Chapter 45

The train arrived at the East Gate.

Angie, carrying a big box, stopped. She was a guide responsible for the cafeteria on the train.

Since the train arrived at its last destination, there were no passengers in the cafeteria, and she could afford to take a break a little and enjoy the view of the eastern gate visible from afar. It was a very beautiful structure built by some of the best architects for a huge amount of money.

The passengers of the train almost all parted, and there was still quite a lot of time left to board, so the station was quiet and sparsely populated. The only audible sound was the sound of rain, which was very rare for these places, and because of which the environment seemed dull and gloomy.

Angie looked at the clouds in the sky, took a deep breath and walked faster.

- Uh...?

Somewhere it smelled of forest. Exactly, it smelled like you were standing in the middle of a deep forest on a rainy day.

Looking around, Angie saw a man standing next to the column outside.

He stood in the shadows, so she couldn't see his face, but in silhouette he looked like a young man. He also seemed tall to her.

Is he looking at the rain or is he dating someone?

"But the landing platform is on the other side. ..."

Angie stopped and stared at him silently, not even realizing it.

In the place where he stood, even the air seemed to flow slowly in space.

And strangely enough, only the sound of rain was heard loudly.

In fact, she wasn't the only one whose attention he attracted.

Rare people who passed through the platform also looked at him, but none of them dared to approach him and talk.

As if fascinated by this strange smell, Angie remained in one place for a long time, unable to take a step.

For some reason, this smell was familiar to her.

The main passengers of the train were wealthy middle-class people, but sometimes there were also recently rich commoners.

And as a rule, instead of tobacco, after which there was a disgusting smell, passengers of this level smoked something that gave a calming effect and had a unique aroma.

Angie only knew that it was an incredibly expensive luxury.

She couldn't say exactly whether it was the smell of the forest during rain or wet ground, but she knew what the smell was called.

A few days ago, a colleague told her about it.

"White sandalwood."

He told her it was the smell of white sandalwood. Angie, who recalled his name, even became a little proud of herself.

However, due to the fact that Angie was distracted by the man, she did not immediately realize that someone had called her.

- Excuse me, miss.

- .... Huh?

Hearing someone's low voice behind, Angie looked around in amazement.

It was a big-fat-body stranger.

- Are you Miss Angie Dilos?

- Um... yes, me. - Angie answered shuddering.

It's been a long time since she heard her full name, which she disliked.

But soon she got a little scared.

Because there was no expression on the face of the person who asked her.

Judging by his dark skin, he belonged to an ethnic group of people wandering in the desert. He didn't look threatening and wasn't ugly, but there was something in him that instinctively made you feel afraid.

Oddly enough, his appearance seemed blurred, and it was difficult to say whether she would recognize him again if she happened to face him, although they were standing face to face now.

- What's the matter?

- My name is Hardin and I'm looking for a passenger. Tell me, Miss Angie Dilos, did you work six days ago on a train to Aquitaine?

- If that was six days ago... Oh! Yes, I worked.

And only then did Angie relax a little.

It was a grand event. Anyone who knew Angie at least a little wanted to ask her about it. And at one time it even seemed to her that she would go crazy with the number of people who tried to talk to her.

That day, Angie was very close to death.

Then unknown people armed with swords appeared on the train and took the passengers hostage with her. People from the forest clan came after unknown people, and a fight broke out on the train not for life, but to death.

Angie thought she would die there.

Without saying a word, Angie looked carefully at a man named Hardin.

Does this guy work for someone?

After this happened, people began to come from different places to find out what was going on.

They asked the remaining passengers and train staff different questions, but soon after they were answered, they left.

The train staff behaved quietly, but apparently the forest clan and the fairly large Red Wheel guild were still watching them.

The Red Wheel Guild is a guild that has recently gained fame in the East due to the fact that it conducted illegal underground business.

The moment Angie was swung a knife, she fainted, but when she opened her eyes again, it was over.

Fortunately, the situation did not go too far and did without casualties.

Speaking of cleanliness, the armed people were dispersed by representatives of the forest clan, after which the latter concealed for a while on the train, and a couple of stops quietly descended, without unnecessary noise.

High Lord Akitas sent his personal investigator to investigate the incident, but it was only a formality.

Angie's colleagues whispered among themselves that High Lord Aquitas and the head of the Red Wheel guild were in a "close relationship", so they would not be punished.

But is that what the ruler had to do?

"It's just ridiculous that such people are not punished!" Angie thought angrily while a man who appeared like Hardin looked at her silently.

Then he suddenly spoke, collapsing the flow of her outraged emotions.

- The person I'm looking for was on the train.

When he began to describe the passenger he was looking for, his voice sounded muted.

A woman of about twenty years old with light brown hair and blue eyes, traveling alone. After that, he took out a small potray, where a beautiful woman with a calm look, drawn by hand, was depicted.

- Do you remember her?

- Yes, of course, I remember. - Angie confirmed, sparkling her eyes.

She instantly forgot about her grumbling when she saw the sweat. It is very rare to meet women traveling alone, so Angie remembered her well.

- As far as I remember, she was on her way to the East Gate to meet her husband. ...

Hardin's face, who had not expressed anything before these words, revived slightly for the first time.

Although the woman put on a veil almost all the time, leaving her compartment, Angie managed to briefly see her face a couple of times, so she clearly remembered her appearance.

For the simple reason that the cold beauty of this woman was amazing.

Silky brown hair flowed in a soft cascade along her back at the slightest movement, and cast silver whenever sunlight hit it.

Smooth white skin resembling porcelain, expressive, calm blue eyes, pubescent with long black eyelashes, a smooth slightly pulled nose and beautifully outlined red lips. It was an image that seemed to descend from the classic painting of a brilliant artist.

Naturally, it was not common to meet a fair sex with such an appearance.

Angie also remembered that she said that she was going to her husband's when she showed her identity card.

But, ironically, Angie remembered it simply because she didn't believe a single word of her.

Perhaps due to the fact that she has already seen many passengers, working as a guide for many years, she has developed a kind of professional intuition.

The woman wore a black veil and dark clothes all the time. However, usually married women do not wear such clothes.

Maybe that's why that's why the mysterious atmosphere that hinted at deep history reigned around her.

She looked as if she had parted with her lover forever, instead of meeting him after a long separation.

Angie, briefly immersed in her thoughts, recovered.

- But I can't answer the questions if they relate to the passenger's personal information!

Although late, she still remembered the work ethics, so she tried to give her face the strictest possible expression she was capable of.

And at the moment when a man who introduced himself as Hardin had already opened his mouth to convince her, a quiet voice suddenly rang.

- So, to my husband.

Angie felt goosebumps running down her skin because the person who said these words was standing right behind her back.

She realized who was behind her back even before she looked around.

The aroma of white sandalwood was felt much stronger in the air than before.

It was a man who watched the rain for a long time, leaning against a column.

Angie finally sighed and turned around without even realizing that she had held her breath to this point.

His clothes were unremarkable.

A dark travel suit, over which a black coat was thrown on its shoulders without a single decoration or distinctive sign. Such clothes could be seen on any traveler, so he did not stand out from the rich passengers of the train.

And yet, Angie couldn't look away from him.

- ...Mr.

A man named Hardin tried to intervene, but a man in the dark raised his hand, stopping him, and asked with a smile:

- Is that what she told you? Why is she going to her husband's?

- D... yes. - Angie answered stuttering, as if something had entered her.

Actually, she was just very amazed.

The cold red eyes of the man, who seemed to be devoid of emotions, bent beautifully at the moment when he smiled slightly. His gentle, quiet manner of speech also caused a pleasant feeling of pressure in her stomach.

Suddenly, Angie recovered.

Anyway, she had a feeling that a woman who introduced herself as Lillian Seneca most likely lied.

It occurred to her that the person and name she told her were fake.

And the reason why she got on the train under this false name was probably this man.

Angie strained her arms muscles to grab the box that almost fell out of her hands. Then she carefully stepped back a few steps.

Lillian Seneca - whatever her real name - ran away from this man under a fictitious name and false personality.

Angie decided not to give this person any information.

Could she determine exactly whether this person was a persecutor or a lover with whom they broke up under inevitable circumstances? Of course not.

Whatever the real situation of Lillian Seneca, Angie had a feeling that if she told him everything, it would not end well.

And Angie didn't want anyone to get in trouble because of her.

- Excuse me, sir. But I can't provide you with the passenger's personal information.

Although Angie was very nervous, but still, having gathered her spirits, she was able to answer decisively.

- I wasn't going to ask you about it, so you don't have to be afraid of me. - The man answered calmly, who looked like a beautiful blade.

Angie shrugged her shoulders, as if defending herself.

Whatever he said, Angie wasn't going to tell him anything.

But, to her shame, the man did not ask where Lillian Seneca had gone, but asked a completely different question.

- Is she okay?

- .... What?

- I heard that there was an accident.

- Oh...yes. Exactly.

That's right, she was also on the train then.

Only then did Angie realize that if she were looking for someone on the train where the accident occurred, she would ask that question.

- Wasn't she... hurt?

Angie was suddenly scared.

Despite the fact that it lasted only a moment, she was able to notice that the quiet voice of the man asking her seemed to sound depressed.

This was usually the voice of a person who barely restrains his emotions.