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LOS 30
“Ah, Anna. Meeting you here again.”
It was Albert. He was leaning against the wall of the train, smoking a cigarette. As I approached, Albert crushed the cigarette out in an ashtray.
He studied my complexion and spoke.
“You look a bit tired.”
“I have a headache.”
“Did you meet that man?”
Needless to say. Albert seemed to have guessed anyway, as he didn't bother waiting for my answer.
“How was it? Meeting him again. Is he the person you remember?”
Before answering, I pictured Giles Hessen in my mind. The hazy events from shortly after I woke up filled my head clearly once more.
I remembered the way he apologized to me. The expression he wore while silently accepting words filled with pure hatred...
I spoke honestly.
“I don't know.”
“What do you mean you don't know?”
I shook my head and looked out at the scenery with my arms crossed. I hadn't expected to be talking about Giles with Albert right here, of all places.
“He seems like a completely different person from the one I remember.”
“In what sense?”
“Just... I can't help but wonder if I misunderstood something. I never really had the chance to have a proper conversation with Giles back then. I was certain he was lying, but...”
After some deliberation, I confessed my true feelings.
“I thought it might be a good idea to try talking with him again.”
“And what do you plan to do about that?”
Albert asked indifferently. He had now taken out a small hand mirror and was tidying his hair. He was clearly uninterested in my story.
“I first met Giles when everything was stacked against me. Naturally, he became an object of fear to me. Because of that, he grew into a monster in my head. But if he's not actually like that, then that's something that needs to be corrected.”
“At this point?”
“What do you mean by that? I suffered for months because of nightmares! This is practically for my own salvation. If I can find out that he's just an ordinary person, just like me...”
“An ordinary person?”
Albert tucked his belongings into his coat and walked toward me. I looked up at him; he was a head taller than I was. Albert sighed as if troubled, then curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
“Anna, that bastard has really bewitched you. An ordinary person? Giles Hessen? Didn't I explain him to you once? I'm pretty sure it hasn't even been two days.”
“Are you talking about how he became a traitor?”
“Hessen is a man who rounded up and slaughtered everyone, from acquaintances to his own friends. Despite being a Beldamite himself, he became the most fervent Beldam slayer. Can we really call a man like that ordinary? Hmm?”
I closed my eyes. I tried to speak calmly.
“I'm talking about the parts where I might have misunderstood him.”
“What did you misunderstand? You saw that bastard for exactly who he is! A piece of shit who deserves to die, to use your own words. Anna, I'll tell you this because I think you're mistaken about something. You were also a noble from Beldam. You remember that, right?”
He made a gun shape with his right hand and pointed it at my forehead.
“If you hadn't been persecuted simply for being an illegitimate child, Hessen would have killed you too. And he wouldn't have killed you cleanly. He would have seared your flesh and tortured you until he squeezed every bit of information out of you...”
“Stop it.”
“...In the end, he would have done this.”
Bang! He mimicked the sound of a gunshot and pretended to fire. Then, wearing his usual gentle smile, he stepped back a few paces.
“Think carefully. Whether you really misunderstood him or not. Well, regardless of what you think, Hessen will never want to leave your side.”
Leaving only those words, Albert departed from the balcony section. The sound of his humming grew distant and then vanished.
I sank into a chair. I chewed over the words Albert had said to me. He wasn't wrong. If I had been a woman living as an ordinary noble, I might have died by his hand.
But... that didn't happen, and the real-life Giles chose to save me.
Albert seemed worried that I would develop favorable feelings toward him. But I simply want to lean on the truth. If only by doing so I can escape my long-standing nightmares. If only I can prevent myself from personally killing someone...
I returned to my room. But it was empty. In place of Giles, a single note guarded the table.
I picked up the note.
「It's almost dinner time. Go eat.」
Had it already become that time? Indeed, a golden sunset was already pouring outside. As I fiddled with the note, I realized it was folded into two layers.
The content of the note hidden behind was as follows:
「If you happen to need a companion, I'll be back within ten minutes, so feel free to wait.」
I let out a silly laugh. I felt that this was likely what he truly wanted to say.
I heard the sound of people heading toward the dining car. I listened to that sound in silence and sat on the edge of the bed. And I waited for the man who would be my companion.
-
Giles sketched the gun Anna had possessed into his notebook. Since it was a familiar pistol, he could recall it easily. This was not a handgun available on the commercial market. It was a weapon produced exclusively for military use.
Giles noted the fact that Beldam officers or agents frequently used the M1912 model. If someone had provided this pistol to Anna, there was a high possibility that the provider was someone related to that side.
Whether it was given for self-defense or for the purpose of eliminating someone... neither mattered. What mattered was that Anna, who received this pistol, was at the very least not a target. Or, there was someone here who wanted to protect Anna.
That fact alone was reassuring. This Ghost Train has no interest in Anna. She wasn't brought on board for the purpose of harming her.
If so, there was only one answer left.
Giles Hessen knew what he had to do from now on.
-
Giles returned in less than ten minutes. He seemed surprised, as if he hadn't expected me to wait.
“Anna. Um, I mean...”
He hesitated with an uncertain voice.
“Perhaps...?”
“I don't want to eat alone. It feels too pathetic.”
Giles simply nodded without a word. Without further discussion, we headed to the banquet hall together. Many people had already gathered there.
I realized that all these passengers were people prepared for Giles. I didn't know if they only knew of Giles's history, or if they hated him like Albert did.
Regardless of which it was, the passengers completely ignored us. Perhaps they had been ordered to do so. From their perspective, there was nothing to gain by making Giles feel threatened.
I led him to an empty seat. A waiter approached and brought the menus. As soon as I looked at the menu, I felt a sense of distress.
“Uh...”
A stupid sound escaped my lips unconsciously. I quickly cleared my throat. I glared at the words written on the menu. However, there were far more dishes I didn't know than ones I did.
I wouldn't have been like this in front of Albert, but of all people, Giles was sitting across from me. To be honest, I was embarrassed. Because he was there, I became conscious of even the smallest things.
“Is something wrong?”
Giles was looking at me with a questioning gaze.
I decided to just tell the truth. It wasn't as if he didn't know about my past.
“I don't know what to choose.”
I pushed the menu toward him.
“You pick for me. Anything appropriate.”
Giles took the menu without a word. Damn, coming to dinner with him was truly a good choice. Otherwise, I might have actually asked the waiter to pick a menu for me.
While Giles examined the menu, I intentionally pretended to be distracted. This wasn't my fault. Rather, the responsibility lay with Count and Countess Bismar, who used to frown whenever I asked about the names of dishes.
“Do you like seafood?”
He asked. I had never eaten seafood before.
“Is there anything else besides that?”
“I don't know. Tell me about the foods you've liked among those you've eaten so far. I'll pick something similar.”
Ah, right. There were dishes whose names I knew. As soon as it occurred to me, I spoke triumphantly.
“I like pasta. The kind with cream sauce.”
“Will that be enough?”
“I don't need anything else.”
The waiter approached us. Giles skillfully placed the order, stating the names of the dishes. The waiter nodded and took the menu back.
Once again, it was just the two of us. I beat him to the punch before he could ask.
“It's because I haven't eaten out much since leaving the mansion. I don't know much about restaurant food like this.”
Giles simply nodded. Come to think of it, I felt that he might have known everything already. Since he had tried to monitor my every move.
“I thought... you wouldn't want to eat with me.”
He said. I couldn't believe it. Giles Hessen was reading my mood. This was something I could never have imagined back when I feared him. He looked so much like an ordinary person that I momentarily lost my words.
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