The same morning, at Alwack's Mansion.
"Where can she go?" Max slammed the dining table harshly, so much so, that it broke to pieces and the shards pierced his hands. "Did you know something?" He asked in an accusatory tone from Daniel.
"Oh God, How many times I need to tell you, after last night's Dinner Table Conversation, I did not see or talk to her at all."
"You and your sister have been nothing but a menace. It is hard to tell which one of you is more disturbing. One keeps running from the reality of life, the other keeps painting it dry in a bunker." Rebecca shouted.
Daniel was looking at everyone's shenanigans and scoffed at the irony.
"Menace, Disrespect, Marriage? Seriously, she is a human, who might as well be in some danger but the thought never crossed any one of you. If anything, I am glad she escaped."
"Her publication… Yes, yes, good idea, Just go Max, check it out there." Chloe told him.
"Chloe…" A teary-eyed Daniel looked in her direction. He never in his wildest dream expected Chloe to be a person that kind.
"Yes, yes… you both please leave. I'd go and check in nearby." Rebecca told them.
#
Crystal was fast asleep in the guest room with a high fever. Nurses were going in and out and Elmore noticed the chaos. Her curious feet found their way into the room and she walked to the bedside.
She looked at Crystal who was wearing a plain white gown and lying in the bed with her eyes shut. Elmore touched her hot face and quickly withdrew her fingers. "Woooahhh, She is magical," she muttered softly.
She continued to look at her as the nurse dried her hair and the long strands covered her face.
Elmore gasped.
She asked one of the Nurses, who were there to look after Crystal, "Is she slnow white?"
The nurse smiled at her, aware never to mess with a princess in large Villas. "No, she is just a normal woman."
Elmore's eyes twinkled and she ran outside the room and reached Caleb's office. He and his parents were arranging everything for Edward's funeral.
"Uncle, Uncle Uncle Caleb you have to see this…" Elmore grabbed his fingers and dragged him out of the chair.
"What happened elfy?" He asked.
"My slnow white is sleeping, please wake her up." Elmore told Caleb and he arched his brow. He turned to his parents. His parents moved their heads, completely unaware of what waking up snow white meant.
As Caleb followed Elmore, Cassandra chuckled softly to Lucas. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?"
Lucas nodded and both of them walked behind them.
#
Crystal woke up, with a heavy head. The nurses helped her sit straight. She looked at the gown and recalled all that happened.
"Ma'am, you must be hungry, shall I bring you something to eat?" one of the nurses asked.
"Water please.", Crystal asked.
Once her thirst was quenched, she sat for some moment looking into the distance, just then she heard some commotion at the door of her room. "Just you come Uncle." Elmore dragged him inside.
"Kiss my prince--" Elmore looked at Crystal sitting upright.
"Oh, huh- You are awake." Elmore left his hands and walked to the bedside. Crystal observed her and looked at Caleb. Elmore extended her hands at Crystal so that she could be picked up on the bed.
Crystal felt a sudden surge of emotions and reached out to pick her up. Her weakness failed to provide her with the strength, but she still tried. Caleb followed Elmore and helped Crystal pick her up. She climbed on the bed and stood up straight.
"Welcome home, Princess Snow, white." Elmore greeted her with a princess bow holding the hem of her frock.
Crystal chuckled. "I am honored by your highness. What is Your Majesty called?"
"Elmore Fitsworld. Everyone calls me Elfy, please call me Elfy, Princess." Elmore replied.
Crystal nodded and she wasn't aware by the point of time that she was crying. She looked up at Caleb, "Is she…?"
Caleb expected her to ask and he nodded.
"Your Highness, you understand that princesses are hugged when you first see them." Crystal tried to coax her.
"Oh no, Princess, you are so touchy, but I'd let go of this one time…" Elmore told Crystal and hugged her the next second.
Everyone's pupils in the room widened.
Crystal hugged her and didn't let her go. She cried as if her life depended upon it.
"Oh Uncle, please tell the princess she is hugging me like a whiny baby… Grow up, woman." Elmore stroked Crystal's back and everyone laughed at her comments.
#
"I am glad you returned," Caleb said in a grave tone.
"I had to, too much is at stake. Besides -" Crystal wanted to share how she eloped from her second wedding, but she decided against it. "Besides, Wait - Why did you never mention Elmore?"
Caleb frowned, "For the record, this is possibly our first decent human conversation."
Crystal realized and reflected on all the fights they had.
"So Shasha and Edward had a child?" Crystal asked, just to reassure. "Yes, and nobody knows about that," Caleb replied. "Nobody outside this room knows that."
Crystal thought about her conversation with Max and was impressed by how nicely they covered such serious information. "Does Daniel know?" Crystal guessed that might be a possibility.
Caleb nodded, "He is her teacher at the school and keeps her like a normal kid at school. She doesn't carry her full name as of yet."
"That explains Fitswald." Crystal chuckled and Caleb laughed.
"So when do we start?" Crystal asked, trying to bring the conversation back to track.
"Right now, take enough rest. We will start tonight and will gradually pace the speed. Understood?" Caleb spoke authoritatively.
#
Daniel was sitting alone in his bunker, crying at the fact that Crystal left him, again, alone. Everyone went out in her search and he wished that they wouldn't find her. He flashbacked to dinner last night.
His mother was kneeling down before Max.
"Mom!" Crystal shouted. "What are you doing?"
"Yes Mrs. Alwack please stand up," Max told Rebecca, "I would do anything, go to any lengths to fulfill your wishes. If that is what Uncle Thomas wanted, I'd do it. As long as of course…" Max looked at Crystal
"No! Not right now at least. I am grieving over the death of my father… Mom, how can you even think about marriage or anything other than dad right now?"
"You telling me I am wrong wanting to fulfill the last wishes of my husband?" Rebecca shouted.
"Do you understand? How important it was for your father to see you happy. He was blessed to have met Max, else God knows what might have happened!"
"MAX! MAX! MAX!" Crystal screamed, "Mom, you have a son of your own, who always prioritized you and daddy over everything yet here we are. It was, it is, it will always be Max, isn't it?"
"Sure thing, he was the one who took your daddy to meet or to the hospital. He took care of his medicines and of his happiness, neither you nor this son of mine over here, ever prioritised dad over your personal desires."
Daniel replayed the moment in his mind and cried. He walked towards his painting aisle and opened very realistic portraits of his dad, mom, and sisters. They were not only pretty but also stood out
He looked at them and felt ever more sad. He dashed the contents on the floor and screamed, unable to contemplate the way his life turned out. He screamed twice to let the anger out.
He sat down on the floor breathing heavily. He sat there for a long till he heard the honks of the car from above. He wiped his dried tears collected all the paintings and put them back in the basket.
He looked at all the paint and colors scattered and began collecting them when his hands touched a soft paper covered in color residue and charcoal powder.