#15. Estimating the Distance Between a Man and a Woman (1)

#15. Estimating the Distance Between a Man and a Woman

The distance between Eleonore and Dmitri had grown much closer than when they’d first boarded the train. And that newfound closeness wasn’t merely physical.

“There’s quite a step here. Be careful, Eli.”

“Thank you, Dmitri.”

As Eleonore started to step up with her high heels, Dmitri gently offered her his hand. At his sweet thoughtfulness, Eleonore gave him a smile brighter than the clear summer sky.

Inside the isolated world of a train, the two of them had spent four days and three nights together. They’d gone from an awkward, youthful pair to a couple who were now close in both body and heart, like any ordinary lovers.

And the members of House Béarn, waiting on the platform for their precious youngest daughter to arrive, couldn’t hide their shock at the sweet sight of the two figures in the distance.

“Ah! Mother! Father!”

Stepping down onto the platform, Eleonore spotted the familiar faces among the sea of white. She raised a hand high, unable to keep a broad smile from spreading across her face.

But her family, seeing her smile and the way she tenderly held a man’s hand, wore expressions rather different from Eleonore’s...