I blinked in surprise immediately after hearing Conductor Machel’s unexpected announcement.

‘Hang on, what is this situation? What are the French police doing here?? This didn’t happen in the game at all!’

“That’s ridiculous, on what grounds can the gendarmes order the train to stop and conduct a surprise inspection?” Weinstein muttered as he wiped his mouth with his napkin.

My ears perked up when I heard his offhand remark. If the NPCs themselves are referring to this as a surprise, then this must be…

‘…a hidden event?!’

『Hidden Event』

That was a term coined by the EotE online community to refer to events outside the main storyline that could occur during a playthrough. Most of the hidden events revolved around certain NPCs, serving as side missions that allowed the player to interact more with the NPCs and learn more about their backstories. Through these hidden events, the player could earn additional rewards or complete unique achievements that could not be usually achieved on a normal playthrough.

To trigger a hidden event, the player must do a specific set of actions in order to meet the ‘criteria’ and thereby ‘unlock’ the event. As far as I could remember, there were five or six hidden events in the first level that were discovered, and all of them had been extensively documented in the forums.

‘To think that there are more hidden events in the first level…!’

I was still reeling from my shock when Sternberg spoke in a calm voice.

“It can’t be helped. We’re still in French territory, after all,” he said, standing up from his seat. “But I do hope that their leader has a good explanation for the trouble caused.”

With a resigned sigh, Weinstein followed his companion’s lead and gracefully bowed his head at me.

‘Just go and leave me alone already, you rogue NPC…’

I was wondering what he was thinking of doing when he suddenly bent down and kissed my hand.

“Mademoiselle, please excuse us for now. See you around later.”

“…”

I waited for the two gentlemen to leave the dining car before rubbing the hand which he had just kissed against the tablecloth.

‘Don’t just go and act like a gentleman as you please! Ugh, that gave me the ick…’

The other passengers and Wagon Lit staff also began to shuffle out of the dining car, albeit with murmurs of disapproval under their breaths. I didn’t have much of a choice as well, so bracing myself for the worst, I stood up and prepared to follow the rest when the sommelier who served my wine stopped me suddenly.

“Follow me,” he whispered, nodding at the partition at the back of the dining car which separated the kitchen from the dining compartment.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Sorry?”

The sommelier ignored me and moved behind the partition wall. I hesitated, glancing at the connecting door where everyone else had gone, before hurrying towards the kitchen.

‘What kind of hidden event is this, seriously?!’

“Hey, is there something you want from me…?” I trailed off when I saw him removing his hat, revealing a bun of mousy hair atop his head.

Reaching up, the sommelier carefully undid her bun, shaking her shoulder-length hair free.

“…you are a girl?!”

If not for her hair, I could never tell from her androgynous face and voice that she was actually a girl.

“What are you talking about?” She gave me a weird look and giggled. “Don’t tell me that even the great detective is fooled by my disguise. Yes, success!”

I was dumbfounded by her words for a moment before coming to the realisation that this person must be the NPC featured in this hidden event.

But, was there such an eccentric NPC in the game? I don’t recall any of the train staff harbouring a secret identity in the first place…

“Have we met before?” I asked tentatively.

“Oh, I’ve met you plenty of times, but I suppose I’d never properly introduced myself.” She did a mock curtsy in her waiter uniform. “My name is Persinette, Miss Guinevere. I am here to assist you on your trip.”

A long moment of silence passed before I could fully comprehend what she just said.

“You are my…assistant?”

“Indeed, that is correct. Madame Renelle sent for me to accompany you to Constantinople.”

‘Madame Renelle…she’s the person who sent the invitation and Orient Express ticket to Violet, isn’t she? But this person who calls herself Persinette, I swear she never made an appearance in the first level…’

I frowned and narrowed my eyes at her. “I don’t believe this is part of the original arrangements?”

“It is a last-minute decision on Madame Renelle’s part,” she revealed. “I myself could not manage to acquire a ticket in time, so I had to ‘replace’ a member of the Wagon Lit staff to get on board.”

Persinette grimaced as she admitted the reason she was in disguise.

“I suppose someone already found the sommelier inside the station restroom and alerted the authorities, prompting the police to stop the train for an inspection.”

‘You did what?!’

I barely managed to conceal my inner shock with an awkward cough.

“With that said, you have to help me, Miss Guinevere!” she pleaded, shaking my shoulders with both of her hands. “I can’t be arrested by the gendarmes after coming this far!”

“O-okay, but in what way do you want me to help you?”

“Do you know who Nikita Dolvaskinov is?”

I nodded, and she breathed a relieved sigh.

“Alright, that saves me the trouble of explaining. I don’t know what’s the deal with him, but while checking the passenger list, I noticed that he booked a second-class compartment all to himself—Room No. 3. So, I modified the passenger list to add my name to Dolvaskinov’s compartment,” she explained hastily. “But in order for my sudden appearance to not raise any suspicion, I indicated that I’ll be boarding the train at Épernay. I never expected them to find the body so soon…”

I sighed. “In other words, you are not supposed to be on this train right now?”

She grinned. “No worries, Miss Guinevere, I have a plan to outsmart the police.”

“Oh, really?”

“You just need to tell them that I’m your friend who had decided to meet up with you in Paris at the last minute. I can work the rest out on my own!”

“If you say so…”

‘Though, I’m pretty sure we could have avoided all of these if you’d just approached me from the start.’

Persinette peeked out into the dining car, and before I could ask what her plan entailed, she began to strip out of her uniform.

I yelped and closed my eyes, turning away hastily. “What are you doing now?!”

“Getting rid of my disguise,” she answered in a nonchalant voice as she tossed the uniform out the window and wrapped a tablecloth around her like a bath towel. “Come on, Miss Guinevere, let’s go to your compartment before the gendarmes come!”