Chapter 829: Fun In That
"We came to see you."
Lily halted in her tracks, staring at her parents as if they were specters from another world. Almost six months had passed since she’d last seen them—six months that had changed her in ways they couldn’t possibly understand. Yet here they were, looking exactly the same, as if no time had passed for them. Her hands clenched reflexively as she took them in, trying to reconcile their sudden appearance with the stable, happy life she’d been building with Cai.
Her and Cai spent the last few months together, acknowledging each other’s growing importance in their lives and even though Cai had gone back to Petrovia, she’d been happy and stable.
The larger mansion had already been prepared for any guests that Princess Isidora might expect and she’d also started to build a rapport with the people in town, getting to know them and whom to contact for what work. And so, she was shocked when she’d received a message from the inn keeper in town telling her that someone had come to stay with them and asked for her.
The larger mansion had already been prepared in advance for any guests Princess Isidora might be expecting, and Lily had spent weeks building rapport with the locals, getting to know their faces, their customs, and even whom to contact for different types of work. She was beginning to feel like she truly belonged here. So, when she received a message from the town innkeeper saying someone had asked for her, she hadn’t thought twice about following up. Foolishly, she’d assumed it might be some unexpected surprise orchestrated by the Frost family. After all, Cai had told her about the tricks and surprises his family sometimes sprang on newcomers to the family.
But now, seeing her parents here, she could not help but wonder if they’d somehow discovered her relationship with Cai and were here to create a scene and scold her like last time. She straightened. The last time had been unexpected. Like hell she was going to take any abuse from them again! And abuse was that was actually, she knew and acknowledged it now.
"Why are you here?" she finally managed, the question slipping out before she could temper the edge in her voice.
Her mother glanced around the modest but well-kept inn, her expression unreadable. Only the innkeeper, a discreet and kindly woman, occupied the space with them, but still, her mother seemed wary of speaking openly. "I think we should talk privately," she replied, her voice soft yet firm. "We’ve known for a while that you were here, but it took time to find you. We waited for you, Lily."
Lily raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by her mother’s careful words. "Thank you for your patience, but as I recall, you already said everything you wanted to the last time we met. I don’t think there’s anything left for us to discuss."