I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 137
As Lia stepped down from the carriage, a servant stood waiting as if expecting guests.
With a cautious voice, the servant confirmed Lia’s identity and checked her invitation.
Once her identity was verified, the servant immediately summoned a maid.
Following the maid’s guidance, Lia entered the Marquess’ residence.
‘…Something feels off.’
From the moment she stepped inside, an indescribable sensation washed over her.
How should she put it?
It felt as if her entire body was weighed down, as though drenched in water, and something sticky clung to her feet, holding her back.
‘Is it just my imagination?’
It could be that her instincts were making her feel uneasy about the Marquess’ residence out of sheer psychological rejection.
But if it were merely psychological, the discomfort shouldn’t have been this overwhelming.
The more she walked, the deeper she felt she was sinking—like wading into a bottomless swamp.
Acting as if nothing was wrong, Lia casually glanced around.
Yet, there was nothing particularly suspicious in sight.
‘…Still, I don’t like this feeling.’
She hadn’t planned to stay long in the first place. If possible, she wanted to exchange only the bare minimum pleasantries before returning to the duke’s residence.
She could always feign illness as an excuse to leave early—after all, this eerie sensation alone was enough to make her feel physically unwell.
With that thought, Lia continued walking, eventually arriving at the ballroom.
Since she had deliberately taken her time, many nobles had already gathered inside.
Most of them were faces she recognized from previous royal banquets.
As she stepped in, Lia felt their gazes land on her, but she simply found a suitable spot to settle.
She could have approached some nobles and exchanged greetings for the sake of socializing, but she didn’t feel particularly inclined to do so.
There was no need, anyway. Even if she didn’t make the first move, they would eventually come to her.
‘Well, they might just keep watching, playing their little mind games like last time.’
Pretending to be indifferent, Lia scanned the ballroom.
Strangely, the discomfort she had felt earlier only intensified after arriving here.
It was as if she had been plunged into deep water.
Something seemed to press heavily against her body, making even breathing feel slightly laborious.
But as far as she could tell, she was the only one experiencing this sensation.
The other nobles in the ballroom seemed completely unaffected.
‘Ha… I really want to go home.’
She had never felt such a strong desire to return home before—not even during the monster subjugation.
At least back then, there had been a clear reason for her unease.
But now… this feeling was something she couldn’t even put into words.
The strange discomfort made her tense and inexplicably thirsty.
She reached for a glass from a nearby table, hoping to quench her thirst.
Just in case, she sniffed it lightly, but it turned out to be just an ordinary beverage.
Relieved, Lia took a sip.
Thankfully, it was indeed nothing but a simple drink.
And yet, for some reason…
Even though it was just a regular beverage, it felt like she was swallowing sand. Her throat grew dry and scratchy.
‘No matter how much I dislike the Marquess, could it really be affecting me this much?’
The discomfort she had felt from the moment she entered the estate, the unsettling atmosphere—everything about this place felt utterly suffocating.
A single thought kept surfacing in her mind.
She needed to get out of here.
At that moment, a group of nobles, who had been observing Lia, cautiously approached her.
“It is an honor to meet the Duke of Sithran.”
A noble, who seemed to be the leader of the group, greeted Lia with a respectful bow before introducing himself.
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”
Lia replied with a polite smile, concealing her discomfort.
“We wondered if we might have the opportunity to see you here, and now that we do, it is truly an honor.”
“Oh my, if I had known you were so eager to see me, I would have made more frequent appearances.”
Lia replied lightly.
Since she had become a Duke, she had rarely made public appearances.
Aside from the imperial ball and official meetings, she had hardly shown herself.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t had opportunities—she simply had been too occupied with her work to see the necessity of attending events that weren’t essential.
“Speaking of which, does the ducal house have any plans to host a ball of its own?”
“I hadn’t really considered it due to my busy schedule, but now that you mention it, it does seem like a good idea.”
The internal affairs of the ducal house had stabilized, running smoothly and efficiently.
Now was the time for her to step forward socially and solidify her standing among the nobility.
Her presence at the regular council meetings had been helpful, but that alone was not enough.
“Please be sure to invite our Count’s house. We would gladly attend if it were an event hosted by the Duke of Sithran.”
The Count said, his favor toward her evident.
Lia responded with a polite smile and a slight nod.
‘Things really have changed.’
It was clear from the way nobles now approached her first, greeting her with respect rather than dismissing her.
Even though she outranked them, she was still quite young, and many nobles might have found it uncomfortable to use formal speech with her.
Yet, the Count showed no hesitation in treating her as an equal noble.
That alone was proof of how much she had achieved.
As the night went on, more nobles came forward to greet Lia, engaging her in conversation.
Unlike the first time she attended a ball, everyone was exceedingly polite and courteous.
Of course, that didn’t mean everyone had warm feelings toward her.
There were still those who looked down on her, unwilling to acknowledge her as a duke.
However, unlike before, no one openly disregarded or disrespected her.
While she was exchanging pleasantries, the host of the ball, Marquess Lathsiron, made his appearance.
The moment he stepped into the ballroom, his gaze locked onto Lia’s.
From the very instant he entered, his attention was solely on her—almost as if nothing else in the room mattered.
Lia’s body stiffened.
At that moment, she felt like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.
His presence alone seemed to ensnare her, as though he could devour her whole.
However, despite everything, his gaze remained warm and gentle toward her.
Suppressing her emotions, Lia gave him a brief, polite nod.
If she had avoided his gaze entirely, it would have been one thing, but deliberately looking away now would be an act of disrespect.
‘Haah… I feel like I’m suffocating.’
It felt as though she was trapped in a space ready to explode at any moment.
Instinctively, Lia raised her glass and took another sip.
And then—
‘Ugh.’
A wave of nausea hit her.
She barely managed to swallow the liquid instead of spitting it out.
‘What… is this?’
The drink, which should have been nothing out of the ordinary, suddenly tasted repulsive.
And that wasn’t all.
The suffocating discomfort she had been feeling only grew worse.
It was becoming unbearable just to remain in this place.
Everything irritated her.
The atmosphere in the ballroom, the sight of the food, the lighting, even the subtle fragrance lingering in the air.
She wanted to run away from here immediately.
It felt like this entire place was nothing more than a giant trap—a prison.
Lia took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain composed.
‘Just a little longer. Only a little more.’
She just needed to endure until she greeted the Marquess.
Then, she could find an excuse to leave.
As she reassured herself, her hands clenched into fists.
Her pale, tightly gripped hands revealed just how much she was suppressing her emotions.
Meanwhile, the Marquess stepped onto the stage and addressed the gathered nobles, expressing his gratitude for their attendance.
With that, the ball officially began.
After finishing his speech, the Marquess descended from the platform.
And the first person he approached—was Lia.
“Thank you for attending the ball.”
He said with a polite smile.
At that moment, Lia bit her lip.
For some reason, she detected a strange, unpleasant scent coming from him.
But she couldn’t ignore his greeting.
Forcing herself to suppress the churning in her stomach, she slowly opened her mouth to respond.
“With an invitation from the Marquess himself, of course, I had to attend.”
Perhaps due to her effort, her voice remained calm and composed.
No one would have noticed her discomfort—she had perfected the act of maintaining her usual demeanor.
However, the Marquess wore a subtle, knowing expression.
It was so fleeting that even Lia failed to catch it.
“Was your journey here comfortable?”
“Yes, fortunately, I arrived without any trouble.”
“I hope the ball we’ve prepared will be an enjoyable experience for you, Your Grace.”
The Marquess emphasized the words enjoyable experience.
As if they carried a hidden meaning.
