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Chapter 9
“Don’t worry. I came to help you because a child named Ivan asked me to.”
“Ivan?”
“He can’t even speak the Imperial language…”
“Is that what you’re worried about right now? I’m treating your wound, so please let go of my wrist.”
She was right.
That wasn’t the important thing at the moment.
Kaiden quickly accepted her words, released her wrist, and cooperated.
“Where is the child now?”
“…He’s hiding safely for now.”
Emilia answered as she continued treating his wound.
Of course, the problem was that he was hiding inside her suitcase.
“The people chasing you are pretending to be train staff and searching the train.”
She briefly explained the situation to Kaiden.
“By any chance… can you not move at all?”
“Yes.”
Kaiden glanced at the bloodstained dagger lying beside him.
The strange substance covering its blade was deadly, even to someone like him who had resistance to poison.
Other than moving his arm a little earlier, he couldn’t move at all.
Even his vision was blurry.
Because of that, he couldn’t clearly see the woman’s face no matter how much he wanted to.
Quietly, he watched the woman carefully moving as the soft rustling of her clothes filled the room.
…What kind of woman is she?
Even if a child had asked for help, most people would never step into such a dangerous situation.
Yet she remained so calm.
Just then, the train shook violently.
Kaiden frowned before speaking.
“Do you know which station we just left?”
“Ah… We just departed from Bandia Station in the Tinus Viscount’s territory.”
“Then that’s good.”
“Good?”
“Yes. My people should be waiting at the next station.”
“Really?”
Emilia’s face immediately brightened as she tied the bandage.
That was wonderful news.
But there was one problem.
Even if his people boarded the train to rescue Kaiden and Ivan, it would still take time before they found them.
“Then I’ll go find them and tell them where you and Ivan are.”
“Would you do that?”
Kaiden immediately described the appearance of his aide.
As Emilia imagined his face, she let out a small sigh.
“Ah… But won’t they think I’m suspicious?”
Even if she told them where Kaiden was, they might think she was trying to lure them into a trap.
“Do you have something they would recognize? Some kind of proof?”
“Then… could you check the inside pocket of my jacket?”
“Ah, yes.”
Emilia quickly nodded and slipped her hand inside his jacket.
She felt a small pocket watch.
As she took it out, Kaiden suddenly flinched.
“Did I touch your wound?”
“…No.”
“Is this the one?”
“Yes. If you show them that, they’ll recognize it as mine and—”
Suddenly, Kaiden stopped speaking.
Why did he stop?
Emilia looked at him in confusion.
“Wait.”
“W-What is it?”
Kaiden suddenly leaned closer, making Emilia shrink her shoulders.
Then she heard his quiet voice beside her ear.
“Someone is coming this way.”
“What?”
Startled, Emilia whispered softly.
“Could it just be a normal train employee?”
She didn’t think the man from earlier could have arrived this quickly.
“No. Those footsteps don’t belong to an ordinary person. They’re probably the same people you mentioned.”
Emilia froze.
Wait.
If he said people, then there was more than one of them.
What should I do?
She bit her lip and nervously glanced toward the door.
Please… just walk past us!
Then suddenly…
She remembered the scene she had witnessed earlier in the train’s waiting room.
Ah, that’s it!
Maybe she couldn’t stop them from coming.
But she could make them pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
Still…
She hesitated.
At that moment, Kaiden frowned and gently pushed her away.
“Leave this place first.”
“What?”
Emilia looked at him in confusion.
“But the hallway continues outside. The moment I leave—”
She hurriedly tried to explain, but Kaiden shook his head.
“No. I mean you should leave and tell them there’s a suspicious person in here.”
“What?”
In other words…
He wanted her to pretend she was just an innocent passenger and escape alone.
“Don’t say something so ridiculous!”
Emilia scolded him in a low voice.
She had no intention of listening to any more of his nonsense.
Instead, she replayed the scene from the waiting room in her mind.
Is this really the only way?
I don’t know! It’s the only idea I can think of right now!
Emilia swallowed hard and made up her mind.
“I’m saying this just in case… I don’t have any bad intentions, okay?”
No matter what, she felt she had to say that first.
“What are you talking abo—”
Kaiden couldn’t finish his sentence.
Emilia stretched out her foot and kicked the dagger far away.
Then…
She climbed right on top of him.
“What… are you… doing…?”
Even Kaiden, who had stayed calm while enemies approached, was completely stunned.
At the same time, the small, soft body pressed against him, and a gentle fragrance surrounded him.
“Just stay still!”
Did he think she wanted to do something like this with a man she had only met today?
After scolding him, Emilia unfastened a few buttons of her dress and exposed one shoulder.
“Are you good at making… sounds? N-No, never mind.”
She quickly shook her head.
Even she thought it was an absurd question.
Besides, there wasn’t any time to hear his answer.
The enemies were now so close that even Emilia could hear their footsteps.
“Let me borrow your arm.”
She carefully placed Kaiden’s right arm around her waist.
Holding her breath, Emilia watched from the corner of her eye until the men reached the door.
The moment they grabbed the doorknob—
“Mmm…”
Emilia let out a soft, seductive moan.
“What… what was that?”
The men outside immediately sounded flustered.
But Emilia didn’t stop there.
“Ah… Honey… wait… a little slower…”
She blurted out whatever words came to her mind.
Instead of opening the door, the men looked through the window.
Inside…
They saw a woman sitting on top of a man.
Anyone would misunderstand what they were doing.
There was no need for an explanation.
Then Emilia suddenly turned around and screamed.
“W-What are you looking at?!”
At the same time, she pulled Kaiden’s head tightly against her chest.
They can’t see his hair color and become suspicious.
Even in that situation, Emilia was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear.
But there was one universal truth.
In a public place, the people doing something embarrassing often stayed put…
While the people who saw it were the ones who quickly looked away.
Please… please…
Praying that the men would do exactly that, Emilia pretended she was about to cry.
“S-See! I told you I didn’t want to do this here! I said people might come!”
As she said that, she looked at the men outside as if they were the shameless ones.
At the same time, she carefully memorized each of their faces in her mind.
