IESM 07

I Married the Male Lead in a Rush
Chapter 7

“And he’s speaking Hifrian… Could this child really be…?”

As Emilia recalled the original story, one incident immediately came to mind.

It was the event that took place before the original story began—the one in which the male lead suffered a serious injury.

“Could it be…?”

Hooooonk!

Just then, the train let out a loud whistle, signaling its departure.

Startled, the child looked around frantically before immediately running back toward the train.

“Wait!”

Emilia reached out to stop him, but he had already reached the train.

She quickly grabbed the bag beside her and chased after him.

Thunk!

The moment the two of them barely managed to climb aboard, the doors shut behind them.

The child hurried off, trying to head somewhere.

Emilia grabbed his shoulder and asked,

“[Name. Your name.]”

“[Ivan! My name is Ivan!]”

The child answered without hesitation.

Emilia let out a quiet sigh.

As expected.

It was a name she remembered.

The emperor’s hidden illegitimate son.

And a child who would soon be murdered by the empress.

Although the original novel never explained the details because it happened before the story began, one thing was certain.

The person escorting the child to the capital had been the male lead.

Just then, a passenger walking down the aisle glanced at them.

Ivan immediately flinched and hurried behind Emilia, hiding behind her.

Feeling something was wrong, Emilia spread part of her skirt to shield him.

After the passenger completely passed by, she quickly turned back.

“[Bad people… here?]”

She whispered softly.

Tears streamed down Ivan’s cheeks as he nodded.

At the same time, Emilia’s expression became tense.

So that’s why he came outside the train to ask for help.

He believed the people inside the train were dangerous.

What should I do?

She looked toward the door.

But the heavy metal doors had already been tightly sealed.

A moment later, the train lurched forward as it departed.

In the original story, the child had been assassinated.

Judging from the situation, the male lead—who should have been with him—must have been too badly injured to move.

The child was completely alone.

No matter how she looked at it, this train was where he was meant to die.

I should have stopped him from boarding…

Realizing her mistake, Emilia bit her lip.

“It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”

She gently patted Ivan’s back while organizing her thoughts.

First of all, those clothes stand out too much.

She had already noticed it at the station.

His outfit was anything but ordinary.

The passenger who had stared earlier had probably noticed him for the same reason.

“Hold on a second—”

She reached to remove Ivan’s robe but suddenly stopped.

There’s blood on his clothes.

A robe would attract far less attention than bloodstained clothing.

Sighing softly, Emilia fastened the robe again and carefully said,

“Will you come over here for a moment?”

Ivan immediately grabbed her outstretched hand tightly.

Keeping him hidden between herself and her travel bag, Emilia moved as cautiously as possible.

First, I need to get him to my seat.

The train compartments were divided into groups of four seats.

And when she’d bought her ticket, she’d confirmed that the other three seats in her compartment were empty.

Since she’d purchased it just before departure, there was a good chance they were still unoccupied.

Soon, Emilia stopped in front of the compartment door.

Holding the handle, she listened carefully.

Fortunately, she heard nothing.

Click.

Thank goodness.

Just as expected, the compartment was empty.

She hurried inside and closed the door behind her.

Then she sat Ivan down and knelt in front of him.

“[Where… injured person?]”

“[He’s at ###!]”

What does that mean?

Emilia frowned.

She couldn’t understand the word.

So she tried asking something simpler.

“Hmm… train… [Front? Back?]”

“[Back!]”

Just as Emilia was trying to figure out where the male lead was—

Voices came from outside.

She paused and looked toward the door.

Ticket inspection?

Turning back to Ivan, she took out her own ticket and showed it to him.

“[Do you have one of these?]”

Ivan shook his head.

He’ll get caught by the conductor…

…Wait.

Something isn’t right.

Of course, conductors checked tickets.

But they normally checked only a few passengers—not every single person on the train.

Could it be…?

Carefully making sure not to make any noise, Emilia cracked open the compartment door and peeked outside.

Several compartments ahead, she saw the back of a railway employee checking tickets.

At first glance, he looked perfectly ordinary.

But there were bloodstains on the hem of his trousers.

He’s definitely looking for Ivan.

Taking a sharp breath, Emilia quickly closed the door.

At the same time, she heard the man questioning passengers in the next compartment.

It’s too late to move Ivan somewhere else…

Then her eyes fell on her large suitcase.

That’s it!

She immediately threw open the window and leaned outside.

Below the train flowed a wide river.

From this height, it won’t make much noise.

She pulled her head back inside and opened the suitcase.

Ah! The things Madam gave me!

Her eyes widened.

She quickly kept only one small pouch.

The wind rushed through the open window, blowing her hair wildly.

Then Emilia threw everything else from the suitcase out the window.

She felt guilty about littering…

…But saving a life is more important!

Ivan stared at her with wide, round eyes, completely bewildered.

Pointing at the now-empty suitcase, Emilia urgently whispered,

“Quick! Get inside!”

Still confused, Ivan looked back and forth between Emilia and the suitcase before climbing inside.

Fortunately, his small frame fit without difficulty.

“[No sound. Understand?]”

Once she saw him nod, Emilia closed the suitcase.

She quickly sat down and straightened her clothes.

Just then—

Knock. Knock.

Stay calm.

The compartment door slowly opened.

The same man from before stepped inside.

“What is it?”

“We’re checking passengers’ tickets. May I see yours?”

Stepping into the compartment, the man slowly swept his gaze across the interior.

Swallowing nervously, Emilia quickly handed over her ticket.

The moment he took it, she immediately withdrew her hand.

Her fingertips were trembling from tension.

I can’t let him suspect anything.

No matter how she thought about it, she had no chance of overpowering him.

And even if I ran… we’re on a moving train.

The man checked the seat number printed on her ticket.

Emilia waited anxiously for him to return it and leave.

Then—

“What is that luggage?”

He gestured toward the suitcase resting at Emilia’s feet.