"Oh, my ears are tickling. Who's talking about me?" Lariette put down her suitcase, sat down, and scratched her ears.
It wasn't as soft as a carriage sofa, but it was fortunate that the sensation of sitting wasn't too bad because she had to sit for hours.
"Who dares to talk about you, darling?" Doha said, lifting Lariette's luggage and carefully placing it on the shelf.
It was amusing to see one of her eyes furrow. After arranging his coat, he sat across from his companion. It was a seat in front of the coffee table.
"How long are you going to play this joke?"
"Until I grow old and die, darling," Doha whispered harshly, and Lariette shook her head as if she couldn't stop him. Once she pretended to be his partner, and it was she who kept calling him 'darling.' She had certainly grown accustomed to his handsome face. When she sees a cute and clever guy making jokes, it doesn't bother her.
"How many minutes do we have left? Five minutes?"
"Five minutes? Why? Are you nervous?"
"Yes, a little..." Lariette replied honestly.
It was her first time taking a train. First of all, it was because she had rarely left the capital until a few months ago.
The first experience she had was visiting the Blanche estate, and at that time, she was in a carriage, so she wasn't impressed.
"How fast will it move?"
She couldn't imagine it at all. Even when she saw the train approaching before boarding, she opened her mouth in awe of that speed. What would it be like to experience it in person? Her heart jumped with anticipation.
Thump, thump <.
With her eyes wide open, Lariette looked out the window with a smile on her face. Doha thought she was so cute because she was nervous about it.
"It's too fast, so you might get motion sickness. You'll be dizzy and nauseous."
"Really? Is it that bad? What if I vomit?" Lariette was surprised and anxious. And that was just the beginning of the journey.
"Don't worry. You can take motion sickness medication when you feel nauseous," Doha reassured her, so he called the crew to buy a bottle of water and medication. He seemed quite competent.
Lariette asked, admiring his appearance.
"Don't you need anything for yourself?"
"I've been on it, so I'm fine..."
"Well, I see. That's great, Doha."
"Not so much," Doha shrugged and said it was nothing. It was childish even if he thought he was in a good mood for this compliment. "If it's difficult to take medication, I'll cure you, miss."
"Yes, thank you."
Soon, the horn sounded to announce the train's departure. Lariette was nervous and pressed her back against the seat.
"She's cute."
With Doha's thought in mind, the train quickly started moving. The speed increased again and again. In a feverish mood, Lariette tightly closed her eyes.
She waited for a minute. After a while, she opened her eyes and looked out the window—the scenery around her was passing by very quickly. She smiled happily, thinking that she was more accustomed to the train than she thought. Then she turned her gaze to Doha. She was going to show off, but he had his head on the table.
"...Doha?"
"...," Doha didn't respond. He couldn't. He felt so sick that he couldn't open his mouth.
"Doha, are you sick?" However, she couldn't allow her image to be ruined like this. She replied with a cheerful voice.
