A fox in the snow

Chapter 7

Martha led them to her backyard door and pushed it wide open to reveal... an adorable fawn!

"Meet Daphne." The fawn walked towards Martha and nuzzled its little button nose against her palm. Its eyes wandered from a happy Heather to a surprised Melissa, to an excited Ethan, to a grinning Dylan, and finally rested its gaze on Lilith. Lilith knelt to face Daphne. It seemed sceptical at first, but when Lilith smiled warmly at it and patted its head, it slowly but carefully warmed up to her.

"Aeden spotted Daphne around six months ago, while on a stroll in the woods. Fawns are not supposed to be touched by humans you know since their mother will reject her young if she picks up human scent. But Aeden had no choice but to bring this baby home, as those woods are notorious for their coyotes... Since then, he fed her, played with her, and took care of her. Before he left, he told me that if Lilith comes here, I was to give Daphne to you, as a gift from your brother," Martha said, gently nudging the fawn towards Lilith.

"You know, Aeden always wanted to see you someday. He'd often ask me to tell him all the fun memories I had, with you two. You were always the wild one. Is it still the same?" She asked, turning to the others. All four of them nodded in unison.

"Well, she's... quite... unpredictable," Dylan said, chuckling. Lilith scoffed.

Martha continued, "Aeden always wanted someone whom he could fuss over, and unfortunately for him, the only sibling he ever had was cooped up in the palace, unaware of his existence." She ended her monologue with a sad smile.

Lilith was awestruck.

How could my brother love me so much, even when he's hardly seen me?

She warmed at the thought of having a twin who loved and cared for her.

"Where is he, by the way?" Lilith asked.

"Oh, he went to Kentsworth with his friends to learn horse riding. He should be back in a week," Martha said in one breath as if she was reading from somewhere.

"Oh. Well, please thank Aeden from my side for his wonderful surprise, but I really can't take Daphne home. There are a lot of things going on there... and I think she'd be better off in Aersberg than in the palace. Honestly, I think Aeden will take better care of her, than me."

Martha was surprised but simply nodded and led Daphne to her shed in the backyard.

"You know, it still surprises me how much Aeden wants to protect you no matter what. He made a meticulous plan to kill Nic but made all necessary precautions to make sure you-" She abruptly stopped, terrified at having revealed what Aeden was really up to.

Lilith's eyes widened and she trembled. She took rapid breaths and ran her hands through her hair, frustrated.

"You mean AEDEN is behind all this?!" Lilith stood at a loss for words. The others who were observing the happy mother-daughter reunion with much interest were taken aback by the sudden reveal.

"It's not what-" Martha tried to explain.

"I don't want to hear a word!" Lilith yelled.

"Please Lilith, listen-" she pleaded.

"No." She raised her palm to stop Martha from justifying Aeden. She stormed outside the cottage and took a few deep breaths to calm herself and think sensibly so that she won't make rash decisions on the spur of the moment.

Ethan watched her through the window and saw her walking back towards the door. He opened it for her. When she stepped inside once again, he noticed she'd cooled down. They looked at her with bated breath, waiting for her to say something.

"Well," she stated, "he's the third person we were looking for."

"But why does Aeden want to kill King Dominic?" Dylan asked.

"The reason is quite obvious. Because Dominic neglected us all these years. Aeden never wanted fancy titles, he wished for a normal happy family. But that was taken away from him. Now, he wants to take revenge and he won't stop until he's satisfied. He's seen me struggle to take care of his needs, because after Mr Woods passed away, this village started treating me like an outcast, again. I was not allowed to set up a shop or work on farms or homes. Then how could I earn my living? It was tough until Mrs Potts decided to help us. She let me work as a housemaid. I earn a meagre amount, but at least it's better than nothing, right?"

She paused to collect her thoughts. "And Dominic? He just left, without a word, tearing our family apart. As if it didn't matter to him. He had promised to send some money every month, but that never came either."

"But that doesn't mean I'll allow Aeden to kill my Dad!" Lilith burst infuriated.

They made their way back to the market square, mounted on their horses, and started their return journey.

Author's note

The third person who conspired to kill him turned out to be Aeden. Who would've thought?

Now that she's found the people behind the plan, how will she stop them before it's too late?

Will other things get in the way? Will Queen Catherine realize what Lilith was up to all this while?

Thank you for reading so far! Keep coming with the comments, they help me understand the reader's perspective better and your suggestions have definitely aided in shaping the plot, so thanks a lot:)

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Happy reading!