Whispers Hidden in the Night (4)

That night, Fatenai went downstairs to wash up as usual. She didn't see anything she shouldn't have, either. When she returned to her room, she didn't think much of it. She lay down, closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.

Silence settled over the entire room. Thick, inky darkness spread from the doorway to the corners, so heavy it was hard to breathe. She could even hear grains of sand rolling across the floor. This was a profound darkness, the kind that often concealed many things unknown to people—it was their time.

The girl lying in bed seemed oblivious, or perhaps she had grown used to it. Her cheeks were pale, and her platinum-blond hair spilled over the pillow. So frail, she looked more like a patient lying weakly in a hospital bed. Sometimes, she seemed as if she might break at the slightest touch.

Clang!

The crisp sound came from a piece of metal dropping onto the wooden floor. Fatenai's eyes snapped open. Like a startled cat, she tensed and clutched her longsword tightly.

"Who's there?" Fatenai narrowed her eyes and asked softly.

Of course, no one answered.

Fatenai stayed perfectly still, held her breath, and narrowed her eyes as she tried to pick up clues about her opponent, preparing to strike back.

At last, she heard footsteps, but...

They were getting farther away. Was someone running off?

Fatenai didn't understand, but she quickly jumped out of bed and chased after them. She knew the way so well that she could run without needing to see clearly.

Tap, tap... tap... tap-tap-tap...

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

Were they panicking?

Fatenai chased after them, wondering as she went, but the sound suddenly vanished.

It happened so abruptly, as if it had fallen into a void and been erased. 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 earlier.

Should she go on? Fatenai's answer was to raise a leg and walk forward slowly. Compared to the speed with which she had chased after the sound, she now moved like a cat, quiet and graceful.

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

The void could stir unpleasant feelings.

Why had the footsteps stopped so suddenly here? Was it an accident, or had it been 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 found. Then why had that person died here? Had there been a fight? But she hadn't heard anything in the washroom. Had the person died in silence?

Silence, just like now...

Clang!

Fatenai whipped around 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 belonged to Ed Ansendil. No one knew when he had appeared behind Fatenai. What drew the eye was the glove on his right hand. Bronze was set into it, twisted into intricate patterns that extended over his slender fingers. The bronze on the glove had been what her sword struck, producing that sound.

Fatenai froze with her sword raised. She wore a dressing gown, which looked flimsy and powerless beside his formal, immaculate clothes. But her gaze was far more resolute than his slightly languid one.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" Fatenai had never thought she could let down her guard just because the person who had appeared was Ed. If anything, that made it all the more important to be careful.

Of course, she didn't suspect Ed of being the one who had attacked her, either. Given Ed's abilities, she was confident that the genius mage could kill her with one strike, even if she were prepared.

The truth was always frustrating.

"Taking a walk." Ed's answer sounded utterly insincere. "You're not very friendly with that sword."

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 seemed to grow deeper and deeper. If she kept facing him with her sword, the outcome might not be pleasant.

There was no need to antagonize him now.

"Have fun." Fatenai gave up on talking to him. She had no intention of staying here, either, and turned to head back to her room.

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

Fatenai didn't reply. She acted as if she hadn't heard him and kept walking.

"Looks like we can have breakfast together tomorrow, then. See you in the morning." Ed chuckled softly. There seemed to be a note of mockery in it, as if he found Fatenai's stubbornness amusing.

Fatenai gave no response, but her hand clenched into a fist.

The next day, she did indeed see Ed.

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

"Good morning, Miss Wisdom." Seeing Fatenai sitting on the bed, still bleary-eyed from sleep, Ed smiled and greeted her.

"Mr. Ansendil, you said your family's education couldn't compare to the Wisdom Family's. Does that mean you're lacking in manners?" Fatenai looked groggy, but her retort was sharp.

"Aren't manners just for dealing with nobles? I thought you were a commoner," Ed said unhurriedly.

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

Smack!

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

"Fine." Unexpectedly, Ed seemed to agree with her.

"Then get out now." Fatenai let go and pointed to the door as she turned her head.

Ed got up from the bench and walked to the door. He didn't look like someone being thrown out, and soon disappeared from the room.

Fatenai breathed a sigh of relief. After changing out of her clothes, she waited until she had calmed down before opening 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 prepared to walk past them and continue downstairs.

Click, clack.

As Fatenai descended, she spotted a puppet. It had an old-fashioned design and was carrying several books in its hands as it slowly and clumsily climbed the stairs.

"That's Shirey's specialty." Christie followed behind the puppet, a book in her hand. She greeted Fatenai, apparently noticing her confusion. "She's always been very good at it."

She was obviously talking about the puppet. Fatenai nodded, thanking Christie for explaining. The mage was rather unremarkable, but there was something pleasant about the way she spoke.

"Mages all have their own specialties. I envy you for finding yours. What's your specialty? Can I ask?" Fatenai relaxed a little and asked Christie.

"It's nothing important." Christie smiled.

Their conversation soon ended. Fatenai still had to find Lyteta.

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

"Oh, you know each other?" Lyteta continued with her research as she watched Ed and Fatenai talking. She sounded somewhat surprised.

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

"Heh, you'd ask me that, too... If two mages are spending time together, that's when people start thinking they might have ulterior motives." Lyteta sounded nonchalant.

Fatenai said nothing and opened a book.