I Tried To Escape Through Death

“You can tell the people in the mansion that she’s a wizard, but don’t let anyone talk to Regina about that.” 

“Yes……?”

“I lied to Rena a little bit.” 

Calix looked a little bit embarrassed as he said that. 

“It’s a lie that will be exposed soon anyways, but I still want to enjoy it as much as I can before I get caught.”  

As expected, the knight couldn’t understand the true meaning behind Calix’s words. Of course he couldn’t. If anyone suddenly said words like that, who would be able to understand?

Calix must have realized that too, and soon changed the topic.

“Just tell them not to talk to Regina first until I give them instructions.” 

“……Yes.”

Following that, he gave instructions for what the knights who were to arrive first at Hertrio Mansion to do, and after, the knight greeted him before he left. 

“Then I’ll see you again at Hertrio.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The sound of the carriage door clicking shut could be heard. 

I was still pretending to be asleep with my head on Calix’s thigh. I continued to keep my eyes and thought about what to do with him. 

In fact, now that I think about it, the ‘Regina-a-commoner-wizard-with-capable- abilities-who-was-scouted-from-a-rural-village’ plan that Calix had come up with has the highest success rate. Those who knew me and are close to Calix will eventually find out who I really am someday, anyways. 

‘Until that happens, I have to hide my existence as much as possible.’

Regina, the commoner wife of Duke Hertrio and Regina, the young lady of Troxia who was said to have died, are both equally as dangerous. Being Regina, the commoner witch, would be best. 

But despite knowing that, I still felt bad. The reason being I hated what Calix was doing. Why didn’t he tell me the most important thing? 

I think he wanted to continue playing as a married couple until we reached his estate, where I would end up learning the truth. 

‘Is this the time for us to do something like that?’ 

I was dumbfounded, speechless. How long was Calix planning on enjoying watching me, clumsily pretending to be his wife, after we arrived at his estate? 

As I tossed and turned, his regular pats on my shoulder turned into a gentle caress. 

“Sleep some more.”

I don’t want to.

“The train still has a long way to go before it leaves…” 

You’re going to try to do something else while I’m asleep, aren’t you. 

However, even that resolution couldn’t stop the rushing waves of sleepiness, and I quickly fell back, falling asleep. 

***

Flash.

My eyes suddenly opened; it was like I had finally come to my senses from my nap. They couldn’t adjust to the light right away when I opened them, so I had to blink for a few seconds. 

Ah. It seems that I said out loud the name that had immediately come to mind.

“…Calix.”

With a murmur that sounded like a groan, I came back to my senses. As I got up, I heard a pleased voice next to me.

“It is an honour that you looked for me as soon as you woke up. ” 

“Calix.”

I turned my head to see Calix reading the newspaper, his legs crossed. Our eyes met, and he closed one of his eyes as he put away the newspaper he was reading.

“Did you sleep well?”

“……How long did I sleep for?”

“It hasn’t been long. An hour or so?”

“Pensir?”

“We’re here. Do you see that? That’s Pensir Station.”

Calix answered, readjusting his position. I was able to immediately see through the carriage curtain, and through it, Pensir station.

The train station was built of red bricks, and the sight of it alone seemed to be enough to excite travellers. The tall building, with the clock tower next to it, created an atmosphere that really emphasized the ‘train-station essence’.

“……There are a lot of people here.”

I muttered, looking at the train station. Calix added to my thoughts in an apologetic tone. 

“Once you arrive in Hertrio, you won’t be able to see many people. It’s in the countryside and without any people.” 

I wonder how many people would describe Hetrio as a ‘place without any people’.

‘Compared to the capital, there’s probably not as many people.’

‘ 

“Where are the knights?”

“They went back first. We are scheduled to meet at Hertrio.”

The knights have left first, and Calix and I are the only ones on the train. I had already known that.

“What about the carriage?”

“Oh, this is not my carriage.”

When I asked about the disposition of the carriage we had been riding in, Calix let out a strange exclamation. It seemed that he had just remembered something.  

“We switched carriages while you were sleeping. Did you not notice? You must have slept really well.”

“……”

After listening to his words, I took a closer look, noticing that the interior of the carriage actually was different from the previous one’s. The softness of the seats was also different. 

Even so, I couldn’t believe that I continued sleeping, not being aware of anything, as we changed carriages, even more so because I had fallen asleep without realizing it. I didn’t like it, especially because it seemed that I had been getting too relaxed.

Seeing that I was frowning, Calix moved closer and gently rubbed my cheek.

“What’s the matter? Is it because you don’t like the carriage?”

“No, it’s not that. I just…”

When I raised my gaze, I met Calix’s eyes, which were looking at me filled with concern. When our eyes met, I recalled the lie he had told before I fell asleep. I needed to ask him how long he was going to keep up this lie, this act. 

Seeing his face and his expression that showed concern for me, I couldn’t ask without having any reason to. 

“Nothing. I guess it’s just because I’m still tired.”

‘Maybe I can ask you later.’

Until we arrive at Hertrio. Until then, let’s just make it work for us and do whatever we want. 

The train car that Calix had reserved was special, even for first class. As soon as Calix showed the tickets in his hands, the captain of the train came out and politely greeted us personally. 

We were the only ones in the special class compartment that boarded under the courteous guidance of the station staff.

“Looks like there’s no one else.”

“Normally, there are no nobles who would come all the way to Pensir to take the train.” 

Upon first glance, I noticed that the plush seats were padded with velvet. The weather was getting colder and colder, so the seats were made of warmer materials. 

“Since there are no other people here, you can sit anywhere.”

I sat down and Calix sat across from me. Soon after, the sound of horns could be heard, signalling the departure of the train. 

I had high hopes for what my first train ride would be like, but surprisingly, it was nothing special. To be more precise, it was the same as travelling by carriage. Sitting and looking at the neverending scenery outside… it was fortunate that the seats were more comfortable compared to a carriage’s. 

The train continued to move, passing through several small stations along the way. I was becoming increasingly relaxed, but bored, as the trip continued. 

By the time the train stopped at the fourth station, it felt like my whole body had melted and I was almost one with the train seat. At this station, I stopped paying attention—no one was going to come onto this train car, after all. 

However, the train did not depart even though enough time had passed for the passengers to board the regular compartment. 

“Why isn’t the train departing?” 

If there was a problem, it was long past the length of time needed to fix it. 

Calix also looked outside, checking to see if there was something wrong. At that moment, he must have caught something, as his face rapidly turned harsh. In the reflection of the train car’s window, I could see Calix’s blue eyes flaming with anger. 

He began cursing.

“Those bastards…”

“What’s going on?”

Following Calix’s lead, I turned my gaze and saw a large carriage with several horses standing nearby it. The carriage was adorned with a crest that I had never seen before.

‘Did someone pull up in this carriage?’ 

Calix hurriedly turned his head to find me. When our eyes met, his face was stained with a hint of anxiety and slight irritation. 

“What’s wrong……”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the special class compartment. When I turned my head towards the sound of the knock, I saw the silhouette of a man through the opaque glass window. 

A strange voice was heard.

“May I come in for a moment? By the order of His Majesty, the Emperor, there will be a special inspection.” 

Special inspection?

In an instant, my body stiffened with tension. Unknowingly, I searched for Calix.

Calix, when our eyes met, briefly clicked his tongue before raising his voice. Throughout this process, his gaze never left mine. 

“Explain to me there. What’s going on?”

“There has been a recent order from His Majesty, the Emperor, to conduct special inspections on all trains arriving at this station due to the increased activity of bandits in the area. May I come in?” 

At least the investigator was being polite, seemingly because this was a special class compartment, which was often mostly occupied by nobles. 

However, I currently had no means of proving my identity.

A sense of crisis washed over me. If we made any error, then the fact that I, someone from the Troxia family, had survived could potentially be exposed. 

“I don’t have any identification!”

I whispered urgently to Calix and he frowned, trying to figure out what to do next. 

Calix stood up and answered the investigator outside the door. 

“…That would be difficult right now.”

“I’ll just be checking for a minute. It won’t take long.”

Uneasy, I got up from my seat and approached Calix. He reached out and held onto my hand. 

At that moment, all of a sudden, goosebumps were raised from my head to my toes. All five of my senses were heightened. 

In horror, my body stiffened. 

I could feel someone else’s gaze. Someone was watching us. 

‘It’s not the investigator. Who could it be?’ 

As if it were a reflex, I turned my head, trying to find the culprit. However, when I couldn’t move my head any further, I had to stop. 

‘I couldn’t see it.’ 

My gaze shifted to the sky outside of the window. I could faintly sense the presence of magic. 

‘Is it a wizard’s eyes?’

My hands and feet grew cold from this tension. When I lowered my gaze, I immediately was met with Calix’s eyes. Looking straight at me, Calix’s gaze was unwavering, without even an inch of distraction. 

Frowning, Calix began to open his mouth, but at that moment, the investigator’s voice came from the other side of the door. 

“I will be coming in now.”

At that moment, I had to make a judgment call. I immediately bent down and climbed on top of Calix’s body. 

“Re…”

Flustered, Calix was about to call me by my name, but I immediately lowered my lips to prevent him from doing so. 

“……”

I felt Calix’s body stiffen. I hugged him around his neck without any hesitation. I tilted my head and deepened our kiss, taking advantage of the gap between his lips to whisper. 

“There are eyes looking in from outside the window.”

“Don’t look up.”

At the same time, the door to the special class compartment was thrown open.

I burrowed into his arms, tousling his hair as best as I could. I felt that Calix, who had been stiff, suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist, actively participating. 

“Excuse me… Whoops!”

The investigator, as heard by his voice, was astonished. Showing no interest at all in the investigator, I continued kissing Calix, moving down to his jaw, turning my head to the side in the process to block the investigator’s view of my face. Pretending to be oblivious, I buried my face in Calix’s shoulder and held my breath. 

Calix, who had been actively following my movements, raised his head, an agitated expression on his face. 

“I don’t remember telling you to come in.”

***

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