Episode 29

The air in the Obroye mansion felt thick with unspoken questions. The "first clue," as it had come to be known, lay on a polished mahogany table in the study – a faded silk scarf embroidered with an unfamiliar crest. Natasha traced the intricate stitching, a shiver coursing through her. It was beautiful, undeniably so, but it felt like a phantom limb, a connection to a life she couldn’t quite grasp. She’d shown it to her adoptive parents, the Malhotras, but their smiles had been strained, their reassurances hollow. They’d claimed ignorance, but Natasha saw the flicker of something else in their eyes – fear, perhaps, or regret.

Anu, ever perceptive, had noticed Natasha’s distress. She found her by the ornate fountain in the garden, the silk scarf clutched in her hand. "You look troubled, Natasha," Anu said softly, her voice a gentle balm.

Natasha offered a weak smile. "Just… thinking." She hesitated, then, driven by an impulse she couldn't explain, unfolded the scarf. "Have you ever seen this crest before, Anu?"