Chapter 52
“I hadn’t thought that far.”
Eugenia held her breath quietly, repeating that undeniable truth to herself once again.
“I’m going back to being alone.”
Eating alone, sleeping alone, walking the streets alone.
“And I’ll laugh alone too.”
Suddenly, her mood sank.
“Can I really do that?”
Now, after everything?
“Uh, hmm…”
Eugenia paused, tracing the name of the Herace Territory with her fingertips.
For some reason, she wanted to look away from that place.
That was how she truly felt, but she forced herself to keep her eyes on it.
If she didn’t take them to the Herace Duchy…
“That would make me a real kidnapper, wouldn’t it?”
She forced a laugh, trying to distract herself with silly thoughts, but in the end, she took a shaky breath.
Thinking of the future that was fast approaching made her heart feel unbearably heavy.
“That’s going to feel really… lonely.”
The green barley in her eyes withered in an instant.
Eugenia pressed her lips tightly together, folded the map, and placed it on the side table.
Then she let out a long sigh, blew out the candle, and crawled under the covers.
The room fell into silence in an instant.
The next morning, Eugenia was, as always, the first to wake up.
“Good morning. Did everyone sleep well?”
Her voice and expression were as kind as ever.
The three of them had a simple breakfast on the first floor and then returned to their room.
“Kids, could you come here for a second?”
Eugenia called the children over and had them sit at the table.
Then she spread out the map she had reviewed the night before.
“This is the village we’re currently in.”
At that moment, a large road caught her eye.
It was a route she hadn’t noticed last night, busy as she was searching for the Herace Territory.
She recalled what Alberi had said before he left.
“There’s a fork in the road once you leave this village.”
‘Lord Enrique and Alberi went this way.’
She clearly remembered the direction they disappeared toward.
Eugenia paused and began to follow the road on the map with her eyes.
‘Where did they go?’
The path they took led toward the heart of the empire.
And among the names on the map, the one that stood out most was undoubtedly the imperial capital, Horn.
‘Did they go to the capital?’
Just then, Joshua spoke.
“Eugenia? This is where we are now, right? What’s next?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Eugenia blinked quickly and forced herself to refocus.
She directed her attention away from the path Enrique had taken and toward another one.
The road heading north.
That was the path they needed to take.
“If we go straight like this…”
Her finger slid across the map and stopped.
Drawing a circle around the territory, she opened her mouth to speak.
“This is the Herace Territory.”
“Wow.”
Joshua leaned so far over the table he looked like he might climb on top of it, staring intently at the map.
When Eugenia glanced at him, she saw his golden eyes sparkling with excitement.
“So if we go here, we’ll meet our great-aunt?”
“Probably.”
Eugenia nodded slowly.
“Of course, there might be a mansion in the capital too, but the Duchess of Herace—your great-aunt—is more likely to be in the territory.”
It was common for retired nobles who had passed on their titles to move to their home estates to enjoy a quieter life.
“So, we’re heading to the Herace Territory first.”
While listening silently to their conversation, Selmia raised her right hand.
“I have a question!”
It was a gesture asking for permission to speak because she wanted to say something.
This was a little game they played while traveling, a roleplay they often did when bored, and Eugenia had joined in a few times.
Though Joshua had always dismissed it as childish and never participated.
‘She’s so cute. How can she be this cute?’
Eugenia looked at Selmia with eyes full of fondness and slowly nodded.
The situation was serious, but a short moment of playful roleplay wasn’t something she couldn’t indulge.
She played along, speaking formally.
“Yes, Miss Selmia. You may speak.”
“Thank you.”
Selmia replied with exaggerated politeness before immediately returning to her usual childlike expression and grumbling.
“Big sis, are we taking a carriage again?”
Her tone already hinted at exhaustion.
At the same time, she peeked at Eugenia to gauge her reaction.
Eugenia felt a wave of guilt welling up inside.
‘She never said anything, but how hard must it have been for her?’
Carriages and horses were far from comfortable means of travel.
And for Selmia, who had weaker stamina than most, it must have been even more grueling.
That she hadn’t complained until now was probably because she, too, understood how dire their situation was.
If the journey got any longer, it would surely take a toll on the girl’s health.
‘There’s no reason to go slowly anymore.’
So just this once, Eugenia could say it with confidence.
“No. This time, we’re taking the train.”
“…Really?”
“Yup. We’re almost there now. So we should get there quickly.”
The children’s faces lit up visibly at her words.
Watching them, Eugenia followed with a smile, a beat behind.
They would depart three days later.
All other tickets had been sold out, and that was the soonest they could get seats.
In the meantime, Eugenia took the children to a doctor for check-ups.
Joshua was fine, and Selmia was prescribed a tonic to help boost her strength.
They also ate well, using the money Enrique had left behind, enjoying nourishing meals.
“Alright, let’s get ready then.”
On the day of departure, Eugenia pulled a dress from her bag.
It was a light-colored dress, not mourning clothes.
Since they were traveling in first class, she couldn’t wear commoner’s clothing anymore.
“You two, get changed too.”
She dressed the children in the fine clothes Enrique had bought for them.
When they arrived at the train station, a long whistle blew—it was almost time to depart.
“No matter how fast we got ready, it’s still cutting it close.”
She murmured as she hurried toward the train with the children.
Just then, a loud hissing sound erupted from the engine.
It was their first time seeing a train, and all three of them stood with mouths slightly open in awe.
“Wow, it’s so long.”
“It’s as long as a banana! I want a banana.”
“Sherry, what kind of logic is that?”
The three of them made completely unrelated comments.
Then, the station attendant’s voice rang out, snapping Eugenia back to reality.
“Departure in 15 minutes! All passengers boarding the 10 a.m. train bound for Herace Territory, please proceed to the platform!”
“Alright, let’s go. Don’t stare too much, or we’ll look suspicious. If you want to see more, wait until we’re inside.”
“Okay.”
Eugenia approached an attendant.
“Could you help us find our compartment?”
The attendant checked the three tickets she handed over and immediately changed his demeanor.
“Ah, first-class passengers.”
He looked around and raised his hand, calling over a nearby porter.
“You there! Come here.”
“Yes, sir!”
The porter rushed over and bowed.
“Carry the lady’s luggage and guide her to the first-class cabin.”
“Right away!”
Eugenia handed over her bags.
They headed toward the front of the train and stopped in front of the second car.
The very first one seemed to be a special compartment.
The porter began explaining.
“There are three rooms in this car.”
As they boarded, two well-dressed men stood guard at the entrance to the first-class section.
Both wore long swords at their hips.
‘Knights? Guards? Escorts?’
Eugenia’s gaze lingered on them for a moment before she looked away.
The children, intimidated, shrank behind Eugenia’s skirts.
The porter chuckled kindly and reassured them.
“Young master, young lady—these gentlemen may look scary because they’re big, but don’t worry. They’re just here to protect you and make sure your journey is safe.”
It was meant to comfort the children, but even Eugenia, an adult, felt reassured.
‘Just as Lord Enrique said.’
Expensive things truly were worth the price.
Even if they weren’t knights, the guards assigned to protect high-class passengers were surely skilled.
‘Hopefully nothing happens, but if it does, they could at least buy us some time to escape.’
As she continued thinking, the porter spoke again.
“Ma’am, if you don’t mind, may I see your tickets once more?”
Eugenia nodded and handed him the three tickets.
The porter passed them to the guards.
It seemed even ticket inspection for first class was handled by security to block unauthorized access.
After thoroughly checking the tickets, the guards returned them and said respectfully,
“Ma’am, you and your companions may use the first compartment.”
Eugenia nodded silently.
The porter carried their luggage inside and opened the door for them.
The compartment was quite spacious. With two bedrooms, a living room, and even a bathroom, it was practically a luxury inn on rails.
“Thank you for your help.”
Eugenia gave the porter a generous tip.
“Thank you very much. Have a pleasant journey.”
She nodded, closed the door, and drew the curtains.
“Wow!”
“This looks like our old room!”
The children, seeing a train compartment for the first time, crowded by the window with wide eyes.
Eugenia, too, sat down and quietly gazed outside.
“Train departing!”
The sound of the station bell rang as the attendant swung it gently.
Soon, the wheels began to roll, and the scenery that had been stationary started to slide past slowly.
‘Will I really see him again… one year from now?’
Once they left this place, there would be no more connection to Enrique.
‘Maybe I should’ve made a firmer promise.’
She couldn’t shake the lingering regret.
And just like that, the train began moving, unaware of her feelings.
