Whispers Hidden in the Night (4)

Of course, no one answered.

Fatenai remained calm, held her breath, and narrowed her eyes, listening for any clues about the other person so she could respond.

At last, she heard footsteps, but...

They were getting farther away—had they escaped?

Fatenai didn't understand, but she quickly jumped out of bed and gave chase. She knew the way so well she could run with ease without needing to see clearly.

Tap tap... tap... tap tap tap...

The sound of her bare feet was faint enough to ignore, allowing her to keep listening to the other person. Their footsteps sounded disordered.

Were they panicking?

Fatenai pursued them as she tried to guess, but then the sound suddenly vanished.

It happened so abruptly, as if it had plunged into a void and been snuffed out. Fatenai lost her target and stopped. She was now standing in another corridor of the teaching building. Farther ahead were the washroom and the place where she had seen the corpse.

Should she go on? Fatenai's answer was to lift her foot and continue, moving slowly. Unlike her swift pursuit just moments ago, she now moved like a cat, quiet and graceful.

She headed toward the place where she had seen the corpse last time. The useless lighting made her feel dizzy. Holding her sword, Fatenai walked toward it step by step.

The void made her uneasy.

Why had the footsteps stopped here so suddenly? Was it accidental, or deliberate? Perhaps the other person hadn't been running away at all, but luring her over?

Fatenai suddenly stopped. A chilling possibility filled her mind. She wouldn't doubt what she had seen, or the dead person she had seen. Then why had that person died here...? Had there been a quarrel? But she hadn't heard a thing while she was in the washroom. So had they died in silence?

In silence, just like now...

Clang!

Fatenai turned sharply and swung her sword. The clash of metal sent ripples of sound through the air.

"Miss Frayton, don't get so worked up." The calm, melodious voice came from Ed Ansendil. He had appeared behind Fatenai at some point. What caught her attention was the glove on his right hand. Bronze was set into it, twisted into intricate patterns that extended all the way to his slender fingers. It was the bronze on that glove that her sword had struck, producing that sound.

Fatenai froze with her sword raised. Wearing only a dressing gown, she looked flimsy and defenseless beside Ed's neat, formal attire. But her gaze was far more resolute than his somewhat casual one.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" Fatenai had never thought she could let her guard down just because the person who had appeared was Ed. If anything, his presence made her more wary.

Of course, she didn't suspect Ed of being the one who had attacked her. Given his abilities, she was certain the genius mage could kill her with a single blow, even if she were prepared.

The truth was always frustrating.

"Taking a walk." Ed's answer sounded utterly insincere. "Your sword isn't very friendly."

Fatenai fell silent for a moment, then slowly lowered her sword. Ed's expression seemed unchanged, even faintly amused, but the deep blue of his oceanic eyes was growing deeper. That meant standing against him with her sword might lead to an unpleasant outcome.

There was no need to fall out with him now.

"Enjoy yourself." Fatenai gave up trying to talk to him. She had no intention of staying there, either, and turned to go back to her room.

"I heard you're working for Professor Lyteta," Ed said.

Fatenai said nothing, as if she hadn't heard him, and kept walking.

"Then it looks like we can have breakfast together tomorrow morning. See you then." Ed gave a soft laugh, seemingly mocking her for her exasperation with him.

Fatenai made no reply, but her hand clenched into a fist.

The next day, she saw Ed, just as expected.

When Fatenai opened her eyes, he was already sitting on the bench in her room, legs stretched out as he flipped through a book, looking utterly at ease.

"Good morning, Miss Wisdom." Seeing Fatenai sitting up in bed, still bleary-eyed with sleep, Ed smiled and greeted her.

"Mr. Ansendil, you said your family's education was inferior to that of the Wisdom Family. Don't tell me the thing you're lacking is manners?" Fatenai looked groggy, but her words were a sharp barb.

"Aren't manners something for nobles? I seem to remember you're a commoner," Ed replied unhurriedly.

"Nobles shouldn't be spending time with commoners." Fatenai ignored his deliberate twisting of her words, threw off the covers, and strode over to him.

Snap!

Fatenai grabbed Ed by the collar. He really was frail; even she could pull him close with ease. The book in his hand fell to the floor. Her voice was more stern than ever, and an unconscious air of authority crept into it. "If you want to amuse yourself, don't come looking for me. Don't push me too far. I'm not afraid of anything, understand?"

"All right." Unexpectedly, Ed seemed to agree with her.

"Then get out. Now." Fatenai let go and pointed toward the door as she turned away.

Ed got up from the chair and walked to the door. He didn't seem at all like someone who'd been thrown out, and soon disappeared from the room.

Fatenai let out a sigh of relief. After changing out of her clothes and doing her best to calm down, she opened the door. As she went downstairs, she saw Ed apparently talking with Shirey.

She wasn't interested in either of them, though for different reasons, and planned to pass them and continue downstairs.

Clack, clack.

As Fatenai descended, she suddenly saw a doll. It had an old-fashioned design and was carrying several books as it slowly and clumsily made its way up the stairs.

"That's Shirey's specialty." Christie followed behind the doll, a book in her hand. She greeted Fatenai and seemed to notice her confusion. "She's always been good at making them."

She was obviously referring to the doll. Fatenai nodded to thank Christie for the explanation. Though the unassuming mage had a pleasant way of speaking, Fatenai wasn't in much of a mood after recalling what had happened earlier.

Ed didn't appear again until that afternoon, when Fatenai saw him in Lyteta's laboratory.

"Oh, you two know each other?" Lyteta continued with her research and spoke when she saw Ed and Fatenai talking, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Are you surprised, Professor?" Ed asked on Fatenai's behalf.

"Heh. I didn't expect you to ask me that... When two mages spend time together, people would naturally think they're up to something." Lyteta sounded indifferent.

Fatenai said nothing and opened a book.