A voice I definitely heard.

As expected, when Nigel slowly turned her head, she saw the strange guy who had just called her ‘Lady’.

As their eyes met, he narrowed his eyes and approached Nigel.

For some reason, whenever she saw him, her heart felt uncomfortably familiar.

Around them, some people seemed to have noticed him, covering their mouths and whispering about him.

“……He doesn’t look like that on the outside.”

“……He must have some ambition.”

Unpleasant words easily reached her ears.

Just then, Allen, panting, poked his head out of the train.

“Oh…? That person is…!”

Seeing that Allen recognized him at once, it seemed this guy was quite well-known in the area.

It would be better not to get involved.

“……Allen, is there an urgent matter right now?!”

Nigel suddenly looked up at Allen.

“Oh! Sebastian is calling! It’s urgent, so come quickly!!”

Allen played along with Nigel’s words without showing any signs of confusion.

Nigel frowned and gave him a troubled look before quickly boarding the train.

Thump.

Nigel patted Allen’s shoulder.

“Thanks for going along with it.”

“Oh, of course! That’s what friends are for!”

Allen smiled brightly.

“By the way, do you know that person? How much do you dislike him to run away so quickly?”

“No. Just had a bad feeling about him.”

Nigel rubbed her chin.

“Well… feelings are important.”

Allen rubbed his chin.

“I also had a good feeling about you, that’s why I wanted to be friends with you!”

“……Really?”

“Yeah! I’m telling you. I have such good instincts!”

Nigel felt somewhat uncomfortable with Allen’s constant clinginess, but she wasn’t displeased.

Was it because his soft facial features and gentle impression reminded her of the orphanage children?

“Alright. Then let’s go to my seat now. Oh, you said you’d carry the luggage, right?”

“……”

Allen picked up the luggage bag he had put down with a slightly stiff face.

“Huff… huff… Fi-finally, we’ve arrived…”

Allen put down the luggage bag inside the compartment.

‘Nice.’

Nigel thought as she briefly surveyed the second-class compartment.

Unlike the third-class where four people stayed in one compartment, in second-class, only two people shared a compartment.

Decent meals were provided at every mealtime, and the wide chairs attached to the compartment walls turned into beds at night.

“…As expected, second-class seems difficult.”

…This bastard.

The train ticket in Nigel’s pocket crumpled once again.

“If it’s uncomfortable, why don’t you go to your seat, okay?”

Nigel said, crossing her arms and leaning against the compartment door.

“Oh, of course I should!”

At the same time, a bright answer was heard.

It was a voice that instantly turned Nigel’s dissatisfaction into bubbles.

“Let’s quickly go to my seat, Nigel!”

Allen smiled brightly and pushed Nigel strongly from behind.

“……It’s right here!”

Allen, who had been chattering and walking straight ahead, finally stopped.

How great could it be to make such a fuss?

Nigel glanced at the door with displeasure through narrowed eyes.

‘……It is different.’

She had to admit it.

The wooden door had a distinctly different gloss and pattern from any door she had seen so far. The gloss and pattern bestowed by money, that is.

“Welcome to my compartment!”

The wooden door opened smoothly without a single creak.

“……!”

Nigel’s eyes widened at the glimpse of the compartment interior beyond Allen.

The first thing that caught her eye was the dazzling crystal chandelier, and beneath it, the cream-colored curtains shimmering in its light, which upon closer inspection revealed intricate patterns delicately embroidered with gold thread.

The warm-toned leather sofa that looked soft to the touch just by looking at it, the elaborate wooden table in front of it, the antique mahogany display cabinet filled with unnamed wines and glasses, and bookshelves full of rare books she had only heard of, and so on…..

It was dizzying to decide what to look at first.

This compartment was, in vulgar terms, not just smeared with money, but had money poured into it.

“Nigel? What are you doing in front of the door? Come in quickly.”

Allen brought Nigel, who was just standing still and blinking, into the compartment.

Then he plopped down onto the leather sofa.

“You sit down too.”

Allen patted the sofa.

Nigel also gently leaned back on the sofa following Allen, and at the same time, the leather of the sofa comfortably enveloped her body.

It was a sensation that made her eyes close involuntarily and feel sleepy.

‘……So this is the taste of money.’

It was a moment when she understood a tiny bit why Allen had said such nonsense.

To someone who sits on such sofas as routinely as eating meals, the second-class mattress would be worse than a hard stone floor.

“Allen, who are you sharing this with?”

A soft voice flowed from Nigel’s mouth for the first time today.

This voice only came out when bargaining with shop owners while shopping in Tillin.

“Oh, this? Just me. This is our family’s private compartment. Oh right, I didn’t offer tea to my guest.”

Allen got up from the sofa in a fuss and took out a tea set from the display cabinet.

“It’s still cold, right? Wait a bit. This tea has a very fragrant aroma.”

The interior of the compartment was not cold at all; if it weren’t for the sound of strong wind outside the window, one wouldn’t know it was February as there wasn’t even a hint of chill.

Just as she was about to ask where he was going to get hot water from, steam began to seep out of the teapot.

“……”

Even that common teapot had an expensive heating spell cast on it.

It seemed she had stumbled upon an incredibly rich person after all.

“Here, have some tea. It’s brewed perfectly. Add milk or sugar to your liking, friend!”

Nigel wasn’t too keen, but she took the teacup and took a sip.

It was because the custom of the cold northern regions, not to refuse tea offered by the other person, was ingrained in her body.

“……Well, not bad.”

Nigel, who didn’t usually enjoy tea, emptied her cup faster than usual due to the fragrant aroma.

Allen, excited as if he had hit the mark, refilled Nigel’s cup and brought out a plate full of desserts.

‘Let’s just have tea and go. Just tea.’

Nigel thought as she poured her third cup of tea.

[This is the timeline separator]

Nigel, who had intended to just have tea and leave, was now completely relaxed on the sofa, her feet stretched out on the stool, reading a book in a perfectly comfortable position.

On top of her body was a thick and soft wool blanket that Allen had covered her with.

The various desserts Allen had served had disappeared without a trace, with only differently colored crumbs in the dishes indicating their former presence.

‘……Is it the environment first or individual tendencies first for people… Of course, individual tendencies rather than environment… Wait.’

Nigel blinked, pausing her reading.

Slightly raising herself and peeking through the curtains, she saw that the hazy morning sky devoid of even a single small light had disappeared, and the sun was now piercing her eyes.

It was almost lunchtime.

Nigel struggled to remove the cozy wool blanket.

“Oh, if that book isn’t interesting, should I give you mine?”

Allen closed the famous detective novel he was reading and held it out.

“No, I’m about to return to my seat now.”

“What?? You’re leaving already?”

Allen jumped up from the sofa.

“We haven’t even played a game of chess yet and barely talked! So soon?”

“Yes, two hours is quite a long time. I need to go back now to unpack and eat.”

“Then you can eat here, what’s the problem?”

At Allen’s confident voice, Nigel paused her movements.

“Nigel, what do you want to eat? Just say it. I can have anything made for you. Of course, not by me, but by the chef!”

……Blink blink.

The words ‘anything’ and ‘chef’ struck Nigel’s heart.

Nigel quietly pushed the protruding train ticket to the farthest corner of her pocket.

……She decided to stay here only until lunch. Really.

[This is the timeline separator]

Nigel, having cleaned her plate including dessert, placed her knife and fork on the dish.

Then she glanced back slightly.

‘……Who on earth is it and why do they keep staring here?’

With Allen beside her, she couldn’t make a big deal out of it, but throughout the meal, she had felt a strong gaze from behind the compartment door.

“……Sebastian? What are you doing there?”

Just then, Allen noticed the identity of the person behind the door.

Swoosh.

The door opened, and a man in his 60s exuding a dignified aura revealed himself.

He was clearly the one who had served food to Nigel and Allen during lunch.

“Oh my, I was quietly observing out of curiosity about the young master’s friend, but I ended up being caught. My name is Sebastian, I am young master Allen’s exclusive servant.”

He smiled gently at Nigel and gave a formal greeting with his hand on his chest.

Even if she felt uneasy, she couldn’t forget to thank someone who had served such an excellent meal.

“Thank you, Mr. Sebastian. I enjoyed the meal very much.”

Sebastian opened his mouth slightly as if in admiration and then grabbed Nigel’s hand.

“It was such a great honor that Nigel enjoyed my cooking more than it deserved. Please, just call me Sebastian, Miss Nigel!”

Sebastian’s voice was strangely excited, unlike when he was explaining the food.

Well. Anyone who had a meal with Allen once could guess the reason.

Allen didn’t seem to enjoy food much, as like during the earlier tea time, he spent more time talking than chewing and swallowing food.

‘For such an excellent chef to meet Allen of all people……’

A feeling of pity welled up from deep within her.

“Only if you call me Nigel first.”

“That’s too easy a task.”

The two who had found common ground smiled at each other without anyone taking the lead.

“……Is something wrong with my eyes? Why does Nigel seem closer to Sebastian than to me?”

A grumbling voice flowed from Allen’s protruding lips.

“You have better instincts than you look, huh?”

“Nigeeel!”

Allen’s lips protruded even more.

“I’ve been curious about this, but why are you so obsessed with becoming friends with me?”