TLVGAJ 35

~Chapter 35~

My heart sank.

Without realizing it, Albert turned around and left the dining car.

Once in the train’s connecting corridor, Albert stood behind a nearby structure, watching Irene and the man through the small window in the door.

Who is that man?

The man’s back was to him, so he couldn’t tell who it was.

One thing was certain—the atmosphere between them seemed very good. With a lavish meal and wine, it looked almost like they were on a date.

…Wasn’t Irene doing well with Eric?

Why is she suddenly dining with some stranger?

Albert shook his head.

This isn’t something I should be concerned about anymore.

Whether Irene liked Eric or this man, the truth was she wasn’t interested in him.

And he had no right to say anything about her heart.

Albert straightened his posture.

He briefly thought about passing through the dining car casually, but he wasn’t the kind of person who could walk right past them in this situation without a second thought.

In the end, he decided to just return to his compartment. But just as he was about to turn away—

The blond man sitting across from Irene seemed to excuse himself, then stood up.

He turned and walked toward the connecting corridor—straight toward where Albert was.

Uh…

Albert instinctively hid himself.

The man came into the corridor holding a communication magic device. He must have gotten a call and stepped out while spending time with Irene.

“Hey, it’s me.”

Leaning against the wall, the man began talking to someone through the device.

And then—

Albert frowned as he heard the man’s words.

I took a sip of the red wine in front of me.

The deep, rich aroma filled my mouth.

Hmm… Maybe because this world is set in an old Western style—even if it’s fictional, the wine really is delicious.

The food I’d ordered to go with the wine was also excellent.

While I was savoring the wine alone, someone appeared before me.

Thinking it was Hans, I looked up—only for my lips to stiffen slightly.

Surprisingly, the person sitting across from me was… Albert.

“Your Highness? What brings you here…?”

“Want to dance with me?”

“…?”

It was such an out-of-the-blue question that I just stared at him blankly.

He seemed to realize that wasn’t the right start, sighed, and spoke again.

“Don’t misunderstand, Irene.”

“…Yes?”

“There could be dangerous people at the train’s ball. Remember, nobody knows each other’s status.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“So you shouldn’t trust anyone carelessly. And avoid having meals with just anyone. Understand?”

“…Ah.”

I finally understood what Albert meant.

He must have seen me having dinner with Hans by chance.

Yes… from his perspective, it would make sense to be concerned.

But—

“Don’t worry. Hans is a good person.”

“…What?”

“I’m interested in him too. I just wanted to meet different travelers and have a simple meal. I’d rather you not interfere with who I meet.”

“Weren’t you getting along with Eric?”

“That’s…”

I was about to continue when—

“Who are you?”

Hans—who had stepped out earlier with his communication device for urgent business—had returned, tilting his head as he looked down at Albert.

“This lady and I were in the middle of a meeting.”

“….”

“Lady, do you know this man?”

Hans’s gaze turned to me, still puzzled.

I took another sip of wine and, instead of answering, smiled softly.

“Hans, shall we go dance?”

“…What?”

Hans’s eyes widened in surprise. Albert’s expression was much the same.

“The ball is in full swing. Don’t you think we should at least have one dance? To commemorate our first meeting?”

“Ah…”

When I smiled up at Hans, he let out a small laugh.

“Wow… that just made my heart flutter.”

“….”

“Alright. It would be an honor to dance with you.”

Hans extended his hand like an escort. I took it and stood.

In a warm, cheerful mood, I held his hand and began walking.

Before leaving the dining car, I glanced back—Albert was standing alone, quietly watching us.

What a stroke of luck.

If Hans had to put his current feelings into words, that would be it.

He glanced down at Irene, whose hand he was holding as they headed toward the train car where the ball was being held.

The conversation he’d had earlier with a friend over the magic device replayed in his mind.

[Hey, Hans. How’s it going? This time, you have to succeed in moving up in status.]

[Of course. I’ve hooked an incredible woman this time, Charlie.]

[What? Really?]

[Yeah. She seems pure. If I play it right, I could really rise in status.]

[Puhaha! Are you telling me she’s actually falling for you?]

Charlie had laughed in disbelief, and Hans nodded.

[Of course. I pretended to be a bit clueless and she acted kindly. This time, it’s for real.]

[I’ll give you this—you’ve got guts. Using the special nature of the express train’s ball to run a scam. Anyway, good luck.]

[Just wait. I’ll show up in front of you soon with a noble title.]

Hans’s scheme relied on the fact that at the Ramier Express ball, it was difficult to know each other’s true identities.

He intended to approach naive noblewomen and swindle them.

If marriage earned him a title, even better.

From the very start—spilling champagne on her dress, asking her on a date—everything had been intentional.

That silver-haired man is still a little bothersome…

A strikingly handsome man with silver hair.

He clearly looked to be of high status, just like the lady.

And, although Hans wasn’t certain… it seemed that man had passed by when Hans was speaking to Charlie.

He couldn’t have overheard my conversation with Charlie, could he?

Recalling the unpleasant man’s face, Hans frowned.

Just then, the train car where the ball was being held came into view.

Irene stepped inside and looked up at him with a smile.

“Well then, shall we have a dance?”

“…Certainly.”

Hans gazed down at her with as much excitement as he could muster.

He had practiced noble dances for moments like this.

Although he was naturally clumsy and had never grown up in an environment where high-society culture like dancing was common,

he could at least manage well enough to charm one naive noblewoman.

But then—Irene’s high heels stopped abruptly on the floor.

She withdrew the hand that had been resting on his arm and said:

“You call yourself a noble, but you can’t dance?”

“…What?”

Hans felt his heart drop as he looked down at her.

Somehow, Irene was now looking at him with cold eyes.