Chapter 18

Aurora, or rather, Aurora Sainsbury now, stood before an ancient castle manor in Elseria, her thoughts still clouded with disbelief. She had never imagined that a trip overseas would lead her straight to her birth parents. On the plane, a sophisticated woman in the adjacent seat, Janet Gleeson, had studied her with quiet intensity. Out of courtesy, Aurora had been the one to initiate a greeting. From there, the two began to talk. Janet told her she was an expatriate living in Elseria and had returned this time to search for her lost daughter. She and her husband had always conducted business overseas. When their daughter was born, they happened to be in their home country for Christmas, so they extended their stay by a month, intending to leave after the baby's first month. But the day before their departure, their daughter went missing. They reported it to the police immediately and rallied friends to help search, but there was still no trace after a full month. The authorities