Chapter 51: The Midnight Visitor
As the sun slowly began to set, clouds gradually appeared across the sky, hiding the faint glow of the sun behind them. The warm light that had filled the streets earlier was slowly disappearing.
Talia glanced toward the darkening sky. “Well, since you two are my guards, I really don't think you should go home.” She turned toward the siblings. “Yes. Do come to my villa. My butler will prepare a room for you two.”
Before either of them could respond, Talia had already begun walking toward the nearby teleportation portal.
Nuri could only stare after her. It really is convenient having access to these things, isn't it?
Unlike nobles, knights were expected to use ordinary methods of transportation unless an emergency required them to reach a destination immediately.
Talia stepped into the portal without another word. The siblings exchanged a glance before reluctantly following her.
A moment later, they arrived.
The sight before them left both siblings speechless.
A massive mansion stood before them, its numerous windows glowing brightly against the approaching darkness. The sheer amount of light pouring from the building made it almost look like a gigantic ball of light from a distance.
Alina's mouth fell open. Even Nuri couldn't help but stare. They had seen wealthy people's houses before, but this was on an entirely different level.
“What are you two looking at?” Talia glanced back at them. “Come in.”
She stepped inside. Almost immediately, several servants approached to take her coat. Talia made a small gesture with her hand, and one of the servants immediately understood, walking toward the siblings and politely gesturing for them to follow.
Having no choice, the two followed. It didn't take long for them to realize where they were staying.
Their room was located in the servants' quarters.
It wasn't terrible. In fact, the room itself was fairly nice, with beds, food, and all the basic necessities they could need. Still... they couldn't help but feel slightly offended. They hadn't exactly expected to stay in some luxurious guest room, but being placed in the servants' quarters still stung.
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The servant showed them around before quietly leaving. Finally, they were alone.
“Ugh! Just what is wrong with that woman?!” Alina threw herself onto the bed. “Who does she think she is?!”
Nuri sat down on the other bed. “I know, but we can't really do much about it now, can we?” He sighed. “Besides, we were partially in the wrong. We shouldn't have laughed like that in the first place.”
Alina immediately turned toward him. “Are you siding with that noble?” Her voice became slightly deeper than usual.
“I'm not!” Nuri quickly raised his hands. “I'm just saying that we were partially in the wrong. Not to mention, we didn't even apologize properly.”
“So you're taking her side?”
“Hey! What kind of conclusion is that?!” Nuri stared at his sister in disbelief. “I never said she was right! Her reaction was definitely a little extreme.”
Alina didn't respond. She simply stared at her brother with watery eyes, then turned around and faced away from him. Without another word, she closed her eyes and went to sleep. She didn't even touch the food.
Nuri glanced at the untouched meal. He had lost his appetite too. After everything that had happened that day, he didn't particularly feel like eating either.
Eventually, he also lay down and fell asleep.
The night passed quietly. At least, it seemed that way.
As Nuri drifted deeper into sleep, he couldn't shake the strange feeling that something was wrong. It was faint, almost impossible to explain. Like something was nearby. Something he hadn't noticed.
But he was too tired to care. Eventually, sleep took over.
“Psst.”
“Hey, Nuri.”
“Wake up.”
A soft voice called to him in the middle of the night. Nuri frowned in his sleep. At first, he ignored it.
The voice came again. “Psst. Nuri.”
He pushed it aside. I just want to sleep...
SMACK!
A sharp sound echoed through the room. Nuri abruptly woke up, his cheek stinging as he immediately grabbed it.
“What the—?!”
Alina stood in front of him with a guilty expression on her face. But before Nuri could complain, she quickly changed the subject.
“Do you hear that sound?”
Nuri blinked. “What sound?”
He was still half-asleep, but then he heard it. His expression immediately changed.
There was something outside their room. A faint sound, almost like breathing. Slow. Hollow. Heavy. As though someone had run an extremely long distance and was desperately struggling to catch their breath.
Nuri sat upright. Alina stared toward the door. Neither of them spoke.
Their exhaustion vanished.
What is that?
For a moment, they wondered if it was some kind of monster. But that should have been impossible. This was Talia's mansion, a place like this was almost certainly heavily secured. There shouldn't have been any way for a monster to simply wander inside.
So... what was outside their room?
The siblings looked at each other. Neither dared to move. They silently took defensive positions, ready to jump into action at the slightest sign of danger.
The breathing continued. Slow. Heavy. Unnatural.
Then, gradually... it began to fade. The sound became quieter and quieter until
Nothing. Silence.
Alina waited a few more seconds, then carefully walked toward the door. Nuri followed closely behind.
Slowly... she opened it.
The hallway was empty. There was nothing there. No one. No monster. No sign that anything had ever been outside their room.
Alina looked down the corridor. Nothing.
Nuri stared into the darkness, his expression turning uneasy.
It had only been three days since they had returned. And now this?
Could they ever catch a break?