I’d just felt sorry for Luca. I had no idea that such a small amount of love would change him so much—or how it would come back to bite me. Was it my comeuppance for trying to edit the source material?

Well. I’d forgotten there was still cause and effect in the world of the novel. When you’re reincarnated into a novel, cause and effect means that if you try to follow the original, you end up somewhere completely different, and if you try to take a different route, you always end up right back on track.

In other words, if you try to do what you want, the novel says no, not possible, don’t even think about it, can’t be done. I sighed at the futility of it all. A cloud of depression formed around my head. But I was the only one depressed. My two companions were busily getting ready for the trip to Winterwald without a second thought for my feelings.

Luca’s face brightened the second I agreed to come with them and he seemed to have given up the hair-raising insistence that I was his mother. He hadn’t quite laid his suspicions of Ruediger to rest, but he packed his bags giddily. Since there wasn’t much to pack, he finished quickly.

He loaded his few bags into the carriage. Ruediger’s lavish carriage, standing primly in front of our house, was easily recognizable. It was the carriage that knocked me off the road yesterday morning.

I knew this guy was trouble the moment I saw him. I gave the carriage a petty glare.

This was how our hasty journey to Winterwald began. The village people were surprised to see the young nobleman leave as quickly as he’d arrived, and even more surprised to see us depart with him. Somehow a rumor got around that I’d seduced Ruediger and was off to be the mistress of a noble family.

The nobleman was supposedly so magnanimous he’d agreed to take Luca along to raise him. Of course, it was actually the other way around, but there was no time for me to explain that to everyone.

Leah came looking for me as soon as she heard. Her fists were clenched and her lips were shaking with fury. “Judith! I knew it! You always did say you wanted a rich, noble husband. I guess you got your wish.

No, that’s not it. We’re not together. How could you say that right in front of him? What’s he gonna think of me?

I quickly glanced at the man in question. Luckily he was talking to the carriage driver. I prayed he hadn’t heard. I fanned my blushing face.

Ruediger finished talking with the carriage driver and turned to face me. “Everything seems to be ready. We should be off now. Please board the carriage, Miss Maibaum,” he said. He held out his hand to escort me, his small gesture performed with such natural elegance.

Leah looked on in envy. Then she suddenly yelled, as if she were issuing a challenge, “Fine! I’ll just have to dream bigger. Go have your time in high society. I’ll meet you there soon enough with a man you couldn’t hold a candle to.”

“Wait, Leah! Leah!” I called after her, but she was already striding away without looking back.

Oh no, something’s off about her too. I didn’t really have anything against her, so I just hoped her misunderstanding turned out for the best somehow.

“Is something wrong between you and your friend?” Ruediger whispered, leaning in. His height brought his lips right to my ear. I could feel his breath. I gasped at the sound of his voice and the smell of his cologne.

Oh, Ruediger, maybe it’d be best if we kept some space between us. Feeling shy at his sudden closeness, I awkwardly blustered, “Oh, no. It’s no problem at all. It’ll be fine. Let’s be on our way.”

Then I clambered up into the carriage beside Luca like I was trying to escape. It was only once I took my seat that I was able to breathe again.

Phew. Outside the carriage, Ruediger looked down at his open palm. He squeezed his hand into a fist and opened it again a few times, then sighed. That’s when I realized I’d completely ignored his proffered hand.

Shoot. It wasn’t on purpose. I rubbed the back of my neck bashfully.

What if he thinks I don’t like him? I wanted to stay on good terms. I turned to explain myself, but before I could open my mouth, Luca interrupted.

“Hurry up, mister. Why are you still out there?” he complained. There was still a strain of hostility in his voice.

Surprised at the rude comment, I rushed to correct him. “Not mister, Luca. He’s your uncle.”

Luca said nothing. He turned his head away like he didn’t want to hear it. He kept sitting in that position with his eyes fixed out the window, shaking his leg. He looked terribly impolite.

He’s always so nice in the novel. In the original, Luca is starved for affection and sensitive to the slightest hints from his new family. He wants them to love him so badly.

But if he kept up this rude behavior—no, that wouldn’t do. People would think I raised him in a barn. Of course, I wasn’t the one who raised him, but that’s neither here nor there.

I had to at least teach him how to talk to his elders. He couldn’t just go around calling everyone “mister.”

This isn’t how I interpreted the novel. It’s so out of character! What happened to the devoted lifelong mentor and the student who follows him unquestioningly? I could almost hear the father-son relationship collapsing like a castle made of sand.

Then again, if everything stays true to the original, I’ll be the one in trouble. Still, those little relationships are what make the novel great. What a shame. With that, I resolved to correct Luca’s misbehavior and make him a polite, obedient little boy. In my enthusiasm, I completely forgot about apologizing to Ruediger for rejecting his hand.

While I was thinking, the carriage set out from Emden Town. As we passed through the village square, I made eye contact with Thomas through the window. He stared back at me with a look of betrayal, like I was some shallow woman trading a long-time lover for wealth and power.

But we were never lovers! You’ve lost it. I couldn’t believe his nerve. I huffed a contemptuous laugh and sat back in my seat. The carriage interior was more spacious than I thought. It was big enough to stretch my legs out. Much better than flying economy or riding a charter bus.

I started to think it might even be nice to travel by horse and carriage, but that fantasy came crashing down within five minutes. The feel of the ride is important and this was not it. I’d forgotten comfort wasn’t just about the size of the seat. If that were the case, the best way to travel would be by lying down with your arms and legs spread out on the back of an ox cart.

The carriage bumped roughly down the poorly maintained country road. If there weren’t a soft cushion on the seat I’d have bruised my tailbone. I struggled to hold back a groan each time the wheel rolled over a protruding rock.

At least we’ll be getting on the train at some point. I tried my best to think about the train scenes in the novel as I grimaced at the pain in my butt. Luca kept furtively glancing at me. He must’ve thought my face reflected my feelings about the trip to Winterwald.

“Do you really think it’s gonna be that bad?” he said.

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to go,” I said.

“Really? Your face says different,” he said.

“What about my face?” I said.

“You look like you’re going to die,” he said.

“Haha. I was just thinking about Emden. I have lots of precious memories back there,” I said, giving him whatever excuse came to mind. He nodded his head seriously like he bought it.

Before long, Luca looked like he was worn out by the trip and started to nod off. That’s when he seemed most like a child. A soft laugh escaped my lips as I watched him drift off to sleep.

Watching the two of us, Ruediger waited until Luca was snoring, then spoke. “He must be tired,” he said.

“I guess he’s still recovering. He’s usually a very healthy boy,” I said. I leaned his head over into my lap before he drooped over onto the floor. He slept there peacefully, unaware he was using my knees as a pillow.

“He looks exactly like my brother when he was young,” Ruediger said. Then, he fully broke the silence and kept me talking for some time.