Chapter 4
The first night on the express train was surprisingly comfortable.
The huge bed that took up a third of the cabin was incredibly cozy—not too soft, not too firm, just the perfect amount of support.
The pillow also suited me perfectly, allowing for deep sleep.
My biggest worry had been noise, but it wasn’t that loud. The sound of the train became like white noise, which actually soothed me.
At some point, I slowly woke up to light streaming through the window.
When I opened my eyes, a beautiful sunrise was unfolding outside.
“…Wow. Amazing.”
I instinctively got up and stared out the window.
The train was running along the coast, and the morning sunlight was rising over the deep blue sea, scattering golden glimmers across the waves.
“So this is the charm of a train trip? It’s my first time experiencing this…”
Knock, knock. The cabin door opened.
“Good morning, Miss! Did you sleep well? Are you feeling okay?”
“Good morning, Sophie! Yes, I feel fine.”
Sophie’s face clearly showed she had slept well too.
She came over and looked out the window with me.
“I asked a staff member just now—this is the Randa Sea. The train is heading to Risman Station. Isn’t the sunrise beautiful?”
“Yes. I’m really glad I came here.”
Even though I had been shaken yesterday by unexpectedly running into a male lead, that feeling was long gone.
Watching the beautiful sunrise made me feel thankful I had embarked on this journey.
Sophie smiled warmly seeing me with my nose practically pressed against the window.
“You need to change your clothes. I’ll bring water to wash up. Breakfast time is soon, so we’ll have to go to the dining car.”
“Ah. Okay!”
First-class passengers had their meals in the dining car, as I had experienced with the grand dinner last night.
“It was so insanely delicious…”
The lavish spread of luxury dishes was something I had never experienced even in my past life.
This trip was truly giving me the taste of luxury and indulgence.
I couldn’t wait to see what breakfast would be like.
After washing up, I changed into a dress and headed to the dining car.
As soon as I stepped in, refreshing classical music flowed through the air. People were coming and going, chatting quietly as they enjoyed breakfast.
A staff member approached.
“Good morning, traveler. I’ll guide you to your table.”
“Yes! …I mean, thank you.” I nodded gracefully, keeping my excitement inside.
“I wonder what breakfast will be… drum roll, please.”
As soon as I sat down, I started scanning the room.
I was curious about what food others were eating.
At the table next to me, a man was sitting with his face hidden behind a newspaper.
Because his face was covered, I was able to shamelessly peek at his table. There were fragrant toast, coffee, butter and jam, and some soup.
“Ohh, brunch!”
Eating breakfast at a hotel or train was one of my small dreams too.
I nodded with satisfaction.
The fresh classical music, the morning sunlight streaming in through the windows, and people quietly chatting while eating breakfast…
“It’s perfect.”
But the man reading the newspaper caught my eye.
“He’s not even touching his food even though the dining car is full of people. What a selfish passenger.”
Because he wasn’t moving while everyone else was busy eating, he stood out even more.
‘This feels similar to when I saw Harry and Finn yesterday…’
Just as I was quietly staring at him, he slowly lowered the newspaper, revealing his face.
“…Wow.”
I couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp when I saw him.
He was unbelievably handsome.
He had the kind of presence that could make the entire dining car light up.
The morning sunlight shining through the window illuminated his silver hair and fair complexion. With his long lashes lowered as he focused on reading, he looked like a beautiful sculpture—despite his “rude” behavior.
And then…
He looked exactly like a certain male lead from the novel.
“…Huh?”
My brows furrowed.
“No way… Albert?!”
Another male lead was sitting across from me!
Albert von Hashit.
The only male lead with “von” in his name.
He was the prince of the Hashit Empire and soon-to-be crown prince.
I looked at his silver hair gleaming under the sunlight, like the glimmering sea I had seen that morning.
“People with such beautiful silver hair are rare in the empire…”
With his long lashes and high nose bridge, he was even more strikingly handsome than most male leads in the romance fantasy world.
Albert and I (as Irene Hartmann) already knew each other. We had even been considered for marriage when we were young and had once been close friends.
“Which means… he really hates me now.”
But why was he here?
I began to panic.
Meeting another male lead was already bad enough, but Albert was the biggest problem of them all.
He was the main male lead and the one who would kill me in the future.
I remembered the scene from the novel vividly:
“For the crime of attempting to kill the empire’s saint, Lady Irene Hartmann will be executed.”
Albert had cut off Irene’s head without hesitation, almost like a psychopath, even though they had once been close.
Emily had been standing next to him at the execution, and Albert had even covered Emily’s eyes from the sight at the last moment.
“He was always so kind and gentle… but only to the people he cared about. Like Emily.”
I had died before I could see the novel’s ending, but I remembered up to that point.
My body trembled instinctively.
And then Albert’s eyes lifted from the newspaper and met mine across the aisle.
“…?”
“……!”
“Crap.”
I quickly turned my head away and squeezed my eyes shut.
“Please don’t recognize me, please don’t recognize me…”
But my hope was crushed.
Albert set down the newspaper with a thud and stood up, striding toward me with his long legs.
I needed to run…
“Lady Hartmann?”
He was already standing in front of me, frowning as he called my name.
“Why are you on this train?”
“Ah…”
I slowly looked up at him and forced a nervous laugh.
“…I’m screwed.”
Clank, clank.
The peaceful breakfast continued in the dining car.
People sipped soup and buttered bread to the gentle sound of classical music.
But at one table, the atmosphere was ice cold.
“Why are the male leads on this train?!”
I couldn’t believe it. Another male lead.
The train had only departed yesterday, which meant they had all boarded at the same time as me.
“Two male leads boarded the same train as me?! This can’t just be coincidence…”
Could it be that the other male leads were on the train too?
I glanced around the room, but I didn’t notice anyone unusual.
When my gaze returned to Albert, he was sitting across from me, arms crossed, not touching his food, and staring at me intently.
“If only some incident would distract him…”
But unfortunately, the train continued smoothly without incident.
Albert, who had been staring at me silently, suddenly asked,
“Why are you on this train?”
