A fox in the snow

Chapter 3

"Aah! There you are!" Dylan rushed over to her and hugged her warmly. Lilith embraced him, still deep in thought. He pulled back and noticed it but didn't say anything.

"What were you doing all alone in the woods? Were you lost?" Melissa asked, concerned.

"Are you okay, Lil? You seem a bit flustered..." Ethan noticed her expressionless face, as if in a trance.

She didn't respond, her emerald eyes staring into the distance.

"Let's all give her some space, shall we?" Heather cast a glance at all of them and led her out of the woods into the garden, the others closely following.

As Lilith walked for some time in the garden thinking about what Astrel told her, she sniffed the delicious aroma of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger wafting in the air.

"Mmm... is that spice cake? Gosh, I was starving," she said, patting her belly. "Come on guys!" she called out to them.

None of them budged, not even Ethan.

"What is it? Guys?" she quirked an eyebrow quizzically.

"Lil, don't you trust us?"

"What, why-"

"You aren't telling us everything," Melissa said, looking at the others.

"Okay, what do you want to know? What was I doing in the woods?"

"It's not just that. We feel you are distancing yourself from us, a little too much... We're here to listen to you, share your problems, find the solution together. Haven't we always been like that? Then why the distance now?" Ethan said, agitated.

Lilith ran her fingers through her hair, thinking hard of what to say. She looked at each of their faces. Both Ethan and Melissa were infuriated, Heather looked sad and Dylan gave a reassuring smile. A single tear escaped her eyes and she quickly wiped it off.

Finally, she made up her mind and narrated the encounter with Astrel over a cup of tea and spice cake.

"... and that's the whole story. Sorry guys, I didn't mean to distance myself, I just didn't want to dump all my problems-"

"That's fine, we get it." Ethan smiled warmly and continued, "Coming back to the riddle... is there anything about the past that baffles you?"

"Nothing of that sort, I guess," she shrugged, considering.

"Only one place that can hopefully give us all the answers. Follow me," Heather said, leading the gang.

      *                        *                        *

"Dad's study?" What do you think we'll get here?" Lilith exclaimed.

"I don't know, diary entries, letters, precious items, anything. You never know what may prove to be useful insight into your past," Heather stated, matter of factly.

All of them searched the entire room, upturning racks, tables, cupboards, and shelves. After a long time, Lilith said, "There's nothing mysterious about my past. You know my Dad and Mom. Dad's ancestry dates back around 150 years when it was split from Cordonia. Mom was the princess of Renadelle. I was born on 22nd July 1580 and-"

"But your parents got married in 1583," Melissa said, thumbing through the files of King Dominic's documents, including the marriage records issued by the church.

"No, they were married in 1576," Lilith corrected her.

"What about this then?" Melissa handed over the official marriage record to her. The others turned to look at her.