I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 73
‘Is this the place?’
Lia calmly observed the forest before her. The forest looked no different from any ordinary forest where no demons emerged. It appeared to be just an average forest.
However, the atmosphere seeping from the forest indicated it was different from other forests.
Lia felt an eerie, unsettling vibe from the forest. There was something uncomfortable and disquieting about it.
Whether it was because she knew this forest was filled with demons, or if the forest inherently had such an atmosphere, she could not tell.
Perhaps that was why.
Lia fidgeted with her fingers, appearing somewhat tense. Her tightly clenched fist unknowingly revealed her anxiety.
“It’ll be alright, angel baby.”
Noticing Lia’s tension, Cassian spoke in a gentle voice.
Yes, Lia would be alright.
He would always be by her side.
From the moment they entered the forest, or perhaps even before that, his attention was solely focused on Lia.
Cassian had no intention of letting his guard down, knowing they didn’t know what might happen in the forest. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, even for a moment.
“……I’m glad I came with you.”
In response to Cassian’s soft encouragement, Lia mumbled quietly. It was the first time she had shown such a small act of dependency.
If Cassian hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have been able to think clearly due to the unknown tension.
Perhaps she might have even thought of running away.
But the warm embrace of Cassian, the warmth of his body, was easing her tension. His firm hold, which she felt she couldn’t escape from, was a great source of comfort for her.
With him, with Cassian, she felt she didn’t have to worry about anything.
No matter what happened here, Cassian would surely protect her.
Lia had no doubt about that fact.
“I will always be by your side, Lia. The reason I’m here is to protect my angel baby.”
That was why, despite knowing it would be difficult to actively participate in subduing the demons given his current condition, he willingly decided to do so.
He didn’t want to leave Lia to someone else. He didn’t want her to struggle in a place he couldn’t see her.
“Thank you, Khal.”
She knew he was here solely for her sake. Every decision Cassian made was always considerate of her.
How could she not be grateful for that?
He truly was a great help to her. Even though she was young, he never dismissed or ignored her opinions.
He tried his best to respect her opinions, even if they were decisions he didn’t want. He put in great effort to follow her wishes.
Given his position, it was truly remarkable.
Cassian had likely been in command often, not swayed by others’ opinions.
“This is what I want. So, angel baby, you don’t need to thank me.”
Cassian hoped Lia wouldn’t feel any burden of gratitude towards him.
Even her gratitude could become a burden, and he was cautious of that.
“Now it really begins.”
“Yes. From now on, we’ll have to walk. It’s not a place suitable for horseback riding.”
The forest of Refaar was teeming with monsters. Riding a horse could be dangerous, as they might get injured by startled horses.
“I anticipated as much. Can you put me down from your arms?”
Lia seemed to be saying ‘put me down’ more often since she had been with Cassian.
Hence, she wore a slightly complex expression.
‘Surely… I won’t be doing this even when I’m an adult?’
For now, she was still young. Though not young enough to be carried around by others, she accepted it for now. But being carried around as an adult was out of the question.
“Just stay as you are.”
“I have my own feet, you know.”
“Yes, such tiny feet that it makes me wonder how you manage to walk around with them.”
Cassian looked at Lia’s dangling feet with a fresh sense of amazement. They were smaller than the palm of his hand.
In that sense, it was indeed fascinating. It was impressive how she managed to move around with such tiny feet.
Lia was small in every way. From her tiny feet, hands, head, and petite body.
Perhaps that was why.
She particularly triggered Cassian’s protective instincts.
“Yes, I walk just fine with these small feet, so please let me walk on my own.”
Lia, now accustomed to such treatment, nonchalantly brushed it off and spoke firmly. However, Cassian pretended not to hear her.
“Cassian, I came here as a duke. So could you please consider my dignity as a duke?”
“Even if my angel baby walks around in my arms, no one would say anything.”
“Of course, they wouldn’t. But it would still hurt my dignity.”
The people who accompanied them were knights of the grand duchy. So how could they say anything to the grand duke or to her, whom the grand duke cherished?
However, just because they didn’t express it outwardly or complain didn’t mean they didn’t have such thoughts.
“Tut, my angel baby is so worried, I guess I have no choice.”
Hearing Cassian’s words, Lia harbored a small hope that he might let her down. Instead, Cassian beckoned to a nearby knight.
The knight, seemingly taken aback, approached with a very nervous expression.
“My angel… ugh. hat do you think about Lia?”
Cassian, who was about to naturally call her ‘angel baby,’ changed his wording due to Lia’s small rebellious kick.
“W-What do you mean, sir?”
The knight looked utterly confused, not understanding why Cassian was asking this.
“Does she lack the dignity of a duke?”
The knight quickly realized what Cassian wanted to hear. To survive, he had to give the answer Cassian wanted.
“N-No! Not at all!”
“Does she lack the commanding presence of a duke?”
“Not at all! Anyone can see that she’s a duke. Even if she rolls backwards, forwards, or you look at her with your eyes closed, she exudes the commanding presence of a duke!”
Although his response was more a desperate attempt to survive, it wasn’t entirely false. The fact that they interacted fearlessly with a terrifying grand duke from the knights’ perspective was amazing.
It was something no one else could do.
In that sense, Lia wasn’t just a duke; she was the greatest, most magnificent duke in the world.
“Khal.”
“Yes, my angel baby.”
“If you intimidate them like that, who would dare say otherwise?”
“…Did I intimidate them?”
Cassian, with a puzzled expression, asked the knight if he was telling the truth, implying that he should tell the truth.
“Not at all! I just spoke the absolute truth.”
“See?”
With a confident expression, Cassian seemed to imply that it was fine for Lia to stay in his arms.
“One person’s opinion doesn’t represent everyone’s thoughts.”
“If that’s the case, I guess there’s no choice.”
Cassian agreed with Lia’s words without hesitation.
As Lia began to harbor hope again.
“Raise your hand if you think it’s a problem for Lia’s dignity as a duke to be in my arms here.”
Cassian spoke loudly and clearly enough for all the knights to hear.
Naturally, no one raised their hands.
Cassian’s words carried an implicit warning that raising a hand might result in losing it.
“It seems there’s no one.”
“…Of course.”
“Excuse me, but… we really don’t think anything of it. In fact, we think the duke is truly impressive.”
What problem could there be with being held in Cassian’s arms? After all, she wasn’t a grown adult but a mere 12-year-old child.
Just because she was a duke didn’t change the fact that she is still a child.
The knights were rather impressed by Lia, especially because she endured the arduous journey without a single complaint.
Though none of them had ever accompanied nobles on demon subjugation missions, they had heard stories from those who had. Most non-combatant nobles complained and were lazy, causing delays in the schedule.
Even a bit of difficulty would make them want to rest, hindering those who needed to stay busy.
Compared to them, Lia was far superior, not lacking in any way.
“No, that’s…”
“They said it, didn’t they? Besides, it’s better for you to be in my arms. It’s easier for me to respond if something happens, and it’s more convenient for carrying out the demon subjugation schedule.”
“…Is that so.”
“The path in the forest is rough. Moreover, at your speed, you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the other knights.”
Lia, who hated being a burden to others more than anything, couldn’t ignore this reasoning.
“Alright.”
Reluctantly, Lia nodded, swayed by Cassian’s argument.
Seeing her response, Cassian glanced at Shion.
“What are you doing? Lead the way.”
“The Duke will follow us in the middle.”
With that, Shion and the knights began walking, finally stepping into the forest.
Cassian’s expression grew complicated.
Finally, they had reached this point, and a mix of emotions surged through him.
No sooner had they entered the forest than Lia encountered the demons.
