“Ohohoho, I wondered why this fellow was so quiet? His voice is just like a little girl’s!”

Jane and Little sighed in relief. Jane nodded awkwardly with a forced smile.

“It’s alright. A man’s voice isn’t everything! A man is about strength. Well, but strength also…”

“Hey, don’t say such things. He’s just a growing boy!”

The people chattered away right in front of Jane, the subject of their conversation. Jane felt embarrassed and uncomfortable, but could only laugh awkwardly.

“Th-they’re just saying it out of affection.”

Little whispered, covering his mouth with his hand. Jane nodded slightly and asked Little:

“I’d like to hear more details about young lord Hastings.”

Little looked at Jane with sympathetic eyes. Though he didn’t know much, it seemed Jane had an untold story.

That must be why she left the Hastings family and was wandering like this. Yet she was still worried about Duke Hastings and the young lord.

‘I heard the Duke meets many women. Could that be why she left home?’

If so, the Duke was a bad man.

Jane, whom Little had observed, was truly a good person. She always picked up Little’s lunchbox when he was away, and whenever someone fell ill, she was the first to check their symptoms and help.

Despite her difficult circumstances, she never complained. Even when her friends visited noisily during sleeping hours, she would quietly leave her spot.

A person with consideration ingrained in her. How hard must it have been for such a person to leave her family?

Little arbitrarily concluded that Jane had left the capital due to Cain’s womanizing, and classified Duke Hastings as a bad person.

Meanwhile, Jane returned to the capital because she was worried about the Hastings family…

‘Oh, poor Duchess.’

Little couldn’t hide his bitter expression. Jane, unable to understand his inner thoughts, opened her eyes wide like a rabbit. Little shook his head gently and granted Jane’s request.

“Hey, tell us more details. What about young lord Hastings?”

“That! We don’t know much either.”

For someone who claimed not to know much, the man knew quite a lot of details.

Helena had gone to Hastings to fetch Joseph, the child had been staying in the palace for quite a while, and he wouldn’t return to the mansion at least until the birthday banquet.

“But why did she take him?”

Little asked.

The men looked at each other and shrugged. They seemed to have no idea.

“Could it be related to our changed operation date?”

Someone who had been quietly listening to the conversation chimed in. All eyes turned to that man. He explained with an annoyed expression.

“Isn’t it strange that the operation date suddenly changed? This isn’t some neighborhood meeting, it’s not something easily changed.”

“Well, the preparations were finished early…”

“What nonsense. Preparations are never-ending. You think overthrowing the world is easy? There’s a problem. A problem that requires us to harvest quickly.”

People fell silent. Everyone had been hiding their burden and anxiety about the harvest festival with laughter and light jokes, but none of them were truly at ease.

And now hearing there was a problem, it became serious.

Little turned to look at Jane. Among those gathered here, she was the most educated and knew the most about the nobility and Helena.

Surely Jane could explain this situation.

Sure enough, Jane seemed to have realized something. However, she bowed her head and left her seat.

“Why’s she suddenly leaving?”

“Leave her be. Kids these days are all like that.”

“Maybe she had urgent business. So, is there a problem with the harvest festival or not?”

The men quickly lost interest in Jane.

* * *

Jane, who had frantically run down the train corridor, opened the engine room. This was the place Jane always sought when her mind was troubled.

Jane crouched down next to the engineer’s chair and buried her face in her knees.

Joseph had disappeared, and the operation date had been moved up.

The implications of these two facts were clear.

‘Helena must have noticed something about the harvest festival.’

Joseph could be in danger.

As her thoughts reached this conclusion, Jane’s heart raced fearfully.

She resented Cain for not bringing Joseph out of the palace.

Helena had noticed Cain’s betrayal. So it wasn’t easy to bring Joseph out – Jane understood this logically, but her heart couldn’t accept it.

And she hated Helena for breaking her promise.

‘You said you’d protect the child!’

Jane screamed inwardly. Hot tears welled up in her eyes.

Imagining Joseph enduring Helena’s cold glares in an unfamiliar place, her tears wouldn’t stop.

She felt pathetic for focusing only on her wavering feelings towards Cain, naively assuming Joseph would be perfectly fine.

She didn’t deserve to be a mother, having put the child second.

“I’m sorry, Joseph.”

Jane murmured softly.

She tried to calm herself, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She needed to find a way to save Joseph. She had to think.

Jane’s mind cooled down.

‘Helena will definitely bring Joseph to the birthday banquet. She’ll always keep Joseph by her side when with Cain.’

To pressure or threaten Cain, that is.

‘When the harvest festival begins, the palace will be in chaos. Then, there will be a brief window. That’s the only chance to save the child.’

Would Cain have the capacity to care about Joseph?

Jane was skeptical. Then, was there anyone else who could save Joseph?

They might try, but if problems arose, they would give up.

Only parents would risk their lives for a child. That means, either Cain or Jane.

‘I have to go.’

Jane stood up abruptly. She alternately looked at the corridor and the rails visible through the engine room window.

It was broad daylight, and Jane, disguised as Jun, shouldn’t leave the train, but she was in no position to consider such things for Joseph’s sake.

Jane made a firm decision and opened the engine room door. It was the door leading outside.

* * *

Lloyd was in the middle of busy work when his secretary knocked on the door.

“Director, there’s a visitor.”

The secretary said, poking only her head through the door crack outside Lloyd’s research room. Not because she didn’t want to enter, but because there was no space to step in.

“Oh, who is it?”

Lloyd asked half-heartedly, his eyes fixed on the engine blueprint.

“They said J.”

“I don’t know anyone by that name.”

“I thought so. Their clothes are shabby, and they’re so thin they don’t look like your friend.”

“You’re quite prejudiced.”

Lloyd criticized the secretary’s words, which could be a joke or serious, and picked up a pen to modify the blueprint.

“Wait.”

Lloyd, who had just dotted the blueprint once, stopped the secretary.

The secretary, who was about to close the door, poked her head in again.

“What is it, Director?”

“I think I might know them after all.”

“You just said you didn’t know them.”

“I think I do know them. Send them up.”

The secretary narrowed her eyes at Lloyd, then went out saying she’d bring them right away.

Meanwhile, Lloyd tidied up the documents scattered on the floor and cleared the sofa. Just as he made a pathway for people to walk and a place to sit, there was a knock.

Lloyd felt he’d made a mistake. He regretted not checking the mirror while tidying up the research room.

But before he could even buy time saying “just a moment,” the door opened.

“Come in.”

The secretary’s eyes widened as she quickly scanned the office. She mouthed to Lloyd.

‘What’s the occasion?’

“Thank you for guiding the guest, Ms. Rush. I’ll take care of serving tea, so go back to your work. I’ll call if I need anything.”

As it was a good instruction from her perspective, the secretary nodded and closed the door.

J and Lloyd were silent for a while.

“Um… please have a seat.”

Lloyd said after a long pause. His voice was full of trembling.

J moved quietly. Lloyd realized his guess wasn’t wrong by observing those movements.

Despite wearing a pressed-down hat and disguising in tattered men’s clothes, J was definitely Jane.

Lloyd, who had been staring blankly at Jane sitting down, suddenly came to his senses.

“I’ll bring something to drink.”

“No, it’s fine!”

Lloyd, who had been flustered, paused. Hearing Jane’s voice again brought a wave of emotion.

“I want something to drink myself.”

Lloyd couldn’t honestly say he was afraid he might hug her impulsively if he didn’t have something in his hands.

“It’ll be quick, very quick.”

Lloyd moved busily, fearing Jane might say she was leaving.

“You can take your time.”

Only then did Lloyd’s movements slow down. Otherwise, he might have easily broken a few cups.

“Thanks to you, I get to enjoy some good tea.”

Lloyd brought the tea quickly, and Jane drank it gratefully. A moment of silence fell. But it didn’t last long.

“I came to ask a favor, though it’s shameless of me.”

“Shameless? Not at all. It’s an honor to be able to help the Duchess, no, Miss Jane.”

Jane smiled bitterly. Dissatisfaction inevitably builds in a relationship where one side only gives. Even if it’s help without compensation.

In the end, there needed to be give and take. But Jane had nothing to give Lloyd. If it were money, she could somehow earn and provide it, but what Lloyd wanted from Jane wasn’t money.

“I’m truly sorry, Sir Lloyd.”

“Please don’t say such things.”

In fact, Lloyd also had something to be sorry about to Jane. The item Jane had asked him to deliver to Cain. Lloyd still had it.

Even though it had been a long time since she asked him to deliver it.

He wanted to keep something that Jane had touched. The hair tie wasn’t enough.

Lloyd arbitrarily concluded that it was fine since they both had feelings of apology.

“Have you been well?”

Jane answered with a smile. She wanted to tell Lloyd her story in detail, but time was critically short.

Lloyd read the impatience in her. The smile disappeared from Lloyd’s face.

“Something’s happened, hasn’t it?”

He should have realized when she suddenly appeared.

There must have been a reason for her to return after decidedly leaving. How childish of him to just ask about her well-being out of joy.

Lloyd asked, blaming himself.

“What can I do to help you?”

Jane bit her lower lip. It was truly shameless, but just this once for Joseph.

“Please help me meet Lady Merche. As soon as possible, and in secret.”

Jane requested.