I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 52
A Bright Afternoon.
Jeshuan waited for Lia in his room while reading a book.
“Is this finally time to see her.”
Since their last meeting, it had only been a week.
That week felt too long for Jeshuan.
Time usually flowed dull for him. Time didn’t hold much significance for Jeshuan in the first place.
For him, struggling to even breathe, time held no meaning.
However, the time waiting for Lia was different.
Each day, he looked forward to seeing her and missed her.
When he was with her, time flew by, but without her, it dragged on painfully slow.
Though it was only a week, it felt like a year to Jeshuan.
That’s why Jeshuan was so eagerly anticipating today’s meeting.
Even though he was about to see her soon, the time felt too long for him to focus properly on the book he had picked up.
How long had he waited for Lia?
Jeshuan’s ears caught a sound.
Jeshuan rose with a reflective expression.
However, without a knock, the door opened, and the person who entered wasn’t Lia, whom Jeshuan had been waiting for.
“…Your Excellency, what brings you here?”
With a smile that had vanished just moments ago, Jeshuan spoke sullenly.
A subtle sense of disappointment lingered on his face.
Sensing this, Casisan chuckled mockingly, as if he understood why Jeshuan reacted that way.
“Just dropping by.”
Cassian casually remarked despite Jeshuan’s obvious dislike.
“Your Excellency seems to have plenty of free time.”
Considering you’ve come all the way to this palace.
Jeshuan’s voice carried a hint of petulance as he spoke.
Where Jeshuan resided was quite a distance from the main palace. Unless intentionally sought after, it was not a place one would accidentally visit.
Coming all the way here just to drop by?
It was an unreasonable excuse.
Especially considering it was the Grand Duke Cassian who made such a move. He wasn’t someone who tolerated inconvenience for no reason.
Despite Jeshuan’s attitude, Cassian showed no significant reaction.
As if he couldn’t care less about how Jeshuan viewed him.
If it weren’t for Lia, Cassian wouldn’t have bothered paying attention to Jeshuan as he had all along.
“So, what’s the matter?”
Jeshuan asked Cassian again why he had come to see him.
Jeshuan was slightly irritated by his own demeanor.
He didn’t want to pretend to be a good person even to someone other than Lia.
Besides, it would be pointless to act well in front of Cassian anyway.
Cassian wasn’t someone who couldn’t see through such acting.
“Just got a bit curious.”
“Well, this is truly an honor. For Grand Duke Cassian, developing an interest in me.”
A clear smirk appeared on Jeshuan’s face upon hearing Cassian’s response.
Jeshuan knew well how indifferent Cassian could be towards others.
Initially, unlike others who feared him, Jeshuan felt favorably towards Cassian for not being intimidated.
However, after realizing the cold indifference in his attitude, Jeshuan harbored no illusions.
One day, in his youthful naivety, still holding on to hope for others, Jeshuan displayed his inner turmoil before Cassian.
Experiencing the agony caused by the energy coursing through his body, Jeshuan expected Cassian to show some reaction.
However, Cassian remained indifferent, silently observing with an impassive face.
Despite outstretched hands and pleading eyes, Cassian seemed oblivious, as if he saw nothing.
Finally, Jeshuan understood.
Cassian truly had no interest in him.
He received another kind of wound from this realization.
While he wished nobody would care about him, he didn’t want to be treated as if he were nothing.
For Cassian, Jeshuan was just that—a mere presence.
He wasn’t held captive by memories of that youthful day.
There were no lingering expectations.
Once accepted, Cassian’s attitude was oddly comforting.
In his presence, Jeshuan didn’t need to worry about anything.
However, regardless of that, Jeshuan’s presence was uncomfortable, and it seemed to be the same for Cassian.
“How have you been?”
Cassian, feigning ignorance of the emotions on Jeshuan’s face, only spoke what he wanted to say.
He had come to find Jeshuan for nothing other than Lia, not to engage in unnecessary conversation.
“Did you expect me to be curious?”
It was surprising that he had become curious about me now, as if there was something I didn’t know.
Somehow, it felt like there was something I was unaware of.
Otherwise, the attitude was incomprehensible.
“So, are you doing well?”
“…What does that look like?”
In response to the repeated question, Jeshuan nonchalantly replied with an expression devoid of any emotion.
Cassian, being who he was, knew very well.
That someone tormented by turmoil every moment could never be doing well.
Yet, the fact that he asked such a question was truly characteristic of him.
“Seeing you, it seems you’re doing well.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Cassian stated firmly.
It was a firmness that could make someone not doing well appear well.
Jeshuan responded with a perplexed expression to that answer.
Cassian always lived life on his own terms, according to his own standards.
Still, even considering that, he didn’t expect Cassian to say he seemed to be doing well just by looking at him.
In its own way, this was shocking.
However, Cassian showed no interest in Jeshuan’s expression or words.
For a moment, Cassian retrieved something from his pocket.
“This is a gift.”
Taking the reflexively thrown object from Cassian, Jeshuan looked at the bottle in his hand with a puzzled expression.
Not only did he not know the identity of it, but the words ‘gift’ from Cassian’s mouth also sounded unfamiliar.
“It will help calm the energy in your body. It’s temporary, though.”
“They say if you do things you haven’t done before, it’s time to die. Is it finally your time to die?”
If not, the change in attitude he displayed was not understood.
Starting from coming to him and asking unanswered questions to this being called a gift—why?
Clearly, there was an intention, but that intention wasn’t clear.
Yet, Cassian’s words didn’t seem like a lie.
Cassian may be indifferent to others, but he doesn’t lie.
So undoubtedly, this would help calm the energy in his body.
That’s why it was even more incomprehensible.
It was a kindness never shown to him before.
After all, Cassian had little to no interest in his condition.
Him giving something like this now was quite perplexing.
Especially considering it wasn’t easily obtainable.
The imperial supply was limited, and even the Emperor could barely get one or two bottles in a year.
Despite its rarity, the effects were minimal; even after taking it, the relief lasted no more than six hours.
That was the maximum, with an average of only one or two hours to soothe the energy.
“That wouldn’t do. Besides, if I die, the person who will be in the most trouble will be His Majesty the Emperor. The possibility of the empire’s destruction will increase as it will not be able to handle the influx of monsters.”
“You’re not interested anyway, are you? Whether the empire falls or not.”
Knowing the fact that even as the Crown Prince, he struggled daily with moments of turmoil, it was still relentless.
Even if the sole heir to the throne died and the country collapsed, Cassian showed no interest whatsoever.
Well, perhaps that was for the best.
It was better than, out of nowhere, being pressured like other nobles to provide a new heir to the throne to his father.
Rather than hearing suggestions to quickly dispose of himself.
“It matters now.”
“Is it really your time to die?”
“I will live for a very long time. I can’t leave before my angel baby does.”
How could he subject Lia, who had already lost someone dear, to such an experience twice?
“Angel baby…?”
Jeshuan’s gaze sharpened at the oddly familiar term.
It was a title he had heard from someone else before.
“That gift is also for my angel baby sake. I refuse to let ‘my’ angel baby be put in danger because of your highness.”
“Are the guardian of the House of Sithran… the Grand Duke?”
At this point, even if he didn’t want to notice, he had no choice.
Cassian didn’t seem to have any intention to conceal.
“It would be better not to unnecessarily shuffle words around.”
Cassian issued a stern warning instead of affirmation. In other words, it was confirmation.
In fact, he had no intention of revealing to Jeshuan that he was Lia’s guardian.
He thought it was enough for only the Emperor to know.
But the change of heart now was purely for Lia’s sake.
It was to prevent the Crown Prince from meddling with Lia unnecessarily.
It was a warning that Lia was under his protection, and touching her was akin to touching himself.
Surely, there must be a reason the Crown Prince wanted Lia by his side, and whatever that reason, it wouldn’t be taken lightly since he showed interest in someone.
“I’m not foolish enough to turn a Grand Duke into an enemy.”
“You should. Even if you are the Crown Prince, if you dares to lay a finger on my angel baby, Lia, I will never stand idly by.”
Cassian’s voice carried a stern warning, akin to a threatening aura.
“And… wouldn’t it be better if you concealed that face a bit more?”
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