18 Mysterious lady

After what seemed like a long time, Alex turned and made his way out of the train station with a solemn look on his face.

His eyes danced as he walked, taking note of the station's domed structure that made use of steel bars and blown glass for quite an eye-catching scenery.

Now that Emily was gone, there would be no worries about doing what he had planned out.

As he surveyed, he soon walked out of the station before making his way down the stairs.

Compared to earlier this morning when he left with Emily to catch the morning train, the streets were more lively with different forms of transportation revealed in all their glory.

Bicycles, carriages, and even horse-drawn buses.

Alex watched the scene of commuters moving on their way briefly before he made his way down the cobblestone stairs.

After getting himself a private coach, he made his way back to Sanders Manor.

***

BoneHaven.

It was once a city of dreams for the Regulus family after they left their humble home in the countryside, southwest of the Empire.

Emily could still recall the excited face of Douglas as he informed her and Alex about getting a job in the big city.

She had always fantasized about the big city.

With horse-drawn carriages, gas lamps and so many technological advancements that one couldn't get in the countryside, Emily was the most elated when Douglas shared the news.

Finally, she would be able to pursue the dream she had since the day she laid her eyes on a flying steamship that passed over their small village.

'To one day build my own'

Emily mouthed the words as a sad smile formed at the corner of her lips.

Douglas supported her as well as her dimwitted brother Alex in their respective dreams.

She could still remember the fanfare of that night.

The whole village celebrated with them, eating meat and drinking distilled malt.

Those were the good times… the innocent times.

But time would make them realize that their dreams of a land flowing with milk and honey were but a delusion that they held.

Instead, they were met with a polluted land where the sky was almost always grey and one could never see the Lightbringer in all its glory and what's more, it was hard to get by.

They were forced to spend more than a year in terrible conditions before Douglas could save enough money to move them to the slums.

That's how it always was for them.

Whenever there was trouble, Douglas was there for them.

He was her 'pillar'

A brother she could always rely on.

Now he was nowhere to be found and his state was an even greater mystery.

Emily blamed herself and the city for taking her brother from her, which was why she decided to leave.

If only for a bit, she wanted to take in some fresh air.

She needed it.

Her eyes turned wet but surprisingly she managed to control herself.

Maybe it was because she wasn't the only one in the compartment, as three others were also present, Emily didn't show her tears this time.

Instead, she sucked it in and closed her eyes tightly.

At some point, she drifted into a deep slumber.

By the time she woke up, it was close to nighttime and the train had gotten to her stop.

It was a little town called Copenhagen, located in the southeast-central region of the Empire.

It didn't have much but it was able to become relevant as a means of communication between the big cities to the north and the countryside in the southwest.

Emily dropped down from the train cart and looked around for a bit, seemingly trying to imprint the changes to the town she could find at a glance.

She was dressed in a simple black gown with a netmask, black gloves, and a hat, looking every bit like a proper lady from a humble background while carrying a black suitcase.

Taking a deep breath, she took her first step into Copenhagen.

***

Two nights had passed since Emily left for Tudor County.

Within that period, Alex had done nothing but wait.

There was nothing else he could do since Arthur kept watch over him.

In any case, exercising patience was for the best as he could not be sure what would happen if he dared to venture into anything blindly.

Since there was already a means to break the boundary, staying put wasn't too much of a problem.

In the meantime, he wasn't completely static as he had taken out time to visit the Morning Weeklies to meet with the colleagues of the identity he currently had, this was in a bid to glean further information concerning word on the street.

Apart from the recent influx of blind people into the city's slums, the only other notable news was something he already knew about from his visit to the bank.

He also sent a telegram to Emily to which he received a good response to her arrival at her destination.

At least, there would be no need to worry about her for the time being.

Taking a deep breath, he sat on the balcony, his gaze on the night sky.

There were no stars, but the unmistakable smell of incoming rain accompanied by dark brown clouds covered most of the sky, with only a small portion revealed from which Alex could vaguely make out the Nighteye.

No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn't say he wasn't intrigued by its strange appearance.

Just then there was a flash of lightning in the sky and a thunder echoed soon after.

Taking a deep breath, Alex was only biding time for Arthur to return.

Tonight was the appointed night and he didn't want to miss the old coot coming back.

Glancing below, the lit gas lamps helped illuminate the area, revealing the private coaches moving up and down the street, the gentle clip-clop of the horses sticking to a certain rhythm.

An eye-catching coach soon came into view, its exterior a sheen of black that blended with the night.

The coachman was dressed in a stately manner, revealing the opulence of the occupants.

As Alex's gaze remained trained on the coach, it soon stopped in front of Sanders Manor causing Alex to look with increased interest.

"They are back?"

Sure enough, the carriage door was opened and Nadia stepped out accompanied by Arthur.

However, just as Alex was about to react, he noticed the strange expression on her face.

If he was none the wiser, he would think that she was… scared?

Was she?

Arthur soon came out as well, but he didn't immediately leave the coach as he stood outside the carriage and spoke inconspicuously.

Due to him backing Alex, the latter was unable to read his lips but once again, he couldn't help but sense the tension from both Nadia and Arthur.

Did something happen?

Peeking at the open carriage door, Alex wanted to see if the reason for the vibe he got was in the coach.

With the light provided by the gas lamps, he made out the appearance of a woman wearing a red dress.

With a black hat and a net covering her face, only her smile was visible and for a moment, Alex was left mesmerized.

Just then, the lady in red looked in his direction and revealed an even greater smile.