Chapter 13

Thank you for the favorite registration and the rating!

The Tempool station, the starting point of the railway in the Doria Baroness, was bustling with people.

During the off-season in summer, many people either retreat to the territory or head for vacation. The northeastern part of the Doria Baroness, connected by railway to the Zachfill Earl's territory, is at a high altitude and remains cool even in summer, making it a popular resort. Therefore, many people visit for travel.

The train has first-class to third-class carriages, and Olivia and her party had reserved a first-class carriage. The first-class carriage is a completely private room with its own restaurant.

They boarded the train in the morning, and the journey would take about four hours, so they decided to have lunch on the train.

Immediately after boarding, they put their luggage in their respective rooms and headed to the car that serves as a restaurant and café. The train was due to depart in about ten minutes.

Perhaps because it was a first-class carriage, the floor was polished to a shine. In the center was an aisle, and on both sides were benches facing each other, with tables in between. The benches, seats, and backrests were all plush, and a single sunflower was arranged on the wooden table.

Olivia, afraid of sitting by the window, chose a seat by the aisle, while Silas sat by the window. Alan and Princess Florenzia sat opposite them. Legion, Princess Florenzia's guard knight, stood a little distance away.

When Olivia and her party were seated, a waiter came to take their drink orders. Olivia and Princess Florenzia ordered herbal tea, while Alan and Silas ordered red wine. By the time the sugar candies shaped like flowers were served with the herbal tea and the cheese with the red wine, Olivia was feeling restless, as the departure time was approaching.

Under the table, Silas gently squeezed Olivia's hand. Although they were accompanying Princess Florenzia on her inspection, they were dressed appropriately for the occasion, not in full formal attire. Feeling Silas's warmth through the silk gloves, Olivia relaxed a bit.

(Nothing happened during the opening ceremony, and Prince Silas is here, so it will be fine, right?)

When she looked up, she was greeted with a smile. Just as Olivia was about to return the smile, the train gave a slight jolt, and she let out a small scream.

Silas released her hand and pulled her closer by the shoulder.

The train jolted only at the start, and after that, it moved smoothly with only a slight clattering sound.

The scenery outside the window began to move and gradually sped up.

Olivia, who had been nervous, calmed down thanks to Silas's warmth. It was her second time, so she had built up some resistance. While she wasn't completely calm, the tension in her body eased.

Princess Florenzia, who seemed to be fine with the train, was leisurely sipping her herbal tea. Alan was looking at Olivia with concern.

Feeling embarrassed about her scream, Olivia covered her cheeks with her hands.

"It's good that it's not raining. Here, you like blue cheese, right?"

Silas drizzled honey over the blue cheese and offered it to Olivia, who nodded as she accepted it. It was really good that it wasn't raining; it might have been even more frightening.

After the train had been moving for a while, a waiter brought the menu for lunch. Olivia didn't know this, but the menu served on the train was more substantial than she had expected. There were about five courses, from appetizers to desserts, with choices for the main course and dessert. The waiter was explaining the menu and taking their orders. Olivia and Silas ordered fish, while Alan and Princess Florenzia chose meat. For dessert, Olivia and Princess Florenzia chose chocolate cake, Silas chose pudding, and Alan chose cheese cake.

The appetizers, a small spinach quiche and a salad of tomatoes, basil, and cottage cheese, were brought to the table. A light white wine was also served.

As they began their meal, they gradually got used to the slight jolts of the train and stopped noticing them. The scenery outside the window, moving at a faster pace than a carriage, became enjoyable once they got used to it.

After finishing their meal and returning to their room, Olivia decided to read a book until they reached the final station.

The first-class carriage was a completely private room, so there was almost no unnecessary noise except for the clattering of the wheels. Occasionally, voices could be heard from the corridor.

Olivia was reading a biography of King Adrian from the middle period of the ancient dynasty, who built the royal palace in the current Zachfill Earl's territory. According to the biography, the palace was also known as the "White Rose Palace" and had a complex structure, like layers of rose petals. It was designed to be like a maze to prevent enemies from reaching the king. King Adrian was known to be cautious and suspicious.

In addition to the maze-like structure, the White Rose Palace had various traps and hidden escape routes for the royal family in case of an emergency.

(I wonder what kind of traps and hidden passages there were...)

Olivia slowly turned the pages, reflecting on the era of King Adrian, which was considered one of the most prosperous periods in the long history of the ancient dynasty.