IESM 08

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I Ended Up in a Snatch Marriage with the Male Lead

Chapter 8

“What’s in that bag?”

For a split second, Emilia’s heart nearly stopped.

“Weren’t you checking for fare evaders?”

She quickly put on an offended expression.

But the man paid no attention.

“We received a report that someone carrying a large number of weapons boarded this train.”

It was a lie told without even batting an eye.

‘They’re the ones carrying the weapons.’

“Open it immediately, please.”

Though he phrased it as a request, his tone was forceful.

‘What do I do?’

If she flatly refused, it would only make him more suspicious.

Was there any way to keep him from opening it willingly?

‘Ah.’

As she frantically searched for an idea, inspiration suddenly struck.

“I’m sorry, but that’s going to be difficult.”

Emilia let out a sigh as though she found the situation extremely troublesome.

“I’m a maid of the Illake Count’s family. This bag contains something extremely valuable that my young lady entrusted to me.”

She decided to use Reyna’s family name.

“The Illake Count’s family?”

The man’s eyebrow twitched.

Noticing his reaction, Emilia inwardly smiled.

‘Just as I thought.’

Although the family’s influence had weakened considerably, the Illake Count’s family was still a prestigious noble house in the capital.

More importantly, they had no ties to the Empress.

If he acted suspiciously toward a maid serving such a household and something went wrong, it could become a serious problem.

“If you insist on opening it, then… I’ll let you.”

Emilia deliberately trailed off, looking troubled.

“But I’ll have no choice except to report this to my young lady. And my lady is the type who hates it when anyone else so much as lays eyes on her belongings.”

In fact, Reyna’s half-sister, Rozia, had an unusually strong attachment to her possessions.

There had once been a huge incident simply because Reyna, unaware of that fact, had touched one of her necklaces.

Shaking her head as if burdened by the thought, Emilia continued.

“She might even try to track you down. I thought you should know that.”

“……”

The man appeared to hesitate.

After all, he was carrying out a secret mission.

If he unnecessarily left traces behind or exposed his identity, it would be his side that suffered.

Still, his silence dragged on.

‘He’s almost convinced. Is there anything that could push him over the edge?’

As she pondered, she caught sight of her reflection in the window.

‘That’s it.’

Emilia tucked her hair behind her ear.

Then she turned her face toward the man.

“This was actually my young lady’s doing.”

Her swollen, reddened cheek was fully exposed.

As the man’s gaze settled on it, Emilia lowered her eyes as though humiliated.

“I’ve already been considerate enough. Do as you please.”

Of course, if he actually tried to inspect the bag, she fully intended to yank out a handful of his hair.

As she swallowed nervously, the man finally spoke.

“…Forget it.”

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he seemed to decide that it was better to search elsewhere than waste time arguing over something so trivial.

With that, he headed toward the next carriage.

Slide. Clack.

“Phew…”

Only after the sound of his footsteps completely faded did Emilia finally let out the breath she had been holding.

“[Did he leave?]”

Ivan asked in a tiny voice.

Emilia immediately opened the bag enough to let fresh air inside.

“[Are you okay?]”

As if asking whether he had been able to breathe, she looked at him.

Ivan gave a small nod.

“[Did the bad man leave?]”

he whispered quietly.

“[Yeah, he’s gone.] But…”

Judging by Ivan’s reaction, the male lead’s injuries seemed quite severe.

Still, taking Ivan outside with her was far too dangerous.

After thinking for a moment, Emilia spoke again.

“[Will you wait here?] [I’ll help the sick person.]”

Fortunately, Ivan seemed to understand and nodded in agreement.

Instead of completely closing the bag, Emilia left it slightly open for ventilation before covering it with her outer coat.

‘It should be fine, right?’

She then checked the pouch tucked inside her clothes.

Several medicine bottles were inside.

Alex, the son of Mrs. Anderson and one of Emilia’s friends, worked in the Imperial Palace’s Apothecary Department.

Thanks to him, these medicines were incredibly valuable—far beyond what ordinary people could obtain.

‘I wondered if I’d ever actually have a reason to use these.’

She hadn’t expected that reason to come so soon.

After glancing once more at the bag, Emilia stepped out of the compartment.

Since the man had already searched this area once, he was unlikely to return.

Using Ivan’s earlier words as clues, she headed toward the rear of the train.

Soon she reached the staff-only section, where passengers were forbidden to enter, but she continued without hesitation.

‘This must be the freight car.’

Then she noticed drops of blood on the floor.

‘That’s…’

Pausing only briefly, Emilia quickly followed the trail and pushed the door open.

‘It’s Kaiden.’

The male protagonist of this novel.

Leaning against the wall with his head lowered, only his silky black hair and sharp jawline were visible beneath the strands that had fallen over his face—

Yet even that alone gave off an extraordinary presence.

After a brief glance, Emilia turned away and stepped back outside.

‘What is this, Hansel and Gretel?’

She rubbed the floor with the sole of her shoe, wiping away the blood droplets Kaiden had left behind so conspicuously.

…Then again.

He looked as though he had collapsed unconscious.

He probably hadn’t had the luxury of worrying about things like that.

‘But how did he avoid being discovered in the original story?’

Ah… could it be—

She suddenly remembered Ivan running outside the train to ask people for help.

Had Ivan been found before anyone discovered Kaiden, bringing the whole situation to an end?

Returning inside, Emilia knelt in front of Kaiden.