I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 61
“Damn you, sir Khal!”
Almost as if she were being kidnapped, Lia, who was slung over Cassian’s shoulder, resisted fiercely and raised her voice.
But Cassian walked on, ignoring Lia’s protests.
“Put me down right now! We don’t have time for this!”
Lia pounded Cassian’s back with her small, determined fists, asserting her opinion strongly.
Lia couldn’t understand the current situation.
Just a moment ago, she had been diligently working as usual.
But suddenly, Cassian had come to her, thrown her over his shoulder without any explanation, and walked off.
At first, thinking it was some kind of joke, she had politely asked him to put her down, but Cassian hadn’t responded.
As a result, Lia’s voice naturally grew louder.
The employees of the duke’s household, who were watching, all turned their gazes towards Lia and Cassian, but Cassian paid them no mind.
“Khal!”
No matter how much she shouted and pleaded, it was useless. Determined, Lia glared at him and bit his shoulder.
Even though her shouting and resistance were in vain, she tried to convey her intention in this manner.
However, even then, there was no reaction from Cassian.
Despite biting hard enough to use some force, Cassian didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.
He simply patted Lia gently.
Seeing this, Lia made up her mind again.
She didn’t want to go this far.
No matter how gentle and lenient Cassian was with her, he was still a grand duke.
There was definitely a difference in status between her and Cassian, and she knew she should be more respectful, but she had no choice.
Soon, Lia reached out with her free hand and grabbed a handful of Cassian’s hair.
Out of some conscience, she didn’t pull hard enough to tear it out.
She just used enough force to convey her intention.
“My langel baby is so lively.”
Cassian smiled contentedly despite Lia’s resistance.
Even with her biting his shoulder and holding his hair, Cassian found Lia incredibly cute.
It seemed like he was proudly thinking, ‘My daughter can even do this!’
“Put. Me. Down!”
Frustrated by Cassian’s refusal to put her down, Lia emphasized each word while struggling to convey her intention again.
Normally, this would be enough to make someone put her down, but a grand duke was a grand duke.
Ordinary resistance was futile.
However, fortunately, Cassian finally uttered the response Lia had been desperately waiting for.
“Alright, I’ll put you down.”
Lia looked skeptical, unsure if he was serious.
Cassian did put her down, but only inside the carriage.
“If anyone tries anything foolish with my angel baby, they won’t get away with it.”
Cassian lightly suppressed Lia’s resistance with one hand and issued a menacing warning to someone waiting inside the carriage.
Then, before Lia could jump out, he closed the door and started the carriage.
Inside the moving carriage, Lia sat with Shion.
“What the heck is going on?”
Lia’s face showed her bewilderment as she asked the question.
She couldn’t understand the current situation at all.
However, she was somewhat resigned, as she had become somewhat accustomed to Cassian’s sudden actions.
Since the carriage had already started moving, she couldn’t jump out even if she wanted to go back to the duke’s estate.
So, she straightened herself and asked Shion for an explanation.
The cause of all this was Cassian, but since he wasn’t here, the only one who could explain was Shion.
“His Excellency said to take a walk with the Duke.”
Shion was just as baffled by the situation.
He had been summoned suddenly, thinking there was an urgent matter, only to be told to go on a city outing with Lia.
He was busy with work and didn’t understand why he was given such an absurd order instead of being offered help.
However, Cassian had been very serious, making it clear that refusal was not an option.
So Shion had no choice but to accept the situation.
After all, his superior was always so unpredictable.
When had he ever acted considering others’ situations?
But the situation that followed was even more bewildering.
Shion had naturally assumed that Lia, the duke, had agreed.
However, it became clear that wasn’t the case when he saw her being practically kidnapped, slung over Cassian’s shoulder.
Moreover, Lia was biting Cassian’s shoulder with her mouth and gripping his hair with one hand.
For a moment, Shion thought he was seeing things.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Cassian, who detested anyone touching him, was not just being touched but practically assaulted.
If anything, Cassian was someone who would hit others, not someone who would tolerate being hit.
No one in the empire would dare be so reckless with Cassian.
Yet Cassian was calmly accepting Lia’s resistance, looking pleased and proud.
It was to the point that Shion wondered if Cassian had forced her to bite him.
If he were to describe this scene to someone who knew Cassian, no one would believe him.
“How can you call this an outing!”
Lia exclaimed, her expression filled with disbelief at Shion’s brief explanation.
“He’s the grand duke, after all.”
Lia was exasperated but had to accept the reality because Shion’s words made perfect sense.
Yes, Cassian’s actions were possible because he was Cassian.
But still…
Lia sighed in frustration.
She had a mountain of work to do, so what was the point of this sudden outing? Did it really have to be now?
Though she somewhat understood Cassian’s intentions.
He must have chosen this extreme method because he knew she wouldn’t listen otherwise.
And he likely did it out of consideration for her, in his own way.
But still…
Seeing the unfinished tasks in her mind’s eye, Lia sighed again.
“Since we’re already here, why don’t you take a break?”
Shion suggested.
“I have so much to do…”
“But the carriage has already departed, and even if you decide to return to the Duke’s estate, His Excellency won’t welcome you back easily.”
Cassian was not someone who would give up after a failed attempt. If this plan failed, he would come up with an even more bizarre method to achieve his goal.
“That’s true. And Shion, you’re having a tough time too.”
Lia wasn’t sure why Shion had ended up accompanying her on this outing, but it was unlikely to be his choice.
Shion, who was just as busy as she was, surely didn’t want to spend his precious time on an outing.
“No more than you are,”
At least Shion didn’t live with Cassian. Though he had more work because of it, he didn’t have to deal with Cassian’s antics as much.
“It’s been quiet for a while,”
Lia sighed, understanding Shion’s point.
“His Excellency did this out of concern for you.”
“I know, but still…”
“I understand how you feel, but His Excellency made a significant decision.”
“My outing is a big deal?”
“I mean His decision to let me accompany you.”
Cassian, who was always wary of anyone trying to take Lia away, had ordered Shion to escort her on this outing.
He was always displeased and suspicious if anyone showed even a little interest in Lia.
Even when he ordered Shion to escort Lia last time and Shion was a bit late, Cassian had been irrationally suspicious.
Given Cassian’s usual behavior, this was a surprising decision.
But there was a reason for his decision. For some reason, he was currently hiding his identity and living in seclusion.
Hence, he was cautious about showing his face publicly.
The city was crowded, increasing the chance of running into other nobles who knew his face.
Even though he had changed his hair and eye color, it wouldn’t help if someone recognized him.
Thus, he had ordered Shion to accompany Lia on this outing.
Even so, it was still a significant decision for Cassian, made with much thought and entirely for Lia’s sake.
Cassian could have avoided this unwanted situation altogether if he had just abandoned the idea of Lia’s outing.
Lia understood all this from Shion’s brief explanation and nodded in agreement.
“That’s true.”
“So let’s focus on the outing His Excellency wants. Thinking about work now won’t change anything,”
Shion advised politely.
Lia reluctantly nodded, seeing no other option.
Alright, there’s nothing she can do now.
