Tears flowed from Lilia’s eyes.

Amon, who had been checking on Ferdin, spoke to her with a surprised face. “Lilia! Are you okay?”

Lilia shook her head. There was no way she could be okay.

“I, I… Erin Liserth… I thought…”

I thought you killed Calips. I’ve lived believing that until now. But it seems that’s not true. What are you hiding?

Lilia’s entire body trembled.

She had believed until now that Erin killed Calips. She believed it because that was the only way she could live. But then, what about Erin Liserth?

What about her, who was blamed by everyone for something she didn’t do? Lilia felt dizzy.

The terrible truth she just discovered pulled her into a swamp.

“Sorry, I’m sorry… I…”

But Lilia’s words didn’t reach Erin.

She had already fallen into a deep sleep from accumulated fatigue.

* * *

Some Sword Master I am. Pathetic.

Erin scoffed at the unfamiliar ceiling she saw upon opening her eyes.

She winced at the pain in her side when trying to get up. Erin admitted that her method of dealing with the werewolf chieftain had been somewhat crude.

But the chieftain was too strong to face using conventional methods without causing harm to others.

Yet fighting with all her strength might have injured Ferdin and his people.

Ferdin already had internal injuries, so she wanted to resolve the situation quickly and escape.

So Erin chose the method of sacrificing flesh to gain bone. It had been quite a while since she’d been injured this badly.

She would never have chosen this method if the werewolf chieftain hadn’t been in a berserk state.

Thinking this, Erin turned her head to the side. She froze when she saw Ferdin right in front of her.

‘Why is he beside me?’

Moreover, Ferdin was holding her right hand. Erin tried to pull her hand away with a surprised face but froze, afraid of waking him.

After remaining stiff for some time, someone opened the door and entered.

“Erin Liserth? Are you awake?”

Erin couldn’t help but be surprised by the unexpected person who opened the door.

Lilia was looking at her with a worried face.

‘Lilia is worried about me? Am I dreaming?’

Erin pinched her arm with her left hand. The area immediately turned red and pain rushed in.

Seeing this, Lilia approached her with astonishment.

“What are you… doing? Take care of yourself.”

Lilia grabbed Erin’s arm and used healing magic.

This wasn’t really something that required healing magic, was it?

Erin couldn’t hide her bewilderment. She found it hard to adjust to Lilia’s sudden kindness.

She held her breath for a moment, feeling her heart tickle.

“Ferdin, wake up. I need to talk with Erin Liserth alone.”

“Lilia?”

Erin called out Lilia’s name, surprised by her suddenly waking Ferdin.

At that sound, Ferdin’s closed eyes slowly opened. He stared at Erin with dazed eyes.

Those vivid blue eyes made Erin feel her heart might stop.

“Am I still dreaming?”

Ferdin said this while repeatedly closing and opening his eyes. Then he rested his cheek against her hand.

The warmth from Ferdin’s cheek lingered on the back of Erin’s hand.

Erin’s cheeks turned as red as a ripe apple.

Watching this, Lilia spoke with an incredulous expression.

“Your Highness Ferdin Lexia, this isn’t a dream. So please get up and leave? I have important matters to discuss with Lady Erin.”

Ferdin’s gaze shifted to Lilia upon hearing her words, then returned to Erin.

After remaining in that position for a while, Ferdin spoke to Erin with evident embarrassment.

“Lady Erin… I apologize. I was momentarily confused.”

Did he mistake me for Princess Asili? Erin thought that was possible. That would explain his affectionate behavior.

Thinking this, she carefully withdrew her hand.

Erin didn’t want to do anything that might hurt Princess Asili’s feelings.

Ferdin’s gaze followed Erin’s hand.

“Are you feeling alright?”

Ferdin’s face looked somewhat gaunt as he asked this.

That was actually what she wanted to ask him. Erin silently nodded.

Only then did he smile with relief.

“I’m truly glad. You wouldn’t wake up no matter how long I waited, so I was really… worried.”

“…”

“There’s something I really want to tell you, Lady Erin.”

“Something you want to tell me?”

“Yes. Could you spare me some time when we return to the academy? I’d like to talk there.”

Erin nodded with a heavy expression.

Would he interrogate her about her identity? No matter how generous Ferdin was, he couldn’t just overlook why she had hidden her power.

He would surely find it strange that she had concealed being a Sword Master.

“Then I’ll be waiting. Please talk, you two.”

As he said this and left the room, Ferdin’s ears were red.

Seeing this, Erin let out a sigh of relief. Though Ferdin didn’t seem fully healed yet, his internal injuries weren’t as severe as she had thought.

He could probably be easily healed when he met Princess Asili.

“Erin.”

Erin turned her head at Lilia’s voice.

She was sitting beside the bed, in the spot where Ferdin had been, looking at her.

‘She called me Erin, not Erin Liserth?’

Erin couldn’t hide her surprise.

Whenever Lilia called her, she always attached her surname, seemingly to reinforce the distance between them.

Clap.

As Lilia clapped her hands, Erin noticed a barrier forming in the room.

She had probably used a sound-blocking spell.

After confirming the magic worked properly, Lilia spoke softly.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, Erin Liserth.”

“Why are you suddenly apologizing?”

Erin hid her trembling hands behind her back. Her pupils shook unsteadily.

Why would Lilia apologize to her?

“I’m the one who changed your clothes.”

“…”

“I saw your wounds. I think Ferdin and Amon noticed too… I know what they’re thinking. And that they’re keeping it secret because you don’t want to talk about it…”

“That’s…”

Erin had always feared telling the truth.

‘Erin, I’m the only one who will believe you.’

For a moment, she felt Raymon whispering in her ear.

It was almost like the ghost of the deceased man was clinging to her shoulder.

‘Do you think Lilia would believe you if you told her the truth? Don’t be ridiculous.’

‘The fact that you’re a murderer is true, isn’t it? Honestly, you’re practically responsible for Calips’s death.’

‘So keep your mouth shut. That suits you better.’

Shut up, Raymon.

Erin knew better than anyone what had happened whenever she tried to speak up.

As Erin remained silent, recalling the past, Lilia continued with a desperate expression.

“But I want to know. I need to know about Calips’s death. If you didn’t kill him… then who did?”

Most people condemned Erin whenever she told the truth. And the few who believed her ended up dead.

Since then, Erin became afraid to tell the truth. Afraid that someone else might die because of her.

Afraid they would disappear from her side.

That’s when Lilia grabbed Erin’s hesitant hand. Warmth emanated from that hand.

Even after returning through two reincarnations, she still felt afraid and scared. The things that would happen if she spoke…

Looking at Erin’s trembling hand, Lilia continued.

“I know… I’m in no position to ask this of you.”

“…”

“I… hated you based only on what others told me. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of pain that caused you.”

At Lilia’s words, Erin closed her eyes.

Originally, she had planned not to tell anyone about the past until she properly completed everything she had planned.

But Lilia deserved to know the truth. A determined light dawned on Erin’s face.

This time… it might be different. No, she would make it different.

“It will be a long… and boring story.”

Erin slowly began to tell the story of her life.

Not the villainess Erin Liserth, but the pitiful and timid noble daughter Erin Liserth.