Chapter 876 Finally, the master and apprentice held hands! 【4500】
"My grandfather, like my father, is a strong man who does what he says and will never be at a loss once he makes up his mind."
"The first thing he did was look around for his accomplices."
"Eventually, he found Miss Leroy."
"Miss Leroy was born as an orphan without any relatives. She has been a maid in our house since she was a child."
"Just like grandpa, she sympathized with my experience and couldn't stand my father's abuse of me."
"So, on a rainy night, they cooperated inside and outside, secretly broke open my door, and then, using the cover of darkness and heavy rain, they successfully took me out of the Birdcage."
"That night was really thrilling."
"There were several times when we almost failed."
"Actually, our success is inseparable from my father's carelessness."
"He probably never thought that his biological father would 'betray' him."
"Grandpa knows that my father is very powerful. Unless he leaves Europe, there is no way he can escape from his grasp."
"So, after escaping from the mansion, we rushed straight to the nearest port and boarded the merchant ship that had been planned for Japan."
"In this way, after going through many twists and turns, the three of us successfully arrived in Japan, thousands of miles away."
Speaking of this, Elodie seemed to recall some interesting memories and smiled:
"It's been a wild ride."
"Before this, the only thing I knew about Japan was that it was far away, separated from France by the entire Eurasian continent."
"We don't even speak a word of Japanese, and we have no relatives or connections in Japan."
"You are truly unfamiliar with the place you live in."
"Grandpa is a very standard nobleman, pampered and well-off, and doesn't know any means of survival."
"The only thing he's good at is eating and using his tongue to tell the freshness of ingredients."
As she spoke, she put her hands in front of her belly and made a "fat bump" gesture.
Seeing this, Qingdeng nodded with deep understanding - although France has entered the industrial age and productivity has developed by leaps and bounds, it is really not easy to maintain such a huge belly.
"After we arrived at our destination and walked off the deck, the three of us looked at each other, looking at each other in confusion."
"There is no place to go, no one to find, and the future is bleak."
"People entering and exiting the port cast us unkind looks."
"Although Osaka is already one of the most open towns in Japan, there are still many people who have deep ill will towards Westerners."
"Maybe this is fate."
"Just when we were at a loss, Miss Lin came."
Miss Lin is Kinoshita Lin.
"The port we landed at that day was Osaka Port."
"At that time, Kinoshita Rin happened to be visiting Osaka Port due to business matters."
"Miss Lin discovered us and was curious, so she came to inquire about our situation."
"After learning about our plight, they kindly took us in."
"In this way, by chance, we became connected with Calabash House."
"At first, Miss Lin's attitude towards us was not enthusiastic."
"Send some dried fish to the wild cat on the roadside - that's probably how she treats us."
"But, somehow, after learning what happened to me, her attitude suddenly changed."
"Especially after knowing that I have a father who has a paranoid personality and is obsessed with 'restoring the July Monarchy', her attitude towards me...how should I put it...becomes a lot gentler."
"She always has a straight face."
"After that, she would show a shallow, gentle smile every time she saw me."
"Not only that, she began to go out of her way to help us."
"First, we arranged a better accommodation for us."
"Then I started to teach my industrious grandfather how to do some simple business that can make a living."
"It was also during that time that I met Miss Wu."
When the words "Miss Dancing" were mentioned, Elodie unconsciously curled up the corners of her mouth, showing a warm smile full of joy.
"Although I escaped from the Birdcage, the loneliness caused by the unfamiliar environment and the embarrassment of not having a single friend still bothers me."
"On a summer day when the cicadas were chirping, I sat alone on the porch, staring at the sky in a daze."
"Suddenly, a small shadow appeared in front of me - a girl in red hiding behind a tree not far away, observing me carefully."
"She thought she was well hidden, but she didn't realize that half of her body was already exposed outside the tree trunk."
"It wasn't until several years later that I learned the truth about that day from Miss Wu."
"At that time, she heard that there was a little girl from France in the family."
"She thought that I, a little girl who had just arrived, would definitely feel lonely because I had no friends of the same age."
"In order to prevent me from being lonely, she came to me to play."
"Really...she obviously doesn't have any friends herself, but she is actually worried about my friendship situation."
"She is so afraid of strangers. It's really hard for her to come to me, a stranger, alone."
Although Elodie was complaining, the joy on her cheeks became more intense, and she looked quite happy.
"She said she came to play with me, but she stayed behind the tree and didn't move."
"At one point, I suspected that she was a suspicious person with ulterior motives. I almost shouted 'help'."
"After about a few minutes, she finally left the tree trunk, took one step forward, two steps back, and walked towards me shrinkingly."
"Although this happened several years ago, I still remember what she said to me at that time."
"She said: 'Would you like to play 'Shuangliu' together?"
[Note: Double Six: A classic board game from the Edo period, the gameplay is similar to Monopoly.]
"Her words became an opportunity for us to get to know each other and then become close friends."
"Thanks to that box of double sixes, and thanks to Miss Wu who didn't want me to be lonely, we became each other's first friends."
"All in all, with the help of Miss Lin, our group successfully established roots in Japan."
"There is no need for me to elaborate on what happens next."
"After experiencing various changes, we moved from Osaka to Edo, and then from Edo to Kyoto. We lived in the 'three capitals' all over."
"Although I have not lived the chivalrous life like Robin Hood that I dreamed of, I am very satisfied with this harmonious and stable life."
"If possible, I sincerely hope that days like this can last forever."
"What a pity...Father will never give up just like that."
"We all know our father's character well."
"My mother unfortunately died of diphtheria not long after I was born."
"Therefore, I am my father's only descendant and the only heir to his 'kingdom'."
"Neither I nor Grandpa nor Miss Leroy think that my father will be indifferent to my escape."
"His persistence of 'never give up until he achieves his goal' will not be blocked by high mountains and vast distances."
"So, after fleeing France, we never let our guard down."
"The reason why we moved from Edo to Kyoto is because we found that there were suddenly many unknown people acting suspiciously near the mansion."
"Grandpa suspects these people are detectives hired by my father."
"Although this is just speculation without evidence, out of caution, we decided to move out of Edo and move to Kyoto."
"I know my father will not give up easily."
"It's just... I never expected that he would go to Japan all the way to find me."
"Haha...does this mean that my father cares about me?"
"To be honest, I'm a little confused...I don't know whether I should be happy or scared..."
Elodie finished.
As she finished speaking, she lowered her head with a dejected expression.
Looking from Qingdeng's perspective, the looming shadow just covered his face, making it impossible for Qingdeng to clearly see his expression.
Qingden looked straight at Elodie with a calm expression.
Soon, he spoke slowly:
"...I know the specific reasons. Elodie, do you want to return to your father?"
"Huh?"
Elodie raised her eyes and looked at Qingden in surprise.
The too straightforward question caught her off guard.
"Elodie, do you want to go back to your father?"
Qingdeng repeated the question again.
His expression and tone were calm, neither sad nor happy, making it impossible to guess his inner thoughts at this time.
Facing Qingden's gaze, Elodie looked away unconsciously, her eyes wandering in mid-air.
After hesitating for a while, she hesitated and said:
"Well... no matter what, he is my father... Although I am very afraid of him, but..."
Before she finished speaking, Qingdeng interrupted and said:
"Elody, you are obviously very smart, why have you become so confused now?"
Qingdeng shrugged as he said this, showing helplessness.
"My question shouldn't be that profound, right?"
"It's nothing more than 'thinking' or 'not wanting'."
"But you have been answering questions incorrectly since just now, and you have yet to give a positive answer."
"You don't need to say so many irrelevant things."
"You just need to tell me if you 'want' or 'don't want'?"
After saying that, Qingden straightened his face and his expression became extremely serious and serious.
Elodie's eyes began to dodge again.
"I...I...I..."
Miraculously, as time passed, every time she said the word "I", the confusion in her eyes faded a little, her tone became firmer, and her eyes no longer wandered around.
"I...I...I don't want to go back to my father!"
At the end of her words, her voice suddenly rose and her momentum was astonishing.
“I’m very happy here!”
"I have precious friends, a career I like, and a peaceful life."
"There's more... there's more... there's more..."
Somehow, she suddenly got stuck.
While repeating "yes", she carefully raised her eyes and looked at Qingdeng quietly, and the faint red clouds flew up to her cheeks.
"We have... we have our respected teacher!"
"My life today is a thousand times better than before!"
"No matter what happens, no matter what my father says or does, I will never go back with him!"
Looking at the blond girl who had made up her mind and no longer hesitated, Qingden curled her lips and showed a hearty smile.
"Okay, I understand your wishes!"
After finishing speaking, Qingdeng let out a sigh of relief.
"Elodie, to be honest, I don't care about your past identity."
"No matter you are an ordinary folk girl or a noble princess, in my eyes, you have only one identity, and that is my precious apprentice."
"I'm very happy to hear the answer 'I don't want to' from you."
"Elodie, I can't bear to leave you."
"No matter what, I don't want you to leave me."
As soon as Qingden finished speaking, Elodie was stunned on the spot.
"I can't bear to leave you", "I don't want you to leave me"... these two sentences echoed repeatedly in his mind.
The red clouds that had been suppressed just now flew up to her cheeks again.
In panic, she quickly lowered her head and acted like an ostrich to prevent Qingden from noticing the color of her cheeks.
Qingdeng, who was minding his own speech impassionedly, did not notice anything unusual about the other party at this time.
"Okay, now that we have a common opinion, let's go and meet your father!"
"Speak to him clearly and tell him directly: Your daughter doesn't want to leave with you, please go back by yourself!"
"I don't care who your father is."
"Even if your father is the real King of France, you can't even think about taking anyone away from the King of France!"
After saying that, Qing Deng stood up vigorously.
When Elodie saw this, although there was still a slight blush on her face, she stood up resolutely and responded to Qingden with the same high-spirited momentum.
Immediately afterwards, the two left the courtyard, stepped onto the corridor one after another, and went straight to the room where their father was.
However... after walking a few steps, Elodie's facial expression gradually became filled with fear.
The psychological weakness that has been accumulated since childhood will not simply dissipate with a few words.
Her emotions are faithfully conveyed to her steps.
Qingdeng heard the footsteps behind him getting fainter and softer, so he turned his head and looked back.
After realizing that Elodie had some stage fright, he smiled slightly:
"Elodie, don't worry, I'm here."
"When you meet with your father, I will be by your side the whole time."
"So you don't have to be afraid."
Listening to Qingdeng's encouragement, Elodie's expression became slightly better.
Afterwards, the two continued to move forward.
"..."
Elodie, who was half a body behind Qingden, had been secretly observing Qingden's naturally swinging right hand since just now.
At the beginning, it was just ordinary observation.
But gradually, her expression and behavior became weird.
He pursed his lips, swallowed, and showed a bit of struggle in his expression, as if he was saying to himself: "No", "No".
Finally, she seemed to have made up her mind, took a deep breath, then suddenly stretched out her left palm and held Qingdeng's right hand firmly.
"Hmm? Elodie?"
Qingden couldn't help being stunned, stopped, turned his head, and cast a surprised look at Elodie.
Elodie lowered her head to avoid Qingden's gaze and explained hesitantly:
"Well, well...I'm a little scared...so...master, can I hold your hand?"
When Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help but laugh:
"If this can make you feel at ease, then I'm more than happy."
Qingden had no doubt that he had it, so he increased his strength and held Elodie's hand firmly.
The two of them started moving forward again.
Elodie looked directly at the hands she and Qingden were holding each other, her expression looking a little dull.
To her, Qingdeng's hands were very big.
Her hand was wrapped in the other person's big slap, giving her an indescribable sense of security.
In the blink of an eye, the "fear" in his cheeks gradually dissipated, replaced by "settlement" and "happiness".
Abruptly, Qingdeng, who was walking in front, suddenly asked:
"Ah, by the way, Elodie, I haven't asked you your real name yet."
"Since you are a French noble, then 'Elody Angoulême' shouldn't be your real name, right?"
"As far as I know, French nobles all have the word 'German' in their names."
"Elodie, what is your real name?"
Qingdeng's question brought Elodie back to her senses.
The matter has come to this, and there is no need to continue to hide it.
She shook her head hurriedly to get rid of the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and then replied seriously:
"Well, yes. Elodie Angoulême is indeed my pseudonym."
"My real name is Alice d'Orléans."
Suddenly, Qingdeng's body shook violently.
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Chapter 1: "Miss Wu is my best friend!"
The second half of the chapter: Hold Miss Wu’s husband’s hand tightly.
