Chapter 34: Unease
Sevi leaned back in his chair, his mind racing.
'Confronting Carla directly might be too risky. If I reveal it to her that I knew about her connection with the Red Crescent, it could send her into hiding or worse, put Noemi in danger..'
"Noemi," he muttered under his breath.
He recalled how guarded Noemi had been, her sharp instincts often cutting through situations where others might have been oblivious. If Sevi had noticed Carla's peculiar interest in her, there was no doubt Noemi had as well.
"She already suspects something," Sevi reasoned, leaning back in his chair.
'Someone as cautious as her wouldn't overlook Carla's behavior.'
'But...even if Noemi's aware, she might not know how deep this goes," he muttered, frowning.
"Or how dangerous the Red Crescent really is."'
He toyed with the idea of revealing everything to her. On one hand, sharing what he knew could solidify a sense of trust between them. On the other, coming off as too nosy could backfire, especially with someone as fiercely independent as Noemi.
Sevi let out a long breath. "I'll keep an eye on Carla for now," he decided.
He stretched as he stood from his chair, glancing out of the window.
"It's Friday," he muttered, grabbing his bag.
"Might as well get to class early and see if I can learn anything about Carla while I'm at it."
He left his dorm room, the corridors eerily quiet in the early morning.
'Why was Prince Carion in a hurry this early in the morning...?' Sevi thought as he walked through the corridors.
Sevi entered the lecture hall dedicated to swordsmanship theory, a place far different from the training grounds and arcane lecture halls. The room was lined with murals depicting legendary duels and enchanted swords, giving the air a sense of history and purpose.
Rows of desks, made of polished dark wood, were arranged in a semi-circle, allowing students to see both the instructor and the expansive chalkless board enchanted to project diagrams and notes.
Being the first to arrive, Sevi placed his bag on a desk near the window.
As he sat, he quietly amused at his unusual punctuality.
'I'm actually on time for once,' he mused, leaning back in his chair.
'Guess it's because of everything that happened with Noemi and Carla. My mind's been all over the place since.'
'Maybe it's good that I'm here early. I can actually focus for once,' Sevi thought with a small grin, though his mind quickly shifted back to today's upcoming lectures.
Soon, familiar faces of his classmates filled the room and the energy in the air shifted as the first bell rang.
Sevi glanced at the door as Noemi walked in. But unlike her usual composed self, today there was a slight hurriedness in her steps. It was unusual for her to arrive late—she was always one of the first to get to class. Sevi couldn't help but notice how strange it felt to be the early one for once.
"Looks like we swapped personalities," Sevi teased, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. Noemi shot him a glance, her eyes narrowing in mock annoyance, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Well, not everyone can be perfect," she quipped, settling into her seat next to him.
Sevi chuckled. "True. I guess I'm just on my rare streak of punctuality today."
Noemi raised an eyebrow but didn't respond further. She took out her notes and began to settle on her seat, but Sevi noticed a slight unease in the way she move... Like her mind was somewhere else.
He was about to ask her if everything was okay when he realized something. Carla's seat was empty. His eyes scanned the room, but there was no sign of her.
"That's odd," Sevi muttered under his breath. "Carla's not here today."
Noemi followed his gaze.
She turned to Sevi, her voice low but curious. "Wait, is that the same girl who told you I was sick?"
Sevi blinked, the memory of the encounter with Carla surfacing in his mind.
"Yeah," he said slowly, his eyes still on the empty seat.
Noemi's gaze flickered to the empty seat, her expression unreadable. Sevi noticed the slight tension in her posture, but neither of them spoke. They simply exchanged a brief look before turning their attention back to the front as the professor walked in.
The classroom quickly fell silent, and the professor began their lecture on swordsmanship theory, the usual flow of words filling the room.
Sevi couldn't help but feel the unease between them, though neither of them voiced it. Noemi, ever the silent observer, seemed deep in thought, her mind clearly elsewhere. And as for Sevi, his curiosity about Carla's sudden absence and her peculiar behavior lingered in the back of his mind.
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