“Hey, kid. Haven’t you learned any manners? Don’t you know you should respect your elders?”

A sturdy-looking middle-aged man spoke to the boy sitting in front of him.

Today, because so many people were waiting to board the carriage, the man had to stand as there were no seats left in the waiting area. Annoyed, he took out his frustration on the seemingly easy target—the boy.

The boy briefly looked up at the man, and deciding that an argument wouldn’t do him any good, quickly stood up from his seat.

And then, without saying anything, he vacated his spot.

Tsk, tsk.

A disapproving sound came from behind him.

“Have you… have you ever seen such a rude brat? It’s the end of times.”

‘The end of times? Looking at someone as healthy as you, fussing over not being able to take a girl’s seat, I’d say so.’

While it wasn’t a girl but the boy whose seat he wanted, they were both physically weak either way.

With no suitable places to sit, the mistaken-for-a-boy girl decided to wait in front of the carriage platform.

No one was yet waiting at the platform, perhaps because the carriage was predicted to be an hour late. The station staff dozed in their private chair.

Finally, the boy could remove his hood.

“Phew… I thought I’d suffocate.”

The boy transformed into a woman at that moment.

Her neatly tied and braided red hair glowed in the sunlight. Her eyes were smooth, and the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing her white, even teeth. Her face was as vibrant as the warm spring sun.

An expression not seen at her home.

Liz closed her eyes and deeply inhaled the scent of freedom in the air.

“Ah… nice.”

If she had come out sooner, it would have been even better.

Why did she hesitate and delay? Foolishly.

She should’ve run away like this sooner.

Marriage was an ongoing struggle, her mother would constantly scold her, and the lady she thought was kind was too busy siding with her mother.

Liz thought she was better off as an orphan.

If she, who had personally experienced the loneliness of being an orphan, thought so, then it said a lot.

“Still…”

Liz sighed once more and murmured to herself.

“At least Mirabel made me less lonely.”

But Mirabel couldn’t be the reason for her to stay. On the contrary, she had to leave even more because of her. It seemed like she was even willing to give up on marriage due to her guilt for what happened.

Anyway, it worked out well!
Kain returned to the palace to become the Emperor, knowing his house would run smoothly even without him. He had nothing to lose.

All he had to do was leave, taking a carriage as far as possible.

As far as the ends of the world if he could.

Liz unfolded a twice-folded paper from her sling bag. It was a map of the Luzencia Empire.

She didn’t even look at the capital slightly skewed to the northeast from the center. Her eyes were fixed on the southwestern coastal region.

“Let’s go here.”

The destination was set.

It was the farthest place from the capital, and one could also enjoy the blue ocean without any hindrance. There couldn’t be a better place.

She had brought all the money and jewels, so there was no reason not to start anew.

Now, all that was needed was the arrival of the carriage…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Liz saw two brown horses rising rapidly above the horizon. Slowing under the coachman’s command, the assistant next to him rang the bell.

The carriage had arrived.

The dozing station staff woke up with a start and wiped their lips. People in the waiting area jostled to be the first to board, surprised by the early arrival of the carriage.

Liz, who had been waiting, was at ease. She had nothing else to do except covering her long hair with her hood.

Liz gave a casual smile to the man who had kicked her out while lecturing her on manners and easily boarded. She took the best seat and silently bid farewell to the receding capital.

‘Farewell. Let’s never meet again.’

Liz had never been outside the capital before.

So, she had no idea how expansive the capital was.

What she realized after riding the carriage for three hours was, first, that the capital was not just big but vast, and second, her constitution was not strong enough to endure over three hours on an unpaved road.

By the time she reached the carriage transfer station, Liz was in terrible shape.

Until about three hours ago, the world seemed rosy, but now everything looked yellow.

Her head was spinning, and her stomach was constantly churning. If nobody was looking, she would have loved to lie down on the floor.

“Are you taking the next carriage?”

Asked the station attendant, as Liz knelt on a waiting room chair, resting her forehead on her knees.

Instead of answering, Liz just waved her hand.

Then, the station attendant asked again.
“This is the last one. Still not getting on?”

Liz spoke again with her hands rather than her mouth.

‘I can’t ride, not that I don’t want to…’

The station staff, who had seen this happen often, nodded understandingly and left the waiting area.

Now, only Liz remained in the waiting area.