Chapter 240
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
“If you need a train, ask your Emperor to send one over for you. Hey, Neil! Translate for this guy—”
“Move.”
“What? You speak our language? Then why pretend you didn’t understand when I told you to get off—”
“You—are you with the 1st Company, 5th Infantry Battalion?”
As soon as Killian spoke flawless Falklandian, the soldier froze.
“Your company commander is Lieutenant John O’Brien, right? Now, I just need your name.”
“…I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Have a safe journey.”
Realizing from Killian’s tone that he outranked a lieutenant, the soldier immediately withdrew his leg and bowed his head. Nothing else happened after that, but I still felt nervous that someone else might pick a fight with us.
I was all set to pinch Killian’s nose for the third time if second class was as rowdy as third, but fortunately, it was much better. Most of the passengers were officers, and the compartment was divided, so the atmosphere was calm and orderly.
First class was even quieter, almost to the point of being eerily silent. Despite that, as soon as we entered an empty compartment, Killian closed all the curtains facing the corridor. Then he went around and closed the curtains on the outer windows as well.
“Why are you closing all the curtains? I wanted to watch the scenery go by.”
Sitting in a dark compartment felt less like a train trip and more like being shipped as cargo.
“I’ll open them once we’re moving.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like other men stealing glances at your pretty face.”
“Are you still drunk?”
I reached for the curtain, but Killian blocked my hand.
“Why are you so stubborn and bossy today?”
Instead of grabbing the curtain, I ended up grabbing Killian’s nose and giving it a shake as a punishment, but Killian didn’t look the least bit sorry. In fact, he kept kissing my hand.
“What are you doing…?”
In the end, I decided to let him off the hook for the second nose pinch.
“Sit here. If you sit on the other side, you’ll get motion sickness.”
“Oh, right.”
We could have sat facing each other, but instead, we sat side by side, leaving the other side empty. With nothing to see outside and nothing much to look at inside, I started reading the train tickets Killian had taken out.
“Dunley… Where is Dunley?”
“It’s the capital.”
“And where is it?”
“Somewhere in the south-central region.”
“Where’s our house?”
“In the southwest.”
“So do we have to transfer trains?”
“That’s right.”
“Where?”
“We’ll transfer at Dunley.”
“I see… I hope we get moving soon.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
Up until then, his answers had been absent-minded, but this time I could hear the sincerity in his voice. Still, it didn’t seem like he was eager to leave for the same reason I was.
Tap. Tap.
Killian had another habit that showed when he was anxious: tapping his fingers. He used to finger his rosary beads, but after he got rid of them, he started tapping whatever was nearby—tables, armrests, anything.
‘Why is he nervous?’
Tap. Tap.
I watched his fingers, remembering how he would hold my hand whenever I started picking at my cuticles. Reaching out, I took his hand.
“Is something worrying you?”
“No, it’s just… it still doesn’t feel real, being safe now.”
“Oh…”
I guess the constant anxiety from being on the run had become a habit.
“We’re safe now. No one’s chasing us anymore.”
“…Yes.”
Killian had another nervous habit: biting his lower lip. I watched the spot where his teeth pressed so hard it blanched, and wondered why he seemed even more on edge now, when he knew we were safe and I was right here, holding his hand.
I couldn’t exactly hold his lip for him, but as I watched, I suddenly got an idea.
Peck.
I surprised him with a kiss, making his teeth drop from his lip. Seizing the chance, I slipped my tongue into his mouth, gently tracing over the indented spot left by his teeth before pulling back. His breath trembled in my mouth.
“You’re going to make your lips crack.”
“Where did you learn to do that?”
“Who else but you would teach me something like this?”
“…Ha.”
Finally, after I gave his poor lip one last, gentle suck, the fire in Killian’s eyes finally lit.
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