The Terminally Ill Villainess Goes on a Journey - Chapter 9

“Excuse me. We need to verify your identity.”

“……?”

Derek opened his eyes.

The door to the third-class cabin had swung open, and a train attendant was moving through the crowd.

What now?

Derek tensed, peeking out slightly from beneath his cloak.

The attendant was checking each passenger’s ticket one by one, verifying their identity.

Soon, the attendant reached Derek and spoke to him, who remained covered by his cloak.

“Sir, may I check your ticket and nameplate? We are conducting an identity verification.”

‘…Just my luck. Damn it.’

They had already checked his ticket when he boarded.

Was this train so prestigious that they conducted additional identity checks even after passengers were seated?

Grumbling internally, Derek handed over his ticket and nameplate and lowered his cloak just slightly.

He knew better than to let his panic show when caught off guard.

“Is that all?”

“……”

He spoke impatiently, urging the attendant to finish quickly, but something about the attendant’s expression felt off.

The man stared at Derek for a moment before suddenly smiling—

Like someone who had just found exactly what they were looking for.

What the hell…?

A sense of unease crept into Derek’s chest.

The way the attendant simply smiled without saying a word made him uneasy.

Could it be? Had they figured out who he was?

Just as he was about to react, the attendant glanced sideways and gestured to someone nearby.

Following the attendant’s gaze, Derek narrowed his eyes.

A man was staring directly at him from a distance.

A knight in plain clothes, a sword at his waist—someone who looked strangely familiar.

‘No way…’

Derek immediately recalled a certain woman.

The noblewoman who had stared at him in the middle of Lisman Central Market.

The woman who had shielded a child, rolling on the ground to protect him when Derek almost collided with him while escaping.

That man had been standing beside her the entire time.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

Had that noblewoman… set this up?

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.”

Before Derek could fully process the situation, the attendant extended a hand toward him with a polite smile.

“We actually received an anonymous tip. That there’s a pickpocket hiding on this train.”

Damn it!

Derek’s heart pounded. He shot up from his seat, shoving the attendant aside as he bolted for the door.

But—

“Ugh!”

A sharp pain struck his shin like a bolt of lightning.

“Apologies, sir. All Lamiere Express train staff are trained in martial arts.”

“Ugh…!”

Before he even realized what had happened, Derek was kneeling on the floor.

The attendant pressed a knee firmly onto Derek’s shoulder, pinning him down, all while maintaining a composed smile.

“For moments like this—when passengers like you try to board.”

***

“The suspect has been successfully apprehended.”

The report arrived precisely one hour after I had given the order.

As expected, Deon was efficient.

Hearing the quiet update from Deon, who had discreetly summoned me outside my cabin, I smiled.

“Good work. It must’ve been tough checking every third-class ticket, but you found him quickly.”

“He had his cloak pulled over his head, lying low. It was as if he was asking to be caught.”

“Idiot…”

Then again, Derek had been foolish even in the novel.

That’s why he had remained a mere minor villain.

“By the way, what’s going to happen to Derek now? Did you hear anything?”

“For now, he’s being held in an empty cabin. When we reach the next station, he’ll be taken off the train and handed over to the authorities. He’ll likely end up in prison.”

“I see…”

In the end, the criminal had been caught far too quickly.

Even I could see that Derek was likely to end up in prison. He wasn’t a first-time offender—he had been caught pickpocketing multiple times before and had already served time.

Which meant… the event that was supposed to bring Emily and the third male lead together had disappeared.

‘I’ll have to think of another way to connect Emily and Eric later…’

Forget it!

I’d deal with that problem when the time came.

I had no regrets about capturing Derek.

I smiled. “Good work, Deon. You must be exhausted too. Get some rest. I’ll be staying in my cabin all day, so I’ll be safe.”

“Understood.”

Deon bowed his head and vanished like a shadow.

When I returned to my cabin, I saw Finn sleeping soundly on my bed.

Next to him, still gripping Finn’s hand, Harry had dozed off, leaning against the bed.

Before Deon had arrived, I had already managed to find a doctor.

Just a while ago, a skilled doctor had examined Finn and confirmed that while he had been startled, there was no serious strain on his heart. He simply needed to rest, and he would wake up soon.

“Now all that’s left is for you to wake up, Finn.”

Fortunately, Finn didn’t take long to regain consciousness.

How long had I been sitting across from Harry, gently stroking the child’s soft brown hair?

Finn’s eyelids twitched slightly before slowly fluttering open.

“…Princess? Brother?”

Finn looked around in confusion at the soft bed beneath him before turning his gaze toward me.

Then, as if remembering what had happened, he let out a small sigh.

“Finn. You’re awake.”

I smiled at him, welcoming him back.

***

A luxurious first-class cabin, similar in size to Irene’s.

A man sat by the window, reading a book, before glancing up.

“The pickpocket was caught?”

Someone else had been secretly keeping an eye on the situation.

Prince Albert.

He repeated the words in disbelief as his subordinate, who had just delivered the news, stood before him.

“Yes. It seems the culprit had boarded this train.”

“…Really?”

Albert was already aware of what had happened at Lisman Harbor earlier that day.

Disguised in a robe, he had been exploring the harbor with his knight when he had witnessed the commotion.

And, to his surprise, Irene had saved a commoner child.

Not only had it been a striking scene, but as a citizen of the Hasit Empire, Irene had piqued his curiosity. He had been discreetly keeping track of how the situation unfolded, just in case.

But his subordinate’s report didn’t end there.

“However, the one who caught the culprit was Lady Hartmann’s knight.”

“…What?”

Albert’s brows furrowed. Who had captured the pickpocket?

Irene’s escort knight?

“It seems he secretly reported it to the train staff.”

“That means Irene was the one who caught the culprit.”

A knight never acted without their master’s orders.

Whether the knight had discovered it himself or Irene had figured it out, the fact remained—

Irene had known the criminal was on the train.

“Didn’t they say that child is also in Irene’s cabin?”

“Yes. A doctor among the passengers treated him, and he has now safely regained consciousness.”

“……”

“The passengers are all talking about Lady Hartmann. Many of them recovered their stolen belongings thanks to her efforts.”

“I see…”

Albert looked utterly perplexed.

“…All right. Thank you for the report. Let me know if anything else comes up.”

“As you command.”

His subordinate bowed and exited the cabin.

Albert placed his book down on the table, deep in thought.