The sound continued, a subtle, unsettling noise that wasn't immediately obvious. Elara paused mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing as she listened. Elara's frustration grew. "Miss Kat, stop it! The sound is irritable!"
Kat's face frowed seriously. "I'm not doing anything. What sounds do you keep going on about, if this is your idea of a joke it's not appreciated"
The sound stopped abruptly, leaving an uncomfortable silence. Elara's brows frowed. Kat's expression remained, but a hint of a smile played on her lips that only lasted a moment. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked worried. Making Elara sneer "what do you mean, of course I'm fine" Elara's expression darkened with a mix of irritation and unease.
She insisted that she could hear something, but Kat kept denying it, acting as though nothing was amiss. This pattern continued throughout the day, with Kat subtly manipulating the environment and sounds to unsettle the governess further. The strange happenings, combined with the eerie sounds, began to wear on Elara's nerves.
After the session ended, and Kat was alone in the study, she bent under one of the desks and pulled out her phone, with a satisfied grin. By the second day, Elara was visibly rattled. The governess, usually so composed and authoritative, seemed off-balance, glancing around nervously as if expecting something to happen. Kat kept up her act, making sure to change her approach with the tricks so the governess would be able to catch on.
Elara finally confronted Kat again, her voice tinged with desperation. "Is there something you're not telling me? These... these strange occurrences. Are you behind them?" she demanded, her composure cracking. Kat gave her with a frown. "I honestly do not know what you are referring to, you've been off lately and it has me worried that...," Kat trailed off.
Elara waited for Kat to continue. "It's nothing," Kat dismissed making Elara's frown deepened. "What is it? Tell me!" she demanded, her voice starting to raise slightly. Kat gave a frightened look and leaned forward, whispering, "I don't like to talk about it, I'm scared it might come after me." She looked around frantically.
Elara leaned in, not knowing when she also began to whisper, "It? What is it?" She asked a hint of desperation in her voice. Kat took a deep breath and gulped.
"A few days after I arrived at the castle, I was told a creature lives here. At first, I thought they were just rumors, but..." She paused, inhaling. "A maid used to tell me she heard voices, and she was seeing things just like you did now. I didn't believe her, cause it sounded absurd to think of, but one day she was gone." She said.
"What do you mean gone?" Elara asked raising a brow and kat shook her head like not wanting to continue " I should be saying so much about it" kat insisted on not speaking further and the governess how to let it go.
It was already the third day of Kat's lesson and she proceeded as usual, but this time she didn't pull any tricks, kat had purposely placed a small seed of worry in Elara's head that would continue to grow and make her react. Even when she did nothing, she would feel paranoid expecting something, and come back to her so she can place more seed's in her head, little by little until she would snap.
In-between there usual lessons Elara soundly paused taking a sit next to kat, kat raised a brow "is something wrong" she asked. Elares face because serious and she asked " what happened to the maid?." Kat clenched a feast hesitatively, and she frowned on worry. Before parting her lips to speak.
"When the maid told me about her hearing voice I dismissed it, but one ay she just disappeared with no trace.... I thought it was a coincidence, but it happened again to another maid and again... And then I couldn't deny what was going on no matter how much I wanted to. I asked sabastain about it but he always dismissed my words and told me not to speak of it. If you don't believe me, you could ask the other maids about the missing maids."
Elara gulped at Kat's words. "So they go missing after they start hearing things?" Elara asked and Kat nodded. "But has anyone ever heard the noises and didn't disappear?" Elara continued to prey for information. Kat gave a thoughtful look. "Well, yes, one maid."
"Where is she?" Elara asked, Kat shook her head. "She left the castle before..." She trailed off again, making the governess more nervous. "Before what?" Kat leaned forward and whispered, "Before she heard the screams. They always go missing a day after they heard the screams."
"Maybe it was all just coincidences and nothing more," Kat said, dismissing all she had said earlier. Elara, on the other hand, looked troubled and could barely keep up with her teaching anymore. Kat continued to study, glancing occasionally at Elara, who seemed increasingly agitated.
Finally, unable to contain her discomfort, Elara spoke again. "There it is again! You must hear it this time," she insisted, her voice rising in pitch. Kat looked at her with a concerned expression, playing her part perfectly. "Are you sure you're feeling alright, Elara?" she asked, her tone carefully measured to sound genuinely worried. "You seem... tense."
Elara bristled at the suggestion. "Of course, I'm alright!" she snapped, her frustration evident. "I'm just... tired. Perhaps it's been a long day." She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure, but the uncertainty lingered in her eyes. Kat nodded, pretending to be reassured. "Okay, if you say so," she said, turning back to her studies.
Inwardly, she couldn't help but feel a touch of satisfaction. The governess was clearly on edge, and Kat knew it wouldn't take much more to push her over the brink.
By the fourth day, Elara was visibly rattled. As they sat in the study room, another faint whispering sound filled the air. Elara shot to her feet, her patience finally snapping. "There it is again! You're hearing it too, aren't you?" she demanded, her voice edged with panic. Kat looked up, extremely puzzled. "I really don't hear anything. You're scaring me," Kat said worriedly. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should get some rest."
The governess stared at her, taking a deep breath. "This is impossible," she muttered, pacing the room. "I know I'm not imagining this. There are whispers and objects moving... It's like some kind of... witchcraft."
Kat suppressed a smile, seeing her plan coming together. "You would be fine as long as you don't hear the screams," she said in a low and serious tone, making Elara's face pale. She seemed to wrestle with herself for a moment before she spoke again, her voice tight. "I won't tolerate any more of this nonsense," she said, though her voice lacked its usual firmness. "I'll be speaking with the butler about this." Kat simply nodded, keeping her expression neutral. "Of course, whatever you think is best."
Kat excused herself as usual when it was lunchtime, she excused herself to have lunch, leaving Elara in the study alone.
As Kat left the study, Elara took a seat, bringing out her own lunch box. She would have preferred eating somewhere else because the study room now made her uncomfortable to be in. But when she took the job, Sabastian had strictly instructed her not to wander around the castle; it would irritate the king, so now she had no choice but to stay here and wait for Kat to be back so they could get on with their lesson and she could leave.
Elara took a bite of her food, part of her expecting something to happen as her eyes darted around the room, but everything seemed to be going fine as nothing happened, and she was almost done with her meal and she hoped Kat was too.
She was about to take the last bite of her meal, but she jolted in her seat when she suddenly heard a bang. The sound came again, this time louder. She stared forward at the source of the sound, to the wardrobe just across from her, and gulped. Elara was too scared to move and stood frozen in place.
She jolted again when she heard another loud bang come from the wardrobe. Slowly standing up as the sound continued to get louder, she walked over to the wardrobe slowly. She stood before the wardrobe with shaking palms. Her hand trembled as she reached out for the knob.
The banging sound grew louder, more insistent, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She slowly turned the knob and pulled the door open, her eyes scanning the inside. At first, there was silence. The banging had stopped, and the wardrobe seemed still. Elara's gaze fell upon the stacks of books and boxes, the documents and papers that lined the shelves. It was just as it should be - nothing out of the ordinary. She breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging as she released the tension.
But as she began to close the door, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air. Elara's heart skipped a beat as she froze, her hand still on the knob. The scream seemed to come from within the wardrobe, the sound echoing off its walls. Elara's eyes widened in terror as she stared into the wardrobe in fear, but nothing had changed. She slammed the door shut and backed away, her eyes fixed on the wardrobe as if it might burst open at any moment.
She turned and ran back to her desk, her heart racing with fear. As she reached her seat, the scream continued. "No, no, no! I heard the screams, I heard the screams!" she continued to mutter. She knew then that she had to get out of the castle, to escape. Elara gathered her things hastily, her hands trembling.
Meanwhile, in the room next to the study room, Kat crouched by the wall. She had stopped banging on it when she heard the faint sound of the wardrobe open. When she heard the sound of the wardrobe door slam shut, she got up, tiptoeing to the door. She opened the door just enough to peep outside.
Kat waited to hear the sound of the door to the study open. Just as it did, her governess hurrying shut the door with hasty steps, walked past the room Kat was in, towards the exit of the castle. Kat allowed herself a small, victorious smile. The governess was clearly at her breaking point, and Kat knew she wasn't coming back. "Gone at last," she muttered to herself, stepping outside. She started forward at the corridor Elara had just walked through, before she sighed and went back into the study.
During dinner, Kat practiced speaking Syllanthian with Sabastian as he served. Speaking the language was even harder than writing it. Sabastian corrected her a dozen times. She glanced at Lucain, noticing his brows furrowed every now and then. "Thank you, Sabastian, this much should be fine," Sabastian nodded in response. Kat didn't want to get scolded by Lucain, so she stayed quiet.
The next day Kat made her way into the study room, not expecting the governess to show up. She studied on her own, using the knowledge she had gotten from the governess.
Though the governess was rude, she still had a lot of knowledge, and Kat paid attention to all she was taught. When it was lunchtime, Kat left the study. Walking past a maid, she stopped her. "Where is Sabastian?" she asked, and the maid bowed. "Sir Sabastian left the castle earlier for some urgent work given by his majesty," the maid responded, and Kat nodded, noticing how Lucain had been sending Sabastian out a lot lately.
"And Lucain?" Kat asked, and the maid looked at her puzzled. "His majesty," she corrected. The maid nodded. "He is in his chambers," the maid informed. "Your lunch has been prepared. Would you like to have it in the dining room?" the maid asked, and Kat shook her head. "No, please pack a boxed lunch and also pack a bigger one with dried steak for King," Kat instructed. The maid left to prepare the lunch, and Kat made her way to King's enclosure.
When she got there, King seemed to have missed her as much as she missed him. He pounced on the iron bars, putting his paws out in an attempt to touch Kat, and she giggled. She stepped in and carefully outstretched her hand out to prevent King from pouncing on her. He was sweet, but Kat didn't think she would survive a lion more than three times her size laying on her. King lowered his head for a cuddle.
"Hey boy, I missed you..." she said, petting his head. His fur was so soft she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight cuddle, enjoying the soft fur. Just then, Kat felt her feet being raised up from the ground and her eyes widened. King raised his head with Kat still holding on to him. "Hey King, what are you doing?" Kat asked, alarmed, and the lion let out a playful growl, raising his head higher. "Don't be naughty; let me down, King."
King seemed to consider her request for a moment, his eyes gleaming with mischief. With a playful grunt, he lowered his head, allowing Kat to gently slide back to the ground. She laughed softly. "You're such a good boy," she murmured, ruffling his mane affectionately, she continued with this when king's gaze suddenly darkened and he growled.
Kat turned around and saw the maid standing away from the entrance with her lunch, kat went out the enclosure and went to her as the girl didn't look like she could come any closer, she gave kat the food and hurriedly left.
Kat entered back into the enclosure, she reached into the bigger box and pulled out the dried steak she had requested. King's eyes widened with excitement as he sniffed the air, his tail swishing back and forth. She tossed a piece to him, watching with delight as he caught it mid-air. "There you go, enjoy," she said, settling down beside him.