Chapter 29: Chapter : 29 : The Phantom Carriage Mystery : The Kids!

The train gently rocked as the group passed through the narrow door connecting one carriage to another. A faint metallic screech accompanied every sway, and overhead, the hanging lights dimmed further, as though even they were unsure how long they could stay lit.

The door creaked open.

A new passage stretched before them—narrower, dimmer, and lined with large windows that revealed only blackness beyond. There was no platform here. Just a suspended corridor connecting the two sections of the Phantom Carriage. A transitional space.

And yet…

Aiden froze.

So did the others.

There—at the far end of the passage, in the dim orange light of an overhead fixture—stood two children. A boy and a girl, no older than twelve, both dressed in formal attire.

The boy wore a miniature tuxedo, a red bowtie perfectly centered under his chin. He looked nervous, clutching something in his palm—a small ribbon. The girl beside him wore a simple, pale yellow dress, her dark hair tied back with a matching ribbon. Her shoes were dainty, and her eyes sparkled as she smiled shyly at him.

The boy stepped forward, extending his hand, voice soft yet clear.

“Would you… like to dance?”

The girl looked away for a moment, cheeks flushed. Then she turned back with a radiant nod.

“I’d love to.”

He took her hand carefully, like she was made of glass.

And in the middle of that dimly-lit passage, surrounded by the silence of a haunted train, the two children began to dance.

Slowly.

Gracefully.

As if they were the only people in the world.

“…Waaah,” Ivy whispered, eyes sparkling. “So pretty…”

Luna pressed herself to Aiden’s arm. “Tch… even kids are more romantic than some couples.”

“I’m pretty romantic,” Aiden muttered.

“You call smacking my butt and calling me a ’good girl’ romantic?” she teased, brushing her nose against his cheek.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

Luna giggled and kissed his jaw.

Lysandra was behind them, arms crossed, teeth gritted. “Honestly… even the children are moving faster than me…”

“You okay back there, Princess?” Aiden asked with a smirk.

“I’m fine,” she huffed.

Aiden looked ahead. The children spun, the boy clearly learning the steps mid-dance, nearly tripping once, but the girl giggled and corrected his hand placement. They laughed, the innocence and mutual affection radiating from them like a warm candle in the dark.

“…They know each other well,” Aiden observed quietly. “You can see it in how they look at each other.”

Luna leaned in, voice low and husky against his ear. “Is that how I look at you, Master~?”

“I’d say yours is more hungry than gentle,” he said, suppressing a grin.

She ran her fingers up his chest and whispered hotly into his ear, “You should see how I look at you when you’re asleep…”

Aiden blinked. “Okay, now I’m afraid.”

Lysandra stormed up beside them, face bright green. “Must you whisper such filth in front of others?!”

“We’re literally in a ghost train watching a children’s romance bloom. Let me have my moment,” Luna pouted.

Lysandra folded her arms. “Well if I whispered into his ear, I’d at least make it something elegant and proper.”

“Oh? Like what? ’Oh Sir Aiden, might I request your seed so I may fulfill my noble duties and bear your heir~’?”

“W-What?! That is NOT how I’d say it!”

Aiden nearly choked. “I… think I need to sit down.”

Meanwhile, Ivy sat cross-legged on the floor, still entranced by the dancing kids.

“They look like they’re in a storybook,” she whispered. “Like they’re dancing before they go on a big journey together.”

Luna ruffled her hair. “Maybe they’re just like you and Master. Adorable little things who love each other too much.”

Ivy beamed. “You think so?!”

“I know so.”

Ivy blushed. “Hehe…”

Back at the center of the passage, the music they hadn’t even noticed before now swelled—a soft, ethereal waltz, like it was drifting in from another world.

And just as the tune reached its final notes, the boy stepped forward… and gently kissed the girl’s cheek.

She blushed so red it was visible even from where the group stood.

Then… she leaned in and returned the kiss—this time on his lips.

The waltz faded.

The lights flickered.

A breeze blew through the corridor.

And in the blink of an eye… the children were gone.

—

Aiden blinked. “They vanished…”

Lysandra exhaled softly. “…That felt real.”

“It was beautiful,” Ivy whispered. “Like a memory trapped in the train…”

“They were happy,” Luna said, tail swaying behind her. “Maybe happier than some adults.”

She shot Lysandra a smirk.

Lysandra huffed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just saying~ maybe if someone were a little bolder, she might get a kiss of her own.”

“I-I am plenty bold! In fact, I’ll have you know I was planning to kiss him next time he saves my life!”

Lysandra regretted the moment those word came out of her mouth.

“Next time? So you’re scheduling it now?”

“I—I didn’t mean—!”

Luna leaned into Aiden again and whispered hotly, “Master, if I bend over a seat and pretend to be a vulnerable damsel, will you save me and claim my reward~?”

Aiden facepalmed again. “You’re impossible.”

“I’m perfect, and you love it.”

“Not denying it,” he muttered.

As they moved toward the door to the next carriage, Ivy tugged on Luna’s sleeve.

“Luna… do you think the boy and girl are happy now?”

Luna nodded. “I think they found each other. Even if they’re ghosts… they danced, and kissed, and smiled.”

Ivy smiled softly. “Then… even ghosts can feel love?”

Aiden ruffled her hair. “Especially ghosts, kiddo.”

Lysandra remained silent as she trailed behind, her mind lost in thoughts. The children’s love, that shy but mutual expression… that innocent trust…

She cast a glance toward Aiden.

Then down at her own hand.

…Should I reach out?

Should I…?

But her fingers curled again at her side.

Luna’s words echoed in her head.

*Maybe if someone were a little bolder…*

She gritted her teeth.

“Fine,” she muttered.

Luna turned. “Huh?”

“N-Nothing!”

—

The next room, mercifully, was quiet.

It looked like a wedding preparation suite.

Chairs lined the walls. A vanity stood at one end, surrounded by flickering candles and a mirror. Along the far wall was a huge photo—faded but preserved in a glass frame.

Aiden approached it first.

His eyes widened.

“Hey… this is them.”

The portrait showed a couple. A woman in a pristine white bridal dress, delicate features barely hidden under a laced veil. Beside her stood a tall man in a tuxedo, his expression proud and confident. They stood under an arch of flowers, smiling for the camera.

Below the photo was a brass plate.

“Clara & Edward — Together in Life. Together in Death.”

Lysandra stepped forward, eyes narrowing. “That’s… ominous.”

Luna crossed her arms. “I don’t like it. Sounds like a tragic story waiting to be uncovered.”

Ivy tilted her head. “Onii-chan… is this the ghost bride?”

“I think so,” Aiden murmured. “Clara.”

“And the man?”

“Edward.”

Lysandra leaned in. “But if this was their wedding… why is she haunting the train?”

Aiden turned to the mirror.

Dust clung to it, but beneath it was a drawer. He reached in and pulled out a dried bouquet of roses, crumbled and faded. Tied around the stems was a torn ribbon—with a name written in gold ink.

Clara.

The room grew cold.

The light dimmed again.

Everyone turned, slowly.

At the doorway stood the ghost bride.

The veil still hung over her pale face. Her gown dragged along the floor, stained with age and blood. The same soft blue glow pulsed from beneath her veil. But this time… her body twitched slightly, almost like she was struggling to stand still.

She raised a hand.

And pointed toward the photo on the wall.

Then her voice—soft, cracked like old parchment—whispered:

“He never came…”

The lights went out.

Again.

—

END OF Chapter : 29 : THE PHANTOM TRIAN MYSTERY : THE KIDS!

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A/N: Sorry for the late. Leave a comment on your favourite lines.

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