<CHAPTER 10>
“C-cough! Hey, you there! Come on, let’s go!”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
The men hurried through the door with flustered expressions the moment they made eye contact with her.
Emilia continued acting as though she were throwing a childish tantrum at her lover until the sound of their footsteps had completely faded away.
Only then did she stop acting.
She squeezed her eyes shut and thought to herself.
I want to die of embarrassment….
But she forced herself to act as though nothing had happened and whispered,
“They’re… gone now, I think.”
Yet no answer came from Kaiden.
What’s wrong?
Just as Emilia was about to call out to him again, Kaiden’s body suddenly slumped toward her.
“Ugh!”
Unable to withstand his weight, Emilia fell backward with him.
“E-excuse me?”
Startled, Emilia called out to him.
But Kaiden didn’t move an inch.
Emilia struggled to crawl out from underneath him.
He’s okay, right?
There was no response, and since he was lying there as still as a corpse, he must have passed out again.
Emilia wiped the cold sweat beading on her forehead and straightened her clothes.
Well, it’s actually a relief that he fainted. How am I supposed to look that man in the face after what just happened?
She stayed there watching over Kaiden for some time.
Then she heard the screeching sound of the train wheels.
It was the signal that they would be stopping soon.
The train would remain at the station for about fifteen minutes.
I have to hurry.
Emilia quietly got to her feet.
Although they had made it through the immediate danger, they were by no means safe yet.
She first peered through the small window in the door and checked the corridor.
Only after confirming that there wasn’t a single person nearby did she carefully open the door.
The aide said he has green hair, right?
Emilia turned her head toward the train windows.
The view of the platform flashed past her eyes.
Green hair. Green hair.
Then she spotted a group gathered around a man with green hair and her eyes widened.
That’s him!
The moment the train came to a stop, she jumped out.
Then she hurried toward the man.
Several burly men stood behind him.
They must be Kaiden’s knights.
“Excuse me!”
“…Who are you?”
Emilia called out to the man while panting for breath.
Meanwhile, Herald, Kaiden’s aide, regarded the woman with wary eyes.
Normally, he would have been delighted that such a cute-looking woman had taken an interest in him and would have welcomed her with utmost kindness.
But unfortunately, this was hardly the time for such frivolities.
Then, unexpectedly, the woman spoke.
“You’re Aide Herald, aren’t you?”
“How do you know me?”
Though slightly surprised, Herald remained on guard.
In response, Emilia quickly held out Kaiden’s pocket watch.
“The person you’re traveling with is injured and can’t move right now. I’ll take you to him!”
At her urgent words, Herald’s eyes widened.
—
After taking the pocket watch and examining it, Herald’s expression changed immediately.
First, he sent several knights to the location Emilia had given him.
Then he ordered the remaining knights to ambush the men disguised as station employees.
Fortunately, Emilia had given them such detailed descriptions that they were able to locate them quickly.
And just before the train departed for the next station—
They managed to rescue the unconscious Kaiden and Ivan, who was drenched in sweat inside the bag, with mere moments to spare.
And so, at present—
Emilia had stepped outside the station with them for a while.
“We owe you a great debt for your kindness. On behalf of His Grace, please accept my sincere gratitude.”
After thanking her several times, Herald gave Emilia a brief explanation of the situation.
For instance, the man she had helped was the Grand Duke Kaiden of the Empire.
And Ivan was a child from a collateral branch of his family who had been targeted by a wicked relative.
“How could something like that…?”
Emilia was grateful that he had explained everything to her, but honestly, she found herself in a bit of a predicament.
Now that she knew Kaiden’s identity, she had to pretend to be shocked.
Fortunately, her bewilderment seemed to have been interpreted as her surprise at Herald’s explanation.
“Speaking of which, that injury… Did you get hurt while saving His Grace?”
Herald carefully asked as he examined Emilia’s face.
“Pardon?”
Emilia looked at him in confusion.
An injury?
Wondering if some of Kaiden’s blood had gotten on her face, she raised a hand to touch it.
Her fingers brushed against her split lip.
Oh. He means the injury Cedric gave me.
She had made good use of it earlier and completely forgotten about it.
Emilia waved her hand dismissively to show that it was nothing.
“This? I had it from before.”
“You had it from before?”
Herald’s expression grew even more serious than before.
…Come to think of it, that sounded a little strange.
Realizing that she might have phrased that badly, Emilia gave an awkward smile and quickly added,
“No, I mean… Anyway, it has nothing to do with what happened earlier, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
Just as Emilia tried to steer the conversation in another direction, she felt someone tugging at the hem of her clothes.
“Hm?”
Ivan, who had been standing among the knights, had somehow come over and was now looking up at her.
“[Name! Name!]”
“Oh, you want to know my name?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Ivan quickly nodded.
Come to think of it, she had only asked for the child’s name and never had the chance to tell him hers.
There wasn’t exactly time for that before.
Emilia lowered herself to Ivan’s height and slowly moved her lips.
“Emilia. My name is Emilia.”
“Emilia…”
Ivan murmured softly, as though committing the name to memory.
Then he suddenly lifted his head and threw his arms around Emilia’s neck.
“[Thank you!] Emilia!”
Emilia’s eyes widened at the child’s sudden embrace.
Then, as though returning his affection, she hugged Ivan back.
A moment later, she released him and gently brushed the sweat-dampened hair away from his forehead.
It should have felt sticky and uncomfortable.
Yet, to Emilia, it was strangely comforting.
It felt like proof that this child was alive and that his life had not followed the tragic path of the original story.
“[No.] I’m the one who should be [thanking you.]”
Ivan’s eyes widened at her words.
“[Thanking me?]”
“Yes. Truly.”
Emilia smiled faintly before straightening up.
Her movement prompted Herald to speak up again, repeating the offer he had made earlier.
“But are you really planning to leave just like this? Why don’t you accompany us to the capital? There won’t be any more danger now. And, of course, we’ll make sure you’re generously compensated for your help.”
“No, it’s all right.”
Emilia shook her head and politely declined.
She hadn’t been saying it just to be polite when she told Ivan that she was the one who should be grateful.
Things had been difficult for her because the original story had been thrown completely off course—
But knowing that, because of it, this child now had a future made her feel as though that alone was enough to comfort her.
She didn’t need any reward.
“Take care, Ivan.”
Emilia gave Ivan one last warm farewell before leaving without a trace of hesitation.
Herald watched her retreating figure and muttered,
“No way. She’s actually leaving even after learning His Grace’s identity?”
Even the most prominent ladies of high society went out of their way to find some connection to his superior.
They would assign great significance to even the slightest brush of his sleeve.
And this woman, of all people, had every right to demand a generous reward after saving his life…
If it were me, I’d spend days planning how to bleed Kaiden dry.
Herald watched the woman walk away with such a carefree air, utterly fascinated.
He shrugged his shoulders.
