WTBFCY Chapter 13

The sofa converted to a bed when you flipped the backrest over. Noah had spent most of the train journey sleeping on it.

Platinum-blonde hair fell across his eyes, beneath which lay evenly spaced lashes of a slightly darker shade. His pale skin and well-formed lips completed the picture. Sitting across from him, Regina rested her chin in her hand, appreciating this unnecessarily beautiful and terrifying man.

"Even poisonous mushrooms are beautiful..."

No reaction even when she muttered to herself. Watching the man lie there peacefully, undisturbed, was fine for a day or two, but by the fourth day, the itch drove her half-mad.

"He was nothing like this at the estate. Back then, at least he looked like an elegant nobleman..."

"...An illusion won't make you perfect. Plus, my illusions are weaker than black fairies anyway."

Regina jumped, startled that her mumbled comment had gotten an answer. The man she'd thought was sleeping opened his eyes without moving his head, speaking in a drowsy voice.

"If I had a son, he'd be an elegant nobleman. If I had an older brother, he'd be kind.' That sort of thing—I have to work with some of their unconscious expectations to keep the illusion stable and lasting. Family especially requires careful attention if you're spending extended time together."

Regina remembered Noah speaking kindly to Margaret. She recalled his impeccable table manners, his flawless posture. She was about to ask where he'd learned aristocratic etiquette when Noah stretched and turned to face the other direction.

"Stop muttering beside me and go play outside. You're making noise while I'm trying to sleep."

"...You're sleeping again?"

What kind of cat-napping fool falls asleep the moment his head touches anything? Regina stared at him in exasperation. But Noah just waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing away an insect. Irritated by his brush-off, Regina nonetheless did as he said.

Another day passed, and the train finally arrived at its destination: the capital. Noah slowly rose from his seat, gathered his luggage, and got off. Regina hurried to grab her things and follow, shaking her body as if the train ride had been something horrible.

"Ugh, I'm never taking a train again. Four days was too boring and tiring!"

"......"

Noah let out a small yawn and glanced back at her. Mentioning that they'd be taking a train again after finishing business in the capital seemed unwise for now.

"Is this the capital? Wow! There are so many people!"

The capital was far more overwhelming than anything she'd seen in social magazines. Buildings unlike any she'd encountered and strange contraptions of unknown purpose littered every direction. She didn't know where to look. Compared to the Evelyn territory, it was hard to believe they existed in the same world.

"It's loud."

As Regina swiveled her head constantly, scanning everything, passersby caught sight of her and suppressed their smiles. Noah, annoyed at the attention she drew, offered a sharp remark. Regina's expression turned sullen.

"But it's fascinating! I see so many new things. Look! Look over there! A carriage is moving with no horse! What is that? Is there a horse inside the carriage? Or are people inside lifting it?"

Regina spotted something, gasped in amazement, and rushed over to Noah, tapping his arm. His wince at her not-so-gentle touch showed his displeasure.

"...Hey!"

He was about to respond when the coachman of the horseless carriage laughed heartily at Regina's reaction.

"Ha! Is this your sister's first time in the capital? She doesn't know about star fragments? Young lady, would you like one as a gift?"

The coachman bent down and extended his hand. Intrigued, Regina's eyes lit up as she accepted what he offered. In her palm lay a dark blue diamond-shaped stone. It didn't sparkle like a jewel, but its surface was smoothly polished in an odd way.

"Wow, what is this?"

"It's what makes this carriage run without a horse. We call it a star fragment. It's cheaper than renting actual horses, so people use it often. Of course, some still prefer using real horses. Many nobles still prefer them, you see. But young lady, doesn't your leg hurt? Would you like to ride with us?"

As Regina stared curiously at the fragment in her hand, the coachman grinned and glanced at Noah before launching into his sales pitch. Noah let out a long sigh, pulled coins from his pocket, and handed them over.

"Kapsen Street, number 36."

"Thank you! Come on, hop in, let's go!"

The coachman pocketed the fare with a bright smile, descended, and personally opened the carriage door. Regina gave a polite greeting, accepted his help, and climbed inside. Fortunately, neither a horse nor a person was hidden inside. Relieved, Regina quietly patted her chest.

'Horse smell is stronger than I expected. Thank goodness I don't have to ride with one.'

"What exactly is this thing? How can it make a carriage move? I can't believe it."

Regina held the fragment close to her face, examining it carefully.

"Ha, that's an invention from the Royal Research Institute, 'Arme.' It's lighter than coal, lasts longer, and can move anything heavy."

"Really? The capital has things like this! Incredible. But how does such a small thing move a carriage?"

"Ha, I had the same reaction when I first saw it! When you fit it into the frame made for it, you can draw on the power contained in the star fragment. How it works, I honestly don't know!"

"Wow!"

Regina blinked in wonder as she looked at the star fragment. Sitting across from her, Noah didn't want to waste any more time. He tapped the carriage wall. It was a signal to be quiet. The coachman cleared his throat softly and smiled warmly at Regina.

"Well then, you two, have a good trip!"

The coachman closed the inner window, and his figure disappeared from view. Finally separated from the chatter, Noah spoke in a bewildered tone.

"So why did your attitude suddenly change? You were shaking like an aspen leaf whenever you saw me before."

She'd gradually lost her fear of him. Regina smiled smugly now.

"You said if I ate a person, you'd kill me, right? Since I'll never eat a person, that means you'll never have reason to kill me! So why should I be afraid?"

"Even giving you a hundred-yard head start, you think I wouldn't kill you just out of boredom?"

"From what I've seen, you'd probably find it more annoying to kill me than to keep me alive."

Over the entire four-day train ride, she'd barely seen the man stand up and walk around. He complained about everything being annoying so much that she'd gotten bored hearing it. How lazy could one person be? When Regina muttered this to herself, Noah, stung by her accuracy, grumbled.

"Dammit, why do I have to look after this kid?"

"A kid?! I'm eighteen, I'll have you know! I've already had my coming-of-age ceremony. In another month, I'll be nineteen!"

"Where do I see 'adult' when looking at you? Your behavior is no different from a ten-year-old."

"How dare you! Don't you just keep saying rude things?"

"What? It's obvious. 'Regina Evelyn' was probably raised with nothing but yes, yes, yes."

"That's... that's not true!"

Regina flinched at his observation, denying it emphatically. But Noah just shook his head slowly and said nothing more. Having nothing left to say, he folded his arms. Regina spoke to him once more.

"It really isn't!"

He merely waved his hand dismissively as if she were being loud.

After winding through alleys, the carriage arrived before a worn two-story house. When both of them descended, the coachman waved cheerfully and headed back the way they'd come.

"Oh no!"

"What?"

As Regina waved toward the departing carriage, she suddenly cried out. Noah turned to look at her.

"The star fragment is gone!"

"What?"

"The dark star fragment. I was holding it tight, but it's disappeared."

Regina opened her empty palm to show him. Noah glanced down at her hand without responding, then turned his head toward the house entrance and kept walking.

"That's strange. I couldn't have dropped it. I wasn't even keeping it in my pocket—I was holding it the whole time. So why is it gone?"

When Noah didn't respond, disappointed, Regina rummaged through her own pockets. She wondered if she'd somehow dropped it on the ground, but she couldn't find it anywhere. Eventually giving up the search, she looked up at the old house Noah had approached.

"Where is this place?"

"The home of the inventor Maverick."

Noah pressed a small button on the house door as he answered.

Beyond the fence, weeds grew in wild abundance. Ivy covered the entire wall. The vines stretched so far they even obscured the windows, making it doubtful whether proper sunlight could get through at all.

"An inventor?"

"One who invents weapons to kill black fairies."

Regina's eyes widened in shock at his words. Noah continued, still calm, gazing beyond the house.

"About eight years ago, his wife was eaten by a black faerie. They hate black fairies with a passion. If your nature is revealed here, they'll kill you immediately."

Click, creak.

As if on cue, the iron gate of the house swung open of its own accord. Startled, Regina stepped back. But Noah went through the opening without hesitation.

"Wait, just a moment! Come with me!"

Regina rushed after him, hurrying to catch up as he walked purposefully forward.

"Is it okay to just come in like this?"

"Yeah."

The house looked uninhabited from the outside, but stepping inside revealed signs of life. It was messy but organized nonetheless, and the dried herbs hanging from the ceiling bore traces of careful hands.

Noah descended directly to the lower level without hesitation. As his footsteps creaked on the aging stairs, Regina, looking around nervously, quickly followed the sound.

"The stairs are old. They won't collapse, right?"

"They probably won't collapse easily, Miss."

As Regina took careful steps down, a voice full of warmth came from below. Startled by the unfamiliar voice, she paused. Under bright light, a man looked up at her from below. His disheveled red hair was pulled back roughly, and he wore something far too heavy to be called glasses, pushed up on top of his head like a headband.

Expecting something smaller based on the word "inventor," Regina was somewhat surprised to see his muscular arms. He was slightly shorter than Noah but powerfully built, with impressive mass.