Chapter 444: The Chattiest Little Lettie
Lariette’s cheeks were flushed red when they finally pulled apart. Her moistened lips curved into a quiet smile, "Hmm~ I never thought winter and snow could feel this warm."
Ruediger chukled, amused by her remarks. He brushed his thumb along her jawline, "It’s the company that makes it so."
They lingered under the tree until the snowfall slowed, talking softly about their shared memories.
She often brought stolen cookies and pancakes from her grandma’s kitchen, eager to give them to him. They also wished to build a treehouse, but it never came to be.
Once, she played with him until sunset because the kidnappers were too drunk to notice her. It was one of his happiest moments.
The past no longer felt heavy between them as it was simply there, woven into who they were now.
As they walked back toward the truck, Lariette looked over her shoulder one last time. The tree stood silent under the pale sky, its skeletal branches moved as if waving farewell.
"I don’t know when we will return here again," she whispered.
He placed his hand on her back, guiding her gently through the snow, "I’ll accompany you whenever you want to visit here."
"It’s fine," she shook her head, smiling, "If not for Grandma being buried in Moonville, I might not return to the north often. I barely remember anyone in Amberwood."
The incident that led to the kidnappers’ discovery had shaken the entire village. Mrs. Evans was always reluctant to bring Lariette, one of the victims, to visit Amberwood after moving to Moonville.
At the same time, the young Lariette was still frightened. Even though she often wondered about the boy, she comforted herself by thinking about how the uncle police had saved him.
The pair continued walking away, and two sets of footprints trailed side by side through the snow. Instead of going back immediately, they walked though the village, greeting a few older residents who lingered near the market square.
Some recognized Lariette, the little girl from the Evans cottage who used to run errands with a wicker basket.
"Goodness, you’ve grown so much!" one elderly woman exclaimed, "We never thought we’d see you again."
Lariette smiled and introduced Ruediger beside her, "This is my husband. I brought him back for Christmas. Hehe, need to show him to my grandma."
The other old woman beamed, "Ah, how wonderful! You two look good together. Your grandma must’ve been relieved. You got yourself a good husband."
Ruediger chuckled politely, shaking her hand, "Thank you, ma’am. I heard Lettie lived here before."
"Yeah, before she moved away," the woman laughed, "This village is usually quiet. Except during winter holidays."
Lariette and Ruediger exchanged more words with the old ladies. Some of them had relatives or friends in Moonville, thus the connections were always there.
After some time, the pair bid farewell.
As they walked away, Lariette looked slightly embarrassed, cheeks flushed from both the cold and the compliments, "I didn’t expect that some still remember me."
"Hard to forget a naughty girl," Ruediger said teasingly, his eyes glinting in amusement.
"Hey, I was so well-behaved, okay?" she huffed, "Should we go and ask the aunties again?"
"Okay, okay, you’re the most well-behaved," he laughed, indulgence gleaming in his eyes.
She suddenly grabbed his right arm, flashing her brightest smile. She said coyly, "And also the cutest. That’s why a certain someone still remembers me even after years."
"Yes, yes," Ruediger pulled his arm out of Lariette’s grasp before placing it across her back. Then, he pulled her closer as his other hand flicked her reddened nose, "The most well-behaved, the cutest and the most talkative in the village."
"Hey! Who said I was the chattiest?"
"Oh? You dare to object to that?"
"Of course! I didn’t talk a lot."
He burst into laughter when she huffed again, disagreeing with him. The pair bantered, or more like he listened to her grumbling with an affectionate smile as they returned to the truck.
Before getting into the vehicle, Lariette and Ruediger lingered for a moment longer at the place where the Evans family cottage once stood. He patted her back as his eyes searched for the evident emotions on her countenance.
She was quiet, but not in the usual tranquility. Her brows furrowed slightly as she swept her gaze across the area.
"Thinking of something? Coming here reminds you of anything you’ve forgotten before?" he asked, voice low amid the frosty breeze of the northern winter.
She exhaled a suppressed sigh, "Kind of. About you, and also about me."
He raised his brows, "Me too?"
Lariette stared at the village hall for a moment longer. She could vaguely see the image of her grandmother’s old cottage overlapping the new building.
As she looked away, she tilted her chin up to meet Ruediger’s eyes.
The sky above was overcast as more snow fell. She smiled faintly at the sight of his lashes whitened by the snow.
As Lariette reached for Ruediger’s hand, she gestured at the truck, "Let’s get inside. It’s getting colder."
"Ah, okay," he nodded.
As the heater slowly increased the temperature inside the truck, Lariette and Ruediger took off their gloves and hats, only leaving their scarves and coats on.
"I wonder," she looked at him, "If Alyssa has ever known that I’m not her real daughter, long before the Elshers came to find me."
Ruediger blinked. He was quite surprised to hear Lariette mention Alyssa, her supposed-to-be biological mother.
Alyssa Evans was on Lariette’s birth certificate as the mother until the Elshers appeared. Now, it was Samantha Delaney, even though she didn’t really welcome her youngest biological daughter back.
After a moment of silence, he asked cautiously, "Did you suspect Alyssa knew from the beginning?"
She shrugged, "I don’t really know. She’s quite something. She neglected any motherly duties to live freely, but she had never been physical or mocked me. She left me entirely under grandma’s care."
Even when Lariette hadn’t known about the switch, she couldn’t really see Alyssa as her mother. The woman often left for months, only to return briefly before disappearing again.
And now, she hadn’t appeared for over a decade.