Chapter 11 of (The Perfect Ending Plan of a Villain in a Fairy Tale):
I shook my head vigorously.
A curse is just a curse.
“No matter how much they rant in their heads, they can’t hurt me.”
More importantly, I had to protect my life—and Larisa’s.
I checked to make sure Larisa’s face and hair were properly hidden by her bonnet, then tugged my scarf to cast a shadow over my own face.
I didn’t want to attract any more attention.
Up ahead, a few rental carriages were waiting for passengers.
Hoping Igor hadn’t seen us, I quickened my pace.
* * *
The train station I saw after getting out of the carriage was small and modest.
I had expected a grand and beautiful building, a black steam engine belching smoke, and crowds bustling around.
But this was just a quiet, ordinary countryside station.
“There are fewer people than I thought.”
Worried that Igor might be hiding nearby and watching us, I looked around anxiously.
It didn’t seem like anyone was paying special attention to us.
I quickly approached the ticket window.
“One-way to DF Station, two tickets please. The earliest departure.”
“All sold out for today.”
“Sold out?”
The unexpected response made me raise my voice in surprise.
The station clerk yawned and replied, “This station doesn’t get many trains. Tickets sell out fast. There’s one leaving at this time tomorrow. Want those instead?”
Tomorrow afternoon?
If we got delayed even a day, we could be caught again in no time.
“Should we just rent a carriage to the next station?”
But a carriage couldn’t compete with the speed of a train.
“And there’s no guarantee there’ll be seats at the next station either.”
I frowned.
Just then, a voice came from behind.
“No need for that.”
Startled, I turned around.
What blocked my view was the chest of a man.
When I looked up, I saw a face I had become a little familiar with.
It was the man from the restaurant earlier.
He had apparently wiped his face with a handkerchief, so he wasn’t as muddy as before.
His thick black curls, elegant forehead, sharp nose, and firm jawline radiated masculinity.
But most striking were the red eyes that stared right through me.
“Huh? Red eyes?”
I hadn’t noticed inside the restaurant.
Maybe it was because he had been sitting in a dim corner?
Now, under the bright sunlight, they were clearly red.
Bright red, in fact.
“Can people even have red eyes?”
Maybe they were brown but looked red in the light?
I was momentarily speechless.
The man calmly looked down at me and spoke.
“You’re trying to get tickets to DF Station, yes?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Then come with us.”
“…Sorry?”
How could we go without tickets?
Blinking in confusion, I tried to make sense of what he was saying.
Then the man with glasses standing next to him added, “It’s a coincidence, but we bought first-class tickets. As you know, that means we reserved an entire compartment—there’s plenty of space for the two of you. It seats up to six.”
“That’s right. A total coincidence, but we’re also headed to DF Station,” the red-eyed man quickly agreed.
“There’s room, so why not come with us?”
The two emphasized the word “coincidence” so much it felt suspicious.
“What the heck… that’s kind of shady, isn’t it?”
“Thanks, but I’m thinking of renting a carriage to the next station.”
I took a step back, clutching Larisa’s hand tightly.
“Igor Blick from Nostrand.”
The red-eyed man softly said my father’s full name.
Larisa froze in an instant.
“…You’re being pursued, aren’t you? You likely don’t have time to travel to another station.”
Was that… a threat?
“But why?”
I bit my lip.
Then the man with glasses elbowed the red-eyed man hard in the side.
“Don’t do that. You’re making her nervous.”
The red-eyed man cleared his throat and changed his tone.
“We’re genuinely grateful for what you did earlier. Please consider this our way of thanking you.”
Thanking me? Oh, that little beggar boy incident?
I had just stepped in because I didn’t want to owe anyone.
“But they really did pick up on the danger, huh?”
I had given them a hint, but they seemed pretty sharp.
Maybe… they were used to these kinds of situations.
I quietly observed the two men before me.
Blinded by the red-eyed man’s looks, I hadn’t properly noticed earlier, but the man in glasses was also quite handsome.
Soft brown hair and eyes, and about the same height as the red-eyed man.
Even with glasses, a handsome man is handsome.
With two attractive men offering politely, my guard lowered a little.
Most importantly, I didn’t hear any malicious thoughts from either of them.
“They don’t seem to mean us harm.”
Besides, I had no better options.
“What could possibly go wrong?”
“…Then I’ll gratefully accept.”
As promised, the first-class compartment was luxurious.
It was the size of a large carriage, with wide seats spacious enough for six and even a small table.
I sat Larisa by the window.
Just in case, I only opened the curtain after the train started moving and the station was out of sight.
Larisa, fascinated by the view, turned fully toward the window and couldn’t take her eyes off it.
“Good call seating her there.”
I chuckled and turned to the opposite seat.
“Thank you again for your help. I didn’t even catch your names. I’m Marcia. And this is Larisa.”
I expressed my gratitude once more.
I deliberately didn’t mention our surname.
Igor had already said his full name earlier, so they probably guessed ours was Blick.
“Assuming they believe what Igor said.”
The two men exchanged glances.
Then the red-eyed man spoke first.
“Arno.”
Short and simple. He also didn’t give a surname.
“Call me Po,” said the man with glasses. It was unclear if that was his first or last name.
I stared at them for a moment.
It didn’t seem proper to ask for their full names when I hadn’t given mine.
So I gave a small nod and sat next to Larisa.
As if waiting, Arno and Po sat on the opposite side.
“….”
“….”
Silence settled over the compartment. But no one seemed uncomfortable.
Larisa was motionless, staring out the window.
Po pulled a small book from his bag and began reading.
Arno closed his eyes completely.
He didn’t seem to be sleeping, but he clearly didn’t want to talk.
“I guess I’m the only one feeling awkward in the silence.”
In any case, the train ride was very comfortable.
Was it because it was first class? Or because the two burly men who had helped us were also here?
Either way, it was far more relaxing than that nerve-wracking carriage ride.
Thanks to that, I had time to calmly observe my new companions.
I narrowed my eyes and looked them over.
Arno and Po’s clothes were torn and dirty, but of quite good quality.
They were slightly out of fashion, but the fit on their tall frames made it clear they had been custom-made.
And they had the means to afford a private first-class compartment, despite being able to sit with others.
“And they’re headed for the Laurent Duchy’s heart…”
Even without their full names, I could guess their status.
Near the Laurent Grand Duke’s estate, high society—just like the royal capital—was in full bloom.
There must be noble residences gathered there.
“They must be among those nobles.”
Their outfits weren’t the most luxurious, so maybe they were mid-level noble sons or from newly risen nobility?
Now that I thought about it, when they spoke to each other, Arno used casual speech while Po was polite.
Maybe Arno was of higher status.
“Maybe they didn’t introduce themselves properly because they were embarrassed about their current bedraggled appearance.”
It was clear they weren’t helping us with any hidden motives.
If they were, they’d be asking questions and trying to gather information.
“Back at the restaurant, he said he helped us because he didn’t like noise. Was that true?”
But he really didn’t seem interested in talking.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
The low voice startled me.
Arno had opened his eyes and was looking right at me.
His ruby-red gaze pierced through me.
Only then did I realize I had been resting my chin on my hand and absentmindedly staring at him.
