novelraw Chapter 370: The Senior Avenged the Wrong Person, Only Feeling Guilt Towards You
Chapter 370: The Senior Avenged the Wrong Person, Only Feeling Guilt Towards You
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the Leclair family patriarch gathered the younger generations to keep vigil.
In the middle of the night, as Delphine drifted in and out of sleep, she vaguely sensed someone standing by her bed. She resisted waking up. In her dream, she was returning home from school with her cotton cloth backpack. Her grandmother sat at the alley’s entrance, picking greens. Seeing her return, she wiped her hands on her apron, her aged face blooming into a smile. She lovingly patted Delphine’s head and said, "Ah Fu, you’re back."
A sharp ache tightened around her eyes. Someone gently wiped her tears away, then sighed softly, stroking her head with a tenderness like her grandmother’s.
After Chinese New Year’s Eve, the Leclair household fell into unprecedented busy activity. The timing for Bessie’s wedding was terribly rushed, leaving many details that required confirmation and coordination. Fortunately, as the pampered Miss of the family, Bessie had wedding dresses custom-ordered six months ago and had already chosen plenty of jewelry and accessories. All that remained was sending invitations to prominent families, booking the wedding venue, and finalizing other arrangements.
By the sixth day of the New Year, guests from distant places began arriving in Nanyang. The patriarch, advanced in age, took no part in the preparations. Bessie’s parents, immersed in their scientific research, were ill-equipped to handle such complex and tedious matters, so everything landed squarely on Ignatius Leclair’s shoulders.
Ignatius hadn’t rested since the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations, leaving early and returning late every day. Days passed without Delphine seeing him even once—a fact that secretly gave her relief. By this point, nothing he did could shake her resolve in the slightest. Perhaps it was best to end things sooner and spare each other further torment.
Bessie had arranged for eighteen bridesmaids; the chief bridesmaid among them was Melody Cloud. According to Nanyang customs, bridesmaids are required to keep the bride company on the eve of the wedding.
Melody moved into the Leclair estate on the seventh day of the New Year.
"Miss Carter, do you have time for a chat?" Melody gestured toward the small garden behind the side hall, her lips curving into a smile as she lowered her voice. "I hear you’ve been searching for your biological father recently?"
Delphine’s gaze sharpened, locking onto her before quietly exiting the side hall.
By this time of the year, the weather had gradually started warming. The early spring crabapple blossoms had begun to bloom, and the ornamental trees in the small garden had sprouted new buds.
Standing beneath the stone corridor entwined with ivy, Delphine said coolly, "Don’t bother coming at me sideways with your words. Just say what you want."
Delphine didn’t believe for a second that Melody genuinely knew anything about her biological father. She was only curious what Melody might have up her sleeve.
Melody’s smile stiffened slightly. She tucked a few strands of long hair blown loose by the breeze and narrowed her eyes with a cold smirk. "You don’t believe me?"
Seeing Delphine’s impassive expression, Melody realized she wasn’t trusted and maintained her composure. Calmly, she pulled up an image from her phone of a paternity test and sneered. "You think our senior was sincere with you? He was merely trying to compensate, seeking some peace of mind. Truth is, you don’t even count as an adopted daughter of the Leclair family."
Delphine’s body tensed. As she took in the contents of the image, her face paled, cold dread sweeping over her. A deep, penetrating terror seeped into her being.
"Where did you get this?" Her voice was ice-cold, each word pronounced with deliberate force.
Seeing Delphine lose her composure, Melody huffed triumphantly, amused by the outcome. No one, after learning they were merely a foster child, could escape the weight of realizing their world had suddenly collapsed.
"Our senior told me, of course. How could I magically obtain samples of you and Beatrice Carter’s skin for such a test?" Melody’s tone carried faint pity as she added, "He also told me about everything you’ve endured these years. He made a mistake in his vengeance and wronged the person he shouldn’t have. He carries guilt toward you. And after being tangled up with you for so many years, he simply doesn’t know how to deal with you. But don’t delude yourself. There’s no chance for you and him."