The Child Who Must Die
The reason Sophia, Charles, and Olivia were being pursued.
It was a simple, one-dimensional question—and yet one that cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"Who says we're being chased? Please don't jump to conclusions."
Olivia answered first.
A situation where no one could be trusted.
Even letting it slip that they were being pursued was a risk in itself.
"If it's hard to talk about, you don't have to."
Everyone has their own circumstances.
Once they got off the train, they would all be going their separate ways anyway.
There was no intention of prying further.
"There were six people in total who boarded the train to follow you. One of them passed by earlier—you saw him, right?"
Charles and Olivia's eyes widened.
They had known there were enemies, but not the exact number.
Just as the two of them were about to raise their guard again, Jinhyeok continued.
"They're not here anymore."
"Not here…?"
"They got off."
The question marks over their heads only multiplied.
The Trista, a train bound for northwest Wales.
Since departing Cardiff Station, the Trista had not stopped even once.
The very idea of someone getting off was impossible.
"What the hell are you really? How did you even know there were enemies?"
Olivia fired off questions, but Jinhyeok didn't answer.
He simply shrugged and put on an easygoing, nonchalant air.
"Q&A is give and take. You didn't tell me anything, so I'm not answering either."
Olivia grimaced.
Perhaps the exchange amused her.
Sophia, who had been listening quietly, let out a soft chuckle.
"Since you personally escorted away the enemies who were after me, I suppose we owe you a great debt, Jinhyeok. Right?"
A subtle smile crept onto Jinhyeok's face.
Sophia had immediately grasped why he had gone into such detail earlier.
After a moment of thought, she spoke again.
"Since we're indebted to you, it's only right we repay you to some extent—as decent human beings. Just as you said, we are being chased. More precisely, I am."
"Miss!"
Olivia tried to stop her, but Sophia raised a hand to show she was fine.
As if she'd never protested, Olivia meekly backed down and returned to her seat.
"I can't tell you why I'm being chased. It's not that I'm trying to hide it. It's for your sake. The moment you hear it, you become someone who has to disappear."
"Oh… then you really don't have to tell me."
Jinhyeok nodded cheerfully.
There are truths in this world that are better left unknown.
"You really are an interesting person. You said you're going as far as Snowdonia National Park, right? We're getting off before that."
"Is it safe there?"
"Yes. As long as we get that far, it'll be safe. People are coming to meet us."
"That's a relief."
Sophia smiled and looked at Olivia.
"Could you switch seats with Jinhyeok for a moment? It's a bit far at an angle."
Charles nodded, and Olivia, looking resigned, switched seats.
As she passed, Olivia glared fiercely at Jinhyeok.
She didn't say a word, but the message—Don't try anything funny with Sophia—came through loud and clear.
She's really suspicious of everything.
Sophia leaned back against the window.
Jinhyeok followed her lead, resting his head against it as well.
Oh, this is comfortable.
With the scenery outside rolling by, it was pure, unfiltered romance.
"Let's stand for a bit."
Charles and Olivia stood up and moved into the aisle.
Given the circumstances, they couldn't go far, but they wanted to respect the two of them having a private conversation.
"There's something I'm curious about. You boarded this train just to travel, right, Jinhyeok? You're not exactly… ordinary—but still. Why did you help us? It could've been dangerous. We're complete strangers."
"In Korea, there's a saying: even brushing sleeves becomes a bond. We made eye contact and said hello, so if that's not a connection, I don't know what is."
"Pfft."
Sophia laughed.
"You're really good with words. You don't seem like you'd be fun, but you are."
Whether that was a compliment or not was a little unclear.
"When I said earlier that I was jealous of you, I meant it."
"Traveling alone?"
"Yes. I can't do that."
Jinhyeok paused for a moment.
Was she ill or something?
"You don't have to look at me like that. I'm healthy. It's just that I'm not in a position to do anything on my own. From childhood until now."
Sophia turned her gaze to the window.
"It's not just traveling. There hasn't been a single time—ever—that I chose something by my own will. I've just been swept along, drifting with the current. A massive, unstoppable flow."
The atmosphere grew heavy without either of them realizing it.
Noticing this, Sophia smiled sheepishly.
"You're probably wondering why I'm suddenly telling you all this. Just think of it as a younger sister's whining and bear with me. They say that someone with no ties to your life makes the perfect conversation partner."
Sophia glanced at Charles and Olivia standing in the aisle.
"I can't talk about this with those two. They're already having a hard enough time because of me. And as you saw earlier, it's dangerous."
"Talk freely. I have a younger sister back in Korea, so I'm used to being on the receiving end of whining."
Jinhyeok felt the same way Sophia did.
There was no better person to confide in than a complete stranger.
Once Sophia got off at the next station, that would be the end.
They would never meet again.
Resting her chin on her hand, Sophia let out a small sigh.
Then she began to talk.
A rough outline of her life, from childhood to the present.
Wow… some kind of noble family heir, maybe.
There was a reason she had said she lacked freedom.
From as far back as she could remember, Sophia had been subjected to countless forms of education.
Under normal circumstances, he might have advised her to shout that she didn't want to do it—but listening to her story, it was clear that refusing was never an option.
As she continued, Sophia closed her eyes.
In her life, there had only ever been things she had to do and things she must not do.
There was no such thing as wanting—no such choice existed.
When she finished her story, Sophia opened her eyes.
"Pathetic, isn't it? Living like a marionette, only to end up here, not knowing when I might die."
A hollow laugh slipped out.
"Honestly, I'm confused now. Do I want to live, even if it means running away like this? Or am I just following along because that's what I'm supposed to do? If you were in my situation, Jinhyeok, what would you do? You've lived a little longer than me, after all."
"Hm."
Jinhyeok rubbed his chin.
"I can't say I fully understand or empathize. I've lived a pretty freewheeling life."
"I know. It's impossible to fully empathize with a completely different life."
"Still, if I had to give my opinion—I'd survive first. And then I'd wait for an opportunity."
"An opportunity?"
"You were forced to live as a marionette because of your environment and circumstances, right? An opportunity to change that. To break it."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"I can't say for sure. But based on my experience, environments change. Circumstances change too. And when they do, opportunities appear where none existed before. To seize them, you have to be alive first."
Sophia stared at Jinhyeok.
"You really are an adult. Compared to my long, drawn-out whining, that was such a simple, clear answer."
"You know how it is. Words are always easy."
"Hehe. You really are fun."
Sophia chuckled once more.
"And…"
Her laughter faded as she fixed her gaze on Jinhyeok.
"You're a kind person. A good person."
Perhaps it was the deep green eyes staring straight at him.
He felt a little awkward.
The Trista will soon stop at Rose Station. Passengers disembarking, please prepare.
Sophia's stop.
"Thank you for listening to such boring talk. Maybe because my life's on the line—I think this was the first time I ever spoke so openly. I feel lighter."
Sophia extended her hand, and they shook.
"And this."
She handed him the necklace she'd been wearing.
"It's a small token of thanks. It doesn't come close to repaying the debt, but still."
Jinhyeok accepted it.
The necklace was adorned with various gemstones set into an intricate, ornate pattern.
"It looks really expensive."
"It's not. They're all fake. This is all I have, so please take it."
"Then I'll think of it as something to look at from time to time and remember our conversation on the train."
"Then it was worth giving."
As the train gradually slowed, Charles and Olivia gathered their belongings.
Standing up and slipping on her coat, Sophia looked at Jinhyeok.
"Then have a pleasant journey."
"Travel safely."
She smiled and nodded, then walked into the aisle.
She didn't say let's meet again someday.
She knew that wasn't possible.
"Oh, right."
As if remembering something, Sophia turned back.
"I'm Sophia Windsor. Sophia Marcia Windsor. That's my real name."
Before he could reply, she walked down the aisle and exited the train.
For a moment, Jinhyeok was left dazed.
The train started moving again, and Momo materialized beside him.
Momo fiddled with the necklace in Jinhyeok's hand.
"Ooooo! This is super expensive!"
She threw her arms wide, exclaiming.
"Huh? Expensive?"
"Yeah!! Super, super, super expensive!!"
Jinhyeok frowned.
She had said it was fake.
He leaned toward the window.
The platform at Rose Station was already far away, no longer visible.
"Master."
"Oh—!"
Jinhyeok flinched at the sudden appearance of Seira.
Kancho and Momo popping up at random had become routine, but this was the first time Seira had done so.
"There's something bothering me."
Jinhyeok looked straight at Seira.
Something bothering her?
A castle located near London, England.
A light knock echoed through a dark bedroom.
Despite the lack of any response, the door slowly opened.
The man who entered crossed the room and yanked open the tightly drawn curtains.
Sunlight spilled in, illuminating the bed.
An elderly woman lay there.
The man approached and brushed her hair back.
"Good morning, Grandmother."
There was no reply.
Undeterred, the man continued speaking.
"The child you hid and raised your entire life—what was her name again? Ah, Sophia. I found her. She's struggling desperately to make her way back here."
A twisted smile spread across the man's lips.
"She dares to try to inherit the throne, without knowing her place."
As the sun shifted, it illuminated the woman's face.
Queen Elysia Jerry Windsor.
The forty-second monarch of the British Empire, the nation where the sun never sets.
The man standing by her bedside was named Widrick Palam Windsor.
Elysia's first grandchild—and the one who, by rights, should have been first in the line of succession.
Widrick gazed silently at Elysia.
"Don't resent me. You're the one who killed that child."
His hand tightened in her hair.
Gripping it, he glared at Elysia as if he meant to kill her.
"You're the one who made Sophia a child who must die."
Widrick clenched his teeth.
A first place seized by violating even the laws of humanity.
He would never let it go.
He would take it, no matter what.
Even if it meant turning all of Britain into a sea of fire.
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T/N:
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