CHAPTER 419: HER MOTHER OFTEN SMILED AT HER

They got to Adolf’s mansion, and as Alice stepped down, she looked at the entrance where the butler stood.

So, had all this been her relations all along? She wondered.

"Let’s go in." Miss Stella said, and Alice nodded. They headed in with the butler taking them to where Adolf was.

Adolf had gotten the news from Miss Stella but he couldn’t understand how this was possible. First, it wasn’t impossible but still... He couldn’t have thought about this.

He did wish a couple of times that Alice was his granddaughter because he felt a connection with her. But to think it was real, and she was the daughter of his daughter who ran away.

"Father," he heard Miss Stella’s voice and realized it was time to face reality.

He turned around, and his eyes fell on Philip, who looked like he was solving a dozen puzzles in his head. And then, he glanced towards Alice who looked confused.

"You’ve come a long way for now si--"

"Gramps," Alice called, her voice cutting him short. She wanted to remain calm but for some reason, her heart couldn’t stay steady.

She was upset. So upset that she could throw a tantrum, and it would be understandable from her point of view, but she couldn’t.

She felt like if she got mad before hearing anything, before knowing exactly what happened, she might end up not seeing the real picture.

Why? Because at this point she just needed someone to blame. She needed to blame someone for all her suffering. She needed to blame someone for her loneliness for seven years. For her mother’s sudden death to the monsters.

Ah, if she could wreck everywhere because she was upset, she would, but it would be irrational, so she couldn’t.

Leo stared at her, hearing the thoughts she was having, and thought to himself,

’She seems to have matured a lot.’

If this was Alice of the past, she would definitely go ahead and throw a tantrum before hearing them out, exposing her childish side.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Is it true that the lady in Philip’s locket is your daughter?" She asked straight out. "Is she the one you said I reminded you of?"

Adolf lowered his head a bit and answered.

"Yes. She’s my first daughter, Summer Reinhart."

Back then in the car, she didn’t think too much of it when Adolf said she reminded him of his daughter. Miss Stella had said the same thing but could never see how it was possible.

After all, she lived a quiet and simple life when her mother was alive.

They were simple but they were happy, but sometimes, she could still remember it vividly now, the gaze her mother had in her face when she got lost in thoughts, as if she was missing something. As if she couldn’t forget about a beautiful memory.

Her mother often smiled at her and told her that she just missed her father, that was all. Her father had died a year after she was born, she said so Alice had no memories about her father.

She knew nothing about him but there were still blurry images of a man whispering words of love to her, holding her close to himself and rubbing his cheeks. She couldn’t remember anything other than that. Other than the fact that her father was a warm and loving man who equally loved her mother.

Yeah, that was all she thought that sad and longing gaze was, but then what about the times when her mother stared at her phone, hesitant?

Ah, so what was that all about? She was too young then to understand and she never thought about it afterwards. Why would she? Her mother was dead.

But what if? What if her mother stayed day and night, waiting for a response or a call from her father? From the people here.

What if that was the reason for her endless longing gaze?

"Why?" Alice asked, her fists clenching from the pain she was suddenly feeling in her heart. It was uncomfortable. "Why did you abandon her?"

Philip looked at Alice. That was the same question he asked his grandfather so many times but his grandfather refused to answer him. He thought she was not going to get an answer like him but to his shock, Adolf answered,

"I’m ashamed." He said. "I’m ashamed that I wasn’t about to do so much more for my daughter despite how much I loved her. But it’s not true that I abandoned her. She... Chose to leave." He couldn’t meet Alice’s gaze.

Not because the words he was saying were to make himself feel good but because he felt he did not put in much effort.

He did not put in enough effort to persuade her. If he did, then would his daughter still be alive today?

The tragic fate that happened to Alice’s mother... Ah, was that his daughter all along? How could he have known?

His face was twisted in agony as he thought of this.

Up until this moment, he was only able to tell that his daughter was no longer in this world but he never knew how or why. Of course, he would’ve assumed that she died during the monster apocalypse but he wished that were not the case.

And as for Alice... How was he to imagine that she gave birth again after running away with another man?

"First, shall we sit?" Adolf asked. "I’m going to tell you everything that happened that day so please take a seat."

Alice still twisted her lips but she sat down, her gaze uneasy as she prepared herself to hear what Adolf had to say.

Adolf wasn’t a cold and wicked man so the possibility of him throwing his daughter away for some flimsy reason was low.

She wanted to think positively because this was her chance to understand everything better. She needed to have an open mind.

"You too, Philip." Adolf said. "I believe now you’ll be able to understand the words I say without trying to point fingers."