?Chapter 736:


    “No, you’re not,” Freya replied gently, unable to bear the pain and guilt carved into his face. After all, he was just a child in every way that counted. “She wasn’t talking about you. She was referring to someone else—someone who just happens to look a lot like you. She made a mistake.”


    “Really?” Kristian asked, not daring to believe it.


    “It’s true,” Freya said, her voice reassuring.


    Kristian turned his gaze to Ethel.


    But Ethel had already drawn her own conclusions. She didn’t care about this memory-loss tale. In her eyes, Kristian was just putting on an act—looking for a way to worm his way closer to Freya. Did he really think she would let it slide? In his dreams!


    Still, just as she was about to call him out, she caught a glimpse of the cautious, hopeful light in his eyes.


    Wait… was this really Kristian?


    Ethel cleared her throat awkwardly, averting her gaze, suddenly feeling a bit sheepish. “It’s true. My bad.”


    “It’s okay,” Kristian replied meekly.


    Ethel squirmed inwardly,pletely thrown by that look in his eyes. She just couldn’t wrap her head around someone losing their memory like that.


    By lunchtime, the takeout they’d ordered from a restaurant had arrived. Freya had never been much of a cook, and since she lived alone, she hadn’t bothered hiring anyone to help in the kitchen.


    She was almost always away on business trips or buried in work at the office, and with Melvin constantly around, he made sure she never skipped a meal by ordering food for her every single day.


    Most days, she stuck with restaurants she knew well.


    During the meal, Ethel kept casting discreet nces at Kristian, trying to figure out whether this amnesia story held any weight. But from the small details she picked up on, this courteous, thoughtful man was nothing like the aloof, frosty figure she remembered. The amnesia was probably real.


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    After lunch, Freya headed to the study to work, leaving Kristian and Ethel alone in the living room.


    With Kristian like this, Ethel didn’t feel intimidated at all, so she struck up a casual conversation. “Why do you think my sister is your elder sister?”


    “Lawrence Hayes told me she’s my sister,” Kristian responded inly. As for why he didn’t think of Lawrence as his elder brother—well, he simply didn’t like the guy.


    Ethel shot him a frown. “She’s my sister, not yours. You can’t just think like that.”


    “Then what should I consider her as?” Kristian didn’t argue or get upset. He’d noticed earlier how well Freya treated Ethel. If he upset Ethel, Freya might kick him out, so he figured he should behave.


    If Freya knew what was running through his mind, she’d seriously question her qualifications as a guardian. It hadn’t even been a full day, and Kristian, stripped of his memories, was already acting like someone trying his hardest to be liked—just to secure a ce to stay.


    “Think of her as a friend,” Ethel suggested after mulling it over for a moment.


    Kristian pressed his lips together, visibly displeased. “I don’t like that.” In his heart, Freya was his elder sister.


    Ethel was about to snap back that there wasn’t even much of an age gap between Freya and him—but then remembered what Freya had said earlier. Kristian now had the mind of a five-year-old.


    “How about this?” Ethel offered, brainstorming on the fly. “Think of her as your aunt.”


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