"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.

"I don't understand. So you mean, they were married after I was born?! But that isn't allowed under the Valorian law. A king can only have a child after his marriage. But that means..."

"That means you must be an adopted child," Heather remarked. Ethan nudged her elbow. She looked at him and realized the sensitivity of the situation.

"I'm so sorry Lil, I didn't mean to-"

"Nah, that's fine. But I think there's a flaw in that assumption. I don't think I'm adopted," Lilith said, thoughtfully.

"Why not?"

"Because my Dad is a huge believer in keeping the throne within the royal blood. The next heir to the throne is me, so I can't possibly be adopted. Well, at least I think so." she said, accepting the fact that not everything is as it seems to be.

"Oh, so did your dad write a will stating his heir?" Melissa asked.

"I haven't heard of one, so far. But customarily in Valoria, once a king dies, the kingdom is passed on to his child, and not his wife. Because it's believed that rulers lead the kingdom to glory and are most considerate to their subjects when they have someone by their side. Without their spouse, they tend to be depressed, selfish, and tyrannical. They no longer care for their people and get into wars and alliances for their own benefit. Age is also a determinant. The kingdom prefers a young ruler, full of fresh ideas and new perspectives. That's the default law. It can only be changed if the ruler specifically mentions it in his will."

"We need more clues. Something that could lead us to the right past." Dylan stated, contemplating.

They resumed rummaging through the entire study, upturning the contents and making a mess. They skimmed through letters, postcards, and other objects which may fill the missing pieces. But to no avail. They all turned out to be trade or business-related.

After an unfruitful search, Heather sighed exasperatedly, "It may not be in the study after all. This palace is so huge, it could be ANYWHERE!

"Depends on what the 'it'  is," replied Ethan.

"Does your dad possess a diary?" asked Dylan.

"Umm... I think so... yes, he did in fact. I remember seeing it once or twice. I don't know if he writes in that anymore though," Lilith replied.

"Okay. Where does your dad relax most of the time?" asked Dylan.

"Umm, the study?" Heather cut in.

Lilith thought for a moment and answered, "To relax? I don't think so. Dad spends most of the time in the open, among the flowers."

"Then probably he writes his journal over there. And he might keep it somewhere there. Just a hunch though." Ethan said, his voice betraying his excitement.

"Oh! Oh! We have a beautiful gazebo in a secluded corner of the palace garden. Dad used to sit there sometimes to collect his thoughts. And to get away from all this chaos. I've got a gut feeling it's in there." Lilith smiled and led the way.

       *                         *                         *

"Here we are!" Lilith said, pointing at the marble gazebo shimmering in the moonlight. All of them gaped at the beautiful sight in awe. It was decorated with flowers of all shades and fireflies made it look even prettier. There was a beautiful swing at the centre of the gazebo, with climbers and creepers twirling. It had a mystical vibe to it.

"Wow!" said Ethan and Heather in unison. Melissa lightly grazed her palms over the flowers, inhaling their fresh scent.

"It's beautiful... How come you never told me about this place until now?" Dylan whispered.

"Dad doesn't like too many people coming here. I, myself come here rarely," Lilith replied.

"So where do we search?" Melissa placed her hands on her hip, looking ready to upturn the entire gazebo to find the diary.

"Woah! Easy Mel. Let's search in and around this place. It must be in here somewhere..." Lilith's voice trailed off as she noticed a loose marble stone on the floor. She tenderly touched the stone and noticed motifs of lilies carved on its polished surface. Ethan and Dylan carefully lifted the stone to find a shallow underground cabinet, in which laid his navy blue leather-bound diary.

~Author's note

At last they found King Dominic's diary. Do you think this diary could be the missing puzzle they were looking for? Will Lilith be ready to flip through its pages?

It's truly overwhelming to be able to share my story and receive your feedback. I'm forever grateful for your constant encouragement and support.

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