I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 70
Jeshuan held the pendant resting in his hand with utmost care.
“…I will treasure it. Since it’s precious to Lia, it is also precious to me.”
It wasn’t just a pendant. It was something incredibly valuable and special, incomparable to anything else.
Especially, the emotions contained in the pendant were a pure expression of Lia’s love and feelings for him.
How could he possibly treat it carelessly?
It was as important as his own heart, perhaps even more so.
“Please take good care of it.”
“…Okay. But… are you sure it’s alright?”
Jeshuan carefully observed Lia’s expression, afraid that the pendant might break if he held it too tightly.
He was overjoyed to know that she cared about him this much. It made him a little happy.
But it also made him afraid. He wondered if he deserved such a precious gift.
Though she said it was only temporary, it was something incredibly precious to Lia, her one and only.
How could it be easy to entrust such a thing to someone else?
His heart felt a bit heavy, weighed down by the responsibility.
“I trust you, Jeshuan. I know you understand the weight of this pendant. You’re not someone who would take another’s sincerity lightly.”
Reading the trust in Lia’s eyes, Jeshuan felt a strange sensation.
Had he ever received such a gaze before?
‘Trust.’
It was something very unfamiliar and strange to Jeshuan.
It made his heart tingle a bit.
He felt an indescribable, mysterious sensation rising from his toes.
Perhaps it was joy, perhaps it was delight.
One thing was certain: it was not a bad feeling. Moreover, this feeling was something only she could give him.
“Alright, shall you get some sleep now?”
“…Okay, I understand.”
With his heart feeling warm and fuzzy, Jeshuan accepted Lia’s suggestion more readily than before.
Still holding the pendant Lia lent him tightly, he closed his eyes.
Like a cherished treasure, Jeshuan clutched it close and fell asleep.
As promised, Lia stayed by his side, watching over him until he fell asleep.
Only after his breathing became steady and his expression relaxed did she rise to leave.
“May you have sweet dreams, Jeshuan.”
With a short prayer and farewell, Lia left the imperial castle and returned to the duke’s residence.
***
Finally, the day to demon subjugation had arrived.
Maybe that’s why.
Lia, who usually woke up early, found herself waking up even earlier than usual.
Her heart felt tense, and once awake, she found it hard to fall back asleep.
Lia sat up in bed and gazed at the sky just beginning to lighten.
Lost in thought, memories of a certain day came to mind.
One early morning, for some reason, she had woken up and couldn’t fall back asleep.
She had gone to see her grandfather, despite knowing he would still be sleeping.
She simply wanted to see him.
Luckily, her grandfather welcomed her warmly despite the early hour.
Even with sleep still in his eyes, he embraced her gently without a hint of annoyance.
In his arms, Lia found it easy to fall asleep.
Her grandfather had gently patted her and hummed a lullaby until she fell asleep.
Suddenly, she missed him.
She longed for his warm hands and his comforting embrace.
She felt that if she could once again be held in his arms and feel his touch, she could forget all her worries and sleep peacefully.
“…If my grandfather were here, what would grandfather have said to me now?”
Facing an important task, feeling very nervous.
If her grandfather hadn’t passed away, the demon subjugation expedition would have been much later.
As the sole heir, she would naturally inherit the family, but there would have been no rush.
So, she imagined a future where she had grown up a bit more, a future that could never come.
In that imagination, she felt her grandfather’s warmth.
Maybe because of that.
Her heart felt a bit lighter. The tension that filled her body eased a little.
Meanwhile, the sun had fully risen.
Along with it came a knock on the door.
Cassian entered the room.
“Already awake?”
“…I just woke up a bit early.”
“Ah, they say beauties need their sleep, but why does my angel baby have so little?”
“…Guess I’m not a beauty then.”
Lia shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
“Impossible. If my angel baby isn’t a beauty, then there are no beauties in this world. You are the only beauty in existence.”
Cassian spoke with utmost conviction.
Lia made a complicated expression at his words.
If those words had been empty flattery, Lia could have joked and brushed it off.
However, Cassian’s words were all sincere. According to his standards, there was not even a hint of exaggeration.
This made it difficult for Lia to respond.
Compliments need to be moderate to be accepted happily, but Cassian always praised her so highly.
If she agreed, she would feel too arrogant, and if she denied it, she would feel like she was disregarding Cassian’s sincerity.
Still… even if it was a bit embarrassing, it wasn’t a bad feeling.
After all, knowing that someone adored her so unconditionally was incredibly joyful and happy.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Well, I just really wanted to see my angel baby today.”
“But we’ll see each other later anyway?”
“I guess I couldn’t wait that long.”
Cassian spoke in a nonchalant voice.
Yet, there was a clear worry for Lia hidden in his words.
That’s why he came to see her as soon as he woke up.
Even though he pretended not to, he was worried that the sensitive and delicate Lia might be overly tense and unable to sleep properly.
He was concerned that she might be suffering alone.
Indeed, Lia’s face looked quite complicated.
Besides the tension from the upcoming demon subjugation, she seemed to be thinking about something else.
“Seriously, Khal is such a fool.”
Lia shook her head with a reproachful smile.
She was thankful and fond of Cassian.
Even his seemingly indifferent words were full of affection for her.
His demeanor, which was not overly serious but still took care of her attentively, warmly enveloped Lia.
“Well then, it’s time for breakfast, my angel baby.”
“Already?”
Lia opened her eyes wide at the unusually early mealtime.
“If you want to fill up, you need to start eating now.”
“No need to go that far…”
“We need to. It will be hard to have proper meals during the hunt.”
demon subjugations usually took place in forests, mountains, or remote areas.
Since demons originated from such places and multiplied, they eventually invaded human territories.
Thus, it was naturally difficult to procure supplies during the monster hunts.
They had to take everything they needed in advance, and too much baggage could hinder the hunt, so they kept it to a minimum.
Food supplies mainly consisted of long-lasting and easy-to-carry items, focusing more on calories than taste, just enough to keep them fed.
Cassian wished he could prepare proper food for Lia, but it was impossible due to various constraints like shelf life.
Even though he packed relatively better supplies than usual, it would still fall short compared to the meals at the duke’s mansion.
So, the only option was to feed her well before leaving.
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Since it was her first time accompanying a demon subjugation, Lia hadn’t considered that aspect and readily agreed with Cassian.
“So, eat a lot.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
She wasn’t a squirrel or a bear who could stockpile food in her stomach to eat later.
Her stomach capacity was limited, and it was impossible to eat everything at once in advance.
“Do your best.”
Usually, Cassian would settle for her promise to try, but this time was different.
Given the grueling nature of the demon subjugation, food was particularly important this time.
Thus, Cassian paid more attention to Lia’s meal than his own during breakfast.
He personally served all the dishes into her bowl, watching her eat like a guard.
Cassian ensured Lia’s stomach was as full as possible.
He also set aside some food separately.
At least on the first day of the hunt, he wanted Lia to be properly fed.
After breakfast, with Cassian’s help, Lia packed her belongings for the demon subjugation.
Being experienced, Cassian knew better what to pack than the maidservants.
With everything ready, Lia left the duke’s mansion with Cassian.
They had finally taken the first step toward the demon subjugation.
