At the exact same moment, on the foot of another mountain in Provence was Alexander, a piece of
paper in hand. He checked the address and made sure it was right before he pressed the doorbell of
the manor. A maid opened the door and automatically spoke in French when she saw an unfamiliar
face.
“Who are you looking for, sir?” Alexander responded with equally fluent French. “Is this where Mr.
Burton lives?” The maid’s eyes lit up when she heard his question. “You must be our beloved guest, Mr.
Griffith!” The maid spoke in English this time. She led him in after he gave her a polite nod.
“Please get into the carriage, Mr. Griffith,” one of the maids uttered politely. Alexander eyed her
puzzledly. “Where exactly are we going?” “Mr. Burton ordered us to bring you over once you arrive.
You’ll know where we’re headed once you’re there,” the maid explained. Alexander got into the
carriage, and the coachman steered the horses onto a tiny pathway.
This gave Alexander the opportunity to enjoy the view outside the manor. It was a huge piece of land—
he couldn’t see the other end of the road even if he tried to. There were grape trellises along the way,
and they were covered in green and purple grapes. There were sunflower fields that had their yellow
faces pointed toward the sun.
What caught Alexander’s eyes the most was the purple lavender fields that looked as gorgeous as a
painting… “We’re here, Mr. Griffith.” The coachman halted the carriage in front of a castle. Alexander
felt a surge of curiosity when he saw the castle before his eyes. Who exactly is Mr. Burton?
Why haven’t I heard Grandpa talk about him in the past? Alexander got out of the carriage with his
eyebrows raised. … Elise was wheeling her bicycle with one hand while she held onto a kite with
another. She was strolling in front of the castle while her precious dog, Prince, tottered along behind
her.
“I’ll bring Prince out to play with the kites, Helen. I’ll be back in a while.” The moment Elise finished
speaking, Helen’s voice came from inside the castle. “Remember not to run too fast, Miss Sinclair!
Don’t come back too late!” Elise hopped onto her bike and held onto her kite with one hand as she
cycled onto a small pathway.
Alexander narrowed his eyes when he saw Elise’s figure from behind. That girl seems rather
familiar. He was about to say something when Elise turned to look directly at him. Alexander let out a
rather exasperated sigh. I’m overthinking this! How could it be possible for Elise to show up here?
They just look alike, that’s all. Elise, on the other hand, was utterly shocked when she saw Alexander.
Her brain froze as she lost control of her limbs. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she
watched herself losing control of her bike. “Get out! Get out of the way!” she cried as her bike charged
downhill.
While she was screaming, Alexander turned around to see the bike speeding directly toward him. At
the very last second, Alexander leaped forward and caught Elise in his arms. Both of them rolled on the
ground a few times before they stopped. Alexander felt an odd sense of familiarity as he held onto
Elise.
He was about to say something when Elise shoved him aside and took a few steps back. “I-I’m sorry! It
was an accident!” She intentionally looked sideways to hide her face as she scrambled to her feet. “I’m
sorry for hitting you! I’m sorry!” After apologizing for the hundredth time, Elise hurried off to collect her
bike before Alexander could respond to her.
He stared at the girl in front of him. All of this feels too familiar. If it weren’t for her face… It’s almost as
if Elise had possessed this girl’s body. “It’s fine!” He managed to squeeze the words out of his lips.
Elise was too afraid to stay for even an extra second, and she hastily picked her large bicycle up before
walking away.
Prince, on the other hand, wagged its tail as it walked to Alexander. It rubbed its head against
Alexander’s leg in a sincere manner, as if it were thanking Alexander. He couldn’t help but pat the dog’s
head when he saw the adorable creature. To his surprise, the dog ran off just moments later. “Are you
okay, Mr. Griffith?”
the maid asked. “I’m fine. Let’s go in.” The maid led Alexander into the castle, and Elise was left
dumbfounded as she watched this happen. It’s already a shock for him to be here. I can’t believe he’s
entering my castle. He can’t be here to look for me, right? It doesn’t seem like it! Elise pressed her lips
together as she decided to observe the situation for a while longer.
Helen was the first to spot Alexander when he walked into the castle. “This is Mr. Burton’s guest, Mr.
Griffith.” The maid introduced Alexander to Helen. Helen responded with a warm smile. “So, you’re Mr.
Griffith! I’ve heard loads about you!” she uttered cheerfully. Alexander responded in a polite tone.
“Hello. Can I know if Mr. Burton is here?” “Yes, he is. You came from Athesea, didn’t you, Mr. Griffith?
Please wait here for a while. I’ll get him to come now,” Helen offered. She ordered the maids to prepare
coffee while she hurried to the entrance to give Linus a call. At that moment, Elise sneaked out from
somewhere and held onto Helen’s arms.
“Who is he, Helen? What is he doing here?” “He’s Linus’ guest,” Helen explained. “Linus told me about
him a few days ago, saying that he had a friend who’d be arriving from a faraway country.” Elise didn’t
know what to do at that point. She had to ensure that she wasn’t exposed. “I think you guys should stop
calling me Elise from now on, Helen! Why don’t you call me the name I used to tell you guys about?
Joy?”
Helen didn’t bother to ask for a reason. “Sure, sure, my darling Joy!” she replied with a smile. “Please
help me inform everyone else as well, Helen. Please tell them not to call me Elise for these few days
and call me Joy instead. It’s crucial that they do so!” Elise uttered. Helen found Elise’s orders rather
odd, but Helen had always been extremely compliant when it came to Elise.
She did everything that Elise wanted her to do. “Don’t worry. I’ll pass the message.” After thanking
Helen, Elise no longer had the mood to fly her kite. The main reason she traveled to France was to
avoid Alexander for a while, yet fate was such a peculiar thing—they somehow ended up in the same
place even in another country.
Linus noticed Alexander’s unique and attractive aura once he walked in. “You must be Mr. Jonah’s
grandson, huh?” he uttered with a smile on his face. “And you must be Mr. Burton. I’m Alexander!
Nice to meet you,” Alexander said in a humble tone. Linus let out a hearty laugh. “I’ve been hearing a
lot about that old man’s outstanding grandson. He told me he’d come over and introduce you to me
personally. Why didn’t the old man come along?”
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