Identity exposed

Standing nearby, North seemed to want to plug his ears so he wouldn't hear the young lady's complaints about that gentleman. But doing so would likely provoke her even more, so he reluctantly gave up on the idea.

When he saw Snape approaching, he breathed a genuine sigh of relief and immediately had the House-elf prepare breakfast, finally putting an end to Anna's muttering.

Eileen was much better when she woke up. The top-grade soul-soothing potion had done its job, and she could now communicate normally instead of being hopelessly lost in her own world.

Tobias Snape's violence had left her with many visible wounds, and Anna certainly couldn't let her see Regt Prince looking like that.

Anna was the only girl in the manor, and she couldn't feel at ease leaving the House-elf to apply Eileen's medicine, given how readily House-elves banged into tables and walls.

Snape and his mother were very distant, and both were avoiding each other, so Anna had to do it herself.

The healing potions and salves kept at the manor were naturally all top-grade. By the time Eileen had slowly finished breakfast, most of her injuries had healed, and she looked much more energetic.

They rested a little longer, and only after lunch did they travel to St Mungo's Hospital through the wardrobe in the sitting room.

The reunion of the relatives was undoubtedly moving. North went to question the doctor in detail about the elderly Regt Prince's condition, while Anna stayed in the hospital corridor, quietly watching the sick and injured patients come and go.

In her previous life, a congenital condition had meant that she spent almost a third of her life in hospitals.

That world had no magical potions to heal wounds in an instant, and the hospital she stayed in was always full of painful partings and deaths.

When Snape came out of the ward, he saw the absent look on Anna's face. The faint sadness in her eyes and the gentle smile on her lips made him feel that the girl seemed quite at home with everything in the hospital.

Hearing movement beside her, she immediately concealed those emotions, as though what he had just seen had been an illusion.

Inside, Eileen was weeping in his grandfather's arms. Snape had not felt the warmth of family affection for a long time, and in the midst of such an emotional scene, he was as detached as an outsider.

With all the twists and turns since his rebirth, and now the possibility of returning to the Prince family, he felt somewhat at a loss.

Fortunately, his mother and great-grandfather were overwhelmed with emotion, and Snape still appeared to be an eight-year-old child, so no one noticed anything unusual.

The two fake children sat outside the door, separated by a large gap on the bench. Neither spoke, and amid the people coming and going at St Mungo's Hospital, they looked like complete strangers.

Their relationship was only a little better than that of strangers anyway. In the end, Anna heard that the crying inside had almost stopped, waited a little longer, then took the initiative to stand and push the door open.

She hadn't forgotten her original purpose.

When Anna came in, Eileen wiped the tears from her face and gave her a kindly smile, tinged with some embarrassment.

"It seems you've reconciled."

She went to the bedside. Much of the worry on old Regt's face had faded compared with when she had seen him yesterday. Now that the burden on his heart had been lifted, it was only a matter of time before his health improved.

"Sorry you had to see that, Miss Anna."

His voice was somewhat hoarse. Eileen poured some water and helped him drink it, and only then did it improve.

"For you, having your beloved family return to your side is the greatest happiness there could be. How could I laugh at you?

"So, as for the matter we need to discuss next, will I be discussing it with you or with Ms Eileen Prince?"

"I'm old now, a useless man confined to a hospital bed. As for family matters, you should discuss them with my granddaughter."

Regt waved a hand. His meaning could not have been clearer: from now on, Eileen Prince would be in charge of the Prince family.

Eileen, having broken the ice with her grandfather, did not refuse. Before, she had chosen to escape her oppressive family environment and pursue the happiness she had firmly believed in.

Even though she had indeed felt the warmth and happiness Tobias Snape brought her in those early years, ever since they had gone bankrupt and moved to a place like Spinner's End, that so-called happiness had been nothing but a self-deceiving illusion.

Now Eileen knew that her grandfather had never abandoned her and had always been waiting for her return, so she had no reason to keep avoiding the responsibilities she ought to shoulder.

"As long as you agree to cooperate, that's enough. It's only a matter of helping to gather rare herbs. I don't think it will be too difficult."

Anna nodded. She did not use the favor she had done them to make further demands, and that made Regt Prince see the young child in a new light.

"Miss Anna, ever since I met you yesterday, I've thought your face looked familiar. After thinking about it all night, I finally remembered.

"When I was young, I once went to Durmstrang Institute for a Potions exchange and met a child who looked very much like you.

"He was only twelve at the time, and his talent in every field was unparalleled. I remember him vividly to this day. Unfortunately, he was later expelled for forbidden Dark Magic experiments.

"Forgive my curiosity, but could your surname be Gr-"

"Mr Prince, do you know what you're saying?"

Anna's heart jolted, but she showed none of it on her face and immediately interrupted him.

She seriously wondered whether he had lain in his hospital bed for so long that his mind had grown muddled. How could he dare say that surname, which had been dormant for decades yet could still make people tremble with fear, when outsiders could enter the ward at any moment?

"Miss, I've asked the doctor about his condition. As long as Mr Prince receives conservative treatment, he can still...

"Er, what's wrong?"

North, who had just finished asking the doctor for information, returned to the ward. As soon as he entered, he noticed that the atmosphere seemed somewhat off and froze on the spot for a moment.

"It's nothing. Old Mr Prince seems to have guessed my father's identity, that's all. North, please bring young Mr Snape in from outside, and put a Banishing Charm and a Silencing Charm around this room while you're at it."

Anna's expression remained calm, but North, her assistant, instantly changed color. He pressed his lips together, called Snape in from outside, then drew his wand and cast more than a dozen protective charms in succession.

Anna was certain that even if Dumbledore paid a sudden visit, he wouldn't be able to break in quickly.

"North, you're too nervous. It's nothing. I don't suppose old Mr Prince would have me thrown into Azkaban just because I'm that man's daughter, would he?"

She seemed amused by her own words. Her tone was utterly relaxed, and she even sat down leisurely on the sofa beside her.

It had to be said that St Mungo's private wards really were luxurious.