I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 59
Lia quietly gazed at Cassian.
The term “angel baby,” which usually felt overly cheesy, now felt different.
The affection, warmth, and comfort contained within it.
How should she express these emotions?
Could she even express them at all?
So whenever she felt that sincerity, Lia was enveloped in a strange feeling.
It was like meeting long-lost family members or feeling like she had someone truly on her side in the world.
She now thought only of her late grandfather.
Someone who cherished and loved her unconditionally.
Of course, there was Sebain, but Sebain was a servant who had obligations to care for her.
Naturally, the emotions she felt towards her grandfather and towards Sebain would be somewhat different.
It certainly seemed that way.
Lia’s face held many emotions as she looked at Cassian.
She seemed somewhat perplexed.
Cassian had always stood out to her as particularly special from the beginning.
So she had made a deal with him to become her guardian and accepted his offer to stay at the mansion.
She knew nothing about him except that he was a grand duke, but she felt she could trust him.
Having him by her side, Lia found herself giving him more affection than she had anticipated.
Cassian felt like family to her.
She was so accustomed to him, so comfortable with him.
Cassian’s cold demeanor, which might appear intimidating to others, and his occasional fierce aura never frightened Lia in the slightest.
She knew his sharpness would never be directed towards her.
She knew he would never harm her.
“It’s not easy for anyone. What my angel baby has done so far, and especially this upcoming demon extermination.”
It might have seemed too familiar and natural to him, but it wasn’t the case for everyone.
Especially not for the young child in front of him.
“But being a guardian is a duty that everyone must fulfill, isn’t it?”
Cassian frowned as Lia responded, clearly displeased.
‘That damn guardian,’
He muttered under his breath.
It didn’t sit well with Cassian.
She faced everything head-on, no matter how difficult or painful.
Each time, the cursed word ‘guardian’ was on her lips.
It was expected, being a guardian. It was a duty as a guardian.
When did it become a shackle preventing this young child from doing anything she wanted?
Being a guardian didn’t carry the same weight for Cassian.
To him, being a guardian was just a tool, a means to an end.
But for Lia, it was different. It was everything to her, something she would sacrifice everything for.
It was frustrating and pitiful to him, but it was her decision, her choice.
Because he cared for her, because of that, even if it didn’t sit well with him, he had to respect her opinion.
For her sake, he couldn’t force anything onto her. He couldn’t make her move according to his will.
All he could do was support and assist her in walking the path she chose as comfortably as possible.
He was always there by her side, allowing her to lean on him, giving her a place to rest.
So she had to know.
That her burden wasn’t hers alone.
That there was someone who would accept her just as she was.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not hard. I understand why you had to become an adult prematurely. But I hope you realize that it’s okay to feel hurt sometimes.”
Lia’s smile brightened at Cassian’s sincere words more than ever before.
It was words of care like no other.
And it was from someone who cared for her more than anyone else.
Lia understood how genuine Cassian was from his serious expression, more than ever.
Her heart fluttered.
It felt so warm, like her whole body was melting away.
It felt like being wrapped in a cozy blanket under the warm sunlight.
“I understand. I’ll remember. But still, I won’t say it’s hard. Not because it’s okay. Because it will be okay. It will definitely get better.”
Cassian’s expression turned slightly sour at Lia’s words, but he couldn’t help but smile warmly again as her words continued.
“I have you, Khal will be by my side. Knowing that, I can overcome anything. Just having you by my side gives me strength.”
When everything feels too hard and she want to let go of it all, when she want to give up and hide away.
In those moments, Cassian would be there by her side.
And whatever choice she made, he would stand by her.
He wouldn’t prod her or call her weak.
And that was enough.
Wasn’t meeting someone like him is a success in life?
Just that alone made her life meaningful.
“If the angel baby says so, then it must be true. That’s just another charm of my angel baby. But remember, when it’s hard, you can always rely on me. I don’t want to see my angel baby struggling alone.”
“Yes, I will.”
Meeting Cassian’s gaze squarely, Lia nodded.
For him, who thought of her so highly, it didn’t seem like a good choice to struggle alone, as he said.
It was okay because it was Cassian.
In front of him, it felt like she could show any side of herself, and he would embrace it all.
“I wonder why my angel baby is so lovely.”
With a thoroughly satisfied expression at Lia’s response, Cassian affectionately reached out and cupped Lia’s cheek.
The touch was so gentle and warm that Lia felt like she had become an incredibly special presence.
***
Late at night, in the palace.
Jeshuan couldn’t fall asleep late into the night.
His mind was unusually cluttered today.
The reason was too obvious.
Lia, because of that girl.
Jeshuan had been thinking about Lia all this time.
Her words to him, and her attitude towards him.
It both complicated Jeshuan’s heart and provided him with great comfort.
Until now, he had never truly believed in her.
He had thought that she, too, would fear and avoid him like others once she learned his secret.
Despite hoping otherwise, and even considering that she might be different, his distrust hadn’t disappeared.
But today, seeing her attitude, that distrust was fading away.
Hope, once thought to be gone, was growing in volume, gradually revealing his presence.
Lia seemed trustworthy now.
Lia seemed like someone who wouldn’t hurt or betray him.
“So, I want to tell you everything.”
Who Lia was to him, why he wanted to keep her by his side.
And what secret he had hidden.
“But because she has become so special to me, I can’t say more.”
Everything related to Lia became incredibly delicate.
“A friend, just a friend….”
Could he really become Lia’s friend?
Could he become the kind of friend Lia envisioned?
He felt a desire to be as special to Lia as she was to him.
Such a desire arose within him.
But somehow… being just a friend felt inadequate. Somehow, it seemed like it wouldn’t be enough.
A deeper connection was desired.
Something beyond just friendship.
Something more special.
He wished for that.
To achieve that… he would have to change himself.
Because such a relationship couldn’t be achieved with the initial sense of distance he had in mind.
Yet, even as he thought so, Jeshuan couldn’t figure out what to do.
He had never been in such a relationship before.
Nor had he ever desired to be in one.
He hadn’t even thought there would be someone suitable for that.
That was when it happened.
He heard a knock.
Late at night, a visitor had come to see him.
While time was passing, someone visiting him at this hour was rare.
So Jeshuan could immediately recognize who the visitor was.
Because there was only one person it could be.
“You may come in, Your Majesty.”
As Jeshuan opened the door in response, the visitor who entered was indeed the Emperor, just as he had expected.
“Your Majesty, are you involved in some urgent matter at this hour?”
Although his father had occasionally come to see him before, this late-night visit was unprecedented.
Therefore, Jeshuan had a question mark on his face.
“Just couldn’t sleep, so I took a stroll and noticed the lights were on.”
“I see.”
Jeshuan responded with a formal nod, without much reaction.
What should he say, how should he act?
Most of the reason why his father couldn’t sleep until this late hour was always because of him.
But that was something Jeshuan couldn’t change with his own efforts.
“How come you’re not asleep at this hour?”
The Emperor’s question was tinged with concern for his only son.
“Just pondering for a moment.”
About what happened today.
And about his relationship with Lia going forward.
But Jeshuan didn’t elaborate.
The Emperor looked at Jeshuan with a complicated expression.
Jeshuan had gradually become someone who didn’t say much to him.
Jeshuan endured much and kept much hidden.
Even though pretending wouldn’t hide the secret forever, the Emperor chose to feign ignorance.
Because Jeshuan was hoping for it.
