Chapter 203: An Unexpected Visitor 1
Translated by AmaLynne
While Sam was exploring the mansion with King Clyde and Princess Stella, back at Count Walker, Lise was preparing herself for an outing.
It had been one month since she found out about her pregnancy, and her health was excellent.
Before discovering her pregnancy, she had been feeling unwell, but once she knew the cause, she had become completely energetic.
However, she couldn’t help but feel that her father and Sam were excessively worried about her due to her condition. Still, she was happy to feel cherished and protected.
Her overprotective father was at work, and Sam was out at the moment, Lise decided to take the opportunity to get some light exercise.
She was naturally active and didn’t like staying still for too long.
Moreover, she had heard that moderate exercise was good for prenatal care, so she planned to go for a leisurely walk.
“Lise, if you have any errands to run, I can go in your place.”
The voice that called out from the room was that of Sam’s fiancée, Hanae Murasaki.
As fellow fiancées, Lise and Hanae had a good relationship, both as friends and as future family members.
Like Sam, Hanae was a kind-hearted person who cared about Lise’s well-being without being overly protective.
?“Hehe, Hanae, you don’t need to be too protective. I just want to get some exercise. Is it okay if I go for a walk?”
?“Hmm. Then I’ll come with you. How far are we going?”
?“Let’s extend it to the town below the castle.”
?“In that case, I’ll call Mizuki and Alicia too. I found a nice tea shop recently.”
?“That sounds good.”
Dressed in a white ethnic outfit, Hanae went to fetch Mizuki, who was in hakama, and Alicia, who wore a dress with a cardigan.
“Let’s go to the town below the castle.”
Hanae, who exuded a lively spirit that rivaled Lise’s, lifted the corners of her lips slightly and smiled, a subtle change that only her family could recognize.
“Yes, occasionally having tea outdoors is nice.”
“I’m delighted to be invited.”
“Alicia is also Sam’s fiancée. We’re like sisters. I want to deepen our friendship from now on.”
“Thank you, Hanae-sama.”
Lise couldn’t help but smile as she observed the good relationship between Sam’s fiancées.
And so, the four of them decided to head to the town below the castle, combining their walk with an outing.
However, as they were about to leave the mansion, they spotted a figure in front of the gate and halted their steps.
Immediately, Hanae and Mizuki stepped forward to shield Lise and Alicia.
“There’s someone in front of the gate. I don’t think it’s a suspicious person, but…”
“Indeed, it’s quite odd. If it’s a visitor for Father… well, there should have been prior arrangements, and someone should have come to greet them.”
Mizuki remained cautious, while Alicia tilted her head in confusion as they expressed their opinions.
Certainly, if it were a guest, the servants should have been there to welcome them.
Therefore, the figure at the gate might be someone who had either coincidentally passed by or had arrived without prior notice.
“I’ll go and inquire.”
Hanae took the lead and approached the figure at the gate.
“Who are you?”
“–Ah…”
The person who was addressed by Hanae seemed taken aback and hesitated. It was a woman in her mid-forties with black hair, dignified in her appearance.
“This is the Count Walker. If you have business here, state it.”
“No, um, I…”
“Hmm?”
Hanae raised an eyebrow in response to the woman’s hesitant speech.
She realized that she might not be the best choice for inquiring about someone’s business.
She often came across as blunt due to her limited vocabulary and her tendency not to display her emotions.
While those who lived with her, like Lise and the others, knew that she was a curious and kind-hearted girl, she might have come across as somewhat intimidating to someone she had just met.
“–Hmm?”
Hanae stared intently at the woman.
“Um, yes?”
The woman appeared puzzled by Hanae’s gaze.
In response, Hanae called out to Lise and the others behind her.
“Lise, Mizuki, Alicia, come over here.”
“What’s wrong? Is it a visitor?”
“I’m not sure, but this person… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before.”
As Hanae called them over, Lise and the others approached the gate.
True to Hanae’s words, the woman, who should have been a first-time encounter, had a somewhat familiar aura about her.
“–My, even though we’ve never met, I do feel like we’ve seen each other somewhere.”
“Um, excuse me. I am Liselotte Walker. This is Hanae Murasaki, Mizuki Amemiya, and my younger sister, Alicia Walker. Would you mind telling us your name?”
“Liselotte-sama… you are…”
Upon hearing Lise introduce herself, the woman widened her eyes.
It seemed she knew who Lise and the others were.
“Do you know us?”
“Yes.”
In response to Mizuki’s question, the woman gave a short reply.
“…What should we do? Perhaps it’s because we’re engaged, but this one looks a lot like Sam-sama.”
“–…”
It seemed that Alicia also noticed something familiar about the woman. Lise and the others nodded in agreement.
“Well, it makes sense. She might look familiar because she resembles Sam. No, it’s not just because of the black hair and black eyes. It’s the eyes, mouth, and overall atmosphere–Um, excuse me, do you happen to know Samuel Scheidt?”
“Lise, Sam is quite well-known, for better or worse.”
“That’s right. So, are you personally acquainted with him?”
To Lise’s question, the woman nodded quietly.
“–I do know him.”
“I knew it! In that case, are you here to see Sam? Are you a relative? He’s currently not at home, but if you’d like, you can wait inside the mansion. He should be back in a while.”
Once it was clear that the woman was acquainted with Sam, Lise responded with a warm smile.
However, the woman’s expression clouded with concern at Lise’s words.
“I… I don’t have the right to meet that child.”
“…What do you mean?”
When Sam was referred to as “that child,” it seemed to imply a level of closeness.
However, the woman’s attitude didn’t suggest that she had come to meet someone she was close to.
Lise and the others were perplexed.
“I don’t have the face to meet him. I just happened to hear that he has a fiancée now, and it piqued my curiosity. I thought that if I could at least see him from a distance, even for a moment…”
“Do you mean you’ve heard of him? What’s your name?”
After inquiring about her name, which had somehow been left unanswered, Lise asked again. The woman hesitated but eventually spoke.
“…I am Melanie Teeling.”
“Melanie? Have we heard that name somewhere before?”
Lise had a feeling she had heard that name somewhere.
The other women, too, began to search their memories.
Alicia was the first to recall something.
“Melanie is the same name as Sam’s mother.”
The woman nodded at Alicia’s words.
“She used to call herself Melanie Reinbach.”
“–No way.”
It was easy to guess who the woman was after hearing this much.
Melanie told Lise and the others as if to confirm their assumptions.
“I am Samuel’s mother.”
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