Plus, their attire was also a dead giveaway, since the female appeared in a servant's outfit while the man was dressed in luxurious clothing.

"I'm Leo's older brother," Lucius said. Snow's eyes blinked momentarily, intrigued. "I simply came here to offer my goodwill to you all for taking care of my younger brother."

"But I'm sure such things can't be discussed out here on the streets. Again, might I plead with you to let the both of us in?" Lucius said with a smile, yet all that did was make her contemplate even more whether that was a good idea or not.

'He never mentioned anything about his brother before. Even when his father came personally to pick him up.' Knowing how Leo loved to talk about his home and the capital, she found that particular detail blatantly suspicious.

"Snow, dear, what's the holdup? Is something wrong? You've been at the door for a while now." The trio suddenly heard a voice from inside; shortly after, Melissa emerged from within the house.

"Oh? I didn't know we had guests," she said with surprise upon seeing the two at the door, especially the young man in striking clothing, which drew her focus.

"Is there something we can help you with, sir?" said Melissa.

Lucius, on the other hand, felt his heart ache from being addressed so distantly by her. He had the urge to bite his lower lip and hug her, to cry out and tell her that it was actually him, her son, who was standing before her—her real son. But alas, he wasn't naive enough to do so. Even if she believed him, how would that play out afterwards?

And what if his doppelganger returned and revealed his secret—that he wasn't her original son either way? Wouldn't that simply make everything far worse?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Lucius instead said, giving a polite bow in greeting. His show of etiquette pleased Melissa somewhat.

"Oh, please, I'm sure there's no need for such." She raised both hands to stop him, feeling nervous that such a noble man was being so amicable with her.

"Would you love to come in for a meal?" she politely asked.

"Why, I'd love to," Lucius said, his smile as charming as always.

Snow said nothing but stepped aside, yet her gaze was etched on Lucius's back as he walked past her into the house.

---

"I must say, ma'am, you have such a wonderful home," Lucius commented right after seating at the dining table, although Snow wasn't happy with the fact that he waited for her to sit first before sitting next to her.

"Oh my, you spoil me with your praises, dear. I'm afraid we just got here recently."

"I know, but it still doesn't change the fact that I love what you've done with the place," Lucius chuckled softly.

"And who's this petite angel?" he said when his eyes landed on Emily, who had coincidentally joined them at the dining table.

Emily took her seat, yet a light frown emerged on her face after being complimented so openly by the guest.

"These two are my daughters-in-law, Snow and Emily," Melissa introduced the two of them.

"Your son must be quite the lucky young man if he was able to convince such stunning women to stay by his side."

"Well, I'd love for this meal to commence, but it seems you three are waiting for someone, no?"

"Is he not around? I was really hoping to meet him, you see," Lucius interjected, a hint of disappointment on his face.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but he already left a while ago. He hasn't been back since then. I hope it's not anything serious," Melissa said, sounding a tad worried.

"Of course not, ma'am. I was just curious to meet the man who saved my darling younger brother," Lucius reassured Melissa. He then grabbed his cup and took a light sip to parch his throat.

"Well then, since he's not here, how about we dine instead? I'm afraid to admit it, but this meal's aroma is simply divine. I can't bear to leave now without at least having a taste of your skilled cooking."

"Oh my, I appreciate the compliment, my dear," said Melissa, who glanced subtly at the girls.

Everyone took a moment to pray before they all dug in and began eating. The more Lucius ate, the more he secretly became melancholic. He never knew until now how much he missed Melissa's home cooking, something he couldn't have at the estate, unfortunately.

"The meal was quite an eye-opener. Thank you again for having me, ma'am, but I'm afraid it's time for us to go." Lucius dabbed a napkin to his mouth, then placed it down on the table and got up. "Su?" he called out to his attendant.

Su obeyed his command, standing up as well since she'd already finished hers long ago and was waiting on his orders.

Melissa took it upon herself to personally escort them out, but it seemed Snow and Emily were a bit cautious since they followed along with her as well.

"Well, would you look at that." The moment Lucius opened the front door, he saw three familiar faces making their way back to the house; one in particular was a face he could never forget, since it was his former face.

The person in particular he was talking about was none other than his very own doppelganger.

'Seems nothing's changed...' Lucius felt a bit amused seeing both Grey and Amy hanging on both arms of his doppelganger while he carried a bag of what he could only presume was groceries.

When they got close to the house and saw the unexpected visitor, both Grey and Amy turned curious.

"Mom, who's your friend?" Unlike what Lucius expected, the doppelganger smiled upon seeing Melissa and didn't react upon seeing him.

'Can't he tell it's me?' Lucius thought to himself, holding back the urge to scowl.

Melissa took the groceries from her son; she looked happy to see him finally back.

"He's Leo's brother, dear. Apparently, he came all the way here to have a word with you."

"Oh, you and Leo are brothers?" Adrian reached out his hand for a handshake, an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm afraid you'll have to forgive me. Leo's never once talked about you, you see."

"There's no need to feel sorry," Lucius said, shaking the man's hand. Both parties smiled at each other. "If it's okay with you, I'd like for us to have a conversation... in private, if you would."

"P-Private?" Adrian said, sounding a bit startled. "I hope I haven't done anything wrong."

"No, no, of course not. I just wanted to personally get to know you without any distractions. I'm afraid your darling spouses here have me feeling unfocused as of late," Lucius said in a joking manner. At the same time, he also noticed that the instant he said 'private' back then, all four girls had suddenly become guarded, their focus on him rising visibly.

'I see he's already got them wrapped around his finger... Or should I say, none of them ever noticed the difference.' He felt helpless thinking of such a thing.

The first time he himself had replaced the original, he was happy that Melissa hadn't noticed, but to think that a day would come when he himself would be replaced as well.

"Okay," Adrian finally agreed. "Mom, I won't take long, so you and the girls should wait for me, alright?"

"Alright, dear. Please don't stay out for long."

"Alright, mother," Adrian said with a smile before he and Lucius began walking off.

"Su, not you. I want you to stay with Lady Melissa until I return," Lucius stopped Su, who was about to follow them.

"But, young master—" Su complained, sounding worried.

"Su, that's an order," Lucius let out a breath and said in a light tone. Seeing the firmness in his eyes that brooked no argument, she nodded her head lightly, her head lowered in a submissive gesture.

"As you wish, young master," she said in a voice barely above a whisper, secretly biting her lower lip.

"Shall we?" Lucius turned to Adrian, who nodded his head. The both of them then began walking down the street.

---

"Are you going to tell me yourself, or do you want me to say it?" After they'd walked a certain distance, Lucius finally spoke up. From his choice of words, it appeared his hostility towards the inhabitant of his prior body still remained.

"Sigh... I was really hoping you'd forget about this and move on," said Adrian, who sounded disappointed, but from his answer, it was obvious he didn't deny it.

"Forget it and move on? You stole my body," Lucius said, his face looking enraged. "You expect me to leave them with an imposter like you?" If they weren't walking alongside other pedestrians, Lucius would've raised his voice by now. Yet all he could do was try his best to contain his rage.

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