I Ended Up in a Shotgun Marriage with the Male Lead

Chapter 6

Emilia arrived at the neighboring territory by public carriage.

It was the only place nearby with a train station.

Standing in front of the ticket counter, Emilia swallowed hard.

It’s expensive…

She had only ever seen Cedric off from the platform before, so she had never actually bought a train ticket herself.

Then again, the trains here ran on mana stones, so it made sense that they were costly.

“Excuse me, miss?”

The ticket clerk called out, and Emilia smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, could I have the earliest ticket that’s still available?”

“Certainly. Please wait a moment.”

A short while later, after listening to the clerk’s instructions, Emilia left the ticket counter.

She looked up at the large clock tower in the center of the station.

There’s not much time before departure.

She entered the waiting room and sat down on one of the long benches.

She intended to rest for a little while until the train arrived.

However…

There was a strange, sticky atmosphere hanging in the waiting room.

What’s going on?

Emilia naturally turned her gaze.

“…Mmm. Honey, stooop.”

In the corner opposite her, a couple was practically glued to each other.

“W-What if people see us?”

The woman shyly pretended to push the man away.

“Come on, who cares?”

Instead of moving away, the man pressed even closer, becoming even more affectionate.

Embarrassed, Emilia quickly looked away.

What are they doing in a public place?

Smack.

The shameless kissing made her face grow hot.

If there hadn’t been other people around, it looked like they would have gone much further.

“Ahem! Ahem!”

At that moment, a middle-aged man sitting nearby loudly cleared his throat to express his disapproval.

Unfortunately…

The couple’s determination proved stronger.

“Tsk. Young people these days…”

Unable to watch any longer, the middle-aged man left the waiting room.

As he passed Emilia, he even shot her a disapproving glance.

Why me…?

Being lumped together with them for no reason felt incredibly unfair.

Meanwhile, with the interruption gone, the couple became even more openly affectionate.

Deciding she’d had enough, Emilia quickly left the waiting room as well.

She shook her head, trying to erase the awkward scene from her mind.

Ding, ding, ding, ding—

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the sound announcing the train’s arrival echoed through the station.

People were already lined up in front of the platform.

Emilia joined the end of the line.

As she waited for it to move, she heard a commotion from farther ahead.

What’s happening?

She craned her neck to look.

The source of the noise was quite a distance away.

A child was clinging to a man.

The child’s appearance immediately stood out.

A robe so oversized it completely concealed the face.

Clothes covered in dirt and dust, as though they had been rolling across the ground.

Because of the child’s shabby appearance, the man looked at them with disgust.

“What are you trying to say? If you’re begging, go over there! Everyone here is busy!”

The man waved his hand dismissively, chasing the child away.

The child looked around desperately before reaching out to another passerby.

But no one even spared a glance.

After seeing what had happened earlier, everyone assumed the child was simply begging.

Emilia watched carefully.

This doesn’t feel like ordinary begging…

Did they get separated from their parents?

She stepped out of the line and walked closer.

Then she realized…

The child was desperately trying to say something.

“[Help me!]”

But the language wasn’t Imperial.

This is…

Searching through the languages in her memory, Emilia quickly found the answer.

Hiphrian?

The Holy Kingdom of Hiphria lay at the far edge of the continent.

Because of its isolationist nature, it had almost no interaction with the Empire.

That was why no one could understand the child.

As for Emilia…

She had become interested in Hiphrian several years earlier.

I learned it while trying to find an easier way for Cedric to memorize legal terminology.

Long ago, the Holy Kingdom of Hiphria had dominated the surrounding nations and wielded tremendous influence.

As a result, Hiphrian had become the origin of many legal terms, and traces of the language remained throughout the continent.

Emilia approached the child and spoke.

“[What’s wrong?]”

She wasn’t fluent in Hiphrian, since she’d never studied it formally.

Still…

Hearing someone speak a familiar language, the tear-filled eyes of the child widened.

The child quickly turned toward Emilia and looked up at her hopefully.

“[You… can understand me?]”

Understand… speech.

Emilia grasped the general meaning.

She immediately nodded.

The child’s face lit up.

Apparently overwhelmed with relief, the child began speaking rapidly.

“W-Wait!”

Emilia crouched down and gently stopped them.

“I can’t understand when you speak that fa— Ah…”

“[Slowly. Slowly.]”

Fortunately, the child understood.

They quickly nodded.

After thinking for a moment, the child abandoned full sentences and spoke in individual words instead.

“[Medicine! Treatment! Wound!]”

At the same time, the child pressed both hands against their stomach and grimaced.

Ah… Does that mean they have a stomachache and need medicine?

“[You? Hurt?]”

The child shook their head vigorously.

Then what…?

Growing frustrated, the child stomped their feet.

After thinking hard, they pointed at themselves…

Then crossed their arms into an X.

Ah.

Not themselves.

Someone traveling with them must have been injured.

“[Together… person… hurt?]”

“[Yes! Yes!]”

The child grabbed tightly onto Emilia’s clothes as though they were a lifeline.

In truth…

Before losing consciousness, the child’s companion had warned them.

There was a dangerous person aboard the train.

They were to stay hidden and never move.

But…

The child had been too afraid their companion might die.

After agonizing over it for a long time, they had secretly slipped off the train when it stopped.

Determined to find someone—anyone—who could help.

Yet outside the train…

No one understood what the child was saying.

And everyone had been cold and indifferent.

Despite so many people surrounding them…

Not a single one had listened.

Then…

Like a miracle…

The woman’s voice had reached their ears.

“First, calm down…”

Emilia gently held the child’s damp hand and knelt down.

Just then…

The child turned their head, causing the hood to slip back.

Wait… those eyes…

Emilia froze at the brief glimpse of the child’s irises.

A suspicion suddenly crossed her mind.

“…Excuse me for a moment.”

She carefully released the child’s hand and gently pulled back the hood.

“Ah.”

Seeing the child’s eyes clearly, Emilia let out a quiet gasp.

They were a brilliant golden color—

Almost pure gold.

Such eye color was exceedingly rare within the Empire.