A fox in the snow

Chapter 4

"So much for a treasure hunt," Heather rolled her eyes, disappointed at having found it so quickly.

Lilith carefully took out the diary, lest its pages fall off. After a long moment, she said, "Hopefully this is the missing puzzle piece we were looking for. Someone will find us here. Let's take them to my room."

     *                          *                          *

Melissa and Heather propped themselves on Lilith's bed, placing pillows behind them to make it more comfortable. Dylan and Ethan sat on the floor, stretching their legs and Lilith sat on her favourite armchair.

"Okay, begin!" said Heather.

Lilith brushed her thumb over the navy blue leather-bound diary. She skimmed through its yellowing pages, occasionally pausing, to read it out loud.

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5th May 1576

Finally reached the village of Aersberg. It was a long and tiring journey on my Dark Queen. But what a surprising little village it turned out to be! It's so breathtakingly beautiful and refreshing with its lush green meadows and sparkling creeks. The people here are quite friendly too.

I had the opportunity of meeting Mr Robert Woods to discuss the trade of fresh seasonal vegetables, fruits, and flowers to Genovia. They had a few concerns regarding...
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"Further... further... ah, there!" She continued reading the relevant parts of the entry.

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 ...I met a shy girl, perhaps not over eighteen, in Mr Woods' home. Her name's Martha. She seemed reluctant to look at me at first but later warmed up to me. She seems friendly...
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As Lilith's eyes drifted through the next few entries, she noticed most of them were about Martha. They met on several occasions and gradually fell in love. 

These entries seem personal. Maybe I shouldn't read them all...

"They... grew closer over the years... until 1579," she nodded grimly.

"What happened?"

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18th October 1579

I don't know what to do. Martha sent me a letter this morning asking me to go to Aersberg immediately. It seemed serious, the way she wrote it. When I met her, she seemed pretty tense and did not talk to me for a long time. At last, she broke the news. And that news broke me.

She's pregnant. She was terrified of approaching me, not knowing how I'd react, my poor angel. She cried and hugged me helplessly. Words fail to express my emotions right now.

On one hand, I was responsible for the well-being of Martha and the baby. I loved her with all my heart. I had to be there for her. 

On the other hand, if Father came to know about this, he won't spare me. He wants me to marry for advantage, not for love. I completely disagree with this. But I can't oppose my father. I'm not supposed to.

I can't follow my heart when it's more confused than my head. What do I do?

-Nic
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"That's sad," said Melissa, taking a deep breath, "What next?"

"A couple of entries of secretly meeting Martha, consoling her, and trying to find ways to approach Grandfather..." Lilith's eyes run over the pages. "Aah, there one, dated... on my birthday?!"

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22nd July 1580

Martha gave birth... to twins! I don't know whether to laugh or cry! I'm... a father?! To two adorable kids?

She went into labour early in the morning and was losing all hopes of surviving, as she had severe medical complications. I held her trembling palms throughout, afraid of losing her. 

And now there she is, mother of two, proudly looking at her angels. The boy was born 3 minutes earlier than the girl.

Father doesn't know about any of this yet. I grimace whenever I think of his reaction. I don't know how to break the news. God, please help me.

-Nic 
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Lilith slammed the diary, shut. She didn't want to read anymore.

"Wait, twins? You have a TWIN?!" Ethan shook his head excitedly.

"I'm as surprised as you..." She stared at the diary in disbelief. "Queen Catherine is my stepmom! And I have a TWIN!"

"Well, this situation is trickier than I thought," sighed Dylan.

"Umm... so what next?" asked Melissa after a moment, unsure of what to say.

Lilith contemplated for some time and finally spoke up. "We've taken the plunge. Now there's no looking back," she paused, "Off to meet Martha. In Aersberg."

~Author's Note

This chapter turned out to be much shorter than I expected, but it also gave Lilith a much-needed insight into her past. I'm sure, like Lilith, you guys would've least expected the sudden turn of events. How was this chapter? What surprises await them in Aersberg?

Thank you once again for your constant support throughout this book. Please feel free to share your views and suggestions. Drop a ⭐ if you liked the story so far, it motivates me to write more.

Looking forward to welcoming you back in the next chapter, where they set off to Aersberg.

Until then, Happy reading!🎈