IPUMFWLH Chapter 145

145

Cassian quietly waited for Lia to speak.

He had no idea what she knew or how much she had uncovered. However, whatever it was, it would surely help him regain his memories.

"Hm, I’m not sure where to start."

She didn’t know many details. She remembered the important parts, but much of it was left out.

Even so, what she did know would be of some help.

She had to speak. But deciding how and where to begin was a challenge in itself.

"The order isn’t important. Just say it however you feel comfortable."

Cassian reassured her in a gentle voice.

Encouraged by his words, Lia carefully gathered her thoughts and began to speak.

"My mother, when she was around my age, went out alone… and was kidnapped."

She chose to begin her story with her mother.

Following the chronological order seemed the easiest way to explain it.

"…Kidnapped…"

Was that why?

Was that the reason why her mother had been kept hidden for so long?

It made some sense when thought of that way, yet it didn’t answer all his questions.

So he waited for Lia to continue.

"I don’t know exactly what happened to her after she was taken. But it couldn’t have been anything good. Luckily, if I can even call it that, she managed to escape from that place. And after that, she met my father… I mean, Khal."

Lia paused, lost in thought.

Yes, she didn’t know the full story of what her mother had gone through.

But just imagining it made her heart ache.

She had been her age, just a child.

At that young age, her mother had suffered things most people couldn’t even imagine.

Compared to that, her own hardships paled in comparison.

Her mother had been kidnapped for years before she finally met her father.

All that time, she must have endured unbearable pain.

Pain that Lia couldn’t even begin to fathom.

Though she had later found happiness with her father, it could never erase the suffering of her past.

What had happened could never be undone.

"Lia, don’t dwell on it too much. One moment of suffering is enough. You don’t have to hurt yourself by trying to understand someone else’s pain."

Cassian said in a sorrowful voice.

He had no memories of her.

Even though he had loved her so deeply, not a single memory remained.

Yet his body still reacted instinctively at the mention of his wife.

If even he felt this much pain, then how much worse must it be for Lia?

Even if she had never met her mother, they were still bound by blood.

Memories or not, the emotions remained.

Cassian’s gentle comfort brought a faint smile to Lia’s lips.

She swallowed back the emotions threatening to overwhelm her and continued speaking.

"According to my grandfather’s records, my mother was someone special. That’s why he was always so careful, afraid that someone might find out about her. Hardly anyone even knew what she looked like. And my grandfather believed that was the reason she was kidnapped and later disappeared."

"I see."

So that was why there had been a book about Saints in the ducal library.

Somehow, the Duke had learned that his daughter was a Saint.

And he had also known what it meant to be one.

That was why he had been so cautious.

Yet, despite his efforts, he had still lost his daughter.

But how could anyone blame him?

No one could have predicted such an event.

Even his wife, the young lady of the ducal family, could never have imagined that simply going out would lead to such a tragedy.

If she had known, she would have never left the house alone in secret.

Even if he had no memory of her, if she was Lia’s mother, if she was the woman he had loved, then she would never have done anything to cause pain to others so recklessly.

"In any case, my mother barely managed to escape and met my father, Khal. They got married and had me. Even then, my mother never told my grandfather about her survival… or about me. She was afraid that if anyone found out, my grandfather and the entire ducal family would be in danger."

Lia paused, taking a moment to collect herself.

Then she continued.

"My grandfather only found out about me when my father brought me to the ducal estate. That was when he finally learned what had happened to my mother. And… he also learned that not long after giving birth to me, she was… killed."

"……"

Hearing about his wife’s death from his daughter’s lips, Cassian could only remain silent.

It was something he had already suspected.

He had assumed Lia’s mother was dead.

And he had also suspected that her death had been at someone’s hands.

But hearing it spoken aloud made the impact much heavier.

His body remembered.

The rage, the pain from that time.

Despite his desperate efforts to protect her, he had ultimately failed.

The helplessness of that moment threatened to consume him, his energy surging wildly.

But Cassian forced himself to suppress it.

"My father brought me to my grandfather… to leave me in his care. He couldn’t forgive the person who had killed his beloved wife. He was determined to find them and take his revenge. But he was also worried about me. So he left me in the safest place he could think of—the ducal estate, keeping my existence a complete secret."

That was the only way to ensure safety.

If the people who had targeted her mother learned that she had a child, no one could predict what they would do.

For her father, avenging his wife was already overwhelming.

Protecting himself and his daughter at the same time had been impossible.

"Of course, my father didn’t know that my mother was a duke’s daughter. He only found out after she passed away, through the letter she left behind."

That was why he had been able to entrust Lia to the ducal family.

Only her mother had known her true identity.

Cassian had only learned the truth after she was gone.

That was why he had thought the ducal estate would be the safest place for Lia.

Cassian silently processed everything Lia had just told him.

There were still many gaps in the story.

But they were things that even Lia didn’t know.

He couldn’t ask for more details because she simply didn’t have them.

However, even with the missing pieces, it was enough to connect the broken fragments together.

Now, Cassian could finally see the full picture.

Why the grand duchess had been hidden.

Why Lia’s existence had been concealed.

Why he had been chasing someone in secret, without revealing it to anyone.

And now, Cassian knew he had to speak.

For Lia’s sake.

Just as she had revealed a painful truth for him, he, too, had to tell her what he had been hiding.

Because this was about her.

He couldn’t keep it a secret forever.

Now that most of the puzzle had been solved, it felt like the right time.

Yet, hesitation still lingered.

Was this truly the right choice?

Was this the best decision for her?

Even with his doubts, Cassian made his decision.

Lia needed to know the truth.

Because only he knew it.

If he didn’t tell her, no one else would.

He couldn’t let her continue living in ignorance.

For a moment, he wondered if it would be kinder for her to never know.

But an unprotected secret would eventually turn into a heavy burden of guilt.

And so, Cassian slowly opened his mouth.

"I have something to tell you, angel baby."

"Did you recover your memories?"

Lia, catching the serious look in Cassian’s eyes, asked hopefully.

Even though she had learned a lot from her grandfather’s diary, there were still missing pieces.

If Cassian had regained his memories, he could fill in those gaps.

"No, I haven’t recovered my memories yet. But… I have discovered something important."

"What is it?"

Though slightly disappointed that he hadn’t regained his memories, Lia quickly focused on his words.

If he had found something important, she needed to hear it.

"I need to investigate a little more to confirm it. But you should know as well. Even though I don’t have definitive proof yet, I’m confident that my suspicions aren’t wrong."

His intuition had never been wrong before.

Especially when it came to people.

Even without solid evidence, he couldn’t dismiss his instincts.

And it wasn’t as if there were no clues at all.

The problem was that the evidence wasn’t strong enough to act on yet.

"The person I’ve been chasing. The one who has been after me. That person is…"

Lia held her breath.

Yes.

This was critical information.

Whoever it was, they posed the greatest danger to Cassian right now.

If they wanted to protect the happiness they had finally found as a family, they had to eliminate this threat.

To ensure that no one else she loved would be put in danger.