episode_0020

Perhaps because it was VIP, my seat was a private room.

The view outside the window was comfortable to see, and there were partitions from other seats, making it optimized for spending quiet time alone.

A short break enjoyed while drinking a cup of fragrant tea.

…It didn’t last long.

-CRASH!

“Why isn’t there a VIP seat for me to sit in?!”

Outside the door, a shrill voice rang out sharply.

Curious as to what was happening, I opened the door and went out, only to find-

“I apologize….”

“There’s nothing to apologize for! Quickly prepare a seat! By any means necessary!”

With long white hair reaching her waist, wearing an elegant dress with a black dragon pattern drawn on it.

A woman who appeared to be around Edith’s age was shouting.

The neatly dressed woman next to her.

She seemed to be a guard, and she was furrowing her brows as if accustomed to this situation.

“Are my words not like words?”

Abusing power and acting tyrannically seemed natural, ingrained in her.

Such behavior couldn’t be considered normal, but… there was a reason behind it, in a way.

‘It’s the Renscia Earldom.’

The villainess young lady who clashes with Edith in the early part of the novel.

She is a woman who takes pride in her status as an Earl’s daughter and causes trouble.

Seeing that, I realized that this train was one that people of high status rode.

-BOW

Looking at Eve, who was of higher status than herself, the staff member repeatedly bowed her head.

One could glimpse the sorrow of a low-level employee with no power.

“The seats are already sold out…. This is according to the train operation policy-”

“Are you contradicting what I’m saying now?”

A situation that could easily worsen.

I carefully intervened amidst the power trip and tyranny.

“There’s a seat left here, would it be okay to share it? Haha.”

As I had experienced the sorrow of low-level employees to the point of being fed up in my previous life, I mediated the situation.

There was no way a seat that was already sold out would suddenly appear, and if things continued like this, Eve’s anger would only keep growing, so it could be seen as an appropriate judgment.

“……”

Eve, who stared at me for a moment, said coldly.

“…Who are you?”

“I am a passenger in the VIP seat.”

“Hmph…. I suppose I’ll specially accept.”

Without a single word of thanks, she opened the private room door, confidently walked in, and plunked herself down.

It was a bit absurd, but I didn’t say anything in particular.

“Thank you….”

Since I received the sincere thanks of the staff member, that was enough.

With that, I and Eve’s guard entered the private room-

-CREAK

And closed the door as it was.

-BOW

The guard bowed her head as a sign of thanks, but Eve lifted her head stiffly and spoke arrogantly towards me.

“What is your name?”

“It’s Owen. I have no surname.”

“No surname, what does that-”

Eve, who was thinking about the meaning of my words, suddenly stood up from her seat as if she had realized something.

“Su- Surely. Are you a commoner?”

“That is correct.”

“Ha…!”

As if boiling with anger, Eve pushed her hair back behind her forehead and pointed her finger at me.

She was already ill-mannered and rude, but revealing that I was a commoner made her even worse.

“Why don’t you show some manners right now! How dare a mere commoner…!”

“Oh dear, I even suggested sharing the seat, this makes my heart ache a little.”

In fact, my heart didn’t ache at all.

It was just such an expected reaction that it was surprising.

Perhaps thinking I was being sarcastic, Eve got even angrier and jumped around.

Saying things like ‘insignificant commoner’ or ‘how dare a mere commoner’.

How could she be so rude?

It was becoming troublesome to react to everything.

Just as the situation was steadily worsening-

“…Lady Eve.”

“Why are you calling?”

“Although he is a commoner, he offered his seat, so please bear with it, my lady.”

The guard next to Eve looked at her and earnestly requested.

Seeing her sigh from the moment Eve spoke down to me and jumped around, it seemed she had gone through all that nasty behavior until arriving here.

She seemed to be hoping for no more fuss.

“Why would I-”

“My lady.”

However, perhaps judging that this alone wouldn’t calm Eve down, she added more words.

“Today is a good day, isn’t it? I’m saying this because I’m concerned your mental energy might be drained, my lady.”

“…Hmph.”

A gentle way of speaking that appeased Eve’s mood while also suggesting she should restrain herself a little.

Since she was earnestly requested, Eve sat down again with her arms crossed.

Although the spitefulness remained on her face… it seemed she decided to follow her guard’s words.

A situation that wasn’t heartwarming but ended cleanly.

…Only I am being treated unfairly, it seems.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have given up the seat.’

The staff member felt sorry and suggested sharing the seat, and that backlash bounced onto me.

I clearly did a good deed, so why should I be cursed at?

I’ve had several unfair things happen until now, but none were as unfair as this.

I haven’t done anything wrong at all in this situation.

“……”

I looked at Eve with a slightly displeased expression.

And-

“What are you grinning about? Aren’t you going to lower your eyes right now?”

The expected reaction came back.

…How rude.

***

After the eventful train journey ended, I, Eve, and her guard disembarked from the train.

Eve was glaring at the staff member even as she got off.

Seeing that sight, I strongly felt that Edith had really grown up well.

-BOW

“Thank you for suggesting sharing the seat.”

“No problem. We all live by helping each other out. Haha.”

Shortly after getting off the train and exchanging warm words with the guard-

“When did I say you could open your mouth? Keep quiet, commoner.”

She couldn’t bear it in between and started ranting again.

She was a character that annoyed me even when reading the novel. Meeting her in person made it worse.

Just as I was about to leave, finding it troublesome to talk to her any further-

-STEP -STEP -STEP

The sight of five knights in armor came into view at the station.

Since it was near the academy, I thought that knights were easily seen even in broad daylight.

-FLUTTER

But then, Eve, who was next to me, suddenly started to sparkle.

“That person…!”

Eve’s gaze was intensely fixed on one of the five knights.

Who on earth was it that she was showing such a reaction?

My gaze also naturally turned towards the knights.

Plate armor and a deep blue… hair…?

‘What the.’

At the station, Kali was accompanied by knights, turning her head this way and that as if looking for someone.

For a moment, I felt a question arise at Kali’s sudden appearance, but then-

“Lady Kali!!”

Eve, who was next to me, lifted her dress so it wouldn’t drag and scurried towards Kali.

She was running almost like rolling, like a sasaeng fan meeting an idol.

Having thus arrived in front of Kali, Eve.

Opened her mouth, full of excitement.

“The Empire’s youngest Knight Commander, the first female knight of the White Wing Knights! You are Lady Kali Flornence, right?!”

“Th- That is correct?”

“Kyaaaah…!”

When Kali answered, Eve trembled for a moment and then urgently called her guard, who was next to me.

“Pen and paper… quickly!!”

At her call, the guard quickly handed over a pen and paper.

I didn’t know that Eve was a huge fan of Kali.

I only knew her as the young lady who was crushed after being defeated by Edith.

I once again realized that one cannot know all information just from text.

“Hmm….”

At the sight of Eve looking at her with burden, Kali put a little distance between them.

Despite that reaction, Eve didn’t care at all and shouted like a machine gun.

“My name is Eve Renscia! I’m a fan!”

“Ah, you were the young lady of the Renscia family.”

The precious daughter of the Earl’s family.

Kali, who discovered the crest on her dress, greeted her politely.

“I am Kali Flornence.”

“P- Please sign!”

“I will do so anytime.”

-SWISH -SWISH

As Kali wrote her name on the paper, Eve bounced around happily.

I thought that if she had a tail, it would be spinning like a propeller.

“Here you go-”

Just as Kali finished signing and was about to return the paper to Eve-

“Huh?”

My eyes met Kali’s.

Kali, who found me, paused for a moment, and then waved at me with a bright smile.

“Owen!!”

Kali raised her hand as if happy to see me and strode towards me.

A completely different attitude compared to when she was signing for Eve.

“…Why that commoner?”

At that reaction, Eve’s expression became strange.

-STEP! -STEP!

But for Kali, Eve was already secondary.

After casually handing over the signed paper, Kali quickly ran towards me.

Having arrived in front of me like that-

“This. Is truly. A coincidence. To meet like this, you see.”

She said it awkwardly to me with pronunciation like someone reading a Korean textbook.

Her voice was filled with awkwardness.

“Is it really a coincidence?”

“……Perhaps that is the case.”

She’s really bad at lying.

When asked again, she slightly turned her head to the left and muttered faintly.

…Oliver probably told her my location.

Even so, why did she come here?

Curious, I looked at the hesitating, leg-crossing Kali and asked.

“Ms. Kali, what brings you here?”

“A light patrol. Patrols must be carried out diligently every day. It can be said to be a knight’s virtue.”

“I don’t see the Vice Commander?”

“……”

“Did you ditch your duties again?”

At those words, Kali was flustered and waved her hand.

“Slacking off?! Handling the superior’s work is the subordinate’s duty-”

“Stop talking nonsense and go back quickly.”

Because Kali kept slacking off so much, one day the Vice Commander of the White Wing Knights came to find me himself.

‘Please… save me…. The Commander isn’t working….’

The sight of the Vice Commander desperately grabbing my pants leg and begging.

Even just thinking of that, sending Kali back is the right thing to do.

At the firm words, Kali mumbled, feeling intimidated.

“Why do you say such harsh things…?”

“Does the knight’s virtue you mentioned, Ms. Kali, include slacking off on subordinates?”

“…That is not the case.”

“Well then, let’s go back quickly? Haha.”

“Alright……”

At my words, Kali, looking dejected, took her knights and went back.

How much does she like slacking off to be like that?

It seems she was quite influenced by Flambert while coming to Outer Street.

Since she spars with him four times a week.

Her skill has naturally increased, but it seems she only learned bad things.

As I was looking at the back of Kali leaving like that-

-PATTER -PATTER

Eve scurried towards me.

Her face contained confusion, doubt, and surprise.

Eve, who was stuttering while alternating glances between me and Kali who was going back dejected, spoke in a trembling voice.

“A- A commoner… are you acquainted with Lady Kali?”

“……”

“Q- Quickly answer. What kind of relationship do you have?!”

Eve, who was initially spouting rude language, suddenly became polite.

Her arrogant attitude remained, but this much was probably her way of being polite, from Eve’s perspective.

Even so, does that erase what she said to me?

With the thought of teasing her a little, I playfully opened my mouth.

“Oh dear… are you truly curious?”

“!!”

Eve nodded her head vigorously.

…I felt a little creeped out by the hint of madness showing through.

Still, my intention to tease her didn’t change.

-SIGH

After letting out a sigh.

As if truly regretting, she continued speaking with a disappointed expression.

“However… you seem to disapprove of an insignificant commoner like myself opening his mouth… So I suppose it would be difficult to tell you? Haha.”

“W- What did you say?!”

As expected, Eve started jumping around again.