t pleasant to hear.”
In reality, she was simply dumbfounded every time he said such things, but she chose to speak gently to soothe him.
“If my angel baby says so.”
“And let me say this again—Khal and Jeshuan are both equally precious to me.”
“I’d rather be the most precious one, though.”
Cassian muttered, clearly displeased with the idea of being on the same level as ‘that guy.’
“I don’t want to rank my feelings. What’s important is important, that’s all there is to it.”
“My angel baby, how can you speak so sweetly?”
He wished that he was the most important person to her.
That he was the most special one.
That he was the only person who could take priority in her life.
Because that was how he felt about her.
But what could he do?
They say the one who loves more is the one who loses.
Before Lia, he was always at a disadvantage.
When it came to her, he had no choice but to give in to everything she said.
Seeing Cassian’s sulky expression finally ease, Lia let out a long sigh inwardly.
It felt less like dealing with a father and more like raising a son.
In that sense, she suddenly felt a new sense of admiration for the grandfather she had never even met.
If Cassian was still this much trouble as a full-grown adult, how difficult must he have been as a child?
And it wasn’t like Cassian would have listened to his parents’ words all that well, either.
She also couldn’t help but admire her mother.
Somehow, it felt like she had now taken on the role that once belonged to her mother.
‘But still…’
Her mother must have been happy.
Knowing Cassian’s personality, he wouldn’t have married someone he didn’t truly love or had no feelings for.
Especially when considering the contents of her late grandfather’s diary—it was clear that Cassian had deeply loved her mother.
Even if his way of expressing it wasn’t conventional, Cassian had always drawn a clear line between those he cherished and those he didn’t.
Even though Cassian acted as he pleased, he always ended up listening to her in the end. It was just that the process was never smooth.
That was why Lia was certain—he must have cherished and loved her mother dearly.
The only regret was that she had no way of knowing for sure.
She had never met her mother, not even once.
That was why she was curious.
If her mother hadn’t passed away, if the three of them had lived together, what would that have been like? How would it have felt?
Thinking about it now, a fresh wave of resentment arose toward the person who had killed her mother.
That person hadn’t just taken her mother’s life.
He had destroyed an entire family.
He had torn apart a parent and child who should have stayed together, stealing from Lia the chance to be loved by both her parents.
And now, she could never get that chance back.
The only thing left by her side was a father who had lost his memories.
‘That’s why I have to tell him.’
She had to tell Cassian that he was her real father.
And she had to let him know the pieces of the past he had forgotten.
So that he could make his own choice.
Whatever choice Cassian made, Lia was prepared to respect it.
Because she knew she could understand his feelings, no matter what they were.
Her face darkened at the thought, but only for a moment. Soon, her gaze shifted to Jeshuan.
“So, are you okay, Jeshuan?”
Bringing the conversation back to its original topic, Lia asked with concern.
“…I do feel a bit dizzy. I might have overexerted myself all of a sudden.”
A moment ago, Jeshuan had looked perfectly fine.
Now, he was deliberately playing up his weakness.
He wasn’t about to waste this opportunity—especially not with Cassian constantly interfering whenever he could.
And in the first place, wasn’t it Cassian who had created this opportunity for him?
Jeshuan didn’t dislike training with Cassian.
Even if Cassian’s true intention had been Lia rather than himself, in the end, the training had been beneficial.
However, he had no intention of accepting Cassian’s petty jealousy in the process.
At Jeshuan’s response, concern crossed Lia’s face.
His complexion did seem a bit pale. It would probably be best for him to get some rest.
Still, that didn’t mean she blamed Cassian.
After all, Cassian had only been training Jeshuan to help him improve.
And the training intensity was Cassian’s decision to make—it wasn’t her place to interfere.
“You should go inside and rest. Can you walk?”
“No.”
Jeshuan shook his head firmly, without a moment’s hesitation.
“Then I’ll help you…”
“No need. How could I possibly trouble my delicate angel baby with such a difficult task? I’ll do the supporting instead.”
As if anticipating Jeshuan’s scheme, Cassian cut in immediately, blocking his attempt.
There was no way he was going to sit back and watch Jeshuan keep clinging to Lia under the pretense of being weak.
“That won’t be necessary…”
“If you can’t even walk properly, how could I possibly ignore that? I do bear some responsibility in this matter, so I’ll make sure to support you properly.”
“……”
“Or were you exaggerating just a moment ago? You said you couldn’t even walk, but now you’re suddenly fine?”
Cassian spoke with a knowing smirk, watching Jeshuan’s face twist in frustration.
“Come on now, that can’t be the case. You still look so unwell.”
In reality, Jeshuan’s sour expression wasn’t because of his condition—it was just that he didn’t like how things were playing out.
But Lia misinterpreted it.
She assumed his complexion had worsened because of his poor health.
“…No, actually, I think I might be feeling a little better…”
“I understand that you don’t want to worry my angel baby.”
Cassian cut in smoothly.
“But there’s no need to pretend you’re fine. If you were too weak to walk just a moment ago, there’s no way you’d suddenly be alright, unless you were lying.”
He deliberately emphasized the last part.
At that, Jeshuan’s expression hardened further.
“…Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
If he claimed he was fine now, Cassian would definitely accuse him of lying.
Which—technically—was true.
But Lia realizing that was a different issue altogether.
“Then I’ll be happy to assist.”
Cassian, filled with personal spite, roughly ‘supported’ Jeshuan.
Rather than a proper assist, it felt more like he was hauling a sack of goods.
The sheer lack of care in Cassian’s touch made Jeshuan instinctively scowl.
At this rate, the so-called ‘support’ might actually end up hurting him.
Just as Jeshuan was about to protest, Lia intervened.
“Khal, he’s an injured patient. Could you be a little more gentle?”
“I am being careful.”
Careful to make sure it’s not too comfortable.
“Could you treat him the same way you treat me?”
Lia figured simply asking Cassian to be gentle wouldn’t get the message across, so she reworded her request.
At that, Cassian shot a sideways glance at the Jeshuan in his grasp.
His face was full of reluctance, like a child being forced to eat something they hated.
His displeasure was obvious to anyone looking.
“If you don’t like it, then I’ll just support him myself. That would be better than leaving him to you, Khal.”
“That won’t do.”
Cassian wasn’t thrilled about treating Jeshuan as gently as he did Lia.
But he disliked the idea of Lia supporting Jeshuan even more.
So, what choice did he have?
He had no option but to do as his angel baby wished.
What happened next made Jeshuan’s face contort in absolute horror.
Cassian had lifted him up—princess carry style.
Even though Jeshuan was much larger than Lia, he was still just a child.
And Cassian, lifting him effortlessly, didn’t waver in the slightest.
“This… I refuse—”
“Hush, you annoying brat. If you struggle too much, I might just drop you by accident.”
Not that Cassian himself particularly enjoyed carrying Jeshuan.
But seeing how much Jeshuan absolutely hated it did improve his mood—just a little.
“Just drop me instead.”
That would be preferable.
Being carried like this—especially by Cassian—was unbearable.
He already hated being in someone else’s arms, and now, of all people, it was him.
No matter how hard he tried to think of it in a positive light, it just wasn’t possible.
Hearing his words, Cassian was more than happy to comply.
After all, Jeshuan himself had requested it.
But the final decision wasn’t up to either of them.
“No, Jeshuan.”
Lia interjected firmly.
“You already said you weren’t feeling well. What if you get hurt?
“I know the position is a bit… unconventional, but speaking from experience, it’s actually quite comfortable.”
Her expression was completely calm.
She was genuinely concerned about Jeshuan—nothing more.
