I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 136
“It’s obvious to anyone that you’re not hurt at all….”
With a look that clearly said, Do you really think that trick is going to work?, Lia spoke in a somewhat resigned tone.
“Of course not. I’m hurt too.”
Cassian replied with unwavering confidence.
Lia sighed inwardly.
“Then let’s all stay together. It’s almost dinner time anyway.”
There was no point in arguing further—it would only lead to a pointless quarrel.
She was already exhausted from being caught in the middle of their constant tension, and she had no interest in engaging in more bickering.
At Lia’s words, Cassian looked satisfied.
Next to him, Jeshuan wore a displeased expression, but he, too, seemed unwilling to continue the battle of nerves with Cassian. He remained silent.
***
Five days had passed since Jeshuan started staying at the duke’s residence.
Lia had initially worried about whether things would go smoothly, but her concerns turned out to be unnecessary.
Although the two still exchanged sharp remarks whenever they crossed paths, their quarrels weren’t serious enough to be concerning.
Thanks to that, Lia was able to enjoy a relatively peaceful time.
However, there was another problem.
Today was the day of the ball hosted by the Marquess’ family.
Three days ago, a formal invitation arrived, and Lia eventually sent a letter confirming her attendance.
If it were up to her, she would have pretended she never received it and skipped the event altogether, but that wasn’t an option.
“I really don’t want to go….”
Spending time working would be far more productive than attending a ball.
Even though the nobles who used to ignore her wouldn’t treat her the same way anymore, it didn’t change the fact that she found the Marquess himself uncomfortable.
If she went, she would inevitably have to face him.
Just thinking about it made her body tense and her heart race for no reason.
And to make matters worse, she would be meeting him in his own territory—at the Marquess’ estate.
That fact alone made the idea of attending the ball unpleasant and unsettling.
Even during the demon subjugation, she had never seriously considered using her guardian as an excuse to avoid her duties. But this time, the temptation was strong.
After all, until she officially came of age, her guardian was also serving as her acting head of household.
So, even if she sent her guardian in her place, there wouldn’t be any real issues.
Of course, doing so would spark some controversy. Up until now, she had attended events herself even when she had the option to send a representative, so choosing to send a proxy only for the ball would certainly raise eyebrows.
But at this point, Lia was willing to endure a bit of criticism—anything to avoid attending the Marquess’ ball.
“What a shame.”
If the Marquess didn’t know Cassian’s face or if Cassian wasn’t hiding his identity, Lia might have seriously considered it.
Lia still couldn’t fully understand it herself.
Why did she feel so uncomfortable around the Marquess?
It wasn’t just discomfort—it felt more like an inexplicable fear. But even then, she couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
“…Have we met before?”
Maybe she had seen him somewhere but just couldn’t remember.
Perhaps something happened on that day, and that’s why she reacted this way every time she saw him.
But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out what it was.
Besides, she couldn’t recall any instance where their paths would have crossed.
“Sigh.”
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Lia turned her attention back to getting ready for the ball.
Even if she didn’t want to go, she had already agreed, and it was too late to cancel now.
And she couldn’t just show up looking unprepared.
Still, she couldn’t hide her dissatisfaction, and her expression remained sour as the maids helped her dress.
Once she was fully ready, Lia opened the door and stepped out of her room.
“Khal?”
“…….”
Cassian was waiting for her outside.
He didn’t say anything—he just stood there, staring at her.
His face, unlike usual, was unreadable.
But there was something about his stiff expression that made it clear he wasn’t in a good mood.
“…Should I just kidnap you?”
Cassian muttered to himself, his tone deadly serious.
Hearing that, Lia wavered for a moment.
Honestly, getting kidnapped by Cassian sounded better than attending the ball.
Wouldn’t it be fine if she got ‘abducted’ and missed the ball?
But she quickly shook off the temptation.
If she let Cassian ‘kidnap’ her, she’d be able to avoid the ball—but the aftermath would be a mess.
“Khal, I’ll be going now.”
Lia pretended not to hear his murmuring and spoke lightly.
“You’re taking a knight for protection, right?”
“Of course. I doubt anything will happen inside the Marquess’ estate, but it’s always better to be cautious.”
Lately, the movement of demons had been unusual, and Cassian’s concern for her had been growing. It made sense to take extra precautions.
“Hmm. You never know.”
It wasn’t safe just because it was inside the Marquess’ estate.
In fact, because it was the Marquess’ estate, it was even more unsettling.
She wouldn’t be alone with him, so she didn’t have to worry too much, but still—she couldn’t shake off her unease.
“I’ll be careful.”
“You’d better be. If anything happens to you, the Marquess’ estate might disappear from the Empire entirely.”
The only reason Cassian hadn’t taken action against the Marquess yet was that there had been no clear provocation.
There was no evidence strong enough to take him down.
But if the Marquess dared to harm Lia… then everything would change.
That alone would be reason enough for Cassian to kill him.
“Also, don’t fight with Jeshuan while I’m gone.”
Attending the ball was stressful enough, but leaving the two of them alone made her even more anxious.
Without her around, there wouldn’t be anyone to mediate between them.
“I don’t like him enough to go looking for him just to pick a fight.”
“That’s a relief, then.”
Or was it really a relief…?
Well, as long as they didn’t fight, that was good enough.
Lia convinced herself with that reasoning.
“Alright, I’m really going now.”
If she lingered any longer, she’d only feel more reluctant to leave, so she quickly started walking.
On her way, she ran into Jeshuan.
“Lia, are you heading to the ball?”
“Yeah.”
With a displeased expression, Lia gave a small nod.
Noticing her discomfort, Jeshuan’s expression turned thoughtful.
It was the first time he had seen her so openly reluctant about something.
Does she not like the Marquess?
Come to think of it, she had mentioned before that there was someone she found particularly uncomfortable.
…Well, the Marquess does give off a bad vibe.
On the surface, he seemed like a polite gentleman, but Jeshuan felt an inexplicable unease around him.
It was almost an instinctual aversion.
So he could understand why Lia might feel the same way.
“Take care.”
He didn’t like the fact that she was being forced to do something she clearly didn’t want to, but he couldn’t stop her.
She must have her reasons for going.
“Yeah, I’ll be back. Jeshuan, you take care too.”
“It’s just for a little while.”
Even though he didn’t want to be apart from her, she had things she needed to do.
He couldn’t act like a child and beg her to stay by his side forever.
Still, compared to before, this was an improvement.
There was a time when he had to wait an entire week just for a brief meeting with her.
With that thought, Jeshuan let her go without further protest.
After bidding Lia farewell, he turned and made his way toward Cassian for training.
“Training is canceled for today.”
Cassian, who had been busy preparing something, glanced at Jeshuan and spoke nonchalantly.
“…That’s unusual.”
“I have something urgent to take care of.”
That ‘something urgent’ was none other than following Lia.
Cassian didn’t like the idea of her attending the ball at the Marquess’ estate.
If he had his way, he’d rather she didn’t go at all—but knowing Lia, that wasn’t an option.
So, his next best option was to assign someone trustworthy to stay by her side.
But even that wasn’t possible.
He had reliable people, but they were already known to the Marquess. If they were seen with Lia, it might raise suspicions about her connection to him.
For a moment, he even considered sending Jeshuan along.
But that wasn’t a good idea either.
The relationship between Lia and the Crown Prince was still a delicate issue that shouldn’t be made public yet.
After weighing his options for a long time, Cassian finally came to a decision—he would just follow her himself.
There were things he needed to check at the Marquess’ estate anyway.
On the day of the ball, security would be tight.
But at the same time, events like these created distractions and openings.
Besides, there was no one at the Marquess’ estate capable of detecting him if he moved in secret.
Rather than entrusting Lia’s safety to someone else, it was better if he watched over her himself.
Even if he had to do it in hiding.
Jeshuan, hearing Cassian’s response, gave him a knowing look.
But he didn’t say anything.
He simply nodded in understanding and quietly returned to his room.
***
Riding in a carriage, Lia finally arrived at the Marquess’ estate.
