The train's iron wheels clattered steadily against the rails, producing a rumble that filled Chris with nostalgia.
Chris remembered often squeezing onto trains with that same distinct rhythm when he used to travel for work. Those carriages had offered a smoother ride than the steam train he was on now, but they could not compare to the luxury of his current compartment.
Ah, that was hardly surprising.
I used to be an ordinary citizen, but now...
He leaned back slightly against the soft seat back, upholstered in velvet and high-quality padding. Beneath him was the Royal Express Train's exquisitely engineered suspension. The air carried the faint fragrance of incense unique to Minisia, mingled with the rich scent of freshly polished mahogany furniture.
Outside the window, the unfamiliar scenery along the border between the Kingdom of Bagnia and Minisia in this other world slowly unfolded before his eyes: vast fields, dense forests, and rolling mountains in the distance.
Apart from the rumble of the wheels, Chris heard no other noise, only the careful footsteps of attendants in the adjoining carriage and the occasional soft crackle of burning wood in the compartment's fireplace.
His status was now worlds apart from what it had been.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Someone tapped gently on the compartment door, so softly that Chris, absorbed in enjoying the moment, almost missed it.
"Come in."
The door opened gently, and Julie entered in a uniform consisting of a fitted suit jacket and black stockings.
Chris had deliberately brought Julie, his archives officer, along. Her name had not originally been on the list of attendants for the inspection tour, but when Elena became pregnant and had to remain in the Royal Palace to rest, Chris had added it.
It was not that lust had gotten the better of Chris and