When we got home, Draken, standing in an apron and with a knife in his hand, pointing at the coffee table said, "Professor, you got a letter."
"Thank you."
"Where did you go?"
Fortunata ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Grabbing an apple, she said, "We went to the rink."
"Not frozen?"
"No. But the Professor feels a little cold."
"Professor, you're not going to catch a cold?! Wouldn't want you to be sick, maybe I should make you herbal tea and honey?" Draken asked, and I noticed that today, he looked very beautiful. And how I didn't notice his beauty before.
If you think about it, the three of them were alike.
And I liked their little world that existed within the walls of this palace.
"Thank you, don't bother," I replied, and taking the letter hurried to the stairs.
"It's necessary! Professor, I'll be here with tea and honey in a few minutes! You need to rest! You're still shaking!" Fortunata loudly exclaimed.
"I see you've made good friends with him," Draken said as I climbed the stairs.
I was in a hurry to open the letter, because I knew from whom it was.
"Skye, I hope you got my letter. I rewrote this letter several times, and finally I got such a simple letter. I tried to use my tangled thoughts as little as possible.
I miss you. Don't blame me for becoming so sentimental. But the letters are created for this. To be a little sentimental.
I miss you, so I read your books a lot. You know, in this period of time, I've gotten used to you. And to be honest, it scares me.
But still, let me treat you as perhaps my soul mate. I feel comfortable with you. You're the first person I'm comfortable with. And I confess to it for the first time. And it is in the letter. But letters are created to write about such strange and important things. Things that no one can say, and should not speak, in the ear.
Well, I hope these months pass quickly. Because I have a surprise for you.
As it is customary to write: Skye, take care of yourself."
When I finished reading the letter, I noticed that there was something else in the envelope. And as it turned out, Leon put his picture there.
In the photo, he was sitting by a tree. His eyes were directed somewhere.
On the back of the photo it was written, "And yet, in the letter, a person can be sentimental. Look at my picture and remember me."
I laughed.
And at that moment Fortunata entered the room holding a small basin and a towel.
"What's this?"
"Professor, you need to take a foot bath. It will prevent a cold," she said and placed a basin filled with water on the floor.
"I think I will be fine."
"Professor, let me take care of you. Take off your socks."
Forcing me to take off my socks, she laughing, (as I understand it, I was fun for her), said, "Professor, cover with a blanket."
Handing me a hot mug of herbal tea with a few rosehip berries floated, she sat down next to me and for a while she just kept quiet.
The hot water warmed my feet nicely.
She took a deep breath and suddenly saw a photo of Leon.
"He is very beautiful. Just like out of a fairy tale," she said. "Is that your friend?"
"Yes," I replied.
"I envy him."
"Why?"
"I'd like to be your friend, too."
"Well, you are already a friend of mine. And a very good friend," I said, now noticing Ethel in her.
She said nothing.
In a room with dark brown wooden walls, we sat next to each other.
Soon, I fell asleep.
And when I woke up, I noticed that Fortunata had covered me and my legs were wrapped in a fur shawl.
I pulled the phone out of my pocket and noticed that Ikuta, Ethel and some other people had left me messages.
And each of them asked me about the university and whether I was cold.
I turned off the phone and covered myself with a blanket.
It was dark in the room. And I think I missed dinner again.
Still, I got out of bed and headed towards the door.
But when I opened the door, I heard that strange voice speaking some words in another language again.
The creaking of the wooden floors was heard as loud as ever.
It was dark all over the house.
The cold wind was everywhere.
"Fortunata is you?"
I walked a little further down the long corridor and suddenly, one of the swords fell sharply to the floor.
Honestly, I was scared.
I couldn't take a step forward or backwards.
All I was thinking about was the supernatural powers that live in this house. But my doubt was immediately dispelled when I heard someone's footsteps coming up on my floor.
"Lei? Is that you?"
The steps were approaching until I finally saw a tall silhouette in front of me.
"Professor?" Lei said, and came up to me.
"Is the electricity cut off again?"
"Yes. It happens so often in winter. Have you run out of candles?" he asked, and his eyes just sparkled with strange light in such a darkness.
"No, I still have a couple of candles. Tell me, have you heard that voice?"
"A voice who whispers some incomprehensible words?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yes," I said.
"I had to warn you about it," he said, and fell silent. "Come on," he whispered and taking me by the elbow led away toward my room.
Closing the door, he went to the fireplace and quickly throwing a few firewood, he with elegant movement of hands forced the fire from the candles to go to the wood.
In a moment, the brightness of the flame was enough to light up the whole room.
Lei, in a black robe, with straight hair, the length of which reached the shoulders, sat on the chair and with a gesture of his hand told me to do the same.
The fire was playing in his eyes, and I was fascinated by the atmosphere around me.
"Professor, the voice that you hear at night belongs to Fortunata," he said and crossed his legs.
"She sleepwalks?"
"Yes. We've tried everything, but she keeps doing it. And believe me, keeping her locked up in her room is not a good idea."
"Somnambulism can sometimes be dangerous."
"Yes. But nothing helps her. She just walks around the house and just talks. But at the same time, she can't fall or get hurt. Somehow, she knows what she's doing."
"Do you know what language she speaks?"
"No. It's another mystery. This girl is full of secrets. And no matter how hard you try, you won't understand any of them," he said, and pointed his gaze toward the fire. "But I see that she is comfortable with you. And it's very rare," he continued. "She is rarely comfortable with people. But I was surprised when I saw her come to the university for you. And I was also surprised that she showed a clear interest when she found out about your schedule."
Hearing a hint of the worry, I said, "I understand your worry, yet I am a stranger, but you can be sure my intention is pure. You don't have to worry about your daughter."
"That's not the point. Professor, I just don't want her to get used to you. You're going to be leaving soon," he said, and now there was sadness on his face.
"So, here's the thing. Do you want me to stop talking to her?"
"If you can, just act like you used to. Try to spend as little time with her as possible. You know, she, and in general, we all, went through a lot of adventure, and a lot of difficulties, so I'm worried that she's going to have to go through what happened many years ago again. I don't want her to get used to you. Please try not to turn these three months into an eternity."
"You don't have to worry. I understand you very well."
He looked at me and smiled. Leaning back, he sighed and stretched out his arms to the fire.
"It's very nice to talk to you, I'm afraid I'll get used to you too, and then I'll have to forget about you," he said, and laughed softly.
I laughed back.
"Well, I'm not going to bother you. It's night. It's time for you to go to bed. And tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting for you."
"Good night Lei."
"Are you not cold? If so, you can leave the fire in the fireplace."
"Yes. I'll sit down for a while, then I'll go to bed."
"Good night."
When his tall figure left the room, I went back to the chair.
Different thoughts swirled in my head. I didn't want to sleep. I still felt someone's presence in this house. And the fact that Fortunata was wandering up the stairs and the corridors worried me. What if she falls?
Listening to the sounds in silence, I spent half the night. Closer to morning, the desire to sleep overwhelmed my thoughts and I fell asleep right on the chair.