Dinner at the Moriarty Manor

William gave a wry smile to Luke before walking towards them. He purposely stands in between Luke and Catherine to further provoke the former. Both the two Senior Doctors laugh silently while watching the drama unfold.

"Oh! Professor Moriarty, where is Lucian?" Catherine, oblivious to the hidden competition between the two men asked when she did not see Lucian behind the professor.

"I left him in my office. Don't worry, He's fine." William assured Catherine while making small gestures, which in Luke's view, is pretty much intimate. Lord Zachary and of course, Doctor Helene did not miss this little provocation and waited for a good show.

"Of course, Catherine. Everyone here can hold up to schedule, so you are free to attend to your matters. I trust Professor Moriarty can take good care of you." Lord Zachary replied while giving William a knowing look.

In response, William put his hand on his chest and bowed in a dignified manner. "You have my word, Doctor. I will make sure, no harm will come on Lady Faucigny's way." at the end of his sentence, William looked at Luke with a wry smile. Luke responded with a grunt.

"I'll be off then. Goodbye." Either intentionally or not, Catherine ignored Luke as she motions for William to follow her. William unhurriedly walked out of the room, and just before he passed by the door, he turned to Luke and gave a teasing smile. After having fun while provoking his enemy, William left with a smile.

As for the remaining trio, after making sure that Catherine was out of sight, they put down their smiles and ignore one another. No one cared to talk to the other and went on their separate ways.

In the Hallway…

"Doctor Faucigny, I left Lucian at the office, would you like to head in there now, or perhaps later?" William asked as soon as the two of them reached the hallway.

"Please, just call me Catherine, Professor." Catherine smiled.

"Then you can also call me William." William gave a smile, very different from earlier.

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? I think Professor will do." Catherine replied almost immediately.

"I insist that you call me William." William rebutted while leaving no argument with his statement.

"If you insist, then, William will do." Catherine smiled in defeat as she continues talking to William. After reaching the office, William, as a polite gentleman, opened the door for Catherine and followed suit after letting her enter first.

The interior of the office gives a regal vibe. On one side, there are two bookshelves full of Mathematical books. On the other side, there is a shelf that has antique decor and pictures on it. The overall interior suggests that an owner is a gentle person. After giving the room a quick full sweep look, Catherine nodded her head in admiration and approval. After that, she then gave her full attention to the teen sitting in the chair.

"Lucian, did you wait long?" Catherine approached lightly. Lucian, in response, answered sincerely.

"No. I was reading so I was not bored."

Lucian gave a curt reply. Catherine just nodded in return and turned to sit down at the chair William pulled for her.

"Can you tell me everything that occurred in the past month?" Catherine started inquiring. As the host, William went to prepare tea and snacks, also giving them privacy.

"..." Lucian Narrated the happenings in the past month. After hearing the story, Catherine went into a somber mood.

"Where is Miss Frida now? Is she still in that bar you're talking about?" Catherine probes after calming down.

"Yes. Well, I haven't seen her for a week, but she stays there," she'd definitely be there." Lucian answered meekly.

"Catherine, if you want to go there, I can accompany you. Two heads are better than one, after all." William suggested as soon as Lucian finished his reply. He was able to understand Catherine's intention through her expressions.

"I'll have to trouble you then. Thanks, William." Catherine said in full sincerity. William just nodded in understanding.

"Although we will visit the bar, we should do it tomorrow morning, it is quite late in the evening. You all must be tired." William stated while looking out the window. It was only then that Catherine noticed the dark sky outside the window.

"True. Well then… Lucian, you should go back to the dormitory. We will communicate with you later after we visit Miss Frida." Catherine went up to send Lucian to the entrance. Lucian bid farewell to them, which would be a big surprise to William and Catherine later about Lucian's disappearance.

"Miss Catherine, since you have already taken time off, would you mind joining me for dinner at our residence?" William asked with a smile.

"Won't I be imposing you much?" Catherine replied.

"Of course not," William replied with his usual smile.

'I bet someone would even like you to stay the night.'

"So? Will you be coming?" William asked again.

After hesitating for a bit, Catherine finally agreed. "Sure. But let me inform Lord Zachary first. I don't want them to worry about me."

"Sure. Of course." William smiled wryly, to which Catherine did not mind.

Everyone from the medical mission already left and went back to the hospital, so Both Catherine and William directly headed to the hospital, riding in the carriage that bears the crest of the Moriarty, which was driven by Fred.

Arriving at the hospital, Catherine did not mind the gaze of the onlookers and went directly inside, after asking where Lord Zachary was, she immediately went to the room.

"Lord Zachary, are you in?" Catherine knocked up three times before opening the door. As soon as she entered, she saw Doctor Helene and Lord Zachary on the sofa with teacups on the table, indicating that they are in the middle of a conversation.

"Am I interrupting something?" Catherine politely asked after closing the door.

"No. we were just talking casually. so, what brought you here?" Lord Zachary warmly replied to Catherine.

"There is something that I would like to say…"

After narrating everything that went into the afternoon conversation, Lord Zachary was silent. Doctor Helene, on the other hand, speaks up in a haste manner.

"You should go and take care of the matter then; it is of utmost importance. Don't worry about tomorrow's work, someone already got you covered. Also, you really should get going, that professor must be waiting for you at the entrance." Doctor Helene urge Catherine as she pushed her towards the door, while Lord Zachary rolled his eyes at her action and said in a flat tone.

"It's true that you should not let a gentleman wait for too long, but it is also a fact that a gentleman should always adhere to the women's time. Fair enough, no more idle chatter, you should go, Catherine. Take care."

"Thank you!" Catherine walked up to the door until her silhouette could not be seen.

It was only after the two doctors made sure that Catherine was out of sight that they started the conversation.

"What do you think of that Professor? He made a move…" Doctor Helene asked in a sarcastic manner as if teasing her companion.

"I don't know…" Lord Zachary sighed in annoyance.

"Oh! How come you don't know?" Doctor Helene asked in amusement and sat in front of Lord Zachary as if ready to hear some juicy gossip.

"And why do you think I should know?" Lord Zachary asked in irritation as he side-eyed Doctor Helene. But before she could say her reply, a knock on his office door interrupted their conversation.

"Yes?"

"Sir, a telegram from London arrived. It was addressed to you." After hearing what the man said, both Lord Zachary and Doctor Helene glanced at each other and became really serious, Lord Zachary then ordered the man to come in immediately.

"Two letters from London which were addressed to you arrived this morning, sadly, you were already at the university, so we waited until you come back to give you this." The man politely put the letter on the table after sensing the serious atmosphere in the room. Without dallying any further, he bid his goodbye and left.

The both of them immediately looked at the letters, and surely enough, at the front of the envelope, the bright red seal of the Faucigny Family is visibly seen, along with the sender's name.

Faucigny Family's Firstborn and Heir, Druex Hendrix Faucigny.