I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 90
“I… have to go alone?”
Cassian, who asked this, had a look on his face that seemed to say, ‘How could you do this to me?’
“Yes, just in case, I’ll assign you a maid. If you need anything, just call her.”
Lia didn’t retract her words, even while watching Cassian’s reaction.
“…They say the heart of an angel can be as fickle as a reed, but I never thought you’d abandon me so easily.”
Cassian made a wounded expression.
He had been visiting the study, even though he didn’t particularly like it, just to spend time with her.
“I’m sorry. But I have to go to the capital to meet Jeshuan today.”
At that, Cassian’s expression turned sour.
Not only did he dislike the fact that Lia was leaving him, but the reason being that unpleasant kid made him even more upset.
He couldn’t help but feel a small pang of jealousy, wondering if he had been pushed aside for that unpleasant child.
Rather than being coercive and aggressive, Cassian decided to use a more effective method to express his displeasure.
Wasn’t he still a patient?
Lia was kind and compassionate. Stimulating her sympathy would be more effective in convincing her.
“I need my angel baby.”
“So does Jeshuan. He’s been unwell, and I’m worried.”
“I’m sick too.”
Cassian, still pretending to be unwell, extended his arm, which was wrapped in bandages, trying to evoke Lia’s sympathy with a pitiful look.
He looked as if he were whining, ‘I’m hurt.’
And it was effective.
Lia’s eyes wavered as she looked at his injured arm.
But Cassian didn’t get the answer he wanted.
“That may be true… but I can’t delay this any longer.”
“………”
Cassian, in protest, said nothing.
“I’ll go and come back and treat you well instead!”
“…That’s not enough.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be.
Every minute and every second with her was precious, and now he had to yield that precious time to that unpleasant kid.
“But there’s no other way.”
Normally, Lia would have cut off Cassian’s complaints with a firm voice, but this time, she comforted him in a softer tone.
“These days, my hands are trembling because I’m going through angel baby withdrawal.”
“Surely it’s not that bad…”
Cassian interrupted Lia’s words, still with a pitiful expression, and stated his request.
“If you come back, please let me hug my angel baby.”
Seeing how Lia hesitated but didn’t change her mind, it seemed unlikely that he’d be able to stop her from going to the capital, so he figured he might as well get something he wanted.
“But, Cassian, you’re a patient…”
“Ah… I feel like I won’t be able to control my anger properly anymore due to withdrawal symptoms and… well, I might start with the crown prince…”
“Okay, okay! I’ll let you hug me when I come back.”
Lia, guessing what Cassian might say next, quickly responded.
“Then go. But don’t be too late. My patience isn’t that great, you know.”
In other words, if she made him wait too long, he might storm into the capital.
“Yes, I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”
It had been nearly two weeks since Lia last saw Jeshuan, so she wasn’t sure if she could return early as she promised.
Especially if Jeshuan’s condition was bad, she’d have to stay by his side until he recovered.
Of course, that meant her return to the mansion would be delayed.
“Well, I’ll try. Not sure how effective that’ll be, though.”
Cassian, not getting the answer he wanted, responded in a rebellious tone, like a sulky teenager.
Lia, hearing that, started to worry whether she could really leave him behind.
Seeing his expression, she was certain that if she left now, he’d either follow her to the capital or cause some trouble.
“…I guess there’s no other choice.”
She needed to ease his mood at least a little, so his patience, which he himself admitted wasn’t very good, would last a bit longer.
“Cassian.”
“…What.”
Cassian responded in a grumpy tone when Lia called him, but his expression softened with what she did next.
For the first time, Lia embraced Cassian on her own.
Cassian smiled warmly as he felt Lia’s body embracing him.
Even though her small body was hugging him, it felt more like she was the one being held by him.
Still, the warmth she gave was so comforting, it truly felt like he was the one being embraced.
“This time, I’ll try to endure it a little longer.”
“Yes, Cassian, I’ll be back.”
Lia gave Cassian one more hug, smiling brightly as she said her goodbyes.
***
When Lia arrived at the capital, she was guided by a maid to a small garden located in the separate palace.
“Jeshuan.”
Seeing Jeshuan for the first time in two weeks made Lia feel a sense of delight, as if seeing him for the first time in a while.
Jeshuan seemed to feel the same, as a smile he couldn’t hide spread across his face.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes, relatively well.”
The waiting hadn’t been too difficult this time.
As each day passed, time seemed to stretch longer, and his longing for Lia grew, but he had managed.
Thanks to the pendant Lia had given him.
Whenever he missed her or thought of her, Jeshuan would take out the pendant he kept close to his heart and gently hold it.
The image of a younger Lia, with her happy smile, always soothed him.
When he looked at the pendant, it felt as though he were with Lia.
It wasn’t just an illusion.
Whenever he touched the pendant, the surging emotions inside him would calm down.
Because of that, this period of waiting had been relatively easier.
‘It’s truly amazing.’
That just holding the pendant, which carried her feelings, had such an effect.
“I’m really glad to hear that.”
Lia, seeing Jeshuan’s brighter-than-usual expression, realized his words were sincere, and she finally felt at ease.
How much she had worried.
She feared that during her absence, Jeshuan might go through hellish days again.
This time, she couldn’t visit him due to the demon subjugation.
“And you, Lia? Did everything go well?”
How much he had worried.
Though this period of waiting had been more comfortable for his condition, it hadn’t been so for his heart.
Every day, his thoughts were consumed with worry for Lia.
He kept wondering if she had faced danger or gotten hurt while away.
Lia’s safety had filled his thoughts entirely.
Although Lia looked no different from her usual self, just seeing her wasn’t enough to calm his concerns.
“Yes, I’m back safely.”
Lia smiled faintly as she answered.
Even though the time spent on the demon subjugation had been dreadful and tough, it was all in the past now.
No matter how terrible that time had been, she had returned unharmed and safe.
That was all that mattered.
The only thing that weighed on her mind was Cassian.
Unlike her, Cassian had returned injured.
And those injuries still… hadn’t fully healed.
Thinking of that made her expression darken.
“Lia, what happened while you were there?”
Jeshuan, noticing the brief smile disappear from Lia’s face, asked in a worried voice.
“It’s nothing… I wasn’t hurt at all. I came back without a single injury.”
“Just because you weren’t hurt doesn’t mean everything’s okay.”
It was a relief that she wasn’t physically hurt. However, just because there were no physical injuries didn’t guarantee that she was fine mentally.
In fact, Jeshuan was most worried about that.
Physical wounds could be treated and healed with time, but mental scars were different.
Healing the mind required much more time and care.
“I’m really okay.”
Although the memories of that place were still vivid, and the fear was enough to make her body tremble when she thought about it, she was fine.
Because she knew it was all in the past now.
And… she had Cassian by her side.
With him, she had been able to endure. With him, she was fine.
“But just now, Lia, your expression didn’t look good.”
“That was… for a different reason.”
“A different reason?”
Jeshuan’s face filled with confusion, and Lia hesitated to respond.
She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about Cassian’s injury.
“If it’s difficult for you to talk about, you don’t have to. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
For Jeshuan, the only person who mattered, aside from his father, was Lia. So as long as she was okay, nothing else was important.
“I’ve said it before, I’m truly fine. The guardian who accompanied me was a great help.”
Lia’s face was filled with affection as she spoke about Cassian.
Seeing this, Jeshuan’s expression turned sour.
He knew that Lia and her guardian, the Grand Duke, had a close relationship. In fact, it was clear their connection went beyond that of a simple guardian and ward; they cared for each other deeply.
But seeing Lia’s expression as she thought about her guardian, right before his eyes, made Jeshuan feel quite unpleasant.
A strange jealousy began to well up inside him.
After all, her guardian got to spend time with her, simply because he held that title.
And yet Jeshuan only saw Lia once a week…
Thinking about that left him feeling even more bitter.
But Lia misinterpreted Jeshuan’s sour expression.
She thought his furrowed brows and tightly pressed lips meant he was in pain.
“Jeshuan, are you in pain somewhere again?”
Lia asked, her voice filled with concern, and Jeshuan decided to take advantage of this opportunity.
