Chapter 143: 142 An Unwelcome Guest?

142 An unwelcome guest?

"You... how could you think that?"

Upon hearing Leon's words, Anna felt the world spinning and nearly collapsed on the spot, but clinging to a final shred of hope, she struggled to say:

"Brother, haven't you seen the photos? You look so much like Mom, and your hair and eye color are exactly the same as Dad's..."

"Hmm, it is indeed very similar."

Leon nodded upon hearing this and said with great candor:

"It's precisely because it's too similar that I never doubted it in the past, but when I was out on field duty last week, I went to the Bobby Laien family's genealogy room and saw many things there.

Anna, unlike me who has no memory, you should know that our grandfather came from the Bobby Laien family, and the origin of our surname isn't some Bobby Laien County, but that ducal family on Redwood Avenue, right?"

"Right..."

Seeing that Leon had actually investigated even this, the frail girl couldn't help but turn pale, then bit her lip and nodded:

"I... I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just that Grandfather said that because of a dispute over the title or something back then, he made deadly enemies with many people and barely managed to escape from the capital, so he told us never to have any contact with that side..."

"Hmm, I believe you."

After putting on his shoes and standing up, Leon looked at his pale-faced sister, silently took a step forward, gave her another deep hug, and said in a calm voice:

"But I also hope you can believe in me."

"I..."

"It's okay, people always have some secrets they don't want others to know, and I have such secrets hidden from you too, but that doesn't stop me from considering you my family."

After gently stroking Anna's hair, Leon ended the hug, turned to gently cup her cheeks, looked into her eyes, and said with utmost sincerity:

"I don't know what kind of person you consider family, but to me, blood relation is not the only condition for family, nor is it even a necessary one.

From a slightly selfish perspective, whoever I want to share with when I'm happy, and whoever I want to confide in when I'm in pain, that person is my family, and the first person I always think of is you."

"Brother..."

"I'm here, but I have to leave soon."

Looking at his sister, whose eyes were not only red-rimmed but whose nose tip was also turning red, Leon smiled, affectionately pinched her reddened nose, then took a step back, picked up his things, opened the door, and walked out.

"Ah! Wait for me!"

Just as Anna, still somewhat flustered, wiped away her tears and took a step forward to see him off, she saw Leon suddenly turn back and ask:

"By the way, what was it you said to me before I walked in?"

"Huh?"

"What 'huh'? You told me that no matter when, if I ever felt tired, I should come home, and that you would always be waiting for me..."

After repeating Anna's words, Leon frowned with a look of displeasure and said:

"You have to keep your word, you know. Regardless of whether we are blood-related or if I'm your real brother, you aren't allowed to kick me out when I come back!"

"Brother... you really are..."

Reaching up to wipe the corners of her eyes, the frail girl broke into a smile, shook her head, and said with a touch of reproach:

"What kind of strange things are you saying? Why would I ever kick you out?"

"It's best if you don't, but even if you did, I definitely wouldn't leave."

Kicking Anna's shoes further inside and stopping her from seeing him off, Leon waved at her as she seemed to have let go of her inner turmoil, then carried the blanket and shopping bag downstairs.

After Leon went downstairs, Anna gently closed the door and hurried to the window, watching his retreating figure without blinking until he boarded a carriage and disappeared around the corner amidst the sound of a steam whistle, only then reluctantly withdrawing her gaze.

Perhaps... the situation she feared most wouldn't happen at all? Even if he knew what she had done, her brother wouldn't necessarily...

"Knock, knock-knock."

Just then, a somewhat heavy knock on the door rang out, giving Anna a big fright. After steadying herself, she got up, walked over, and asked through the door:

"Who is it?"

"As for me... I suppose I'm a friend of yours."

Tapping lightly on the lock, the man, dressed in a black robe and wearing a wide-brimmed hat that obscured his features, walked into the room as the lock clicked open automatically. He nodded toward the terrified Anna and greeted her in a cold, hard voice:

"It's been nearly six years, Miss Anna. How have you been lately?"

Six years?

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Hearing this keyword, and looking at the man with long, narrow eyes who still had a "weeping" look on his face even when he tried to smile, Anna suddenly realized who he was.

"You... you're that person from the photo studio!"

"Yes, it's me."

Taking off his hat and holding it to his chest, he bowed slightly in a gentlemanly manner, and the man with the naturally weeping face apologized politely yet coldly:

"Pardon the intrusion. I have no other intentions in visiting today; I just wanted to see how you are doing... May I ask if the person who just left is the family you chose for yourself?"

Upon hearing the man's words, Anna's face turned deathly pale, and she bit her lip hard, nodding stiffly.

"Yes..."

"Husband?"

"He's my brother..."

"My apologies."

Watching the man apologize without a hint of sincerity, the stiff-faced man continued to ask:

"Sorry for eavesdropping on some of your conversation. It seems you two have been getting along quite well over the years. In that case, you should be quite satisfied with what I gave you, right?"

「……」

"Miss Anna, please don't be so nervous..."

Looking at the increasingly pale Anna, the man's icy voice couldn't help but carry a hint of helplessness.

"I really have no ill intentions in visiting you this time; I just wanted to see the current state of that item. The reason I intrusively opened the lock was simply because I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to open the door."

After explaining the purpose of his visit, as if to put her at ease, the man voluntarily stepped back a few paces, retreating all the way to the doorway, then extended his palm toward Anna and politely asked for her opinion:

"If it's all right, may I ask you to take out the thing I gave you, so I can examine it briefly?"

Seeing that he truly seemed to harbor no ill intent, Anna couldn't help but secretly breathe a small sigh of relief, then shook her head vigorously, her expression carrying a hint of apology as she said:

"Originally I could, but I just discovered that the photograph seems to have been lost by me…"

Lost? How could it be lost?

For high-numbered test subjects like this one with the potential to achieve the objective, I added more than one tracking directive to them — even if it were torn to shreds, crumpled up, or even burned to ash, it should still reappear beside you!

……

Upon receiving an answer he hadn't anticipated, the black-robed man was slightly dumbfounded.

Staring into Anna's eyes for a moment, seemingly employing some method to confirm she wasn't lying, the black-robed man couldn't help but narrow his eyes, then said in a rather helpless tone:

"Then there's nothing for it… How about this — since the thing is already lost, could I trouble you to tell me what's happened over these past few years?"