the better!"

"What?"

"I said, kiss, hurry! Hold her tightly in your arms!" he urgently directed the lovers while hastily unbuttoning his own shirt and roughly crumpling both his upper and lower garments.

Edith somehow comprehended his meaning and immediately cupped Andre''s face with fervour, pressing her lips against his, while her entire body writhed upon his lap, causing his clothing to become even more disheveled. The man on the seat swiftly responded, his hands encircling her hips, lifting her upwards, pulling her closer to himself.

At that moment, Raphael also positioned himself closely beside the two, assuming a gesture of caressing Edith.

"What are you doing?" Andre noticed Raphael''s actions and immediately asked with animosity in a low voice.

"Shut up! If you don''t wish to end up on the guillotine yet, keep quiet!" Raphael warned him, his voice lowered with a threatening tone.

The carriage came to a halt near the checkpoint, where a bearded National Guard tapped on the carriage wall, indicating that the passengers inside undergo a routine inspection.

"Salute. I am de Saint-Clemont. You surely remember me, good citizen?" Raphael greeted the person outside with a tipsy voice. With one hand deliberately shielding the private position of the entwined lovers, and the other gripping the carriage doorframe, his hanging wide lantern sleeve conveniently obstructed the outsider''s view.

"And the other two?" The bearded guard impatiently gestured towards the two individuals closer to the interior.