That Child is Strange
"So? Why the Shuzar Estate?" Isaac asked, looking at the anxious lady he had just decided to escort. "You don't need to know," she said. Isaac smiled at the clear refusal. "Then, perhaps, you could elaborate more on why you were jumping walls of your estate instead of a more conventional walking method?" Isaac said. "Another thing you don't need to know," she said. "How about an account on something I AM allowed to know?" Isaac said in a particularly sarcastic tone. "The last time I checked, an account like that included 'NOTHING' in it," Evelyn said, looking out of the carriage window, possibly to ensure how much of the distance was traveled. A sighed chuckle escaped Isaac as he repressed his slight annoyance. "Look here, my dear lady, I am trying to make small talk that might help us improve our currently unhealthy relationship. And the way you're answering me certainly isn't helping," Isaac said turning Evelyn's face back toward him gently with his hand. "What could possibly give you the idea that I wanted to maintain a healthy relationship with you?" Evelyn snapped. "Maybe the fact that you jumped into my arms from a wall?" Isaac said delightfully. "I expect you to remember it despite your memory problems as it has been quite a recent occurrence." "Oh! Believe me! It wouldn't have happened if I had a choice!" (Evelyn) "Well, care to explain how you got into a situation where you had no other choice?" (Isaac) "Do you wish to know what could improve our relationship?" (Evelyn) "What, may I please know?" (Isaac) "You shutting up." (Evelyn)
Who was she?
Frank walked into the hallway and closed the door softly behind him. Julia shouldn't wake up.
He walked across to the end of it where the stairs were. Descending down, he saw the moon in the night sky lighting up the entire staircase with a blue light. The windows on the stairs were large. So large that any assassin could easily infiltrate through one.
Frank looked at them with frustrated eyes and then cast a protection spell on them that he recently learned from Sylvia.
"You're strange today," he heard the governess say behind him.
"Ain't I always, old hag?" Frank said as he looked up at the figure of Jennifer standing at the top of the stairs.
"You're much more strange today, I meant," Jennifer said, climbing the stairs down. She stood in front of him and touched his ears. "Is that an artifact?"
"Don't touch," Frank yapped, slapping her hand away.
"So, why did you call me here? I don't think you wished to have a heart-to-heart talk in the middle of the night," Jennifer asked. "That flying thing was quite a surprise. Where did you get that creature only found in the forest of the afterlife?"
"There is someone I need to look for," Frank said.
"You've been there, haven't you? To the forest of the afterlife. That place ain't for kids to go catch bugs flying around," Jennifer said sitting down on the stairs.
"Do you know someone who must've died about 30 years ago?" Frank asked, completely ignoring what Jennifer was saying. " That person is similar to me. It's a she."
"Why don't you stop and go back to sleep? I'm 20 myself. How would I know people from before I was born?" Jennifer said as she stood up to leave.
"110 years. That is your age. You were born at Crossfield. Father's name was Agnito Ilea, and the mother's name was Agatha Ilea. You went missing at Crossfield 100 years ago. You had grey-white hair and blue eyes. You are a witch."
Jennifer grabbed Frank by his neck and slammed him against the wall. She had this twisted look on her face. She had a face that results when someone tried and failed to hide their anger.
"Don't make assumptions, brat," Jennifer said as a faint glow from her violet shone upon Frank's face which was now in darkness. "Know your place. Don't pry into things you shouldn't be. Who was it? Who did you meet in the forest of the afterlife?"
Frank tried to tear out of Jennifer's grip, but he couldn't. The strength was too much for him. He infused mana into his hands to break free from her grip over her neck. The grip just became stronger. Frank's mana flew into Jennifer's hands at the touch and strengthened her more.
'How is she doing it?!' Frank's mind was questioning. 'Well, this much was to be expected from the person THAT Sylvia respected.'
"Was it Agatha that you met? Or was it Agnito Ilea?" Jennifer rose Frank even further up. "Spit it out."
Frank felt the grip loosening to let him speak. But it only served the purpose of letting him speak. There was still no chance for him to escape.
'Maybe it was a mistake to provoke her,' Frank thought. 'But if this gives me information about Sylvia when she was alive, it's worth it.'
Frank looked Jennifer right in the eyes.
"Do you know someone called Sylvia?"
It was a simple question. Frank had never thought it would shake up the person overpowering him so much.
Just the mere mention of that name horrified Jennifer. Frank could hear the spasms of heartbeats going inside her. She let go of Frank in shock and fell there.
"I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. I don't know her. She's dead. She's dead. She's dead. But who was she? Who was she? Who was she? She killed them. I made her kill them. She killed. Who was she?' a trail of rambles started coming out of Jennifer's mouth. It was neither answers to Frank, nor words to scare him away. They were words telling that she herself was afraid.
She stopped mumbling suddenly. Frank was watching her the entire time. And suddenly, Jennifer shouted," I need to know who she was!!!!! Tell me!!!!!!!!"
And she fell there, unconscious.
It was simple curiosity at first. Frank wanted to see the person that Sylvia respected. Then it turned out that Sylvia knew quite a lot about the eye of truth. To his surprise, the eye of truth was made by the father of the person Sylvia respected. Sylvia let it out in her usual ramble. Figuring out the rest wasn't really a problem with the manikin's help.
But now that Frank was looking at the governess, laying there, out for good, he was actually debating if Sylvia let it out on purpose.
It was very interesting, now.
'Ah, after all, Sylvia knows the best how to get me hooked,' Frank said. He walked passed Jennifer and looked down at her from above the stairs.
"Sweet dreams, old hag," he said and went back to Julia in the room.