Chapter 89 89: Serenity.

The young man took a deep breath when he heard that Snow's mother has messaged her. He asked, "What did the message say?"

Snow gathered herself and sighed before she said, "Mom said that she has demanded to be excommunicated from the House of Marlin."

Leo was surprised and asked, "Why the sudden action?"

The young lady shook her head and replied, "I have no idea, she only said that she would be coming over in four days, and then she will talk to us."

Leo furrowed his brows, and Snow asked, "If you mind, I can tell her to put up in a hotel."

The young man shook his head and asked, "I don't mind, but why do you wish to forgive her?"

Snow smiled faintly and said, "All these years, I received a small fund of money from some old friends, in reality it was Mom who had been helping me. Otherwise, how could I have brought up Lily and support the us?"

Leo was surprised again; however, he calmed down and asked, "So, your mother helped you all this while from shadows? Then why did she support Hector when that guy released the disowning statement?"

Snow shook her head and replied, "The waters of the noble families run deeper than you think. There are a few reasons of she might have held back from supporting me openly. A crucial reason could be that they would have disowned her along with me, and then we would have been left with nothing."

Leo nodded and said, "Makes sense given how vindictive your family elders are, I can totally imagine them doing this. If I remember correctly, your mother was the second in line to inherit the high chair of the Marlin family, right?"

Snow nodded and said, "Yes. As for the excommunication request, hardly ever a noble has done this, and when they do, it is accepted and agreed upon without any further question. Uncle Mormon would be happy to see that mom has decided to walk away. He will get the High chair."

Leo nodded and said, "It is no use of speculating these things, let us wait for her to come over and talk."

Snow smiled and then the two of them went out of the tent to handle the cooking and answer the questions Lily had accumulated in the meantime. The duration wasn't big but Lily loved to find reason and logic behind how things worked in the world. Leo and Snow encouraged her to ask questions so that she could develop a better intellect as she grows.

Leo filleted the fish with ease, and then deboned it before he tossed it inside the ceramic pan with some garlic and oil. After shallow frying the fish, the young man added the condiments he had prepared earlier and served the fish in plates.

Lily asked, "Just fried fish? No sauces, no veggies?"

Snow said, "We can go back home if you want Baba to cook sauces for you."

The little girl shook her head akin to a rattle and said, "No, this is fine, we should live a simple life and maintain high thoughts."

The couple laughed at her words and they began to eat while enjoying the view of the setting sun. The meal was completed and then Leo made sure to clean up after himself, and then they unfolded the chairs and sat down by the campfire. Lily sat between the two elders and asked as she looked up at the stars, "There are so many stars in the sky here compared to back at home. Why is that?"

Snow told her about the light pollution and Leo listened to them. He appeared calm on the surface but in his mind, there were many things going on. He was thinking about his projects back at home, and then he thought about the new enemy that popped up on him, Carlos Elliot. The night began to darken, and the family passed their time telling stories, and singing songs.

It was about nine in the night and the wind got colder, and Leo said, "Lily, Snow, let's go inside. It is getting colder here."

Lily frowned and said, "But I want to watch the stars."

Leo smiled and said, "I have a surprise for you, come."

He led the little girl inside the tent and then from one of the corners above, he pulled a zipper and removed the colored layer of the tent fabric replacing it with a clear plastic dome. Lily looked up and she was surprised. The young man said, "You know, these mountains happen to be one of the three places where you can see magic lights."

Lily looked at him curiously and asked, "Baba, what are magic lights?"

Snow came inside the tent and closed the zipper behind her. She turned the lantern on dim setting and they laid down on the sleeping bags. Lily was successfully led astray and Leo gave his wife a grateful gaze. As they were just getting comfortable with the feeling of sleeping in the wild, the sky changed.

A wavy green and blue light erupted from the horizon and appeared in the sky. It was akin to a painter mistakenly spilling his colors and the boring canvas turned into an interesting work of art.

It was the first time that the trio was witnessing such a grand sight with their eyes. Snow took out her phone and began to click pictures. Lily said, "I want to click a picture outside the tent. All three of us. Please.."

The parents pampered her and it wasn't gonna harm them. So they moved out, clicked a picture by setting a timer on the phone and dashed back inside. Lily was mesmerized and gradually she fell asleep while looking at the magic lights.

Snow looked at Leo and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

The young man replied, "Had it not been for Lily, would our lives be so serene?"

Snow shook her head and said, "You know, many times I felt weak, but it was because of her and your connection that I stayed strong and managed to drag through those days. You always say that it is my strength that kept us together. You are only half right, it was our love for this little goblin that kept us connected."

Leo smiled and nodded. He held her hand and said, "We managed that, we can manage anything."

Snow narrowed her gaze and asked, "You are saying that because you think my mother would be a difficult person?"

Leo shrugged and replied, "I didn't say anything."

Snow playfully hit his shoulder and Lily turned around in her sleeping bag. The night passed quickly, and after waking up, the family of three continued with their leisurely life. They caught fish and bathed in the river. They played some games, and talked about nature. None of them were worried about the situation down the mountain.

After three days of camping, Leo and Snow decided that it was time to go back, because Lily's school would open soon, and they would hold a recital. The young lady had yet to prepare. Although the place was a paradise, but it would take some time for Leo to reach so far that he could make a mansion here.


Lily was upset when she heard that it was about time they went back home. However, Leo and Snow promised her that they would bring her here every winter break. The girl was suspicious of the two adults and thus she reached out and tied them in a pinky promise.

'Ping: Host, you have triggered the pact feature. You have made a pact with your daughter that you would bring her to the mountains every winter break, and it is a long term task. For every time you keep the promise, you would gain credibility points that could be used to upgrade skills, or exchange for goods in the future when the system shop is unlocked.'

Leo was surprised but then he smiled and said, 'Thank you system.'

He looked at Lily and scooped her up in his arms as he kissed her cheeks and said, "You are my lucky star."

Lily chuckled and asked, "What did I do now, Baba?"

Leo was caught off guard and he chuckled as he shook his head and said, "You did nothing, but you came into my life and made me happy. You are my lucky star."

Snow also walked up to the pair and said, "Then why am I being left out from this hug? Am I a black hole?"

Leo sighed and Lily asked, "Ma, what is a black hole."

Leo raised his hands in surrender and said, "You brought it upon yourself."

Then began a big round of questions and answers, and Leo watched them from the side with a smile on his face. These two people were the reason of his peace and they were his solace in this chaotic world. In short, they brought him serenity. Looking around Leo thought that one day, he would build a manor here and call it Serene Lily Manor.