“Huh?”
“Watch out, my lady!”
Josephine threw herself toward Estelle, who had been flung from her seat and was now airborne.
Thud!
As the finely carved mahogany chair tumbled violently across the floor, Josephine just barely managed to catch Estelle in her arms, and together they rolled across the floor alongside the chair.
Rumble rumble rumble…
The aftermath of the emergency stop and the impact caused the entire carriage to shake violently.
Josephine wrapped her arms around Estelle’s head to shield the princess.
“What on earth…!”
“Curl up tighter!”
The teacups they had just been sipping from flew and shattered, and the teapot overturned, spilling scalding tea down Josephine’s back.
She clenched her teeth against the burning sensation seeping through the fabric.
Estelle screamed.
“Josephine! Are you okay?”
Fortunately, the shock was brief, and the trembling of the carriage soon subsided.
Once Josephine judged the chaos had come to a halt, she shifted off Estelle and asked,
“My lady, are you unharmed?”
“What… what just happened?”
“It appears there’s been an accident. I’ll go outside and assess the situation, so you should find a safe place to hide. Be especially careful not to get hurt by falling objects. That chandelier is particularly concerning.”
Josephine’s eyes turned upward.
The chandelier, likely installed as part of an excessive effort to make the first-class cabin look luxurious, was swaying precariously and rattling ominously.
Seeing that the chandelier was nearly a full meter in diameter, Estelle nodded at Josephine’s warning.
“Whatever’s going on… I hope it’s nothing serious…”
Just as Estelle managed to get up from the floor—
Shing!
Josephine swiftly drew her sword, aiming it directly at the cabin door.
Urgent shouts and the sound of multiple footsteps could be heard from outside.
Estelle swallowed nervously.
“Josephine?”
“Shh. Keep your voice down.”
Josephine crept silently toward the door, adopting a stance ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
And the instant the door burst open, she thrust her blade forward, pressing the tip against the visitor’s throat.
“Who goes there?!”
“Waaah! Lady Josephine! Put the sword down! It’s me!”
“Count Vische?”
Startled, Josephine quickly withdrew her blade.
On board the train with Princess Estelle were several diplomats who had also been assigned to Libron, and it was they who had rushed to the first-class cabin.
Their faces were a mixture of anxiety and anger.
Josephine immediately offered an apology.
“I beg your pardon. I thought you were the enemy.”
“If that’s what you thought, then you did the right thing. Because enemies have boarded the train!”
“What? You mean enemies have boarded?”
“Yes. We’re under attack!”
At the count’s words, the atmosphere in the cabin froze.
His furious expression wasn’t because Josephine had threatened him with a sword, but because hostile forces had launched an assault on the train.
Count Vische stepped into the cabin as if to push Josephine aside.
“Is Her Highness safe?”
“I’m here.”
As Estelle emerged from hiding, the diplomats let out a collective sigh of relief.
It was the reaction of loyal subjects who had come to check on the princess’s safety the moment the incident occurred.
Count Vische spoke in a firm tone.
“We must come up with a plan immediately.”
“Could you help us assess the situation? How many enemies are there?”
It wasn’t the count who answered Josephine’s question, but another man.
“Before the train collided, I saw something through the window. There were at least ten armed men approaching on horseback.”
“Ten… That’s a considerable number.”
Estelle interjected.
“Isn’t there any security force assigned to protect the train?”
“The crew members have received some combat training, but only enough to subdue unruly passengers. We can’t expect much from them in a real battle.”
“There are rapid response units stationed at every train station for situations like this, Your Highness, but it will take time for them to arrive.”
To make matters worse, the location where the train had stopped was less than ideal—
It was exactly halfway between two stations.
Estelle summed it up.
“That means we’ll have to protect ourselves.”
A heavy silence fell over the group.
While Josephine quietly gripped the hilt of her sword, steeling her resolve, the diplomats raised their voices, sharing in each other’s fear and frustration.
“If they’re bandits, then their goal is surely money. They’ll take passengers’ valuables and hold nobles for ransom.”
“I heard bandits were wiped out from the kingdom over thirty years ago. What’s going on? What is the Eastern Legion doing if not keeping the peace?”
“They’ll have to answer for this when we return.”
“If we return safely, that is.”
That last remark came from Estelle.
She spoke up again, calming the group and steering the conversation forward.
“Right now, we must all come together and focus on surviving this crisis. Surely no one objects to that, right?”
When everyone nodded, Estelle turned to Josephine.
“Josephine, is there a way to get us out of this situation?”
After a brief pause to think, Josephine spoke.
“There are two options.”
“Please tell us.”
“One is to prioritize Her Highness the princess’s safety. From now on we gather the furniture in this first-class cabin to block the door and build barricades; by holding the narrow aisle we can buy time. It’s a method of holding out until the rescue team arrives or until the attackers tire and withdraw.”
“And the other?”
“We become the rescue team ourselves. We go out from here and confront the attackers directly.”
“Is that possible? The attackers outnumber us.”
Actually, it was almost shameful even to compare numbers.
The diplomats and their attendants totaled six.
Even counting Josephine and Estelle it was eight, but it was out of the question for Estelle to fight the robbers, and since Josephine was the only one among them armed, in reality there was effectively only one combatant in this cabin.
Josephine calmly laid out the plan.
“In theory it’s possible. There are twelve cars on this train, so if they try to seize both the engine room and the passenger cars simultaneously, the attackers will have to split their numbers.”
“So, the so-called ‘defeat-in-detail’?”
“Exactly. Even if I face several enemies at once, by using the narrow width of the train aisle I can single-handedly block one side of the passage. The attackers will find it hard to make use of their numbers.”
“Hmm, understood.”
“Hmm, I understand.”
“At the same time, we’ll rescue the crew members and passengers scattered throughout the train. Even unarmed people, if they gather in one place, the robbers will be reluctant to pick a fight.”
“It’s the same logic as herd animals grouping together.”
Josephine nodded.
If what’s gathered were only a flock of sheep, wolves would easily slaughter them, but if a sheepdog is mixed in with the flock, the situation changes.
In this case, Josephine’s presence would restrain the attackers.
Estelle made her choice without hesitation.
“Then let’s go with the second option.”
“But that method has a major problem.”
“A problem?”
“Her Highness the princess’s safety.”
In a way, it was obvious.
“I can’t both break through the way out and protect the princess at the same time. So it’s right for me not to leave this cabin. With only one entrance here, I can handle a large number of enemies by myself.”
“But people are being attacked out there. If we can save other passengers and crew, we should.”
“No. The princess’s safety comes first.”
“Are you telling me that because she’s a princess of a country I should stand by and watch our people suffer?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll hide where I can’t be seen. Until Josephine goes and rescues the others.”
“The strongest force here is myself, and the best way to protect Your Highness is for me to stay by your side. Entrusting something irreplaceable to chance is something that must never be done.”
“Even if that’s an order from me?”
“I am a knight sworn to protect the royal family.”
And what Josephine was saying without saying was that fulfilling her duty mattered more than following Estelle’s command.
Estelle bit her lower lip.
She didn’t resent Josephine.
She knew that the one being unreasonable right now was herself.
But still, she had no intention of backing down.
Estelle spoke.
“Then all we have to do is make sure you’re not fighting the robbers alone, right?”
“…Huh?”
Instead of answering directly, Estelle turned to the diplomats.
All of the diplomats dispatched with her to Libron were nobles, and most nobles had received at least basic sword training from a young age.
Their actual combat experience might vary, but it was reasonable to expect that each could at least serve as a capable fighter.
But knowing how to fight and being willing to risk one’s life to save others were two very different things.
In truth, most of the diplomats strongly agreed with Josephine’s proposal to barricade the first-class cabin and hold their position.
Estelle stepped forward among them, drawing their attention.
“Everyone, please lend me your ears for a moment.”
“Speak, Your Highness.”
It was Count Vische, the highest-ranking diplomat among them, who set the tone.
Estelle took a deep breath, then began to speak.
“If I were to tell you we should give up barricading ourselves and instead confront the enemy, you might laugh and call it reckless. After all, they outnumber us, and aside from one person, we don’t even have weapons.”
“When a person is cut by a blade, they bleed and die. To say that’s not frightening would be a lie. I’m no different. I’m scared and trembling. But there’s something I fear even more.”
“There are people out there in danger. If we turn our backs, they’ll either die or be seriously hurt. And we’ll be stuck here, silent and powerless, forced to listen to their screams. That’s what I’m truly afraid of.”
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