“Little, what’s up with that Ann? She’s so scrawny, can she even properly hold a gun?”
Inside the train, people gathered in small groups, chatting while sharing simple food.
Jane was among them. Despite being disguised as a man, she stood out as someone had pointed out.
“S-she’s fast at running. She can play an important role. More importantly, what’s this jerky? It tastes amazing!”
Little skillfully changed the subject. Thanks to that, Jane breathed a sigh of relief.
“Excuse me, bathroom.”
Jane whispered only into Little’s ear. She lowered her voice as much as possible, but since it was still too high-pitched to be a man’s voice who had gone through puberty, she only conversed with Little as much as possible. Even then, briefly.
Little nodded.
“Be care… ful.”
Despite being together for quite a long time until reaching the capital, Little still found Jane difficult to approach. It was understandable. Although called Jun, Jane was the Duchess of Hastings after all.
Jane left the cramped compartment where six to two people were staying.
She had said she was going to the bathroom, but in truth, she just wanted some quiet time, yet even the corridor was noisy.
Do they even realize they’re supposed to be hiding?
Jane let out a deep sigh.
Jane left the compartment entirely and opened the door leading outside. Fresh air brushed against her cheeks.
It was forbidden to leave the train, but for just one hour each day, during the pitch-black night, it was allowed.
This rule was made out of consideration that they too were humans who needed to move their bodies, but no one seemed to want to leave the train.
Except for the complete lack of privacy, the train was comfortable. The mattresses in the sleeping cars were soft, and the quality and taste of the food provided on time were excellent. Since the train was long, just walking through the long corridor provided exercise.
They crossed the length of the train dozens of times a day, confirming the faces of comrades with the same purpose and strengthening their resolve.
Jane didn’t do this.
That’s why the evening walk time when she could walk alone was precious to Jane.
Crunch, crunch.
Each time Jane walked, the gravel collided, making a sound. She found that sound quite pleasing, so she walked with purposeful vigor.
However, it didn’t last long. Jane’s steps slowed, and her body lost strength.
Jane stopped and leaned against the cold train wall. Then she looked up at the sky.
The sky dotted with stars was romantic, but her situation was far from romantic. In the end, after going round and round, she had entered the shadow of the Hastings family.
Jane sighed and recalled the circumstances that brought her here.
After confirming the paper containing the Rose Faction’s orders, Little said he couldn’t let Jane go. And what he said.
‘Why is Cain supporting the Rose Faction revolution? Oh, did he say leading rather than supporting?’
When she learned that Cain was jumping into the fire pit carrying Hastings on his back, Jane couldn’t just sit still.
There was nothing she could do, but at least she wanted to see the situation firsthand. If by any chance Joseph were in danger, shouldn’t she at least rescue the child?
‘That’s a lie. It’s not just because of Joseph.’
Jane finally admitted that she was worried about Cain.
Jane proposed to Little.
Jane realized that Little couldn’t kill her and threatened him. He accepted Jane’s proposal.
Jane took on the alias Jun and boarded the test run train disguised as a member of the Rose Faction.
Unaccustomed to moving like a rat, she fell and got hurt, sometimes had to hide in trash cans to avoid the eyes of the security forces, but she safely reached the capital.
And then, Jane lost her way.
It was good that she had come to the capital, but she couldn’t go out, and it was difficult to hear news about Hastings.
Above all, Jane didn’t have the courage to face Cain.
She had abandoned Hastings. And Cain hadn’t searched for her.
‘What if he demands to know why I came back?’
She imagined Cain insisting that there was no need to worry. It was hard to imagine him getting angry and trampling on her.
At some point, Cain had stopped getting angry at Jane.
When was that?
Jane stopped thinking. It was troublesome when his smile and kindness from her memories suddenly popped up.
“Ah, let’s go back inside.”
It would be better to listen to the Rose Faction people’s lame jokes. Just as Jane was about to turn around.
“Are you also participating in the harvest festival?”
Harvest festival, that’s what the Rose Faction people called their operation.
Jane froze at the voice from behind. It was Cain’s voice. Jane pretended not to hear and hurried her steps.
“You’re not a suspicious person. I’m Cain Hastings. Stop for a moment.”
Jane hesitated whether to pretend not to hear and run away, or stop, and chose to stop.
She didn’t have confidence in shaking off Cain.
Jane pulled her hat down low and glanced at the sky. Thanks to clouds covering the moon, it was dark all around.
‘He won’t recognize me.’
He mustn’t recognize me, Jane chanted inwardly like a spell as she turned to face Cain. Then she bent her waist at a 90-degree angle.
“I didn’t call you to receive a greeting.”
Then why did he call out?
Cain wondered as he looked at the small-bodied boy.
When he saw the child looking up at the sky from afar, he suddenly thought it looked like Jane.
Even though there was no way Jane would appear here. Even though there was no way she would wear such shabby clothes.
“I seem to have interrupted your rest.”
Jane shook her head without straightening her waist.
“You don’t need to be so formal. Stand up.”
Cain wanted to see the face of the person with their head bowed. But they never straightened up.
Are they shy? Or are they scared because of how I persecuted the Rose Faction in the past?
It must be the latter.
Cain felt sorry for seemingly frightening an innocent person.
“Continue your rest. I’ll be on my way.”
Cain brushed past Jane. The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
Jane only straightened up after Cain had gone far enough that her face wouldn’t be clearly visible even if he turned back.
At that moment, Cain turned and called out to Jane.
“Hey.”
And he came straight over. Jane flustered and bowed again.
“Anyone would think I’m a demon who steals souls if I make eye contact.”
Cain chuckled and rummaged through his pocket. He abruptly held out a business card in front of Jane’s face.
“If you need help after the harvest festival is over, come find me once. I’m not sure if I’ll be in that office, but there will certainly be someone who can connect you to me.”
Jane’s back trembled. Cain hoped he could finally see her face. But what he hoped for didn’t happen. Instead, he heard a faint voice.
“Why…?”
The thin and fine voice reminded him of Jane again.
‘I must have gone crazy with lovesickness.’
There’s no way Jane would come back, and even if she did, there’s no way she would be here.
Cain raised and lowered his eyebrows. He had been asked a question, so he should answer, but nothing appropriate came to mind.
He just felt sad as an adult that the world had become so harsh that a frail child had to hold a gun. So he wanted this child to live.
That’s all.
Cain came to that conclusion and rummaged through his pocket. He wanted to give something more to the child. But he didn’t have many things he could give. These days, his pockets contained more things to harm others than to help them.
Things like guns and knives.
Cain took out a latest model gun from among them. It was a latest model revolver that was easy to load and quick to fire. It was small, so it was also convenient to carry on the body.
“Don’t hesitate when the moment comes that you need it.”
Unlike when receiving the business card, the hands receiving the gun trembled slightly.
“Never close your eyes. You must watch until the end. See you again.”
Cain patted the child’s bent back. At that moment, a tingling sensation transmitted through his fingertips. His hand on the back flinched. The momentary sensation disappeared as if it had been an illusion.
“Boss, we don’t have time.”
Nathan, who had approached closely, urged. Cain hesitated before moving his feet. He looked back several times.
A person his gaze kept returning to.
It was the first time since Jane.
‘Is it because they’re small?’
Cain thought in the easier way and soon erased the thought. As Nathan said, there was no time.
Only after everything had become quiet did Jane straighten up.
Jane stared endlessly in the direction Cain had disappeared. Her chest ached as if she had been shot.
‘He seemed to have lost a lot of weight.’
She could tell even though she only saw his shadow.
‘There was no cigar smell either.’
Was he too busy to even smoke a cigar?
Various emotions swirled.
‘He didn’t recognize me, did he?’
She felt relieved thinking that, but also disappointed.
Jane sneered. She was still cowardly and weak. On the other hand, Cain remained consistent.
Jane tightly gripped the gun Cain had given her.
Cain’s gun was warm.
D-3.
Several days into living on the train, Jane had become quite accustomed to life here.
The people who had initially teased her for being weak were worried too soon.
“Jun, you stay back. These uncles will protect you.”
Looking at Jane, they all thought of the children they had left behind in their hometowns.
How surprised would they be later when they found out Jane’s true identity and age.
Jane felt like she was deceiving them, so she didn’t actively participate in conversations. Instead, she kept her ears open.
“Did you hear that news?”
“What news?”
“They say the peach is keeping the young master of Hastings.”
Peach. It referred to the harvest of the harvest festival. It was an overly sweet fruit that didn’t suit Helena, who was called the old raccoon.
“What does that mean?”
Jane joined the men’s conversation without even thinking to lower her voice.
“Huh? Your voice?”
“Could it be, you…”
Jane tensed up at the suspicious looks from the people.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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