I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 89
“I had the shadow keep watch on every move of Marquess Lathsiron, but there were no particularly suspicious activities.”
However, contrary to this response, Shion’s face did not look very relieved.
Cassian waited quietly for Shion to continue his report. Judging by his demeanor, there was clearly more to be said.
“Although I can’t pinpoint it clearly, there was something that bothered me.”
“What is it?”
Cassian’s expression lowered as he awaited Shion’s response.
Shion had as sharp an intuition as Cassian himself.
If he felt something was off with the Marquess, there was certainly something there. It was just that they couldn’t yet be sure what it was.
“For some reason, he seemed to show an unusual amount of interest in Duke Sithran. Not only the current Duke but also the former Duke and his daughter.”
It wouldn’t be strange for someone to show mere interest.
After all, it was Duke Sithran.
The position alone would naturally attract attention from other nobles, and the way Lia inherited the headship of the family was also not typical.
In cases where a guardian is appointed due to the young age of the heir, it’s common for the guardian to take on the role of the acting head.
But Lia was different. She didn’t entrust the family matters to the guardian and instead led the family herself, maintaining full authority as head.
So, naturally, the nobles’ attention would be drawn to her.
Especially since Lia, the new head of the family, would influence the actions of other nobles depending on how she led moving forward.
However, Marquess Lathsiron’s interest felt different from that.
It seemed more focused on Lia herself, the people around her, and her past.
What bothered them the most was the Marquess’s interest in Lia’s mother.
Since they couldn’t discern the intention or direction of this interest, it weighed on their minds even more.
“Is he investigating my angel baby?”
“…It’s ambiguous. It seems like he’s merely showing a peculiar interest in rumors about the Duke.”
“But you never know.”
If someone is showing this much interest in Lia, is it really possible they haven’t already started investigating her?
Whether he was looking into her away from the shadow’s gaze or had finished his investigation before Cassian’s men began monitoring him, in some way, the Marquess would have tried to learn more about Lia.
It wasn’t just simple rumor gathering.
Shion said nothing in response to Cassian’s words, as he was thinking along the same lines.
If that’s the case… what could the Marquess’s intention possibly be?
And if he has already finished investigating Lia, when did he issue such an order?
“What else?”
“According to the shadow, there seems to be a suspicious greenhouse within the Marquess’s estate. Outsiders can’t see inside, and no one other than the Marquess is allowed to enter, so it couldn’t be investigated further, but it gives off a bad feeling.”
Although they had instructed the shadow to investigate the inside of the greenhouse just in case, it turned out to be an ordinary greenhouse.
However, since it was the place where the Marquess spent most of his time, Shion couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling about it.
“A suspicious greenhouse, huh…”
There was nothing strange about a greenhouse in the Marquess’s estate.
However, if Shion found it particularly suspicious, there must be something about the Marquess’s actions connected to the greenhouse that was troubling him.
“Find out how often the Marquess visits that greenhouse and how long he stays there. Also, it would be good to investigate what exactly is inside it.”
There might be a hidden room within the greenhouse.
And they might discover information regarding the Marquess’s suspicious behavior there.
“Understood.”
“Also, continue the surveillance on the Marquess until I order otherwise.”
Until Cassian figured out the nature of this unsettling feeling toward the Marquess, he had no intention of lowering his guard.
Considering Lia’s reaction after meeting the Marquess and his own bad feeling, none of this could be easily overlooked.
“Yes. If anything comes up during the surveillance, I will report to you immediately.”
“Report to me the moment anything comes up.”
If the Marquess posed any threat to Lia, if even the slightest hint of danger appeared, they couldn’t just leave it be.
If it came to that, they would need to eliminate the Marquess immediately.
No matter what cost Cassian might have to bear for it.
Soon after finishing his report, Shion left the room as quietly as he had entered.
Once Shion was gone, Cassian fell into deep thought, his expression serious.
There was nothing clear in Shion’s report. It was like a trace of someone, leaving only the scent behind and nothing else but a sense of suspicion.
Marquess Lathsiron had been weighing on his mind for some time now.
It felt as though the Marquess had some secret, something Cassian didn’t yet know.
And somehow, it felt tied to Lia’s true identity, which left him uneasy and anxious.
Even before learning of Lia’s identity, the Marquess’s particular interest in her had bothered him.
Now that he knew Lia was a Saint, he had to be even more on guard.
What if the Marquess knew about the existence of the Saint?
What if, in addition, he knew that Lia was the Saint?
Cassian had never liked the Marquess. He knew the true nature hidden behind the Marquess’s seemingly kind demeanor.
Deep inside, hidden from everyone’s view, the Marquess harbored an inferiority complex toward those with supernatural abilities.
He despised and resented them.
If the Marquess knew about the existence of the Saint, there was no telling how he would act.
One thing was certain: in some way or another, the Marquess would try to use the Saint.
And that would not be a good thing for either Lia or anyone else.
‘I really hope I’m overthinking this.’
If the Marquess knew about the existence of the Saint, and if he was already suspecting that Lia might be the Saint, it was highly likely that he had some connection to Lia’s mother as well.
It was possible that he was involved in her disappearance.
If that were the case, Lia’s reaction would make some sense.
Lia was a highly sensitive and intuitive child.
It was possible that, on some instinctive level, she sensed that the Marquess had killed her mother, or at least that he was involved, which would explain her reaction.
‘Tch. I may have to meet the Marquess myself soon.’
Even though he had ordered surveillance on the Marquess, Cassian wasn’t sure how much the shadow could uncover.
If the Marquess was indeed connected to Lia’s mother’s disappearance, it would mean his plan had been in the works for a very long time.
That meant he would be meticulous and cautious.
In the end, Cassian might need to meet the Marquess in person as a last resort, to find out what he knew and what he was planning.
The shadow might be deceived, but his own eyes wouldn’t be.
Additionally… it was time for him to know as well.
What had happened to Lia’s mother, what she had gone through, where she was now, and how she had come to have Lia.
If the Marquess was involved in Lia’s mother’s disappearance, the worst possibility was that he might be Lia’s father.
It was purely speculation, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Of course, if that were the case, new questions would arise.
How had Lia returned to the arms of the former Duke Sithran?
Whatever the scenario, questions would keep surfacing.
There was no avoiding that, as Cassian had very little information.
“None of it matters.”
Whether or not the Marquess was Lia’s father.
Whatever secrets surrounded her birth.
Lia was still his angel baby.
And anyone who threatened that angel would not be forgiven.
***
Even after discovering Lia’s true identity, Cassian continued visiting the study.
What he had sought to find out had already been uncovered.
Of course, there were still plenty of things that piqued his curiosity.
Cassian had numerous questions, not only about the Saint but also about many other matters.
The poison that had affected him and the person behind it. And, of course, matters related to Lia.
But none of those answers were to be found in books.
Rather, they were tied to the memories he had lost, or to someone else who possessed those memories.
Thus, there was no real reason for him to continue visiting the study.
Yet, Cassian didn’t stop.
It wasn’t that he was searching for something specific; rather, he simply enjoyed spending time with Lia, using the study as an excuse.
He especially enjoyed Lia’s presence beside him, pretending not to care, but clearly concerned for him.
Moreover, Cassian was hiding the fact that his wound had already healed.
It would have been difficult to explain if she asked how it had healed so suddenly.
Of course, he could’ve just brushed it off. If he played dumb and claimed ignorance, Lia wouldn’t have been able to press him for more answers.
Still, Cassian chose to keep his recovery a secret.
But on the fourth day of this, he heard something that was, in his view, like a bolt out of the blue.
“Khal, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to go to the study by yourself today.”
Lia, while saying this, was watching Cassian closely.
She felt guilty about leaving his side, knowing that his wound hadn’t fully healed yet.
