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Chapter 47
Karon had arrived at the central hall of the academy before he realized it.
‘That’s strange. Why aren’t there any guards?’
The guards who were supposed to be stationed at the door were absent. But Karon didn’t think much of it and walked past the main entrance of the hall.
Just as he was about to open the door to the meeting room where Ferdin’s knights would be, he heard Amon’s voice.
“How could Karon not know?”
His hand froze as he reached for the door. What could I possibly not know?
He furrowed his brows and focused on the conversation happening inside.
“That’s right. Even if you didn’t notice his back, the wound on his right arm would have been obvious. And yet Karon didn’t notice? No matter what, they’re family. There’s no way he wouldn’t know.”
Lilia responded to Amon.
“Erin only said that she wasn’t the one who killed her brother. And… after meeting the Marchioness, she said her brother went missing.”
“……”
“Abusing Erin must have been the Marchioness too.”
“Damn it. What kind of life has she lived? Does this even make sense? Nobody knows what kind of person she really is.”
“……”
“The fact that I thought of her as a villainess without knowing anything is horrifying.”
Karon felt like he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t understand what they were saying.
His hands began to tremble, and his heart started beating rapidly.
It beat so fast it hurt. Karon let out an involuntary, pained moan.
“Ah… ahh…”
Sensing movement outside the door, Amon leapt up and opened the meeting room.
“Karon Lissors?”
He called out in surprise to the figure slumped at the door.
Karon’s face was contorted as he looked at them.
‘Where did they hear this from?’
The central hall of the academy was normally guarded, and only those with permission could enter. That was why they felt comfortable talking here.
Amon hadn’t expected anyone to come to an empty hall.
Lilia was just as surprised.
Shaking off the shock from their voices, Karon asked in a trembling voice:
“W-what… what are you saying?”
“……”
“What do you mean by what you just said? Mother wouldn’t do something like that!”
Karon couldn’t believe it. No, it couldn’t be true. There were limits even to slander.
His mind went to his mother’s face, always worried about his sister.
“Karon… I really want to reconcile with Erin. I don’t want my child to hate me.”
“How can my dear Erin come to like me?”
His mother had liked his sister and had always tried to open her tightly shut heart.
And now she was being accused of tormenting her?
Amon’s face twisted at Karon’s reaction.
It was certainly Amon’s fault for not paying attention that Karon overheard the conversation.
Erin had tried to keep the horrors of her childhood a secret. Amon respected Erin’s wishes and never told anyone.
But seeing Karon hear the truth and still question it was unbearable.
“Karon Lissors.”
Amon gritted his teeth and grabbed him by the collar.
He lifted Karon, who kept insisting it wasn’t true, from the floor.
“You’re truly despicable.”
“W-what…?”
“If you even cared about Erin a little, you should have gone to your sister, not argued with me!”
Karon felt suffocated.
Amon knew perfectly well how irresponsible his actions were. He had basically delivered Erin’s secret to Karon himself, and she might never forgive him.
But seeing this fool deny the truth was even harder to bear.
“Calm down, Amon! Karon Lissors didn’t know anything!”
“You better realize what your sister went through because of the Marchioness!”
Amon shoved Karon roughly. He didn’t resist and fell to the floor.
“Karon, as long as you’re happy, that’s enough.”
Memories of Erin from his childhood came to him—words he couldn’t even fully remember.
He still couldn’t be sure.
Wasn’t it true that Lilia and Amon were honest people? But that didn’t mean he could immediately believe their outrageous claims.
The only reason Karon was shaken now was that he had started doubting Erin’s rumors a little.
Especially after the hunt of the Inrang Tribe, he wondered whether all the things she supposedly did were true.
Karon, who had been lying on the floor, rose roughly. There was no time to waste.
If what they were saying was true, he might have already committed an irreparable wrong against Erin.
He had ignored her desire not to meet the Marchioness and had lied. Erin must have thought he would be waiting in the Night Garden.
Karon ran straight out of the central hall.
“Karon Lissors!”
He heard Lilia calling after him but didn’t stop. He had to confirm the truth immediately.
Karon’s face went pale as if all the blood had drained from his body.
He ran madly.
Some whispered behind him, but he focused solely on finding Erin.
After confirming she wasn’t in her room, he frantically searched the surroundings.
“Damn it! Sister! Sister!”
He had to find her before she met Corelia.
Then he saw a familiar figure from behind and stopped for a moment.
The woman walking in front of the dormitory was definitely Erin.
“Sister!”
Karon shouted and grabbed her wrist. Erin turned to look at him.
“Karon.”
“I… the thing about meeting in the Night Garden…”
“……”
“It was a lie.”
“I know.”
Karon stiffened at Erin’s words.
She knew?
Erin briefly looked around and took his hand, leading him to her dorm room.
She closed the door and inspected the room with a thoughtful expression, remembering the events with Roham a few days ago.
Seeing the room was clean, she sat Karon down on a chair.
Karon felt a sense of déjà vu. Something similar had happened before the monster hunt.
Just like then, Erin handed him a cup of warm milk.
Karon gripped the cup tightly, his hands trembling slightly.
He had to speak. With that resolve, he opened his mouth.
“I came because I have something to ask.”
“……”
Karon slowly grasped Erin’s right wrist. He felt her delicate wrist.
Seeing his reaction, Erin realized he had learned the secret he had kept hidden until now.
“You mean… Mother…”
Erin and Karon’s eyes met. She could read the anxiety in his gaze.
He probably wished what he had learned wasn’t true.
Corelia wasn’t that kind of person, she thought—her stepmother turned her crooked after her own mother’s death.
But Erin remained silent.
If she lied now, Karon might feel relieved. That was the choice she had made in her first life.
To keep her younger brother from being hurt, she stayed silent. Only she would suffer, but everyone else would be happy.
But now Erin chose not to hide the truth from Karon anymore. She had realized something after what happened with Roham.
At that moment, Karon spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“Sister, forgive my rudeness.”
He lifted Erin’s sleeve.
Seeing the faint scars revealed, Karon’s face twisted in horror. A pain as if his chest were being torn enveloped him.
Amon and Lilia were right.
Karon’s hands trembled. But even seeing the undeniable evidence, he could hardly accept reality.
Mother really did this to my sister? She tormented Erin since childhood?
“Who… who did this?”
“……”
“Who exactly…?”
“Would you believe me if I said it was Corelia?”
“What?”
“The woman you call Mother… she’s the one who threw me into hell all this time. Would you believe that?”
“What… what are you saying?”
Erin’s voice cracked. Karon buried his face in his hands.
Her words denied everything about his past: the peaceful Marchioness household, the busy but kind father, and the gentle mother who loved her family—even if they weren’t blood-related.
All the things he had believed until now…
And now… it was all a lie?
