I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 47
His voice was indifferent and dry, just like when he posed questions before.
However, Cassian’s gaze gleamed sharply.
He couldn’t shake off the inexplicable doubt about why Cassian asked such a question.
Whenever he looked at Lia, he couldn’t help but feel an unexpected sense of paternal affection.
A thought crossed his mind that perhaps it was because he unknowingly had a child.
Not that Lia could be his child.
Yet there had been minimal interaction between him and the Duke of Sithran, and beyond that, he knew nothing about the Duke’s daughter.
Even if he had a secret meeting with the Duke’s daughter, how could he end up having a child?
If he had married the Duke’s daughter and she was now his wife, he would undoubtedly have informed the Duke about her whereabouts, not keeping her hidden in the Grand Duke’s estate.
The doubts didn’t end there.
According to Shion’s speculation, the Grand Duchess seemed to be pursued by someone. However, if she were the daughter of Duke of Sithran, it was hard to fathom why she would be in such a situation.
Hence, the possibility of Lia being his daughter was close to zero.
Perhaps what he felt looking at Lia wasn’t the recognition of a true daughter but the memory of having a child who resembled her, a child that surfaced in his mind whenever he saw Lia.
“… No, my lord, you have never mentioned anything like that to me.”
Shion, who had never entertained the thought of Cassian having a child, responded with a bewildered expression.
“So, you didn’t know, but the possibility of me having a child crossed your mind?”
“Well, you know, it’s cautious to be careful with words. All I know is that my lord deeply loves and cherishes the Grand Duchess. However, even if she had a child, it would have been challenging for me to notice. We only met once or twice a year.”
That was the extent of their encounters.
Even at some point, the Grand Duchess had become extremely averse to contact with the outside world, blocking any chance encounters with others. Consequently, even Shion rarely glimpsed her face.
Hence, if the Grand Duchess had a child during that time, Shion might not have known.
This could have made him more sensitive to the topic.
However, Shion didn’t think the Grand Duchess had a child.
“If that’s the case…”
“But my speculation is that the Grand Duchess probably didn’t have a child.”
“Why do you think that?”
“If there were a child, their existence would have surfaced after the Grand Duchess’s death. But my lord has never spoken to me about a child. If the child died with the Grand Duchess, that would be strange as well. The funeral was held only for the Grand Duchess.”
Whether born before or after death, a child conceived from a beloved person would undoubtedly have some form of ceremony or acknowledgment after their passing.
But there was none.
Therefore, Shion didn’t believe there was a child between Cassian and the Grand Duchess.
“I see.”
Cassian nodded indifferently, his expression revealing little about whether he agreed or not.
However, his mind was tangled in complexity.
While Shion asserted that Cassian didn’t have a child, Cassian left open the possibility.
The situation was fraught with uncertainties from the start.
Could it be that, for some unknown reason to himself and Shion, there was a hidden existence of a child?
And what about the whereabouts of that child?
Even if so, there was currently no way to find out.
It remained a fact known only to himself.
Until his memories returned, he couldn’t uncover anything.
Since then, Cassian continued to pose several more questions to Shion.
Not only about the Grand Duchess but also about his whereabouts during the missing time.
Of course, this didn’t provide much solace to Cassian’s doubts. But it offered some small clues.
With many empty spaces, piecing together the puzzle was difficult, but at least he knew which pieces he had and where they might fit.
‘Sigh, so frustrating.’
Cassian had never failed to achieve what he desired nor had he been unable to do what he intended.
However, this time… things weren’t going smoothly.
No matter how hard he tried, the memories that disappeared wouldn’t resurface.
Despite the excruciating pain, he managed to recall a few memories, but they weren’t crucial. They were things others could easily inform him about.
The most important memory remained elusive, existing only as a vague haze.
‘Perhaps I should be grateful just to know of its existence.’
Knowing that there were some empty memories, at least he could identify the gaps in his memory.
Otherwise, he would have been living without knowing what he didn’t know.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
As Shion’s silence prolonged while he dutifully answered Cassian’s questions, Cassian asked again.
“Seems like nothing for now.”
Since Shion wouldn’t know the answers to the questions Cassian truly wanted to ask, there was no point in asking.
“Then, apart from the fact that I’ve lost my memory, do you have anything else to say to me?”
“Ah, yes.”
Cassian casually remarked, thinking that there was no need to hide his condition from Shion anymore, now that he had disclosed the fact of his memory loss.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know if it was from someone else, but apparently, I was found severely injured, lying on the ground.”
“That’s…”
Shion’s eyes flickered at the casually delivered statement.
Along with Cassian’s mention of temporarily staying at the estate, news of his injury had spread. However, they hadn’t known it was severe enough for him to be lying on the ground.
‘So that’s why.’
The decision to stay at the estate due to a simple injury had been puzzling.
But even knowing that, it wasn’t entirely convincing.
It still didn’t make sense why he chose to stay at the estate rather than the safer Grand Duchy.
“As a result, I’m currently unable to use my abilities.”
Shion’s eyes widened at the subsequent shocking revelation.
“I thought you just postponed work to the knights out of laziness, but it seems it wasn’t the case.”
“Well…”
Cassian offered a vague response, acknowledging that laziness had indeed been a factor.
“Does His Majesty know?”
“Somewhat. But he doesn’t know about my memory loss.”
“Well, being sidelined from important tasks like demon extermination implies His Majesty’s tacit approval of my current state.”
As Cassian implied, while he could hide the fact of his memory loss, the reason for being sidelined from demon extermination missions needed explanation.
“And now, it is a secret that I am a guardian of the Duke of Sithran.”
“I had suspected as much.”
Wasn’t the situasion a little too quiet where the grand duke like Cassian became the guardian of Duke Sithran.
It was impossible for Cassian to become the guardian of Duke Sietran without intentionally concealing his identity.
“But I’m a little worried.”
“Even if I’m not in the best condition for a while, there’s no need for you to worry about me that much.”
“I understand that, but what I’m concerned about is specifically related to Duke Sithran.”
“Why should you concern yourself with that?”
Cassian frowned, clearly irked by the implication.
“Because you seem to have no thoughts about it.”
“Huh?”
Was this a provocation directed at him?
While Shion had often been provocative towards him, this time it was particularly irksome.
It was about Lia, wasn’t it?
This provocation felt like Shion was challenging him to take away the l angel baby from him, and it made him feel particularly uncomfortable.
“As you may know, inheriting the title entails accompanying at least one demon extermination as the heir, it’s the natural duty of the heir.”
“……”
“Usually, a demon extermination schedule is set within two months after inheriting the position.”
“… Damn it.”
Cassian cursed at Shion’s kindly explanation.
It wasn’t something he was unaware of.
It was an obligation written in the law within the Empire and an obvious duty after inheriting the position of a Duke.
He just hadn’t thought much about it until now.
It was too obvious, and for Cassian, demon extermination was as trivial as going for a drink nearby.
But for Lia…
She was not an ability user like him and only twelve years old.
Even grown adults suffered significantly after accompanying a demon extermination due to the aftereffects.
While it was somewhat familiar for ability users who participated before becoming heirs, ordinary people rarely encountered demons.
Yet, Lia was expected to do it?
It made him want to amend the imperial law immediately.
‘Damn it that imperial laws.’
What was once an inconsequential matter now held a different weight.
It was directly related to Lia.
“Wouldn’t it be possible to threaten the emperor’s?”
The way Cassian spoke suggested that he might storm the palace at any moment to grab the emperor’s throat with a sinister atmosphere.
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