I was walking around the house due to the outside  getting colder and colder, Alice seemed to have gone back to normal, but I hadn’t had the courage to bring up the old pathway again, maybe it is for the best…

I was walking around on the first floor with Alice when I suddenly noticed that mom’s office was unlocked, my curiosity peaked, and I dragged Alice with me.

“Miss Oriel, it is better to leave Miss Katherine alone when she is working...”

I ignored her warning and pushed the door open. It was like dad’s office but instead of all the bookshelves there was only one, and on the wall there were a lot of paintings, most of them from people standing in places around the mansion, but they looked old, probably done a long time ago… 

On one of the walls there was one that really caught my attention, it was an unfinished painting, in it there were two young girls who looked to be around 16 years old, one had golden hair and blue eyes and the other had light brown hair… Were they mom and Alice?

“Hello Ori, you came to visit mom?”

She looked at me and noticed my gaze.

“That painting...”

She looked troubled for a second but decided to make up her mind.

“That painting was made by a really talent painter, one of the best to ever live”

“Can I m~eet the artist?”

Mom picked me up from the floor,and hugged me tight.

“I really wanted for you to meet him…”

She said in a low voice, I could barely hear it, maybe I wasn’t supposed to hear it at all. Her expression was a sad one, and looking at Alice over my mom’s shoulder I could see that she was the same, a gloomy atmosphere had set in the office. 

“Maybe one day Ori”

She said, with a smile while petting my head. 

“Are you hungry? it is almost lunch time”

She changed the topic really fast and while still holding me, she went out of the room without looking back. There might be a lot of history between mom and Alice…

While mom was carrying me to the dining room I got a better look at the paintings in the hallways, the most recent ones all looked like they were done by the same person. 

I had the meal as usual, but instead of going to my room as I usually do I went on another walk around the mansion with Alice and mom.

They were having a small talk while we walked, but I was too focused on the paintings hanging from the walls. There were a lot of them that were portraits of noble looking people, probably my relatives. 

But every once in a while there was one that was different, that didn’t fit in with the rest, they were from maids working around the house, or taking care of the flowers. They all looked happier and more alive than the rest of them.

The one that caught my attention the most was one that contained the old building, it looked new and on it were three young girls, Alice, mom and Rylee, looking to be around 14, all of them were smiling. My curiosity peaked once again.

I looked up to the adults but all I could see in their expressions was nostalgia with a small hint of sadness. Maybe in some years I will be able to ask them… for now I will have to live with my curiosity...