novelraw Chapter 665: Over the years, has big brother treated you well?
Chapter 665: Over the years, has big brother treated you well?
The old butler hesitated to speak, when a bold and carefree voice echoed from the staircase.
"This morning, Jocelyn Yeager brought representatives from other aristocratic families to the Hundred Ancestral Shrine for a ceremonial offering, demanding the Squire Family be removed from the ranking of the Southeast Asian elite families. Didn’t my elder brother tell you?"
Nathan Leclair, wearing slippers and sporting slightly curled short hair, descended the stairs with a dazzling smile. The man’s tall and muscular figure, honed by years of fitness and exercise, exuded an aura as intense as the blazing sun, full of vitality.
Delphine was slightly startled; Jocelyn Yeager hadn’t mentioned a word about this when they met last night.
Nathan Leclair sat at the dining table and lazily ordered a Western-style breakfast. His gaze swept over Delphine, who wore plain clothes and no makeup. Back when she followed the others like a silently trailing little snail—those years now felt distant—she had grown into her features: not only pure and striking but also with an aura that was calm and detached.
His deep gaze grew a touch darker. He should have known long ago; Ignatius Leclair would never let this unassuming and kind-hearted girl, so out of place in their circle, slip away.
What he hadn’t expected was that the two of them would still be together after all these years. Had he fought for Delphine against Ignatius back then, surely things would have turned out differently.
"Has my elder brother treated you well all these years?" Nathan Leclair smiled faintly. On his handsome face, the crimson mole at the center of his brows seemed to come alive with his expression.
Delphine paused for a moment, before replying softly, "Just like any ordinary couple."
Nathan’s smile didn’t falter. From what he observed upon his return, Delphine and Ignatius now interacted like strangers, a stark contrast to the passionate love they once shared years ago. Even Ignatius himself seemed to have changed immensely over time. So the situation appeared far from simple; could there be a brewing emotional crisis between the two?
"Aren’t you going to the Hundred Ancestral Shrine for a look? I heard the third young master of the Yeager Family is causing a stir, reshuffling the family rankings and building alliances. His next step might be challenging the Leclair Family altogether."
The butler served breakfast, and Delphine sat across from Nathan Leclair. Her tone was calm: "I don’t understand the affairs of men, nor do I meddle in them. For others, I might worry, but Griffith Squire is like a cat with nine lives. Since he returned, trying to unsettle the Squire Family is simply impossible for Jocelyn Yeager."
"I’ve been away from Southeast Asia for so many years. I wonder if you could make time to update me on the changes here?" Nathan Leclair sipped his American coffee and smiled. "After all, we’re schoolmates. When Bessie bullied you back then, I disciplined her quite a bit."
Their supposed "schoolmate" bond wasn’t much more than the brief overlap of one year in high school—Delphine was a freshman when Nathan was a senior. Shortly after, the second branch of the Leclair Family left Southeast Asia.
Strictly speaking, Delphine and Nathan were never particularly close.
"I haven’t been in Southeast Asia all these years either, so I hardly know more than you do, Second Young Master." Delphine politely declined. When it came to anyone in the Leclair Family, she preferred to keep her distance—all except for Isaac.
The child had been extraordinarily close to Nathan Leclair ever since he came back. Three years ago, after his mother passed away, Delphine had hastily left with her elder child during that incident, leaving little time to care for him. She deeply regretted hurting him as a result. She had no idea what kinds of thoughts Stone Leclair had instilled in him since then. She needed to find time to discuss Isaac’s situation with Ignatius.
Ignatius Leclair returned to Southeast Asia in the late afternoon with the head of the Leclair family. His expression appeared somewhat gloomy. Catching sight of Delphine with her two children watching cartoons in the living room, his chiseled face softened slightly, but as he opened his mouth to speak, his gaze landed on Nathan Leclair lounging lazily on the sofa. Following Nathan’s line of sight, his phoenix-like eyes instantly turned icy with displeasure.
Nathan had been gone for over a decade, yet he still had lingering thoughts about *his* woman?