Chapter 42

***

When she woke up, the dawn was gone entirely.

Looking at the clock, Cassia thought the time would be just right when she got up and got ready to catch the train.

After finishing the preparations and inspecting the house one last time, she simply packed her things and went out to find the carriage prepared by Michael in the yard.

When he looked at her as if he was ready, he opened the carriage door and escorted her.

He also got on the carriage with her, the loud cries of horses resounded, and the carriage set off.

On the way to the station, she looked outside and was lost in thoughts when Michael offered her something.

“Take this.”

“… What’s this?”

An unfamiliar object was placed in the palm of her open hand. They look like little earplugs.

“It is a means of communication. It’s one of the magic items. If you put this in your ear, we can hear each other’s voices from afar.”

“Ah.”

Upon giving the item, he demonstrated it. Cassia followed him and put things in her ears.

When she looked at Michael’s ear, a light was coming from a place that looked like a small jewel.

“When you’re ready to communicate, both of them will light up like this. Communication is possible when the blink is over. Do you want to say anything?”

“Oh, yes. Ah… Oh, I can really hear you!”

His voice was heard through her ears. Cassia opened her eyes in wonder.

She couldn’t believe there was such a magic item. If this was possible, they don’t have to send letters to each other.

They don’t have to wait for the letters to arrive. She would be able to hear his voice anytime, anywhere.

“The last time we exchanged letters, I thought it would be nice to have one if there was something I wanted to do with you again.”

Michael continued.

“When the light blinks, it means the other person wants to communicate, so keep a good eye on it.”

“Okay, this is a really good thing. Thank you, Michael.”

When Cassia answered him, Michael smiled proudly.

Actually, it’s not that Michael didn’t consider going to the capital with Cassia.

But he was obliged to rule over as the Count, and he could not always stay with her.

Besides, if they went to the capital together, there would be people who would doubt them, like Hannah.

She had been embroiled in such scandals all the time as the Duchess. Now, she wanted to learn to paint quietly.

The road to the station was very short.

Arriving at the station shortly after, they got off the carriage. Cassia was wearing a cloak so that people couldn’t recognise her.

When Cassia and Michael walked through the station and arrived at the platform, the steam engine train was waiting for the time to leave.

“I’ll go up to the capital regularly. Let’s meet each other.”

“I see. I will make sure to always carry the communication equipment with me.”

“…”

“Thank you very much. I will never forget the time I spent with you here.”

When it was time to leave, Michael looked at Cassia with mixed emotions.

It’s not like they were breaking up, but she also couldn’t get on the train easily because she felt sorry for nothing.

After looking at each other for a while, Cassia got on the train only when the departure time got closer.

“I’m really going.”

“Be careful.”

He smiled and let her go. Cassia got on the train that was about to depart.

There was a room that only she could enter when she got on the first-class seat of the train that Michael reserved in advance.

As she sat there, took off the hat and looked out the window, she saw him waving at her.

The train started with a loud horn as it was about to depart slowly.

“Goodbye, Michael!”

Cassia waved at him. 

His figure faded away. 

It became a dot and disappeared.

The scenery of Lawrencia, which she was familiar with, began to pass by.

In a short time, the memories she had built here flashed through her mind.

Irwin, a stranger who came to see her. 

Michael, with whom she reunited after a long time at the villa.

Duke Whidrian and Nick came to see her. 

The conversations she had with them. 

Moments when she said goodbye to Adolf.

She knew it was time to bury them in the corner of her memory.

For a fresh start. 

For another happiness. 

For her life.

Wearing the same clothes as she did when she came here, she left Lawrencia.

A New Start

A great horn rang out. It was the sound of arrival.

Cassia woke up from her sleep, her face buried deep in her cloak and her eyes closed.

She saw an unfamiliar landscape outside the window. The name of the station with ‘Le Mans’ written on it, a lot of people came and went…

Many people passed by the window to announce that the train had arrived in the capital.

The capital, Le Mans.

The roots of the Fontrich Empire. 

The cultural centre. 

A place where many people live and interact.

When the sound of the train’s arrival rang, people began to rush out, carrying their luggage.

“…”

Cassia looked out the window for a moment, pulled her cloak, put on her hat, and left the room with her luggage.

She got out of the train and stepped onto the platform as if being pushed by the crowd.

The hard floor touched the heel of the shoes and made a sound.

It had been ten days since she left Lawrencia.

* * *

The first place she went to was her home. Where she would mainly live in the capital.

When she got out of the station, she got into the carriage and headed to her house with a piece of paper that had the address written on it.

It was actually her first visit to a house to stay in the capital, as Michael had randomly picked it up for her.

Shortly thereafter, a carriage arrived in front of the house. After checking the address, she opened the door with the key she was given in advance.

“…”

Michael once asked her if there were any conditions to consider when looking for a house.

What did she say? 

She said she didn’t want the house to be too big and noticeable.

A moderately cozy and well-located house, like the house and gallery she stayed in Lawrencia.

The house fully satisfied the conditions she spoke of, both externally and internally.

The house was not far from the Imperial Palace, and at the same time, it was secretly in a corner, so it was not noticeable.

The appearance was also not much different from the houses nearby, so there was no reason for people to look at it.

It was difficult to find a house as quiet as a shadow in a capital city with so many people and various circumstances.

The interior also had the same size and structure as the house where she stayed in Lawrencia.

Besides, the carriage that had already left from Lawrencia had arrived and had already packed everything up.

When she saw her luggage was laid out, she felt like she was in the house she used to live in, not the house she first came into.

After looking around the house, Cassia smiled in satisfaction.

It was the moment she was thinking that she should contact Michael. Not surprisingly, the communication device flashed.

“Michael.”

[Did you arrive safely?]

As she was taught, she put the communication device in her ear and heard Michael’s voice.

[I think it was time to arrive, but I didn’t get a call yet, so I thought of calling you first.]

“Anyway, I just arrived, and I was just about to contact you, but it blinked.”

Cassia smiled as she sat on the tidy bed and touched the duvet. His voice came again.

[How was the train? Did you like the food they served you?]

“Yes, it was definitely comfortable because it’s first class. The food served was delicious.”

She would have had a much more uncomfortable time if she had spent ten days on a train trip in the public seat.

“I’ve just looked at the house, and I love it. It’s just the house I wanted.”

[I chose it carefully, but I’m glad you like it.]

“It’s all thanks to your meticulous attention to the detail. Thank you so much, Michael.”

As she smiled, she could feel him smiling happily from the other side of the device.

[So, what are you going to do now?]

“I think I’ll take a break today. I came comfortably, but I feel sleepy. After arriving, I suddenly felt so tired. I’m going to take a little rest and go see Adolf when I feel better.”

[All right. Got it. Take a good rest now. I’ll try to do a job to go up to the capital if possible.]

“Yes, Michael, don’t overdo it. I’m doing well.”

The line disconnected. She took the telecommunication equipment out of her ears, organised it, and placed it down on the bed.

Her heart was beating happily. Because it was a new beginning. She didn’t know it herself, but she guessed she had some expectations for her new life.

She closed her eyes slowly.

Fatigue was coming in.

* * *

She had time to unwind and adjust to this place for a while.

It was true that the way to get here was easy as much as Michael cared about it, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t tired.

She slept, ate when the time came, and the rest of the time, she had time to organise her unpacked luggage.

After a few days of rest at home, she could feel her body feeling better.

Thanks to tidying up from time to time, the house was completely her space now.

Today she decided to go out and have a look. She had an important job to do as well as go grocery shopping.

She put on the cloak, hat and went outside with a basket.

As she walked along the road, the complex and diverse landscapes of the capital caught her eyes.

Compared to Lawrencia, the capital certainly varied in age, attire, and even status of the people.

From nobles riding in luxury carriages to children wandering the streets with black stains on their faces.

There was a huge number of people walking down the street. It was as complicated and tumultuous as the capital.

A landscape of two extreme poles unfolded in one space. It was as if two different worlds existed in her head.

She felt as if she had become a shadow staring at the landscapes, or a stranger.

The first place she went to while looking at such a scenery was the Imperial Palace.

***

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