I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 138
“Thank you for your concern.”
Lia forced a smile as she responded to the Marquess.
She was on high alert for every word that came out of his mouth, but she couldn’t let it show.
“It is only natural. After all, you are the head of House Sithran.”
At his words, Lia simply returned a small smile.
“But… does the drink not suit your taste?”
The Marquess, who had been carefully observing Lia’s every action, noticed that the drink in the cup she had touched remained untouched. His voice was cautious as he asked.
“Huh? Oh, no, that’s not the case.”
Lia shook her head with a forced smile, feeling as if her lips were twitching.
Maintaining a normal appearance in front of him was becoming increasingly difficult.
His question was something any host of a ball might naturally ask.
How well the guests were treated at such an event could impact a noble family’s reputation.
And yet, it made her uncomfortable.
Every word he spoke to her.
Every bit of attention he paid to her.
“If the drink or food prepared does not suit your taste, please let me know. I will have something more suitable brought out for you.”
“It’s fine, really.”
Lia shook her head once again.
Even if he brought out a new drink, it wouldn’t change her discomfort.
She didn’t want to touch anything at this place.
The Marquess gave her a peculiar look in response to her reaction.
“If anything is making you uncomfortable, please don’t hesitate to tell me. The Duke has graced us with her presence, and we must ensure everything is perfect, mustn’t we?”
“You don’t have to worry. I’m just feeling a bit unwell, that’s all.”
Sensing an opportunity, Lia casually let the words slip.
If she said this now, then even if she left early, people would assume it was simply because she wasn’t feeling well.
“Oh dear, are you alright?”
The Marquess looked at her with exaggerated concern.
“…I want to say I’m fine so I don’t make you worry, but I think I might actually be feeling worse than I thought.”
Lia didn’t bother to say she was alright out of politeness.
She wanted to leave, even if she had to pretend to be unwell, so there was no need for empty formalities.
“I seem to have chosen the wrong day. Had I known the Duke was feeling unwell, I would have postponed the event.”
“No, there’s no need to do that just for me.”
“But you are the Duke of Sithran, are you not? It is only natural to accommodate you.”
At his words, Lia felt a renewed sense of aversion.
But she forced herself to smile once again.
Why was that?
Why did his words sound as if this entire ball had been arranged just for her?
It could have just been a polite remark.
And yet, his words stuck in her mind like a thorn, constantly irritating her.
“I am delighted to have this chance to meet you, Duke. I would love to converse with you longer, but it seems I must take my leave for now.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
At the thought that this uncomfortable conversation was finally ending, Lia felt a little lighter, as if she could finally breathe again.
“I wouldn’t want to keep someone who is feeling unwell for too long, but since you have come all this way, I would still like to encourage you to stay a little longer. There are quite a few people here who have yet to properly greet you, Duke.”
Lia didn’t respond to the Marquess’s words. She only smiled.
The Marquess stared at her smile for a moment, his gaze lingering strangely, before finally turning away to greet the other nobles.
Only then did Lia let out the breath she had been holding.
She hadn’t realized how tense she had been—her fingertips even tingled from the strain.
Because of that, she wanted to leave the ballroom immediately.
But she couldn’t.
It wasn’t just because of the Marquess’s suggestion.
Ignoring the nobles approaching her to offer their greetings and leaving right away would be considered an insult.
So, Lia ignored the signals her body was sending and received each noble’s greeting one by one.
Before she knew it, she had ended up staying at the ball much longer than she had intended.
Even before the Marquess arrived, she had already exchanged greetings with many nobles.
But there were still more she had yet to meet.
By the time she had finished, her condition had deteriorated rapidly.
It was no longer something she could dismiss as just a feeling.
‘Ah…’
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she staggered slightly before barely managing to regain her balance.
She felt disconnected from her own body, as if something was wrong.
Her stomach felt bloated, like she had indigestion, and her head spun as though she were drunk.
Realizing she could no longer remain in the ballroom, Lia quickly made her way out.
***
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Cassian, who had secretly followed Lia, was also inside the Marquess’s estate.
The guards at the entrance were checking the identities of every guest, but sneaking past them was not difficult for him.
Cassian had the skills to infiltrate even the imperial palace’s security, so getting into the Marquess’s estate was hardly a challenge.
Naturally, the first place he headed for was the greenhouse, a location the Marquess was known to frequent.
However, finding the greenhouse was not as easy as he had anticipated.
The estate’s layout was complex, and the path to the greenhouse was like a maze.
Even though he had received general directions from his informants monitoring the Marquess’s estate, it was still difficult to find.
After wandering for some time, Cassian eventually ended up in the wrong place.
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue in frustration, he glanced at the map in his hand.
Cassian had always been bad with directions.
Even though this map had been specially made for him, it wasn’t helping much.
He stopped and thought for a moment.
Although sneaking into the Marquess’s estate was not difficult, opportunities like this—where he could move freely—were rare.
With the ball in full swing, the Marquess was unlikely to be in the greenhouse.
This was his chance.
He couldn’t afford to waste it.
Tonight, he would finally uncover what was hidden inside that greenhouse.
However, things were not going as planned.
“…Maybe I should just blow everything up.”
There was no need to go through such a troublesome effort.
But Lia was still inside the Marquess’s estate.
How could he destroy the estate while she was there?
Finding the greenhouse would certainly be easier that way, but there was a risk that Lia could get caught in the explosion.
Suppressing the impulsive thought, Cassian instead focused on something suspicious in the garden ahead of him.
More precisely, it was something on the stone path within the garden.
His instincts told him he couldn’t ignore it.
Cassian walked toward the suspicious spot and lightly tapped it.
At that moment, what appeared to be an ordinary ground surface revealed itself as a hidden door.
“This… is an unexpected discovery.”
He had no idea where the door led.
But the fact that it had been disguised as part of the garden path meant it was definitely a secret space.
Which meant there was likely something hidden inside.
Without hesitation, Cassian opened the door and descended.
The space was pitch dark, with no source of light.
But his movements remained confident, unfaltering.
Cassian was, after all, a person with abilities.
Darkness was no obstacle for him.
After walking for a while, he finally arrived at his destination—the greenhouse.
Or rather, a hidden space within the greenhouse.
From where he stood, the greenhouse was visible.
But from the outside, this space was completely concealed.
“So that’s why I couldn’t find it before.”
The structure was designed so that no one could see this place unless they knew about it or entered through a secret passage.
Cassian slowly surveyed his surroundings.
At first glance, it seemed identical to the outer greenhouse, as if it had been copied and placed here.
But something felt off.
He couldn’t immediately identify what it was.
But one thing was clear—this place was not as ordinary as it appeared.
That certainty solidified when he spotted something familiar among the various plants.
“…Ha.”
Cassian took slow steps forward, approaching the plant that had caught his eye.
A sharp smirk appeared on his lips.
“So that’s what this is all about.”
At last, the puzzle pieces that had refused to fit together started to align.
And along with that realization, his hostility toward the Marquess deepened.
The man was no longer just suspicious.
He was someone Cassian had to eliminate.
Of course, the information he had right now was not enough.
There had to be more hidden here—more than what he had just discovered.
Determined, Cassian continued his search, scrutinizing every inch of the space.
Then, his gaze landed on a particular spot.
Just as he was about to step forward to investigate, his instincts flared—an urgent warning.
Without hesitation, Cassian turned away.
Verifying that clue was important, but there was something even more important right now.
