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.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThere 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 | 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-'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. | 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.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBurton'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 | 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 | 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?”