I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 69
Jeshuan couldn’t stop worrying, despite what Lia said.
It was fortunate that the guardian had decided to accompany her.
After all, isn’t Lia’s guardian none other than the Grand Duke himself? With him, there was no way she would get hurt.
The Grand Duke cherished Lia greatly.
To the point where he would personally bring her a sedative to prevent her from getting hurt in case he lost control.
So, even while telling himself to be reassured and not to worry too much, he couldn’t ease his mind.
He simply didn’t want Lia to go.
Even if it wasn’t dangerous, he wished she didn’t have to experience unnecessary things.
After all, some people suffered trauma from accompanying demon subjugations.
While the Grand Duke, Cassian, might protect her from physical harm, he couldn’t shield her from mental shocks.
He didn’t think Lia was weak. If she were, she wouldn’t have considered becoming the head of the family to protect it herself.
Besides, Lia was performing her duties as the head quite admirably.
Despite the heavy burden of responsibility, she was enduring it bravely.
Even in the sorrow of losing a loved one, she didn’t abandon her duty and was doing her best.
So, Lia was certainly strong.
But he couldn’t be sure how far that strength would hold.
‘……I don’t want to see it.’
Seeing Lia in pain.
Seeing Lia suffering.
Especially witnessing her breaking down after experiencing something unbearable…
Lia was his only lifeline. Without her, he couldn’t endure this time either.
So how could he send her to subjugate demons?
But this was something even Crown Prince like Jeshuan couldn’t change. Even if he were the Emperor, it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
“…..It would be nice if I could go with you.”
Even if he went with her, as a dangerous person who might lose control at any time, Lia wouldn’t be any safer.
Instead, it would just add another layer of danger.
But at least they would be together. Lia wouldn’t have to suffer alone.
He would rather see with his own eyes than send her there alone and wait without knowing anything. That would bring him some peace of mind.
“I don’t like that.”
“…Why, why not?”
Lia’s words of refusal struck Jeshuan deeply, souring his expression.
Even though he knew she didn’t mean that she disliked him while saying that, he couldn’t help but feel hurt.
“You’re not in a good condition, Jeshuan. How can I take you to such a place when you’re already going through a tough time?”
“…..I’m a person with ability.”
Even though his body was sick and weak, he was still a person with ability. He wouldn’t be as endangered as Lia.
“Someone with ability is still a person, isn’t it? You bleed and feel pain when you’re hurt, too. Just because you heal quickly doesn’t mean the pain is any less.”
At Lia’s firm words, Jeshuan looked at her quietly.
She probably said it without much thought, but it meant a lot to Jeshuan.
For the first time, someone saw him as a person, not as a ticking time bomb or a monster.
Even though people’s views on someone with ability had improved and relations between ability and non-ability people had gotten better, the clear differences couldn’t be bridged entirely.
Discrimination couldn’t be completely eradicated.
But Lia seemed not to mind that fact.
“…Am I also a person…?”
“Of course you’re a person. Although your unrealistic appearance makes me wonder sometimes, you’re definitely a person like me.”
Lia spoke, mixing in a slight joke to lift Jeshuan’s sunken mood.
“…Lia is very warm.”
And she was a really good person.
The comfort he felt when with her wasn’t just because she calmed his energy.
It was her warm and clear aura that naturally made others feel at ease.
“Oh, Jeshuan. Anyway, don’t worry too much. This is just between you and me, but my guardian… is really strong.”
Well, although she hadn’t confirmed it herself, considering the rumors surrounding Cassian, it seemed true.
There was no one in the Empire who could defeat him purely in terms of physical strength.
Of course, the problem was that he couldn’t display the same level of skill as before.
“…I see.”
Jeshuan nodded obediently.
How could he not know the Grand Duke’s strength? He had faced him several times before.
Moreover, he had lost control once in front of him.
At that time, Cassian had subdued him so effortlessly. It was something that no one else could even think of doing.
Thus, Jeshuan trusted Cassian’s skills. He also trusted that he would protect Lia.
But because Lia was precious, because she was so special to Jeshuan, he couldn’t help but worry.
“I’ll come back safely. Nothing will happen.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
It had to be so.
He couldn’t predict how he would react if he lost Lia or even if he heard that Lia was hurt.
That might trigger another outburst.
As time passed, the energy filling Jeshuan’s body grew stronger.
Therefore, a new outburst would be different from the last one.
If he lost control again, it might not be as easy for Cassian to subdue him this time.
So, he had to prevent another outburst, considering the consequences it could bring.
“Promise me, Lia. Promise that you’ll come back safely without getting hurt.”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Even if it takes a long time, that’s fine. It’s better to wait longer than for Lia to get hurt trying to come back too quickly.”
At least there was hope. He could wait for Lia, believing she would be at the end of this wait.
“I’m very safety-conscious, you know. I won’t do anything dangerous. I don’t intend to act rashly either.”
“…Well.”
Jeshuan had a doubtful expression on his face.
To trust her words… from the fact that she stayed by his side, it wasn’t exactly a safe choice.
If she truly cared about her safety, she should have kept her distance from him.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be following along on the demon subjugation.
However, there was nothing Jeshuan could do. He could only believe in Lia’s words and wait.
“If you’re tired, you can go back to sleep.”
Lia spoke kindly to Jeshuan, who seemed unwilling to go back to sleep despite looking very tired.
Jeshuan was trying to hide his drowsiness, but his eyelids had been drooping as if heavy for a while.
“……No.”
Jeshuan shook his head like a child, refusing Lia’s suggestion.
“I won’t leave as soon as you fall asleep.”
She wouldn’t be able to leave without ensuring he was comfortably asleep.
“I want to see Lia a bit longer. I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”
So he wanted to see her more.
He wanted to look at her for a long time, as if to imprint her in his mind.
So that even when she wasn’t by his side, he could endure the time by thinking of her.
To realize that her presence wasn’t a mirage created by his hopeless hope, but a reality.
“What you need is rest, Jeshuan.”
Even though he had been resting, it wasn’t true rest.
Even when asleep, Jeshuan had been suffering greatly. So now that he was feeling better, she wished he could rest properly.
If her presence was helpful to him, now was the time he could rest properly with her by his side.
“No, what I need is Lia.”
Jeshuan spoke in a firmer voice than ever.
After all, the blissful time he felt now was only possible because of Lia.
Without her, he couldn’t enjoy anything, and nothing would work.
“Hmm.”
Lia thought deeply, seeing Jeshuan’s reluctant appearance.
If it were Cassian, she would have forced him to sleep even if she had to knock him out, but her opponent was the Crown Prince.
Even as a friend, she couldn’t touch the Crown Prince’s body carelessly.
She needed another way.
After some thought, Lia took something out from her bosom.
“This is my most cherished pendant.”
Jeshuan accepted the pendant from Lia, his face filled with curiosity.
“It’s one of a kind, a precious pendant my grandfather gave to my mother, and my mother left to me.”
It contained a portrait of her grandfather and herself.
It captured a time they could never return to.
Her grandfather looking at her with the kindest eyes and holding her dearly, and she was smiling happily in his arms.
Now, she could only remember that time through the portrait.
“Why give me something so precious…?”
“I’m not giving it to you. I’m just lending it to you. I hope it can provide you with some comfort in my absence.”
“…….”
Jeshuan said nothing. He just held the small pendant in his hand, feeling its unusual weight.
“When I come back and see you again, please return it to me. This is also a promise. To get this back, I have to come back safely.”
