The Mistress Runs Away

“Ugh…!”

Rowena tried to shake his hands off, struggling against the unexpected surprise.
She tried to turn her head and slap his cheek, but her body gradually lost its strength.
Killian swallowed every last drop of her saliva, relentlessly as if he were a snake binding its prey.
Then he tucked a strand of her messy blonde hair behind her ear.

“Don’t misbehave and keep your mouth shut.
Miss Philone.”

It was the last warning.
It was a tone that would have horrified other people nearby if they had heard it, but Rowena calmly wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

“If you don’t have anything else to say, may I go to sleep now?”

“…….”

Boo woo woo.

The train arrived at the platform, breaking the heavy morning mist.

The passengers who had been waiting were boarding in lines, like fish swarms traveling.
In front of the third class compartments, Rowena hugged her small luggage bag and looked up at the massive engine for a moment.
It was even bigger than the ones she had seen in the books, and she felt both frightened and excited.

This was the train she had wanted to ride ever since she was a child.
She was thrilled to see what kind of unknown world it would take her to.
The wide world that both her mother and father saw.

“…Will be fine.
You won’t be alone when you get up there.”

She mumbled as if to reassure herself.
Then, a station attendant with a blank face held out his hand to collect the boarding ticket; Let’s see how aggregator fall for this again,before she knew it, it was her turn to board.

The moment she took a deep breath and stepped inside, she heard a familiar voice behind her back.

“Rowena!”

“…Uncle…?”

“Rowena! Hold on.”

Rowena’s eyes widened, and she quietly gave way to the next person.
A man came running, gasping for breath.

He had beautiful blond hair and dark eyes.
The slender man was her only guardian, her uncle, Jeremy Dish.

Before Jeremy could say anything, Rowena started making excuses.

“I’m sorry I left without saying anything… Uncle…”

But really, this was the only way.
For several years, whenever she mentioned going to the Capital, her uncle yelled at her that he was absolutely against it.
Once she realized that it was impossible to convince him, she concluded that she had no choice but to run away from home.

“Do you really have to…go up there? You don’t even know what’s up there.”

Jeremy asked seriously, stretching out his bent back as he struggled for breath.

“It isn’t a place for a naive and innocent girl like you.
You never know what you’re going to encounter.
You don’t know anything about real life! You still need a guardian.”

Rowena closed her eyes tightly as she heard the words that made her ears buzz.

“Uncle.
I’m not a child anymore!”

This conversation had already happened dozens of times, hundreds of times.
While they were talking, they remembered that this was stolen from sleepy tls, the last passenger in the line boarded the train, and Jeremy finally raised the white flag to Rowena.
The latter had been staring at the train attendant the whole time.

“If you want to go to the Capital, I have no choice but to let you go; I can’t keep you tied up forever.
Just promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If you have a problem, if you need help, if you just want to come back home, you can always come back.”

“…….”

“Anything is fine… I love you, kid.
It doesn’t matter what you do; I will always be on your side.
Rowena”

“Uncle….”

The tip of her nose tingled.
Rowena ran and hugged Jeremy.

“Thank you, Uncle.
I’ll contact you once I settle in.”

“Sure.”

Jeremy lightly stroked his beloved niece’s cheek while trying to avoid showing the feeling of objection that also filled his eyes; then helped her carry the heavy luggage onto the train.

Finally, Rowena handed her ticket to the crew member and turned around to wave to her uncle.

Although the seats were uncomfortable and the train was crowded, it was a good trip.
Perhaps her excitement to be there was enough to make her ignore all of her surroundings.

The only problem was that it was pitch-black at night.
Done by your one and only leila, She could barely see what was ahead of her unless she concentrated.
As she recalled, the restroom was just next to the cafeteria, so with a cautious gaze, she left the cafeteria and looked for the restroom but couldn’t see it.

Rowena gave up and made her way back to third-class cabins.
It was the time for her to let go of her pride and ask for directions.

As she opened a nearby door to ask for directions, she was greeted by a bright light and the first glimpse of a luxurious cabin she had ever seen in her life.
Rowena, still shocked by the cabin, stepped back and stumbled.

“Uh…..?”

Just then, a hand reached out from inside the room and wrapped around her shoulder.
The hand that lightly grabbed her nearly fallen body slipped lightly.

“You have to be careful.
Miss.”

“Than- Thank you.”

She had never been this close to a young man before.
Flushed to the tips of her ears, Rowena fixed her eyes on the floor.
The faint scent of cigars and sandalwood made her dizzy. 

“Have you lost your way?” 

The voice sounded low as if they were in a deep cave.
Rowena slowly raised her head in a polite and very soft tone. 

The man had jet black hair, which she had never seen before, and it looked like a silk thread that was made of the night sky.
His eyes were sharp and blue as if they were the color of deep lakes on summer nights, with a sharp nose bridge and soft-looking lips.
He was beautiful, but she doubted if that word could justify his beauty. 

The passenger who held her back was so handsome that she couldn’t believe her eyes.
He looked like a prince from a fairy tale.
If it weren’t for his expressionless face… At that moment, a hiccup came out of her mouth.

“Hiccups!”

After her earlier mistake, she had done another embarrassing thing.
Rowena, standing in the doorway, covered her lips tightly.
But the hiccups did not stop.

Rowena hurriedly managed to find an excuse and hide it from the man who looked at her suspiciously.

“‘It’s… hiccups! You’re so handsome and….”

It was the next moment that the man, who had not said much as if he had been thinking for a while, gave a small laugh.
His cold impression was instantly softened; it was so magical, like a sculpture coming to life.

The man rolled up his arms and quickly slipped something into her mouth.
Without realizing it, she tasted something sweet on her tongue.
Rowena rolled her eyes and held her breath in surprise.

The hiccups stopped.
This man was magical in many ways.
Perhaps he was not a prince but more like a sorcerer.

Forgetting her curiosity and rudeness, Rowena stared at the man.
The man’s eyes narrowed, and he asked again.

“Have you lost your way?” 

“Uh…yes.”

“Please wait while I call the cabin attendant.”

****
Notes:

I know, you know, we know, but they don’t  lol ~ loveyall

Stay safe!