Chapter: 07
“And he’s speaking Hebrew… Could this child be…?”
Thinking back to the original story, one particular incident immediately came to mind.
It was the event that happened before the original story even began—the incident in which the male protagonist suffered a severe injury.
“Could it be…?”
Bwaaaang—
At that moment, the train let out a loud blast as it prepared to depart.
The child looked around in panic, then hurriedly ran back toward the train.
“Wait!”
Startled, Emilia reached out to stop him, but he had already reached the train.
She quickly grabbed the bag beside her and ran after him.
Thud!
The two of them barely managed to climb aboard before the doors slammed shut.
The boy hurried down the aisle, trying to get somewhere. Emilia grabbed him by the shoulder and asked,
“[Name. Your name.]”
“[Ivan! My name is Ivan!]”
The child answered without hesitation.
Emilia let out a quiet sigh.
Just as she had thought.
It was a name she remembered.
The Emperor’s hidden illegitimate son.
And a child who would soon be murdered by the Empress.
Since it all happened before the original story began, she didn’t know every detail, but one thing was certain.
The person who had been bringing the child to the capital had been the male protagonist.
Just then, a passenger walked past them in the aisle, glancing in their direction.
Ivan flinched and quickly hid behind Emilia.
Feeling that something was wrong, Emilia spread part of her skirt and shielded him.
Once the passenger had completely passed, she quietly turned back.
“[Bad person… here?]”
She whispered softly.
Tears streamed down Ivan’s face as he nodded.
At the same time, Emilia’s expression became tense.
So that was why he had deliberately gotten off the train to ask for help.
Because he believed the people inside the train were dangerous.
What should I do?
Emilia looked toward the door.
But the heavy metal doors had already shut tightly.
A moment later, the train lurched as it began moving.
In the original story, the child had been murdered by assassins.
Judging by the situation, the male protagonist—who should have been beside him—had apparently been too badly injured to move.
That left Ivan completely alone.
No matter how she looked at it, this train was where the child was supposed to die.
I should have stopped him from boarding…
Realizing her mistake, Emilia bit her lip.
“It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
Patting Ivan gently on the back, she quickly organized her thoughts.
First, those clothes are far too noticeable.
She had thought the same thing when she first saw him at the station.
His outfit was anything but ordinary.
That passenger had probably looked at him for the same reason.
“Hold still for a moment—”
Emilia reached to remove Ivan’s robe but suddenly stopped.
There’s blood on his clothes.
Compared to bloodstained clothing, the robe would attract much less attention.
Letting out a sigh, Emilia fastened the robe again and carefully said,
“Come over here for a moment, [okay?]”
Ivan tightly grasped the hand she held out.
Keeping him hidden between herself and her travel bag, Emilia carefully made her way through the train.
I need to get him to my seat first.
The train compartments were divided into four-seat sections.
And when she had bought her ticket, she had confirmed that the other three seats in her compartment were empty.
Since she had purchased the ticket just before departure, there was a good chance they were still unoccupied.
Soon, Emilia stopped in front of the compartment door.
Holding the handle, she listened carefully.
Fortunately, she heard nothing.
Click.
Thank goodness.
Just as expected, the compartment was empty.
Emilia quickly stepped inside and shut the sliding door.
She seated Ivan on one of the chairs and knelt in front of him.
“[Where… injured person?]”
“[He’s at the ###!]”
What does that mean?
Emilia frowned.
She couldn’t understand the word he had used.
So she tried asking in a simpler way.
“Hmm… the train… no… [Front? Back?]”
“[Back!]”
Just as Emilia was doing her best to figure out where the male protagonist was…
Voices came from outside.
She paused and looked toward the door.
Are they checking tickets?
Turning back to Ivan, Emilia took her own ticket from her pocket and showed it to him.
“[Do you have this?]”
Ivan shook his head.
The conductor is going to notice… No, wait. Something’s strange.
Of course railway staff could inspect tickets.
But they usually checked only a few passengers—not every single person one by one.
Don’t tell me…
Carefully making sure not to make any noise, Emilia cracked open the compartment door and looked outside.
Several cars ahead, she spotted the back of a railway employee checking passengers’ tickets.
He looked like an ordinary station employee.
But there were bloodstains on the hem of his trousers.
He’s definitely looking for Ivan.
Emilia quietly inhaled and immediately closed the door again.
At the same time, she heard the man speaking to the passengers in the next compartment.
It’s too late to take the child somewhere else…
Then her eyes landed on her large travel bag.
That’s it!
She immediately threw open the window and leaned outside.
A wide river happened to be flowing directly below.
From this height, it shouldn’t make much noise.
Pulling her head back inside, Emilia opened her suitcase.
Ah! The things Madam gave me!
Her eyes widened as she took only a single pouch.
Whoooosh—
Wind rushed in through the open window, blowing her hair wildly.
Without hesitation, Emilia threw everything else from the suitcase out the window.
She felt guilty for essentially littering…
But saving a person’s life is more important!
Ivan stared at her sudden actions with wide, round eyes.
Pointing to the now completely empty suitcase, Emilia whispered urgently,
“Quick! [Get inside!]”
Still confused, Ivan looked back and forth between Emilia and the suitcase before standing up.
Then he climbed inside.
Fortunately, because he was so small, he fit without much difficulty.
“[No sound. Understand?]”
After confirming that Ivan nodded, Emilia closed the suitcase.
She quickly sat back down and straightened her clothes.
Just then…
A knock sounded on the compartment door.
Stay calm.
The door slowly slid open, revealing the same man she had seen earlier.
“Can I help you?”
“We’re checking passengers’ tickets. May I see yours, please?”
Stepping into the compartment, the man slowly swept his gaze across the interior.
Swallowing nervously, Emilia quickly handed him her ticket.
As soon as he took it, she immediately withdrew her hand.
Her fingertips were trembling from the tension.
I can’t let him think I’m suspicious.
No matter how she thought about it, there was no way she could overpower him.
And even if I tried to run, we’re on a moving train.
Meanwhile, the man checked the seat number printed on her ticket.
Just as Emilia prayed he would return it and leave—
“What’s in that luggage?”
He nodded toward the suitcase resting by her feet.
