I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 76
Cassian reflected on the journey that had not been long so far, specifically everything that had happened since entering the Refaar Forest.
It wasn’t clear yet, so he couldn’t confidently say anything.
It might just be his imagination.
But somehow, Cassian had a bad feeling, a sense of foreboding.
Usually, demon attacks were not this frequent.
He had completed countless demon-slaying missions, but this was the first time he experienced something like this.
In just one day, including the current attack, there had been a total of six demon attacks.
Though it was only six times, considering the time spent in battle, it was as if most of the day had been spent dealing with demon attacks.
As a result, their rest time was shorter than usual.
‘I hope it’s just a misunderstanding…’
Cassian wanted to think that he was simply feeling anxious because he was worried about Lia, and that was why he felt uneasy.
It wasn’t that he was genuinely concerned about the frequency of demon attacks.
While it wasn’t common, there was no set number of times demons would attack, and sometimes it just happened that way.
After all, the number of demons had been increasing recently.
So, he could just think it was because of that. He could think that way.
However, what Cassian was truly worried about and paying attention to was something else.
There was something else that happened during the demon-hunting mission.
But there was no definite proof yet.
So, he had to observe a bit more to confirm whether his thoughts were just a misunderstanding.
***
The next day, when Lia opened her eyes, she was still in Cassian’s arms.
He had held her all night.
However, the location had changed. Since they couldn’t continue to camp in the place where the demon attack occurred, they had moved while Lia was asleep.
And while she slept, Cassian had carefully wiped the blood off her body, being cautious not to wake her.
Fortunately, Lia’s clothes had been changed with the help of a female knight from the grand duke’s house.
This time, Lia didn’t wake up.
It was a relief for Cassian, who hoped she would sleep soundly until morning.
“Khal, weren’t you tired?”
No matter how small her build was, it must have been tiring to hold her all night.
Even holding a newborn for a few hours makes your arms ache, so he must have been in pain holding her all night.
“Not at all. I was just happy.”
When else would he get to hold his angel baby for so long?
Once they returned to the duke’s residence, this was something he would never experience again.
So Cassian was okay with it.
After all, for someone with his special abilities, holding Lia wasn’t that difficult. If she was fine with it, he could hold her for an entire month.
“Still, you could have just put me down.”
“I didn’t want to. So, did you sleep well?”
“…Yes.”
Lia nodded slightly.
In the midst of all the knights busy fighting demons, she felt she might have slept too well.
It was all thanks to Cassian. Because he was there, she was able to sleep so peacefully.
Though she woke up a few times, every time she felt Cassian’s warmth and heard his steady heartbeat, she was reassured and fell back asleep.
“Did you have any nightmares?”
“No.”
Instead, she felt like she had dreamt about something else, but she couldn’t remember it.
It was too vague to know what scenes or situations were in the dream.
But Lia’s instincts told her that it was something very important.
“That’s a relief.”
He had been so worried.
That she might have nightmares from what happened here. That she wouldn’t be able to rest even while sleeping.
“Did you sleep well, Khal?”
“…Yes.”
Cassian replied with his usual indifferent expression.
But his answer was a lie.
The truth was, Cassian hadn’t slept at all.
How could he sleep?
If he fell asleep and the demons attacked again, he might not be able to protect Lia properly.
Of course, there were others on watch, so he didn’t need to worry too much, but Cassian couldn’t relax.
Even if it wasn’t a demon attack, Lia could get sick or something else could go wrong with her body.
What Lia had gone through here was just too much for her.
So, in case something happened, Cassian couldn’t allow himself to sleep.
But he lied because he didn’t want Lia to worry.
Fortunately, Lia didn’t realize Cassian was lying.
Though she was slightly puzzled by his delayed answer, she didn’t think it was because he was lying.
Or rather, her situation didn’t give her the luxury of considering such a possibility.
After sleeping for a while, she felt a bit better, but Lia was still tired and struggling.
Yesterday’s memories had dulled, but they hadn’t completely faded.
She had only calmed down enough to pretend that everything was fine.
“I know that you care for me and think of me a lot, Khal. But still, I hope you don’t neglect your own health by worrying about me too much.”
Cassian had always put others before himself. This time, Lia was worried that he might not take care of his own health, so she spoke in a determined voice.
“I am strong. Especially compared to my angel baby.”
“I know, Khal. I know you’re strong, but being strong doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”
Being strong doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt.
It doesn’t mean you won’t bleed if you’re injured.
It doesn’t mean you’ll survive if your heart is pierced, or be fine if you’re cut by a sword.
That wasn’t the case.
That’s why Lia couldn’t help but worry about Cassian.
And hadn’t she already seen him once seriously injured and collapsed?
If she hadn’t found him in time back then, he would have died.
So, she couldn’t just feel reassured.
“My angel baby is so caring.”
Cassian gazed warmly at Lia and gently stroked her face.
No one had ever cared about him like this.
Until now, people had been more worried about the trouble he might cause rather than his well-being.
He wasn’t particularly hurt or upset by this fact.
If others had worried about him, he might have felt uncomfortable instead.
But because it was Lia, everything felt special.
All the emotions she directed towards him were delightful and welcome.
“Anyway, Khal, don’t get hurt. Don’t push yourself too hard. Because if you do… I think I’d be really sad.”
Lia lowered her voice as she said the last part, embarrassed.
“If it’s an order from my angel baby, I’ll remember it.”
For his angel baby, there was nothing he wouldn’t do. Not getting hurt was the least of it.
Especially since if he got hurt, it would make his angel baby sad.
Cassian didn’t want to see Lia sad. He didn’t want to see her eyes fill with tears and eventually break down and cry.
What he wanted was to see Lia smile.
He wanted her life to always be filled with smiles.
While the two were having this conversation, breakfast was being prepared.
They had deliberately waited until Lia woke up, and as soon as she did, they began to prepare breakfast.
There weren’t many types of food, and everything they could make was simple, so it didn’t take long to prepare.
“I’ll help too.”
Lia quickly got up when she heard that breakfast was ready and walked over to help.
“Duke, you don’t need to do anything.”
“But I want to help with something.”
Unlike herself, who was resting comfortably, they were the ones working the hardest.
For them, she wanted to do whatever she could, no matter how small.
“Just holding up so well is already a big help.”
Shion spoke with a tone full of concern for Lia.
He knew how much she had struggled the day before. Even though he was busy dealing with demons, he had checked on her condition whenever he could.
That’s why Shion hoped that Lia wouldn’t try to do anything. This journey itself was already very hard and exhausting for her.
“But still, at least let me serve and carry the food.”
“If I let you do that, I’m afraid I’ll lose my life.”
Cassian was already giving him a deadly look. If he made Lia do anything… that day would be his last.
“Then, it’s simple. Khal.”
“…Did you call me, my angel baby?”
Cassian, who had quickly come over to Lia, showed a gentle expression, as if he hadn’t just been giving Shion a murderous look.
“Khal, you can help too.”
“…Help with what?”
“Preparing breakfast.”
“……..”
Cassian was momentarily speechless.
It was the first time in his life he had been asked to do such a thing.
However, seeing Lia start to serve the food herself as an example, Cassian couldn’t help but assist her.
The knights, witnessing such a rare sight, were briefly stunned. The shock of seeing something so unbelievable was too much.
But soon, the knights gratefully accepted the food that was handed to them.
They couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.
When else would they ever experience something like this?
Especially seeing such a young child determined to help, serving and carrying food herself, it was so admirable that they naturally smiled warmly.
Their initial impression of Lia had been good, but the more time they spent with her, the more they liked her.
To them, Lia was the perfect duke and their wonderful angel baby.
If anyone ever said she lacked the qualities of a duke, that person would surely have a problem with their eyes.
If Lia lacked the qualities of a leader, then there wouldn’t be anyone in this empire who possessed them.
That’s how much the knights had grown fond of Lia.
