I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 37
Cassian, adorned with a ribbon, looked truly awkward and out of place.
The atmosphere was colder and more chilly than the northern mountain range, known as the coldest on the continent, yet here was Cassian wearing a quaint ribbon, almost the size of Lia’s palm.
Despite the awkwardness and mismatch, thanks to his excellent appearance buff, it didn’t look bad.
Lia, observing Cassian confidently wearing the ribbon that didn’t suit him at all, felt a sense of unease.
The ribbon fluttering in the spring breeze seemed to say,
“Come on, isn’t this a bit too chaotic?”
‘Surely… no, right?’
The statement that it was the only one in the world, combined with the fact that only one gift came to mind, made Lia uneasy.
If her assumption was correct, Lia was more than willing to reject that gift.
So, as if to preemptively respond before Cassian could say anything, Lia spoke first.
“If by any chance that gift is a sword, I’ll decline!”
“Oh, angel baby, if you wished for that, I would have given it to you sooner.”
“I said I would decline, though?”
Knowing that his way of interpreting human speech was eccentric and illogical, Lia wondered how he could misconstrue a rejection as an affirmation.
“No need to be embarrassed. If it’s for angel baby, I would gladly give it.”
Cassian, interpreting Lia’s repeated rejections as a mere formality due to embarrassment, spoke with a satisfied smile.
“So, what is the gift you prepared for me?”
Realizing that whatever she says might not make a difference, Lia opted for a question instead.
Judging by his reaction, it seemed like there was a separate gift he had prepared.
“Me.”
“Oh, I must have worked too hard today. I’m hearing strange things.”
Having heard the least desirable response, Lia pretended not to hear.
“You did work hard. Instead of going through all that trouble, why not just clear everything away? Why bother with such annoying efforts?”
Recalling that fact, Cassian frowned as if once again displeased.
“So, what’s the gift?”
“Hmm, smile for me.”
“Out of the blue?”
“I wanted to see angel baby’s smiling face.”
Hearing Cassian’s words, Lia sighed deeply.
Why does he keep bringing up unrelated things instead of answering straightforward questions?
This always led their conversations to be prolonged, as it took quite a while to get a simple one-word response.
“Lia, smile, okay?”
Cassian fluttered the ribbon, and his eyes squinted with a playful expression.
“Oh, sure.”
Lia awkwardly smiled with a slightly reluctant expression.
“As expected, being an angel, even your smiling face is special.”
The strange elevation of the corners of his mouth and expression made it difficult to describe.
“Now, do something pretty.”
“Yes, I’ll do something pretty.”
What in the world is this demanding gift? And to think he said he would give it first, not her.
With discontent, Lia performed her version of something pretty.
That was, according to Lia’s standards, something pretty.
“Angel baby is truly lovely. That’s why even the marks are like perfect works of art.”
Observing the traces left on his hand from Lia’s antics, Cassian admired it quietly.
“Too bad. I’d like to preserve it forever if I could, but I can’t.”
Such small traces would soon disappear.
Contemplating for a moment, Cassian considered whether following the shape with a knife or using fire might prevent them from fading away.
Yet, he shook his head; unless he inflicted quite a deep wound, it would inevitably vanish.
Cassian had to suppress the urge rising within him since it was apparent that unless he left a notable scar, it would eventually disappear.
Succumbing to the impulse, Cassian gently stroked Lia’s head.
While other people’s heads only sparked the desire to pull out a strand, Lia’s head seemed to be uniquely cute.
Especially the sensation of her soft hair, firmly clinging to his hand, the gentle touch of her silky curls beneath his palm, melted Cassian’s heart.
“Now that I’ve seen something pretty, I suppose I should give you a gift. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
With these words, Cassian retrieved something from within his embrace.
It was an adorable box containing jewelry.
“What’s this?”
“The personal items I mentioned last time.”
“Personal items?”
It looks quite small for something like that.
Lia, intrigued, gazed at the box on Cassian’s palm.
Cassian, who had been affectionately watching her, opened the box to reveal its contents.
“Huh? A ring and a bracelet?”
Lia looked puzzled at the items that seemed quite different from personal belongings.
“That’s to avoid raising suspicion.”
It’s more convenient to have accessories if you want to carry them all the time.
“Well, I suppose.”
“This bracelet has a protective barrier function. It’ll unfold a protective barrier in dangerous moments to safeguard angel baby.”
“Wow…”
Lia marveled, as it was her first encounter with jewelry containing abilities.
She also wondered if she was allowed to receive such a gift.
The ring looked expensive just at a glance. With the added ability, its price must be unimaginable.
Moreover, it was a ring with a protective barrier ability. Among tools containing abilities, those with protective barrier abilities were the most popular and expensive, given their rarity.
Crafting them was challenging, and items with protective barrier abilities were scarce in the market.
“The protective barrier ability can be activated only three times.”
It was originally a tool that transferred part of an ability. Hence, permanent use was challenging.
This applied to other tools with abilities as well.
While some items, depending on their materials, allowed for more usage, a ring containing an ability had its limits due to the significant power within.
This was all done to protect Lia from the Crown Prince’s rampage.
Standard protective barrier abilities couldn’t suffice against the Crown Prince’s frenzy.
What was needed was an ability far stronger than the ordinary. Caasian enhanced the existing tool containing the protective barrier ability by layering additional protective barriers on it. It was specifically tailored to withstand the Crown Prince’s fury.
Though limited in uses, it was an exceedingly precious and unique tool.
Created solely for Lia, it was a testament to Cassian extracting souls from his underlings to form such a powerful item.
“And this one is a ring with a simple summoning ability.”
“Summoning ability?”
“If anything dangerous happens to angel baby, I’ll receive an immediate signal, along with your location.”
Although he gave Lia a ring with a protective barrier ability, that alone didn’t provide complete reassurance.
Given Jeshuan’s formidable abilities, protective barriers might not be sufficient to safeguard Lia entirely.
That’s why he obtained an additional item, one that he could use personally.
Even though his powers hadn’t fully returned, he was willing to endure some risk to protect angel baby.
Based on his condition, it seemed he wasn’t entirely unable to use his abilities; it was mainly the side effects causing issues.
“Thank you, Khal.”
Lia carefully accepted the gifts prepared by Cassian, expressing her gratitude sincerely.
Just through Cassian’s explanations, it was evident how precious and expensive these items were.
Even for a Grand Duke, acquiring these items wouldn’t have been easy.
Despite being the Grand Duke, he secured these items for her.
While the ultimate purpose was to protect Lia from Jeshuan’s rampage, these items would also be immensely helpful in unforeseen situations.
Laden with concerns for her and his heartfelt gift, Lia felt a weightiness in her hands.
“Always keep them with you, even when you’re not encountering annoying brats.”
While the primary goal was to protect Lia from Jeshuan’s frenzy, these items were also intended to provide significant assistance in case of other unforeseen circumstances.
Allowing Lia to stay at the mansion was part of a deal, and Cassian couldn’t predict every situation she might face.
Despite minimizing her involvement in his affairs, he wanted to ensure she was prepared for any challenges.
Just like before, hasn’t it always been that way?
He resolved to protect her at any cost, only to lose her in the end.
His previous confidence in being able to protect her seemed futile.
This time, he was determined to protect Lia at all costs.
He couldn’t bear to lose Lia so unceremoniously.
In the midst of such thoughts, Cassian tilted his head slightly, sensing something peculiar.
The expression ‘even Lia’ struck him.
It was as if he had lost someone precious in the past.
Indeed, he had briefly thought such during that moment.
‘Come to think of it, it felt like I was chasing someone.’
Who he was chasing and why he was chasing them remained elusive in his memory.
‘…Tsk.’
Cassian clicked his tongue as if expressing his dissatisfaction and discomfort.
It was understandable; he still hadn’t found the lost memories.
Only vague traces remained, hinting at something lost, leaving him aware but unable to retrieve crucial memories.
Despite deliberately trying to recall memories by stirring his mind, the only memories that surfaced were not the ones he deemed particularly important.
‘I should meet Shion soon.’
Initially, he hadn’t intended to share his condition with Shion, but with memories not resurfacing to this extent, seeking Shion’s assistance seemed inevitable.
‘I tried to conceal it as much as possible.’
It wouldn’t be beneficial to have many people aware of his condition.
So, he had told Shion only about sustaining minor injuries from an unknown assailant, avoiding any other details.
However, in Cassian’s view, Shion was the only one who might know something about the memories he couldn’t recall.
***
Two days later.
Having received protective items from Cassian and set a meeting with the Emperor through a letter, Lia was making preparations to depart for the imperial palace.
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