TLVGAJ 17

Chapter 17

Albert was utterly exhausted.

Strangely, he hadn’t been able to sleep well the previous night, tossing and turning in bed.

Eric had suggested they go to the bar together for a drink, and normally Albert would have accepted. But for some reason, he hadn’t been in the mood and had refused.

He had wanted nothing more than to rest deeply after the tiring visit to the temple…

Yet, inexplicably, he kept thinking of Irene.

Irene, who always spoke curtly to him. Irene, who seemed so indifferent to him. Irene, who smiled and laughed freely in the company of another man.

The thought of her made his blood boil, made him restless. It was a feeling he had never experienced before in his life.

And so, he had spent the entire night wide awake.

Glancing to the side, he saw Eric snoring softly on the cot.

Albert considered waking him for breakfast but dismissed the idea almost immediately.

Eric, with his infuriating grin and tendency to cling to him, was the last person he wanted to see right now. Besides, he wasn’t in the mood to dine with anyone.

As he left the room, his attendant moved to follow, but Albert stopped him.

“It’s fine. I’ll eat alone this morning. Take some time to rest yourself.”

“But, Your Highness, I—”

“I simply want a little time to myself. To think.”

Albert was a man constantly surrounded by others, and on rare occasions, he dismissed his attendants for moments of solitude.

The attendant hesitated, then bowed his head. “As you command, sire. Please return safely.”

The dining car was sparsely occupied when Albert arrived alone.

He chose a familiar seat and, soon enough, a server approached to set his table with the usual simple breakfast fare: soup, salad, and light dishes.

Albert was just about to begin eating, gazing absently out the window, when a voice interrupted him.

“Your Highness, what a fine morning it is.”

Albert looked up at the woman standing before him in a dress.

…It was Irene.

His brow twitched involuntarily.

She had the audacity to smile at him as if nothing had happened, as though she hadn’t run away from him yesterday.

Part of him was oddly pleased to see her, but he didn’t show it.

“If you have no one to dine with, why don’t we eat together? I came here alone as well,” she said lightly.

“Yesterday you couldn’t get away from me fast enough, and now you suddenly want to dine together. What’s the meaning of this?” Albert scoffed.

“I apologize for leaving so abruptly yesterday. Honestly, the Stairs of Trial left me completely drained. I didn’t have the energy to sit among such exalted company any longer.”

“…”

“If it’s not an inconvenience, may I sit? I felt bad about yesterday… and, well, I just wanted to share a meal with you. I came alone, you see.”

“…”

Albert looked faintly displeased but didn’t refuse her.

Truthfully… he was glad.

Ten minutes passed into their curious breakfast together.

Albert stole a glance at Irene, seated across from him, eating her soup diligently.

“…”

He had expected her to start a conversation after insisting they dine together, but…

She wasn’t saying much at all. Aside from a few banal remarks—The soup is delicious, Oh, they’re serving salmon salad today—she said nothing substantial.

In fact, she seemed far more interested in surveying the room than in engaging with him. Her wary eyes roamed the dining car, even though she must have noticed Albert’s frequent glances at her.

Albert was incredulous.

Why had she even asked to dine together if this was how it would be…?

She was infuriating. He kept thinking about her, turning her words and actions over in his mind. He couldn’t understand why he was letting her affect him so much.

His mood darkened.

“Lady Hartmann, if this is how it’s going to be, we may as well—”

Albert was about to stand and leave when he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.

A man in a robe, seated in the far corner since earlier, had quietly risen.

Albert had already been vaguely aware of him; the man had seemed to be watching him for some time.

Now, the man walked directly toward Albert.

Then, sunlight streaming through the window glinted off something in the man’s hand.

A flash of light.

Albert’s eyes widened as he recognized the small knife, partially concealed beneath a napkin.

No way…

Time seemed to slow.

The man was closing in fast, knife in hand, and Albert met his gaze beneath the hood—a scarred, hostile face glaring at him with murderous intent.

Damn it!

Albert bit his lip. He usually remained alert to his surroundings in case of such scenarios, but his focus on Irene had dulled his instincts.

Still, he wasn’t helpless; he had trained in self-defense for exactly this kind of situation.

He grabbed his napkin, ready to deflect the incoming blade—

“Urgh!”

A loud thud echoed, followed by a pained groan.

Albert froze.

Another man had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and had already subdued the would-be assassin.

With a swift strike to a vulnerable point, the newcomer disarmed him. A sharp kick to the shin forced the assassin to his knees, and the knife clattered to the floor with a metallic clang.

When Albert finally regained his senses, the assassin was kneeling, pinned, his hood knocked back to reveal his scarred face.

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the dining car.

Albert turned to the man who had captured the attacker.

It was Irene’s knight, Deon, who now stood before him.

…Success.

I stared at the would-be assassin, now forced to kneel before Albert, and exhaled in relief.

As expected, Deon was truly an exceptional bodyguard.

I had secretly instructed him to keep watch and capture the assassin the moment he appeared—and he had carried it out flawlessly.

The assassin had lashed out with his knife several times in resistance, but Deon had effortlessly subdued him.

“Well done, Deon,” I said with a satisfied smile before ordering him to take the man away.

We had already tipped off the staff about the assassin in advance, so they arrived naturally to escort the prisoner out alongside Deon.

“Urgh… damn it!”

The assassin spat curses as he was dragged away, glaring venomously at Albert and me.

…That look is deadly. I’d better remind them to keep a close eye on him.

Once everything was under control, I turned back to Albert.

“Are you all right, Your Highness? That must have been quite a shock, but it’s over now,” I said gently.

“…What is going on?”

Albert stared at me, visibly shaken.

“Our knight is quite skilled, isn’t he? Deon is remarkably quick,” I said with a small laugh.

Of course, I couldn’t tell him I had known everything and orchestrated the rescue.

I had debated whether to interfere with this assassination attempt at all.

After all, even without my intervention, Albert wouldn’t have died.

He was more than capable of defending himself in such situations.

But… this incident was a perfect chance to increase his favorability toward me.

I’ve felt some tension with Albert during this trip, so it wouldn’t hurt to smooth things over a little.

Besides, the idea of standing by while someone was injured didn’t sit well with me.

Perhaps it was proof that I was starting to view this world as real—because to me now, these people weren’t just characters in a novel. They were alive, as alive as I was in Irene’s body.

…And I must have looked pretty cool just now, right?

The wicked noblewoman who foresaw danger and saved the male lead!

This was exactly the kind of thrill that made transmigration novels so satisfying.

I gazed confidently at Albert.

Well? How about it? Your opinion of me just went up a little, didn’t it? You must feel at least a little grateful to the woman who saved you.

But as I was basking in my triumph, I noticed Albert’s expression.

He bit his lip, then fixed me with an intense, almost piercing glare.

…Huh?

“Why are you doing this to me?” he demanded.

“…Pardon?”

I blinked, startled.

“What…? You can’t say it like that. I just saved your life,” I protested.

“Yes, Irene Hartmann. You saved me.”

Albert looked at me, his expression clouded with something I couldn’t quite read, then abruptly stood and strode out of the dining car—

Without even a word of thanks.

…What?

Left behind, I could only gape at his retreating back, utterly dumbfounded.