Chapter 142

“You… how could you think like that?”

Upon hearing Leon’s words, Anna felt a wave of dizziness, almost collapsing on the spot. But holding onto the last shred of hope, she struggled to say:

“Brother, didn’t you see the photo? You look so much like Mom, and your hair and eye color are exactly like Dad’s…”

“Hmm, indeed, very much alike.”

Leon nodded after hearing this, speaking frankly: “Precisely because we look so much alike, I never doubted it before. But last week, while on an external mission, I visited the genealogy room of the Lane family and saw many things there.

Anna, unlike me who has no memory, you should know that Grandpa comes from the Lane family, and our surname doesn’t originate from Leon County but from the Duke family on Red Pine Avenue, right?”

“Right…”

Seeing that Leon had uncovered even this, the frail girl couldn’t help but pale, then bit her lip and nodded: “I… I wasn’t trying to hide it from you intentionally. Grandpa said that due to some competition for the title or something, he made many deadly enemies, barely escaping from the Capital City. He told us never to have anything to do with them…”

“Hmm, I believe you.”

After putting on his shoes and standing up, Leon took a step forward, looking at his pale-faced sister and gave her another deep hug, saying calmly: “But I also hope you can trust me.”

“I…”

“It’s fine. Everyone has secrets they don’t want others to know, and I have my own secrets hidden from you too. But that doesn’t stop me from considering you my family.”

Gently patting Anna’s head, Leon stopped hugging her, instead gently cupping her cheeks and looked deeply into her eyes, saying earnestly:

“I don’t know what kind of person you think makes someone family, but for me, blood relation isn’t the only condition, not even a necessary one.

From a selfish point of view, the person I most want to share my happiness with, the person I most want to confide my pain in, that’s my family. And the first person I always think of is you.”

“Brother…”

“I’m here, but I’m about to leave.”

Looking at the sister whose eyes were already red and nose was turning pink, Leon smiled and affectionately pinched her reddened nose, then stepped back, picked up his things, and opened the door to walk out.

“Ahh! Wait for me!”

As Anna, still somewhat flustered, wiped away her tears and stepped forward to see him off, Leon suddenly turned around and asked:

“Oh yeah, what did you say to me when I came in?”

“Eh?”

“What do you mean ‘eh’? You told me, no matter when, if I feel tired, I can come home, and you’ll always be waiting for me…”

After repeating Anna’s words, Leon frowned unhappily: “You better keep your word. Whether we’re related by blood or if you’re really my sister or not, when I come back, you can’t drive me away!”

“Brother… you’re really…”

Wiping her eyes, the frail girl shook her head, smiling through her tears and scolded lightly: “What strange things to say, why would I drive you away?”

“That’s good. Even if you try to drive me away, I won’t go.”

Kicking Anna’s shoes further inside to stop her from seeing him off, Leon waved at her, who seemed to have resolved some inner conflict, then carried the blanket and shopping bag downstairs.

After Leon went downstairs, Anna softly closed the door and quickly walked to the window, staring at his retreating figure without blinking until Leon boarded a carriage and disappeared around the corner with the sound of a whistle. Only then did she reluctantly shift her gaze.

Maybe… the situation I fear the most will never happen. Even if he finds out what I’ve done, Brother might not…

“Dub, dub-dub.”

“Who’s there?”

“Myself… consider me a friend of yours.”

With a light knock on the lock, as the lock core clicked automatically, a man dressed in a black robe, wearing a wide-brimmed hat that obscured his face, entered the house and nodded at Anna, who was full of terror, greeting her with a cold and hard voice:

“It’s been nearly six years, Miss Anna. How have you been recently?”

Six years?

Hearing this keyword, looking at the man with narrow, elongated eyes who tried to smile but still had a sorrowful expression on his face, Anna immediately realized who he was.

“You… you’re the person from the photo studio!”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Removing his hat and placing it over his chest, the man bowed politely and apologized with a polite yet icy tone: “Sorry to disturb you. My visit today has no other intention; I just wanted to check on your recent well-being… Was the person who just left the one you chose as your family?”

“Y-yes…”

“Husband?”

“Brother…”

“Sorry.”

Even as the man offered a half-hearted apology, his stiff expression continued as he asked: “Sorry for eavesdropping on part of your conversation, but it seems you two have gotten along quite well these past few years. So, are you satisfied with the thing I gave you?”

“…”

“Miss Anna, please don’t be so tense…”

Seeing Anna’s increasingly pale complexion, the man’s frosty voice softened slightly with a hint of helplessness.

“I assure you, my visit today has absolutely no ill intentions. I simply wanted to check on the status of that item. The reason I opened the lock was merely because I feared you wouldn’t open the door otherwise.”

After explaining his purpose, seemingly to ease her anxiety, the man stepped back several paces until he reached the door. Then, he extended his hand politely seeking permission:

“If possible, could you please take out the item I gave you so I can inspect it briefly?”

Seeing that he truly seemed harmless, Anna couldn’t help but relax slightly. She then shook her head forcefully, her expression apologetic: “It would have been possible, but I just realized that the photo seems to have been lost…”

???

Lost? How could it be lost? For such a high-numbered test subject with potential to achieve the goal, I added more than one obedience order. Even if it were torn, crumpled, or burned to ashes, it should have reappeared by your side!

Taken aback by the unexpected answer, the man in the black robe was momentarily confused.

Staring into Anna’s eyes, apparently using some method to confirm she wasn’t lying, the man in the black robe squinted and sighed helplessly:

“There’s nothing to be done… In that case, could you perhaps tell me about the situation over the past few years?”

(End of Chapter)