Chapter 22

Alice looked out of the moving carriage.

The beautiful fields, showered under the moonlight, passed her. She rested her face on the only window in her carriage. She was unable to sleep tonight. And because of this, many thoughts had been cuddling in her mind.

She could not help but open up the window, and calm her mind under the fresh air. She then passed a lake, reflecting a clear full moon running along with her carriage. As she looked around, she saw two people at the banks of the lake.

She looked at them, curious about what these guys were this late at night. As she carefully analyzed, she found a shovel, shining under the moonlight, and concluded that they were digging something. Though she could only see their figures under the dark, she looked at their actions carefully.

She could only see that they were digging, as they disappeared by the increase on the distance between the carriage and the lake.

The Etkinson stopped at the nearby town, where they planned to stay for two days to buy the needed supplies. It has been a month since they had been travelling, so it is expected for using up basic requirements, considering the number of people travelling.

They stayed at the most luxurious hotel, with comfortable bed, beautiful interior designing, and expert services. It was normal, as this was the most popular town in the estate. It was expected that many nobles stay here on their visit.

As Alice sipped her tea with her parents after breakfast, she felt calm. She looked out of the window for quite a long-time last night, until she felt dizziness. But when she went to bed, her mind again started wandering about unnecessary things. It was only at the dawn, that she finally grabbed some sleep but woke up an hour later as they have reached their stop.

"Alice did you sleep well last? You look tired" the duchess asked, sensing her uneasiness since the morning.

"No mother. I was rolling on my bed the entire night" her daughter replied signing.

"Then you should go to your room and sleep" her father suggested.

"It is not good to sleep after breakfast. I will sleep after lunch" Alice replied.

"Alice" the duchess called, and Alice looked at her.

"Let us go and visit the Starling Lake" her mother suggested.

"Starling Lake?" Alice enquired.

"Yes, it is famous tourist place here. I wanted to take you for shopping today, but since you look so tired, forget about it for now. You might even feel fresh by visiting there."

Alice thought for second, and then accepted her mother's proposal with a smile.

An hour, she found herself standing in front of the shimmering lake. The water glowed as it tried capture the sunrays inside it. The humid but warm breeze flowed all around it. The wet grass under the feet, felt like a soft carpet laid around.

It really energized her.

"Hey, snowball, stop running" Stella shouted.

Snowball was the name given to the small puppy she saved a month ago by these Stella and Daniel. One can understand why their childish brain thought of this name looking at their pet. It's pure white fur, which is soft and it's still growing body, makes it look like some snowball.

After hearing that their mother and sister are visiting the lake, the two kids wanted to accompany them, as they were holed up in their carriages since past month. It is natural that they wanted some change in the air.

"These two, don't run or else you will get lost" the Duchess shouted, as Stella and Daniel ignored her advice.

"Let them play mother" Alice said, "they may not get another chance for a while."

"That is why I'm only reminding them" her mother said.

As they talked among themselves about irrelevant things, they saw the group of three returning back from their mini-adventure.

"Mom, Sister, look what Snowball found" Stella said shouting.

As the twins ran, panting, they found that Daniel was holding a wooden box. It was big, and looked heavy, but Daniel held it quite well.

"What is this?" the duchess, looking at the box.

"We don't know" Stella explained, "it was hidden under some bushes. Snowball dug it and found it under. We thought we should bring it to you."

Alice remembered what she last night.

"Was the ground where you found it different? Like there was a lot of mud nearby?" Alice enquired.

"Sister, how do you know that?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"I saw two men digging last night. I was unable to sleep, so I opened the window briefly" Alice answered.

"Are they thieves who stole something really valuable?" the duchess asked.

"Maybe" Alice said.

"Oh, my goodness! I wonder what is there inside that they even hid it secretly" the duchess said, worried.

"Let us check" Alice suggested.

The duchess signaled Daniel to put down the box. She then asked her servant to open the box. The servant broke to lock but as he opened the box, an awful stench circulated in air. It made people nostalgic enough to vomit their breakfast.

"Close it" the duchess immediately ordered.

The servant felt happy, as he did not have dare to open it anymore.

People around immediately knew what was inside without even looking. It was a disgusting odour of the dead body.