Chapter 11

I shook my head.

Curse is just a curse.

‘No matter how much you talk inside you can’t hurt me.’

Rather, I had to take care of my life and Larissa’s life now.

I made sure that Larissa’s face or her hair was well covered by the bonnet.

I stepped quickly hoping that Igor couldn’t see us.

* * *

The train station which I saw after getting off the carriage was small.

Huge and beautiful buildings, black steam locomotives that emit smoke, busy people.

I was expecting such a scene but this was an ordinary small rural train station.

‘There are fewer people than I thought.’

I was worried that Igor might be hiding somewhere and watching, so I looked around.

There seemed to be nobody looking at us in particular.

I quickly approached the ticket counter.

“Please give me two, the earliest departure.”

“Today the ticket is sold out.”

“Is it sold out?”

I was surprised by unexpected words and raised my voice.

The employee sitting at the ticket office said, yawning.

“Originally, it is a station where trains didn’t stop frequently, so tickets ran out quickly. There are still tickets for departure at this hour tomorrow, do you want that one?”

Is it tomorrow afternoon?

You might get caught if you’re still here one day sooner or later.

‘Would I rather take a carriage and go to the next station?’

But the carriage cannot keep up with the speed of the train.

‘Is there any guarantee that a seat not at this station will be at the next station?’

I frowned my eyebrows.

At that time, a voice came from behind my back.

“There is no need to do that.”

I looked back in surprise.

It was a man’s chest that blocked my eyes.

As I lifted my head, a little familiar face from the top looked down at me.

It was the man I met at the restaurant earlier.

His face wasn’t as badly soiled as before.

Black coriander hair, noble forehead line, sharp nose, and strong jawline exudes masculine beauty.

Two eyes shining in red light in the middle looked at me as if piercing me.

‘Huh? Red eyes?’

I didn’t know it when I saw him in the restaurant before.

Maybe because he was sitting in a dark corner?

It was definitely red eyes when I saw it under such bright sunlight.

It is also bright red.

‘Could human eyes be red?’

But did it look red because the light shined through his eyes?

I was speechless for a while.

The man looked down at me and opened his mouth.

“You seem to be looking for a train ticket to Dieppe station, right?”

“Well, that’s right…”

“Come with us.”

“Pardon?”

How do I go without a ticket?

I need some time to understand. I blinked my eyes.

Then the man wearing glasses standing next to the red-eyed man added an explanation.

“By chance, the tickets we bought are first class. We are renting a room, so there’s plenty of room for both of you to sit. Usually, up to six people can sit.”

“Yes, it’s a coincidence, but we also go to Dieppe station.”

The red-eyed man nodded his head, quickly agreeing to what the glasses man said.

“Since there is room left, why don’t you go with us?”

The two emphasized the word ‘coincidence’.

What is it, why is it suspicious?

“Thank you, but it’s okay. I’m thinking of renting a carriage and going to the next station.”

I stepped back and said. With one hand holding Larissa’s hand tightly.

“Mr. Igor Blick from the North.”

The red-eyed man quietly said my father’s full name.

Larissa froze in an instant.

“… are you not being chased by him? You won’t be able to afford to go to other stations.”

What is it, blackmail?

‘But for what?’

I bite my lips.

Then the man wearing glasses hit the man’s side with his elbow.

“Don’t do that. You scared her.”

At the words of the man with glasses, the red-eyed man coughed, then changed his tone and asked again politely.

“I am very grateful that you saved us earlier. Can’t you think of it as a sign of gratitude?”

Are you talking about that beggar boy?

Although I gave you a hint, it seemed like you were very quick to notice.

Maybe… you’re used to it because ‘such a thing’ happened often.

I watched the men in front of me quietly.

I was blinded by the beauty of the red-eyed man, so I couldn’t see it properly, but the man wearing glasses was also a pretty man.

He has smooth brown hair and brown eyes. His height was also close to the red-eyed man.

Even though wearing glasses, a good-looking person was still good-looking.

Two handsome men politely offered to help me, and my heart melted a little.

More than anything, no negative heart sounds were heard from both of them.

‘You can assume that you have no intention of harming us.’

Besides, there was no other way.

“Then I’ll be grateful for it.”

They said it was first class, and the room I was entered of was quite luxurious.

In one large room, there were large seats that could accommodate six people, and even a small table was placed.

I sat by the window with Larissa.

The curtain was rolled up after the train departed and the station became invisible.

Larissa couldn’t take her eyes off the window.

I smiled with a peek and turned my gaze to the opposite seat.

“Thank you for your help. I didn’t even hear the name of the benefactor. I am Marcia and she is my sister, Larissa.”

I thanked the two men once again.

I didn’t say the last name on purpose.

Igor said his name anyway, so you might have noticed our last name is Blick.

‘If you believe what Igor said.’

The men looked at each other for a moment.

Then the red-eyed man said first.

“This is Arno.”

It was concise. Likewise, he didn’t say his last name.

“Please call me Poe.”

Even a man wearing glasses said a weird name.

I stared at them for a moment.

It’s me who didn’t tell my last name first, but it seemed to be somehow not polite to ask the other person’s full name.

So I just looked down and sat down next to Larissa.

“……”

“……”

Soon the silence fell in the room. But nobody showed any signs of discomfort.

Larissa didn’t move in a position looking out the window, and Poe took a small book out of his bag and started reading.

Arno closed his eyes.

It doesn’t seem like he wants to sleep, but he doesn’t even want to have a conversation.

‘No one is talking, so it seems that I’m the only one who is awkward.’

Anyway, the train was very comfortable.

Is it because we are in the first-class room, or is it because we were accompanied by two big men who helped us?

It couldn’t be compared to the carriage that was rattled throughout the ride.

Thanks to this, I was able to observe the new companions leisurely.

I narrowed my eyes and opened them.

The clothes Arno and Poe wore were torn and dirty, but they were quite expensive.

It was a bit lagging behind in the latest fashion, but even though both were very tall, the sleeves and shoulders were fit together.

Besides, you were able to buy first-class tickets. Not just anyone can do that.

‘And the destination is the F Station, which is closest to Laurent Street…’

Even if you didn’t tell me your names, I roughly figured out what kind of people you were.

Like the capital of the kingdom, social circles were formed near the co-residence of Grand Duke Laurent.

The high-ranked nobles will be gathered there.

‘Sure they’re one of those nobles.’

Considering that the attire is not the finest, is it perhaps a middle-class noble or an emerging nobleman?

When I recall, Arno used casual words and Poe used honorifics when they talked with each other.

Maybe Arno is a person with a higher status than Poe.

‘It may be that he didn’t reveal his name because he was embarrassed to look tattered at this point.’

It must have been that he wasn’t trying to help us because there was something bad intention.

If he did, he would say something and try to dig up information.

‘You said you helped me because you didn’t like being noisy at the restaurant, huh?’

Well, you really don’t seem to have any willingness to talk.

“What do you look at like that?”

I was amazed at the sudden low voice I heard.

Arno suddenly opened his eyes and was looking at me.

Eyes shining red like ruby as if piercing me.

I realized it belatedly, and unwittingly, I was watching him slowly with my hand under my chin.