I formed the strongest swordsman group

"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 family 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 opened 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 where 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 headed straight to the nearest port without stopping and boarded the merchant ship that had been prepared to go to 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."

"Really unfamiliar place."

"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 not easy to maintain such a huge belly.

"After arriving at the destination and walking 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 look for, and the future is unclear."

"People coming in and out of the port were giving us bad looks."

"Although Osaka is 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 for business matters."

"Miss Lin discovered us and was curious, so she came to inquire about our situation."

“After learning of our plight, they were kind enough to take 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 smile slightly and gently every time she saw me."

"Not only that, she started going 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 curved the corners of her mouth, showing a warm and joyful smile.

"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 feel lonely without 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 shiveringly."

"Even though this happened several years ago, what she said to me at that time still rings true in my mind."

"She said: 'Would you like to play 'Double Six' together?"

[Note: Sugoroku: 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 alone, we became each other's first friends."

"In short, 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 these days can last forever."

"What a pity...Father will never let it go."

"We all know our father's character."

"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 won't 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 see clearly 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 gaze 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:

"Elodie, 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 'want to' or 'don't want to'."

"But you have been answering questions incorrectly since just now, and you have not responded directly."

"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 gaze and looked at Qingdeng quietly, the faint red clouds flying 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 up the corners of his mouth 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."

"Whether you are an ordinary woman or a noble princess, in my eyes, you have only one identity, that is, my beloved apprentice."

"I am very happy to hear the answer of 'I don't want' from you."

"Elody, I can't bear to leave you."

"No matter what, I don't want you to leave me."

Qing Deng had just finished speaking when Elody was stunned on the spot.

"I can't bear to leave you", "I don't want you to leave me"... these two sentences echoed in her mind repeatedly.

The blush that had just been barely suppressed flew back to her cheeks.

In a panic, she quickly lowered her head and acted like an ostrich, so that Qing Deng would not notice the color of her cheeks.

Qing Deng, who was speaking impassionedly, did not notice the abnormality of the other party at this time.

"Okay, now that we have reached a consensus, let's go and meet your father!"

"Tell him clearly and directly: your daughter doesn't want to go 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, don't even think about snatching her away from the King!"

After that, Qing Deng stood up.

Seeing this, although there was still a little blush on her face, Elodie stood up resolutely and responded to Qing Deng with the same high spirits.

Then, the two left the courtyard, stepped into the corridor one after another, and went straight to the room where her father was.

However...after a few steps, Elodie's facial expression was gradually occupied by fear.

The psychological weakness that has been accumulated since childhood will not be easily dissipated by a few words.

Her emotions are faithfully conveyed to her footsteps.

Qing Deng heard the footsteps behind him becoming weaker and softer, so he turned his head to check back.

After finding that Elodie was a little stage-frightened, he smiled slightly:

"Elodie, don't worry, I'm here."

"I will be by your side throughout the meeting with your father."

"So you don't have to be afraid."

Listening to Qingdeng's encouragement, Elodie's expression became a little better.

Then, the two continued to move forward.

"..."

Elodie, who was half a body behind Qingdeng, had been secretly observing Qingdeng's naturally swinging right hand since just now.

At the beginning, it was just an ordinary observation.

But gradually, her expression and behavior became strange.

She pursed her lips, swallowed her saliva, and showed a bit of struggle in her expression, as if she was saying to herself: "No", "No".

In the end, she seemed to have made up her mind, took a deep breath, and then suddenly stretched out her left palm and held Qingdeng's right hand tightly.

"Huh? Elodie?"

Qingdeng couldn't help but be stunned, stopped, turned his head, and cast a surprised look at Elodie.

Elodie lowered her head to avoid Qingdeng's gaze, and hesitantly explained:

"Well, that... I'm a little scared... So... Master, can I hold your hand?"

Qingdeng laughed dumbly:

"If this makes you feel at ease, then I'm happy to do so."

Qingdeng did not doubt it, but instead increased his strength and held Elodie's hand tightly.

The two of them moved forward again.

Elodie stared straight at her and Qingdeng's hands, her expression seemed a little dull.

To her, Qingdeng's hands were very big.

Her hand was wrapped in the other's big palm, giving her an indescribable sense of security.

In a blink of an eye, the "fear" between her cheeks gradually dissipated, replaced by "stability" and "happiness".

Suddenly, Qing Deng, who was walking in front, suddenly asked:

"Ah, by the way, Elodie, I haven't asked your real name yet."

"Since you are a French noble, then 'Elodie Angouleme' should not be your real name, right?"

"As far as I know, French nobles all have a 'de' in their names."

"Elodie, what is your real name?"

Qing Deng's question brought Elodie back to her senses.

At this point, there was no need to continue hiding it.

She hurriedly shook her head, throwing away the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and then answered seriously:

"Well, yes. Elodie Angouleme is indeed my pseudonym."

"My real name is 'Alice de Orleans'."

Instantly, Qing Deng's body shook violently.

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The first half of the chapter: "Miss Wu is my best friend!"

The second half of the chapter: Hold Miss Wu's husband's hand tightly.