She wasn’t there—the dowdy, intimidated Erin that Corelia had imagined entering the banquet hall.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the entrance.

Was it because Prince Ferdin was handsome?

No, that wasn’t it. Everyone was staring at Erin, who walked in beside him with confident steps. Charlotte, who was standing behind Corelia, murmured in a voice only she could hear.

“Erin Liserth has definitely… changed.”

“Indeed, she has changed. Almost like… she’s become someone else.”

Corelia twisted her lips at Charlotte’s words. Her heart pounded with intrigue.

How long had it been since she felt this way? Since she witnessed something that exceeded her expectations?

Corelia recalled a memory from over a decade ago. The moment Erin first held a sword.

“It wasn’t Karon Liserth, but you.”

And now, seeing Erin’s entrance, Corelia couldn’t help but feel the same surprise she felt back then.

“She looks so beautiful and confident… even defying me.”

“…”

“Amazing. How fascinating, Charlotte. Erin… seems to know how to handle a sword. Can you feel that unusual aura about her?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“How irritating…”

The dress Erin wore wasn’t the one Corelia had sent. The fact that Erin had disobeyed her orders came as a fresh shock to Corelia. But what disturbed her even more was that Erin showed no fear when looking at her.

Ferdin and Erin slowly approached Ditrion and Corelia after entering the hall. Unlike before, Erin didn’t bow her head to avoid Corelia’s gaze.

Ferdin and Erin greeted Ditrion, the host of the banquet.

Until that moment, Ditrion couldn’t gather his wits.

‘That person is Erin Liserth?’

Though Erin was beautiful, there were plenty of equally beautiful people in the banquet hall.

But beyond her appearance, she had an aura that drew people in. What Ditrion didn’t know was that this was the aura that only a Sword Master like Erin could exude.

The emotion he felt was closer to reverence—the kind one swordsman might feel toward another.

Ditrion unconsciously gripped the armrest of his chair. Then his eyes met Erin’s. Unlike when she looked at Ferdin, her gaze was cold.

Overwhelmed by her beauty and the suffocating atmosphere, Ditrion had no time to worry about such a gaze.

He simply thought while looking at her, ‘I want to possess her.’

To him, Erin Liserth had been no different from a useless insect. Ditrion remembered Erin from long ago, looking at him with reverent eyes.

When she looked at him that way, she seemed worthless… so why did he desire her so much now?

‘Is it because she belongs to Ferdin?’

Could that be it?

A strange longing gleamed in Ditrion’s eyes as he smiled with one corner of his mouth.

* * *

With the guest of honor’s arrival, the party’s atmosphere grew even more heated.

In that moment, as Ferdin scanned the banquet hall, he witnessed Ditrion’s gaze completely transform.

It was a look he had seen often since childhood. Ferdin’s eyes lowered as he observed Ditrion.

Ferdin realized that Erin had caught Ditrion’s eye. It was inevitable. Right now, Erin outshone everyone else. And not just in his eyes.

Anyone would desire her. What should he do if Erin wanted to go to Ditrion, as she had always done before?

He had never held anyone back when they wanted to leave his side.

“I’ve decided to become Prince Ditrion’s nanny starting tomorrow.”

“Prince Ditrion is short on knights, so I had no choice, Your Highness.”

Each time he watched someone he cared about walk away, he felt conflicted. But through these repetitions, Ferdin learned to let go in order to protect.

After all, staying by his side might expose them to harm from Ditrion’s schemes.

So Ferdin had always sent them away with a smile. And in doing so, he preserved their lives.

Just then, Erin took his hand. He felt her firm, knight-like grip. Ferdin turned his head to look at her. She was smiling beautifully.

“Prince Ferdin.”

“…”

“Would you dance with me?”

Looking at her, Ferdin felt something twist inside his heart.

‘Even if she wants to leave, I want to be with her.’

Erin dancing was breathtakingly beautiful. Their joined hands tingled, and every place her gaze touched made his skin prickle.

But Ferdin could hardly focus on dancing. The image of Ditrion’s vile smile wouldn’t leave his mind. He didn’t want to let Ditrion get away with looking at Erin with such dirty eyes.

‘I can’t provoke Ditrion right now.’

Ferdin knew when to hold his breath. It wasn’t time yet to antagonize Ditrion. But Ditrion was treating Erin like nothing more than an amusing, interesting toy.

‘She doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.’

So if someone like Ditrion tried to have his way with Erin, he would no longer stand by. Ferdin recalled his recent conversation with the Princess.

“Fate has changed. And at the center of that change is Lady Erin.”

After saying this, the Princess had added something.

“This is just… a hypothetical assumption, but… perhaps she knows a future that hasn’t happened yet.”

“What do you mean, Princess?”

“No… forget I said anything. It’s the first prophecy I’ve received, so I don’t fully understand it myself.”

If what the Princess had said was true…

Then it would explain how someone who had never held a sword before could instantly reach the level of a Sword Master.

Ferdin’s expression grew complicated as he looked at Erin.

What kind of future did she know that would lead an ordinary lady to grasp the ultimate secrets of swordsmanship?

If Erin was enduring everything alone to change a predetermined fate, the weight on her small shoulders would be heavier than he could possibly imagine.

His hand trembled slightly. He couldn’t bear how much it pained him to think of her burden. Ferdin felt his chest tighten.

Erin asked as she gracefully turned, “Prince Ferdin, what have you been thinking about so intently?”

“Ah… I apologize, Lady Erin.”

She had been puzzled by Ferdin’s absent-mindedness.

‘Perhaps it was shocking that I didn’t tell him in advance.’

Erin thought this as she surveyed her surroundings.

When entering the banquet hall, she had released the aura she had been concealing all this time.

The effect was immediate. Duke Asili began watching her with a rigid expression, as did Corelia and Ditrion.

Several nobles in the hall also stared at her with surprised faces.

‘Still, they won’t think I’m a Sword Master.’

But anyone who had even minimal experience with swords would notice that her talent was extraordinary.

And they would realize that it was Erin Liserth, not Karon Liserth, who had been chosen by the sword.

Today, Erin had thrown herself out as bait.

‘I need certainty.’

She needed confirmation about what she had been suspecting. That’s why she boldly stepped forward before them.

She needed to see how Corelia, Ditrion, and the others would react to her actions.

After their dance ended, Erin and Ferdin moved away from the center. That’s when Derek approached Ferdin.

“Ferdin, Prince Ditrion is calling for you.”

It was time for Ditrion to deliver the Emperor’s congratulatory address.

As Ferdin left, Erin headed toward the balcony, planning to catch her breath while the address continued.

As she walked, she thought of Karon. When she glimpsed him briefly in the hall, he still looked confused.

He seemed to be struggling to firmly choose a side.

Though he might have guessed how Corelia had tormented her after seeing the tacky dress she sent, Karon had spent too many years with the Marchioness.

Erin felt no resentment toward Karon. She never expected everything to be resolved with just her word.

‘If he can’t believe, I’ll make him believe.’

Erin sensed someone approaching the balcony where she stood. It was a very familiar presence.

Someone she had never forgotten through three lifetimes was coming toward the balcony. Even after dying tragically and being reborn, Erin had nightmares of Corelia coming for her.

And those nightmares weren’t much different from the current situation. With these thoughts, Erin slowly turned around.

Corelia was opening the balcony door.