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Chapter 9
“Perdin… is that really okay?”
“I’m concerned too.”
From a short distance away, Lilia was watching the two siblings with a mysterious smile.
It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, but one thing was certain: that smile wasn’t genuine.
Derek felt a chill run down his spine.
He knew exactly what that expression meant—he had seen Lilia wear it when she was truly angry during past missions.
“Erin Lersus and Lilia cannot work together. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but once this hunt is over, you’ll have to choose.”
“…”
“No matter what happens now, your past actions don’t disappear. Especially when it comes to public opinion about her—you can’t ignore it.”
At Derek’s words, Perdin slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again.
“If that past is a lie… then who makes up for it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you ever actually seen Erin act cruelly yourself?”
Derek couldn’t understand what Perdin meant.
“They say there’s a little villainess in the Lersus family.”
“Because of her, the family’s servants supposedly change every day.”
It wasn’t a story they hadn’t heard since childhood. Even if they weren’t interested, they had overheard servants or parents talking, learning how far a child of their age could fall.
But what if, as Perdin suggested, none of it were true?
Derek’s hands trembled slightly.
If he were falsely accused of something he hadn’t done, and faced the judgmental eyes of strangers, could he endure it?
No—that was too far-fetched.
He steadied himself. He hadn’t just heard of Erin’s actions; he had met her victims personally.
The person most wounded by Erin’s greatest crime was standing right in front of him.
Derek’s face hardened fiercely.
“The biggest victim is right here. She… killed someone.”
“…”
“You shouldn’t say that in front of Lilia.”
But Perdin didn’t reply.
The first and second days passed without incident.
Occasional monsters appeared, but only small ones, like goblins.
They were easily subdued by the trainee knights, with no need for the full knights to intervene.
During this, Karon felt something unusual about Erin.
She hadn’t done anything remarkable, but the monsters didn’t require her to act.
What bothered Karon was that Erin showed no fear at all.
He had been mentally prepared for her to scream, cry, or insist on returning to the academy—but she did nothing. Instead, she acted like a skilled knight, finding what she could do.
When monsters appeared, Erin moved to places where she wouldn’t get in the way. At camp in the evenings, she helped the other students prepare meals.
And that was what was truly strange.
“Cooking?”
Karon was shocked at her skilled actions.
“Even riding horses…?”
Erin had never done anything besides cultivating herself as a lady.
Her stepmother valued proper lady-like behavior, and even rebellious Erin quietly obeyed that rule.
“Ladies don’t do such things. Erin, you are a lady.”
Her stepmother had said this whenever Erin tried to act differently.
Karon tasted the stew Erin had made—and was once again surprised.
“It’s even good!”
It was certainly good that Erin was trying her hand at various tasks.
But could someone really excel at something they had never done before…?
Karon watched her enjoying the stew.
“How’s life in the Swordsmanship Department…?”
“It’s manageable.”
“Is it hard keeping up with classes?”
“Hmm, not really.”
The training at the Swordsmanship Department was notoriously difficult, especially under Edward, who was known to treat students harshly.
So it was hard to believe Erin wasn’t struggling at all.
Karon no longer recognized the person in front of him.
Was this really the Erin he knew? Or had someone else taken over his sister’s body?
“Seems like you can swallow your food fine, huh?”
Karon’s thoughts were interrupted by a brash voice.
As always, his sister had too many enemies.
He sighed deeply.
Turning to where the voice came from, he saw Amon glaring at Erin with disdain.
Karon answered instead, tilting his head in response.
“Then shouldn’t she not eat either?”
“No, she must be shameless… eating in front of Lilia like that.”
“Don’t pick a fight, Sir Amon.”
Amon sneered at Karon’s words.
“Honestly, seeing a murderer enjoying a meal makes me want to say something.”
“They say not even dogs are disturbed while eating… seems Sir Amon is worse than a dog.”
Karon’s sharp remark stiffened Amon’s expression.
The tension in the air silenced the hunting party immediately. The clatter of dishes and chatter disappeared as if washed away.
Normally, Karon would have ignored this. Erin had indeed done wrong. If someone deserved blame, it was their responsibility.
“I understand why Amon is acting this way, to an extent.”
Except for Karon, Perdin’s trainee knights had trained together at the Arts Academy for years.
Lilia and Amon had carried out many hunts and escort missions together, surviving life-threatening situations as comrades.
It was only natural that Amon would lash out at Erin to protect Lilia’s feelings.
The mood of the hunting party grew tense. Some observing knights whistled.
Karon grew more irritated at the amusement on their faces. If the Marchioness were here, she would have told him not to confront Amon.
“That’s Erin’s fault. People’s reactions are understandable.”
But Karon didn’t want to accept that.
Since childhood, he never wanted to blame Erin, no matter her mistakes.
He could criticize her himself, but he didn’t want anyone else to.
Karon rested his hand on his sword. So did Amon.
The tension thickened. Just as Amon was about to draw his sword:
“Amon, stop.”
Perdin blocked Amon’s hand.
Amon stared at Perdin in disbelief, his eyes trembling slightly with shock.
“Perdin, are you seriously taking the villainess’ side?”
Erin never resisted others’ criticism. She simply accepted her fate.
Living both as Erin Lersus and in her modern life, she had realized that no matter how loudly she protested, people would not listen.
Erin recalled her past while looking at Amon.
“I… I didn’t kill him.”
There was one difference from the past.
It wasn’t just Amon who blamed her, but nameless students from the Swordsmanship Department.
They had dragged her trembling body from the carriage.
“I didn’t kill Calypso… it wasn’t me.”
“Murderer! You lie too much.”
“Do you know how hard you’ve made Lady Lilia suffer?”
“Of course, she’s a fake knight.”
Erin thought of their words and looked at Perdin.
In the past, he had stepped in to protect her.
Then Karon arrived, dispersing them once he understood the situation.
Erin knew the outcome.
The more Perdin sided with her, the more his reputation fell. It was always as if someone had fabricated it.
Because of this hunt, Perdin had lost the knights’ trust. Even now, Amon’s face showed betrayal toward him.
Erin looked at the two men restraining Amon.
But there was one thing they didn’t know: she would no longer hide behind anyone.
In this life, she would take the lead, facing hardships head-on.
“Sir Amon.”
At her quiet call, all eyes turned to her.
Her slow steps gradually quickened.
Before long, she stood in front of Amon.
Beside her, Perdin watched her with an unreadable expression.
