I Picked Up My father Who Left Home 39
“And thank you.”
From the moment Lia opened the door and entered, Jeshuan, who had not been experiencing a friendly atmosphere, smiled again and said,
“Yes? Your Highness… No, did you have something to be thankful for, Jeshuan?”
Lia tilted her head, wearing a puzzled expression.
“For granting my request. Shulia may have granted my father’s request, but in the end, it was me who pleaded my father.”
“… It was a kind of deal in my own way.”
Without any exchange, it wasn’t a pure favor to fulfill the Emperor’s request out of genuine goodwill. So, there was no reason for Jeshuan to be thankful to her.
At Lia’s words, a glint appeared in Jeshuan’s eyes.
It might have been a response that could be taken as unpleasant. It meant that it wasn’t an action without a price.
However, rather than feeling upset, Jeshuan found it rather pleasing.
From his perspective, it was more advantageous to hide rather than reveal it. However, Lia spoke honestly.
Her straightforward attitude seemed to convey to Jeshuan that she wouldn’t lie to him in the future.
Jeshuan appreciated Lia’s honesty.
It was much better than clumsily trying to win his favor.
If anyone knew the rumors surrounding him, they wouldn’t bother with such efforts.
But it was better that way.
Openly fearing and keeping a distance.
At least you won’t have to give your heart away and then get betrayed.
“Well, but… what should we do?”
Even though Lia came to meet Jeshuan through a deal with the Emperor, she felt a bit lost now that they had met.
Initially, the deal with the Emperor was only about spending time with Jeshuan once a week, and there were no specific guidelines on how that time should be spent.
Thinking that merely filling the time would be enough, it’s not feasible to just sit idly without doing anything.
“I don’t know either. Actually… being with someone is a first for me.”
Saying that, Jeshuan intentionally lowered the corners of his eyes, wearing a gloomy expression, as if trying to evoke her sympathy.
As if he was trying to stimulate her compassion.
“I’ve never met someone of my age before, so it’s awkward for me too.”
Lia had spent most of her time within the Duke’s estate. The only people she met were the employees working in the estate and her grandfather.
Somehow, her grandfather was cautious about revealing himself, and as a result, interactions with other nobles were almost non-existent.
‘Come to think of it… it was strange.’
Considering the affectionate attitude of her grandfather, it wasn’t that he was embarrassed or felt shame about her presence. Why did he fear exposing himself to the outside world?
It seemed like he was vaguely worried about something.
“So, am I the first friend for Shulia, then?”
Jeshuan responded to Lia’s words with a bright smile.
In that smile, Lia felt her heart skip a beat for a moment.
Indeed, he had a beauty that no matter how many time she looked at it, she couldn’t get used to it.
Well, a person should be reasonably attractive. Being so handsome might be too harmful to the heart.
“Uh, maybe…?”
The Emperor hoped to be not just spending time with Jeshuan but also becoming a friend with whom he could share his feelings.
So, unless something unexpected happened, they were naturally going to become real friends.
“I’m really glad. Shulia being my first friend.”
Jeshuan deliberately emphasized the phrase ‘first friend.’
As if she was an exceptionally special person to him.
“It’s truly an honor.”
Becoming the friend of the Crown Prince, no less.
In response to Lia’s words, Jeshuan, with a strange smile, asked.
“Is that because I’m the Crown Prince?”
A casually thrown question with seemingly no significance, but Jeshuan’s gaze was sharp.
“That’s true, but ‘first’ is special to everyone, isn’t it? In a way, we’ve become each other’s ‘first friend.'”
“Yes, indeed.”
Jeshuan deliberately smiled warmly and nodded his head.
Then, she opened his mouth again.
“Lia, I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes? What favor?”
“I wish Shulia would treat me not as the Crown Prince but simply as a friend. It would be nice if my only friend didn’t see me only as the Crown Prince; it might be saddening.”
“Well, I’ll do that.”
If they truly became friends, his request would naturally be a given.
Before being the Crown Prince, they were friends.
“But what should we really do?”
“If there’s anything Shulia wants to do, I’m fine with it.”
What mattered to Jeshuan was her presence, not necessarily doing something.
Even now, just knowing she was in this space somehow made breathing a bit easier.
“I don’t really have anything I want to do.”
Thinking ahead about what to do when meeting Jeshuan in the future, Lia pondered.
“Then I’d like to hear about Shulia.”
For Jeshuan, who had always lived under the fearful gaze of others, the affairs and stories of others were usually of no interest.
However, Lia was an exception.
There was a reason to get closer to her.
Besides, her story could be quite helpful.
“My story?”
“Yes.”
“There’s not much of a story to tell…”
Considering she rarely met people and spent all her time working at home, what story could she possibly have?
“Even the smallest thing is fine. How did you spend your time after the ball? What is Shulia’s daily life like?”
“It might not be very interesting to hear…”
“It’s the first time for me. Listening to such stories, and having someone to share them with.”
Lia flinched at Jeshuan’s pitifully downturned eyes.
In truth, she still felt like it would be boring, but seeing Jeshuan making that expression, it seemed like she should share something.
Well, it was just something she couldn’t understand; there wasn’t much to hide.
When you think about it, if they were truly ‘friends,’ it was a natural topic for conversation.
“Actually, even if you say that, there’s nothing particularly special. Just working every day… and deal with Khal, who comes and annoys me every now and then?”
Yes, Lia’s daily life could be summed up in that one sentence.
Of course, there were events in between – gatherings of all the nobles in the Duke’s estate for a meeting. But as it was an internal matter of the estate, it was difficult to casually discuss it, even if he was the Crown Prince.
“… Khal?”
Jeshuan showed interest at the unfamiliar name that came out of Lia’s mouth.
“Oh, he’s my guardian.”
“Ah, come to think of it, is there a law that says heirs under 16 need to appoint a guardian to connect with the family?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It caused me a lot of trouble.”
Chasing away annoying relatives who came every day.
Even after appointing a guardian, they continued to bother her.
But at least now, she didn’t have to endure such annoying things anymore.
They were probably busy facing the consequences of their wrongdoings in the Duke’s estate.
“It must have been tough.”
Jeshuan comforted Lia, clearly showing understanding of her hardships.
“Yes, it was. There was a little… incident with Khal in the middle, so I had a bit of trouble handling that.”
Fortunately, she managed to resolve it before they could make a bigger issue out of it.
Even if they sent a complaint letter to the Emperor about the suitability of the guardian, it wouldn’t have escalated into a major problem.
“Hmm, what kind of person is your guardian? If Shulia personally chose them as a guardian, they seem like a good person.”
It was just a small curiosity.
Lia, who considered Jeshuan her first friend, didn’t have much interaction with people around her. The guardian was the only person by her side. So, it was natural for curiosity to arise.
Probably, given the current situation, the guardian was the person who would have the most significant impact on Lia.
Although it was uncertain how her relationship with Jeshuan would develop, if they became closer, there was a high chance of getting involved with her guardian in some way.
Unlike Lia, who was unaware of the rumors about him, the guardian knew about those rumors, and they might oppose her meeting with Jeshuan.
Being the guardian, Lia couldn’t completely ignore the opinion of the other person’s.
For Jeshuan, who had no intention of giving up on Lia, the guardian’s opposition could become an obstacle.
“Ahaha, well…”
At the expression ‘good person,’ Lia made a vague expression.
She didn’t think Cassian was a bad person. If he did, he wouldn’t have proposed the deal to become her guardian in the first place.
However, whether he was a good person was somewhat ambiguous.
Cassian was undoubtedly friendly towards her and seemed to be treating her well.
Despite being somewhat self-willed, he was relatively willing to listen to her.
Even though the process was not smooth.
But his way was unconventional.
Sometimes, looking at the things he said, she couldn’t readily nod in agreement to the label of a ‘good person.’
Every time he volunteered to help her in his own way, someone always ended up hurt, or at least on the verge of getting hurt.
“Shulia?”
“… At least to me, he is a good person.”
Although the expression ‘good person’ still felt awkward and didn’t quite match with Cassian, the statement was accurate.
Regardless of the outcome, at least his intention was for her own benefit.
And his mere presence was a great comfort to Lia.
“That statement might not apply to others.”
Jeshuan responded to Lia’s somewhat ambiguous answer.
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