“Passengers bound for Southfirth, please disembark here and transfer.”

Ding— ding—

At the sound of the bell, Rive lifted her head, her gaze drifting toward the window. As she saw people lining up to get off, she quickly rose to her feet, clutching her bag tightly to her chest.

She had pulled a wide-brimmed hat low over her face, hiding as much as she could—but fear still lingered, that someone might recognize her.

But… would that even happen?

Since her marriage, she had hardly made any public appearances. No one would remember her.

Stepping off the train, Rive glanced around. A sign marked “Southfirth” stood not far away.

She hurried down the stairs—but collided with a passing stranger, dropping her bag in the process.

The bag tumbled down the steps.

Rive could only stare at it helplessly.

“Ah, I’m so sorry. I was in a hurry and didn’t watch where I was going. Are you alright?”

The voice was low—firm—but not a man’s.

She looked up.

The person picking up her bag and walking back up the stairs was dressed in a tailored suit—clearly men’s attire—yet unmistakably a woman.

For a brief moment, the woman’s blue eyes widened in surprise before settling again.

“Here… this—”

She held out the bag to Rive, who stood frozen, head lowered.

Rive hesitated, then reached out, gripping the handle tightly.

“Um—”

“I’m fine.”

Her voice came out faint and strained, cutting off whatever the woman had been about to say.

Sensing the awkwardness, the woman removed her hat, gave a slight bow, and turned away—a quiet gesture of apology, polite and composed.

Watching her descend the stairs again, Rive pulled the bag closer against her chest.

***

Seated on the train bound for Southfirth, Rive held her ticket tightly in her hand.

At the far end of the row, she noticed the woman from earlier.

Her steps faltered for a moment—but with passengers continuing to file in behind her, she had no choice but to move forward.

As she drew closer, a strange unease crept in.

Surely… it couldn’t be.

And yet, that woman was seated right beside her.

“Ah… we meet again.”

The woman seemed just as surprised, offering an awkward nod.

Avoiding her gaze, Rive lowered her head and slipped into the window seat. The woman briefly stepped aside, then took her seat beside her.

A faint scent lingered, a citrus fragrance, the kind men often wore.

“What brings you to Southfirth?”

Just before the train departed, a station attendant passed by slowly, checking seats. Leaning against the window with her eyes closed, Rive opened them slightly at the voice directed toward her.

A bottle of water—new, unopened—was being held out in front of her.

When she lifted her gaze, she met the woman’s face.

“I’m Rogiella. Southfirth is my hometown.”

“….”

“You should take it. The ones they sell on the train are ridiculously expensive.”

The word expensive struck her immediately.

The money she had on hand wasn’t much—there was no reason to hesitate.

Rive accepted the bottle.

“Thank you.”

“It’s an apology for earlier.”

“…You’ve already apologized enough. I wasn’t hurt.”

“You didn’t look well, so I was worried. Meeting again like this, as seatmates—it really is quite a coincidence.”

Rogiella smiled warmly.

But Rive couldn’t return it. She simply turned her gaze away.

It probably wouldn’t happen—but if, by some chance, the woman recognized her, it would be troublesome.

“If my talking bothers you—”

“I heard… it’s easy for women to find work in Southfirth.”

Rive spoke quietly, shrinking in on herself.

Rogiella paused mid-sentence, momentarily blank, before nodding as if she understood.

There must be a story behind it. But hearing that she was going to Southfirth to find work… it stirred a faint sense of pity.

Her clothes were plain, yet they couldn’t conceal the natural elegance she carried.

Even with her pale, drawn face—fatigue clinging to her—her beauty remained unmistakable.

She was, without a doubt, a woman of high birth.

“Aren’t you cold? That coat looks rather thin.”

“Ah… I left in a hurry…”

Rive trailed off, then quickly pressed her lips shut, realizing her mistake.

It would be better to keep her distance.

Turning her head, she pretended to look out the window.

Beyond the glass, among the hurried crowd, newspapers clutched in passing hands caught her eye, their headlines boldly proclaiming Burddale’s victory and praising the achievements of the Duke of Blackwood.

Rive had nowhere to return to.

The Grandly baronial family had been in steady decline since her parents passed away.

Her brother had squandered what little remained on gambling debts and continued to live recklessly.

If not for the support of the Duke of Blackwood, he would have long since been ruined.

Naitale Grandly would never allow Rive to divorce.

Blackwood.

At the thought of him, the memory of that dawn—like a nightmare—rose up without warning, sending a chill through her body.

The faint traces he had left between her legs shook the fragile calm she had barely managed to hold together.

“When you arrive in Southfirth, take a carriage to Grooms. Follow the square straight ahead, and you’ll see a sign for 23rd Street. Turn right there, and you’ll find an old tavern called Fairy Glass.”

The train began to move.

Outside, a station worker raised his arm and blew a whistle, the sharp sound echoing loudly in the air.

Steam billowed overhead, and the view beyond the window slowly blurred.

Rive blinked, confusion flickering across her face at Rogiella’s words.

“If you give them my name, you should be able to find suitable work.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I don’t know where you heard it, but Southfirth isn’t any different. Human trafficking is common there, and illegal dealings happen all the time. Most likely, a broker spread those rumors on purpose. After all… it’s home to the largest red-light district in the world.”

Rive’s eyes widened.

She had only learned about Southfirth by overhearing the servants. They had spoken of it half in complaint, half in longing—saying that, regardless of one’s background, a woman could earn money there. That if they had to suffer like this, they might as well go there instead.

‘Regardless of background.’

The desperate need to escape had clouded her judgment.

She hadn’t cared where she was going—only that she needed to get away.

And so, without even trying to learn what kind of place Southfirth truly was, she had come here blindly.

“Are you wondering why I’m telling you all this?”

Rogiella asked, reading the tangled expression on her face.

Rive almost nodded without thinking.

Rogiella was far more perceptive than she had expected.

“There’s something thrilling about helping a beautiful woman in trouble.”

With that, Rogiella smiled—her eyes bright, full of life.

Looking at her, something in Rive’s chest ached.

Now that she was finally breaking free from Blackwood’s hold…could she truly be free of him?

After a moment, Rive found herself returning a faint, uncertain smile.

“…Thank you, Rogiella.”

Tilting her head as if pleased, Rogiella gave a playful wink.

Turning her gaze forward again, Rive’s emerald eyes grew distant.

Lowering her head, she noticed the water bottle still in her hands.

As the train gently swayed, the water inside shifted softly.

Only then did it truly sink in—she had left Bloodtail behind.

Once, blinded by love, she had worn herself down, consumed by guilt and self-reproach, living through bleak, suffocating days.

Though the end she had reached was not so different from before—this time, at least—Rive had left Blackwood behind.

With her own hands.

Opening the bottle Rogiella had given her, she took a slow drink, then turned her gaze to the passing scenery outside.

It would be a long journey ahead.

She felt movement from the seat beside her.

Rogiella shifted slightly, as if trying to sleep—removing her hat and lowering it over her face, arms folded loosely across her chest.

Turning her gaze back to the window, Rive realized the scenery had already changed.

The train had passed through the crowded city and was now cutting across dry forests and vast fields blanketed in snow.

Her reflection stared back at her—emerald eyes dimmed with exhaustion.

‘Maybe I should get some rest…’

Her body felt heavy, drained.

Perhaps it was the release of tension—drowsiness crept in, and her head began to tilt.

She tried to keep her eyes open, forcing strength into her eyelids, but they kept falling shut.

In the end, the leather bag in her arms slipped loose, and the water bottle she had been holding dropped softly onto her lap.

The journey to Southfirth would take five hours.

The farther she moved from Blackwood’s domain, the oppressive weight that had clung to her slowly began to lift.

As the traces of him—so deeply ingrained in her—gradually faded, Rive fell into a deep, long sleep.

For the first time in what felt like forever.

In her dream, she ran freely across a wide, open field.

The snow had melted, flowers blooming across a lush, green meadow. Above her stretched a clear, endless sky without a single cloud.

Nothing could make her heart ache anymore.

Not even the love that had once torn it to pieces.

‘It’s finally over.’

A bond that had been so relentless—so suffocating.

Her golden hair, warmed by sunlight, swayed gently in the soft breeze.

Then—from somewhere far away, she heard the bright, ringing laughter of a child.

“…!”

Her eyes flew open.

The train had already arrived in Southfirth.