Chapter 28

“Ahhh!”

Hey, what is this?

My body tilted and lost balance.

I fell on the balcony floor.

Even before the shock of falling came, the heavyweight of a man was felt on top of my body.

‘I told you not to touch my body!’

At the same time, a loud bang was heard.

Fabian’s face came close to mine.

Until the tip of our nose rubbed.

Before I could say anything, he convulsed his shoulders.

“Ugh……”

Fabian’s face was distorted.

A small groan came out of his mouth.

Was that the gun sound?

Did you get shot?

‘Fabian?’

I felt like I was out of breath.

Fabian raised his body halfway above me and tucked his left hand inside his black coat.

A pistol was held in his hand.

He turned his head toward a spot outside the balcony.

Fabian’s right arm wrapped around the back of my head in an instant.

“Wa, wait……”

Without knowing the situation, both my ears were blocked by his forearm and hand, and I was trapped in his chest.

‘The smell of blood……’

He smelled of blood. I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

At that time, Fabian’s upper body shook and a bang sound was heard. My forehead slammed against his chest.

The recoil of the gun was evident. Fabian had pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the mark. I could tell without looking.

Because I heard the inner voice of someone in pain.

I grabbed his robe unconsciously.

“What was that sound? A gunshot?”

The door to the balcony opened, and someone shouted.

Soon after, the sound of urgent footsteps was heard.

Mourners rushed to and fro at the sudden and unexpected sound of gunshots, pouring out their frightened hearts.

I felt like I was about to suffocate at the inner voices that overlapped like a waterfall.

“Fabian! Are you okay?”

While everyone was terrified and hid, someone ran straight into the balcony.

He was the red-haired man.

Fabian looked at him and said hurriedly, “Leonid, take care of this lady.”

He patted my shoulder once and let me go.

Before he could hear the man’s answer, Fabian placed one hand on the balcony railing, jumped lightly, and disappeared into the rain.

This bloodstain remained where he passed by.

I sat down on the balcony floor, tired of seeing the blood splattered on the floor.

Where did Fabian get shot……?

It is clear that he was injured when I saw him bleeding, but he looked fine when he moved.

‘You run like that even though you got hurt.’

What if there are more shooters?

“Are you okay? Don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine even if he jumps off the roof of this mansion.”

The red-haired man came up to me.

He stood with his back to the outside of the balcony, covered me with his body, and held out his hand.

“My name is Leonid Orlov. What is your name?”

I looked at Leonid, taking my eyes off the bloodstains.

He was a man as big as Fabian.

If Fabian had a sleek style like a black panther, Leonid was huge like a red bear.

The contrast between his bright red hair and olive-colored eyes gave a strong impression, and his freckles were scattered on the back of his nose.

“Ah, I……”

I reached out to his hand and tried to say my name.

But my hand could not reach it.

“……!”

In an instant, an indescribable sound was heard.

It was the inner voice that I heard from the other side of the garden.

Fear, suffering, despair, a scream that all mixed together.

It was the sound of death.

The last sound of a life being cut off.

My head was pounding and I was short of breath.

My vision went white and I heard a tinnitus in my ear.

I felt as if the blood all over my body was being swept.

***

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a long chair in the parlor.

A maid was watching me.

“You’re awake! That’s a relief.”

It seemed that I have fainted.

I could taste the strong brandy in my mouth.

I guess she made me drink to wake me up.

‘But why did I faint?’

Ah, I remembered Fabian running to an unidentified shooter.

“Fabian……how about Fabian?”

“He just received treatment.”

I hurriedly turned my gaze to where the maid was pointing.

Fabian was sitting on the chair.

He was wearing a shirt, a half-naked.

A doctor put a bandage on his half-exposed upper body.

He grimaced at the pain coming on.

Even so, he was calm in his tone of voice.

“When I ran, he was already dead. My bullet hit his leg. Since it was not fatal, I think he may have committed suicide.”

A man in uniform with a mustache was listening intently with a sharp expression on his face.

The man wrote something in the notebook and asked, “You shot his leg? He must have killed himself because he could not escape. Did you see his face? Was he an acquaintance?”

Fabian shook his head.

As I listened to the conversation, I gradually remembered the situation just before I fainted.

I had never heard such a terrible sound in my life.

It must have been the shooter’s inner voice just before taking his own life.

Remembering it again, I felt goosebumps and my hair stood up.

“Brandy……give me more brandy.”

I said to the maid in a trembling voice.

The maid looked at my face and handed me a half-filled glass of brandy.

I took the glass and drank it all the way.

As the strong alcohol burned my esophagus, I felt a bit more awake.

Then a question came to my mind.

‘Why didn’t I hear anything before I heard the gunshot?’

The flurry of death was heard.

That is to say, it was not a place where the inner voice could not be heard.

‘How was it when I just went out to the balcony?’

Obviously, I could hear several people’s inner voices.

Were there any special voices that sounded like they were trying to kill Fabian?

I bit my lip.

‘I do not know.’

There were too many inner voices at once to separate them one by one.

In the first place, I went out to the balcony to get away from it.

I tried not to listen, I tried to ignore it.

If I hear too many inner voices around me, can I tell which ones are really dangerous?

It’s all just malicious voices.

If not……

‘Ah!’

There was one thing I overlooked.

The only inner voice I can hear is negative.

It only comes from a heart that contains malice.

Other thoughts are unheard of.

The beggar boy who was about to stab Fabian with a knife or the maid who was carrying the suspiciously sweet dessert was anxious and afraid.

Because it’s not something they usually do.

Because they weren’t used to hurting others and getting paid.

So I could hear them.

‘But what if the person targeting Fabian today is a professional assassin?’

A person who does not particularly dislike the targeted person and is not afraid of harming people.

In that case, I would not be able to hear his inner voice.

Perhaps in the future, there will be other people who are aiming for Fabian’s life.

‘I will never know if they try to kill him without any anxiety or hatred.’

The operation to listen to the inner voices of the suspicious hearts in advance to protect Fabian was a failure.

Suddenly, I was thirsty. With trembling hands, I took another sip of the brandy. Heat rose to my face.

I looked at Fabian over the glass.

The doctor seemed to have finished the treatment.

Fabian was putting his shirt back on and buttoning it up.

Is it okay to move already?

Fabian buttoned his shirt from below and lifted his chin to button the last button at the end of his neck.

He lifted his head and lowered his eyes, looking at me.

‘Ah, I think our eyes just met.’

It was at that moment when I thought that the red eyes seemed to shine more strangely.

He finished his last button and stood up from the seat.

“Wife, you’re awake.”

Fabian came straight up to me.

Didn’t you say that you will continue to ignore me today?

‘Has the plan changed?’

Besides, you just called me ‘wife’. Not Lady Marcia, not even Lady Blick, but ‘wife’.

Guessing what would happen from now on, I swallowed dry saliva with a nervous mind.

“Did you get hurt?”

Fabian’s voice was strangely loud.

I quickly matched the beat and answered, “I’m fine. How about Fabian? How about your wound?”

“This wound is not a big deal. It is just a scratch. I’m fine as long as you are safe.”

Saying that, Fabian raised his gaze and glanced around the parlor.

I followed his gaze at the same time.

Almost all of the guests remained in the parlor.

Besides the mustachioed police officer who was talking to Fabian, there were two other men in uniform.

They seemed to listen to the guests.

I looked around and saw a person I hadn’t seen before.

A tall man with glasses. It was a familiar face.

He made eye contact with me and bowed lightly.

My eyes lit up.

‘Poe! You’re back……’

I quickly looked at Fabian.

He was smiling. But it was a strange smile that seemed a little creepy.

“Everyone, I have something to announce to all of you.”