When they were young, Karon adored her greatly.
But after the Marchioness remarried the Marquis, their relationship deteriorated beyond repair.
Erin was the disobedient daughter who wouldnât listen to the Marchioness, while Karon became her precious son.
Well, none of that mattered anymore.
âLord Karon! Thatâs not itâŚâ
Sarah protested to Karon. It was an impertinent action for a maid.
Karonâs face hardened. However, his expression wasnât because of Sarah.
Karon belatedly noticed that the bandage wrapped around Erinâs hand was turning red. His rough grip had reopened her wound.
With a face turned pale, Karon released her hand. It was an unconscious reaction.
He looked at Erin with a complex expression. Seeing him like this, she sighed.
He opened his mouth, appearing flustered.
âYou⌠why didnât you say you were injuredâŚâ
âCan I go now if you have nothing else to say?â
âWhat?â
âI just arrived and Iâm tired.â
At Erinâs words, Karon couldnât respond.
It was strange. This wasnât typical behavior for someone who would normally scream denials at whatever was said to her.
Erin silently walked past the stunned Karon. Her behavior was completely different from usual.
* * *
Mysterious green eyes. A nose neither too high nor too low. Lips tinged red like bitten flower petals.
Her hair was ordinary brown, but even that suited her appearance well.
Erin was captivated by nostalgia as she looked at her face. It was an incredibly fragile appearance.
Her slender limbs looked too weak to even walk.
In reality, Erin couldnât run or walk by her own will under the Marchionessâs shadow.
When she was young, she thought this was normal. She believed living like a doll displayed in the Marquisâs house was her destined fate.
As she grew older, she tried desperately to escape the situation, but each attempt only made things worse.
Back then, she didnât know how to clear up peopleâs misunderstandings.
She shouted denials and shed tears, but people wouldnât believe her words.
Instead, they avoided her more, saying it was typical behavior for a villainess.
But now she would no longer shout alone on a cliff where no one could hear.
Erin smoothed her clothes while looking in the mirror.
Unlike students from other departments, she wore the comfortable attire of the Swordsmanship Department.
âMy lady, couldnât you still not go?â
Sarah trembled with fear behind Erin.
Today was Erinâs first day in the Swordsmanship Department and the day of the swordsmanship evaluation. It was also the day she had been humiliated in her previous life.
The Swordsmanship Department conducted evaluations at the beginning of each semester. While called an evaluation, it was essentially an opportunity to showcase each familyâs swordsmanship.
Students simply had to demonstrate their familyâs swordsmanship or what they had learned in the department.
This should never be difficult for a typical Swordsmanship Department student. But Erin was not a typical student.
In the past, she had been humiliated because she couldnât even properly hold a sword.
Moreover, she had been so terrified by the malicious comments directed at her that she ran back to her dormitory and trembled for a long time.
Erin remembered that Sarah had tried to dissuade her like this back then too.
Unlike Erin who knew nothing at the time, Sarah probably knew what would happen in todayâs class.
âIâll be fine, Sarah. So donât worry and return to the Marquisâs residence. Understand?â
Sarah became even more anxious at her words.
Sweet Sarah.
Erin thought this as she gazed steadily at her.
Sarah didnât know the Marchionessâs true nature.
When Erin, unable to endure anymore, confessed everything while begging for help, Sarah was killed by knights sent by the Marchioness while trying to protect her.
âMy lady, run away. You poor thingâŚâ
Though she had become quite desensitized through two reincarnations, the shock of that moment still hadnât faded.
Thatâs why in this life, she wouldnât reveal the truth to Sarah.
Everything was for her to bear alone.
Erin began to walk. Her steps showed no hesitation.
* * *
The Swordsmanship Department of Atenz Academy was the Empireâs last bastion. It was where knights were trained to defend the frontlines against the increasing monsters.
The students took great pride in being part of the Swordsmanship Department.
They never missed a day of training.
Only those with talent counted among the best on the continent could enter this place, so their pride was justified.
As much as the Swordsmanship Department students took pride in their skills, they were extremely sharp toward anyone who invaded their territory.
The gazes of several students in the training ground turned toward one spot.
âItâs Erin Liserth.â
With those words acting like a trigger, everyoneâs attention shifted in one direction.
Someone completely out of place was walking in from the entrance of the training ground.
There wouldnât be anyone involved in swordsmanship who didnât know Erin Liserth. Not because she was the daughter of the famous Liserth swordsmanship family.
She was impossible to ignore as the crazy person who applied to transfer to the Swordsmanship Department without any knightâs pride or skill.
And most Swordsmanship Department students opposed her transfer.
But the other party was Marquis Liserth.
He was the head of House Liserth, one of the five families guarding the frontlines against monsters.
Even the academyâs headmaster would find it difficult to refuse the repeated requests of such a Marquis.
Thus, for the first time since Atenz Academy was established, Erin Liserth, who couldnât handle a sword, was allowed to transfer to the Swordsmanship Department.
âShe really came?â
âImpressive in many ways.â
âCan she even hold a sword with those arms?â
The Swordsmanship Department studentsâ gazes toward Erin were sharp.
It was natural. Having been a knight in her previous life, Erin could understand their reaction.
As long as she belonged to the academyâs Swordsmanship Department, she was a knight, not a lady they needed to protect.
Moreover, since Erinâs skills were clearly the worst in the Swordsmanship Department, she couldnât complain about their contempt.
Erin turned her gaze away from the students glaring at her. She was so accustomed to peopleâs contemptuous looks that they hardly bothered her anymore.
There was someone else who caught her attention more than them. Her eyes turned to a corner of the training ground.
There sat a man with golden hair that looked like melted gold wire and blue eyes like lakes. Erin pressed her lips tightly together, fighting the emotion welling up inside her.
âHeâs alive.â
He was breathing, moving, and speaking right before her eyes.
Erinâs heart began to beat faster. It felt like color was being added to a monochrome world. She desperately held back her tears.
That man was Ferdin Lexia, the Empireâs Second Prince and Erinâs fiancĂŠ.
Ferdin was conversing with his closest aide, Derek Athern, who sat beside him.
She still didnât know why she had returned to the past. But now the reason didnât matter. All that mattered was that she could change the future.
Ferdinâs and Erinâs eyes met.
Unlike others, he was looking at her without any hostility.
* * *
Ferdin was someone who stood out wherever he went. This wasnât just because he was an Imperial Prince.
He possessed not only handsome looks and excellent swordsmanship but also a charm that drew people in.
The First Prince Ditrion was also known as an outstanding prince, but Ferdin was no less impressive.
Nevertheless, the reason Ditrion was considered more likely to succeed to the throne was that while Ditrion received the Emperorâs favor, Ferdin did not.
âI donât even ask for favor⌠judging by the Emperorâs actions, itâs almost close to hatred.â
Thatâs why Ferdin needed Duke Asiliâs cooperation all the more.
Derek couldnât help feeling irritated no matter how much he thought about it.
To break up with Princess Asili in this situation! Everything had gone wrong because of Erin Liserth.
Unaware of his burning frustration, Ferdin seemed rather uninterested in the situation.
âThe Dukeâs demand is absurd. Your engagement to Erin Liserth is preposterous!â
ââŚâ
âBesides, did you hear what the Marchioness said while crying? She said Erin threatened to kill herself if she couldnât be engaged to you. Even I, a third party, got goosebumps. Doesnât it bother you at all?â
Derekâs face contorted as he spoke.
âI donât believe what I havenât seen myself.â
At this frustrating response, Derek struck his own chest. He couldnât bear his burning frustration.
Ferdin was a cold-headed person, but occasionally acted irrationally.
He claimed he could tell when someone had ill intentions, but Derek couldnât agree.
The more malicious someone is, the more they would try to hide it, so how could he know?
âThatâs not the point! Erin Liserth is just an obstacle in your path.â
âItâs not like we have a good solution either.â
âWhy not? Canât we just make her lose interest in marrying you?â
At Derekâs words, Ferdin frowned and looked at him with disdain.
Facing that gaze, Derek opened his mouth with a serious expression.
âYou could die if youâre not careful.â
