The Key ♕

12

Alice's Point of View

"Catarina, how many times did I tell you to stop talking about it? It's all in the past," father's hushed whispers stops the scurrying of my feet.

"If you throw away that box, then I promise I'll stop talking about it," mother huffs.

I instinctively press my body against the heavily coated palace walls to conceal myself. "Anything but that," father sighs.

"That means you still can't let go of the past," mother says.

I frown to myself as I press myself further against the wall. What is mother and father talking about? What box? I must find out.

"Please, Catarina, I don't want to argue with you. You know how important that box is to me."

"What's the point of keeping it if you don't even have the key to open it? You will never know what's inside," mother snorts disdainfully.

"Catarina," the sudden change in father's tone makes me wince slightly, "I will never throw away the box. If you can't accept that, then I can't do anything about it."

"Then you will never gain my trust," mother replies. I shudder at the coldness brimming their voices. I've never heard mother and father argue so ferociously before.

"I'm sorry, darling, but my decision is final."

"Fine," mother sighs after a few moments.

"And please stop giving poor Sophie a hard time. She's a nice girl and you know she has nothing to do with it."

Mother completely disregards his plea, "I love you, Richard."

I hear him exhale a deep breath, and after a moment of dead silence, he says, "see you at dinner."

I can only imagine mother's face right now - devastated and disappointed. The sharp noise of the heels of her shoes snaps me out of my daydream and I hurry down the hall before she discovers my espionage. Unluckily, I am too slow. Mother stops my footsteps, "Alice, what are you doing out here this late at night?"

"I am just about to go to sleep, mother," I turn around, trying to hide the anxiety on my face.

"You didn't happen to hear what your father and I were talking about, right?"

Maybe this is my chance. I must know what is going on. "Actually, I did, mother. Will you please tell me what the box is?"

She opens her mouth as if she wants to say something, then closes it again. After a few seconds, she speaks again, "it's nothing you should be concerned of."

"I want to know, mother. Please. I don't want you and father to fight anymore," I beg.

She smiles gently and puts her hand on my cheek, "it's really nothing. Now, go back to your bedroom and sleep. You have a lot of work to do for the preparations for the ball tomorrow."

"Mother-" I exclaim.

"Alice," her tone turns serious, "do as I say."

I give up and sulk away, knowing that mother is on the brink of being angry with me. Whatever that box is, mother and father does not want anyone to know. On the way back to my bedroom, confusion batters my mind as I try to decipher what happened just now. My thoughts are interrupted when I walk head first into Lucas, "oh! Lucas! You're back early. How was the party?"