“Ferdin… is that situation okay?”

“I’m concerned about it too.”

A short distance away, Lilia was watching the brother and sister with a strange smile on her face.

It was impossible to know what she was thinking, but one thing was certain—that smile wasn’t genuine.

Derek felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew from several missions that this was exactly the expression Lilia made when she was truly angry.

“Erin Liserth and Lilia cannot coexist. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but after this subjugation ends, you’ll have to choose.”

“…”

“No matter what happens now, past actions don’t simply disappear. We can’t ignore public opinion about her in particular.”

Ferdin slowly closed and opened his eyes at Derek’s words.

“If that past is a lie… who will compensate for that?”

“What?”

“Have you ever actually seen Erin behaving cruelly?”

Derek couldn’t understand what Ferdin was saying.

“There’s a little villainess in the House of Liserth.”

“I heard the household staff changes daily because of that child.”

Weren’t these stories they’d heard since childhood?

Even without paying attention, he learned how far a child his age could fall by listening to servants and parents talk.

But what if it wasn’t true, as Ferdin suggested?

Derek’s hands trembled slightly. If he were falsely accused of something he hadn’t done and received condemning looks from countless people, could he bear it?

No, that was too much of a stretch.

Derek steadied himself with this thought. He hadn’t just heard about Erin’s misdeeds—he’d actually met one of her victims.

The person hurt by Erin’s greatest crime existed right before his eyes.

Derek’s face hardened severely.

“The biggest victim is right here. She… killed someone.”

“…”

“You shouldn’t say such things in front of Lilia.”

But Ferdin didn’t respond.

* * *

The first and second days passed without incident.

Monsters appeared occasionally, but they were only small ones like goblins.

They were easily subdued by the knight candidates alone, without the knights needing to step in.

During this time, Karon felt something strange about Erin.

It wasn’t that she did anything in particular. The monsters were so minor that Erin didn’t need to do anything.

What bothered Karon was that she showed absolutely no fear of the monsters.

He had been mentally prepared for certain scenarios.

He was ready to handle the situation if Erin screamed, cried, or insisted on returning to the academy.

But she did none of these things. Instead, she acted like a seasoned knight, finding and doing whatever she could.

When monsters appeared, Erin retreated to positions where she wouldn’t be in the way, and during evening camps, she helped other students prepare meals.

But that was what made it even stranger.

‘She can cook?’

Karon was shocked by Erin’s skilled actions.

‘And she can ride a horse too.’

Erin had never done anything in her life except cultivate a lady’s accomplishments.

Their stepmother was someone who valued ladylike behavior, and even the rebellious Erin quietly followed that particular rule.

“Ladies don’t do such things. Erin, you’re a lady.”

That’s what their stepmother would say whenever she tried to do anything else.

Karon tasted the stew Erin had made. He was surprised again.

‘It’s even delicious!’

It was certainly good that Erin was trying various things with her own hands. But was it possible to be good at something she had never done before…?

Karon stared at Erin, who was enjoying her stew.

“How’s life in the Swordsmanship Department…?”

“It’s manageable.”

“Isn’t it hard to keep up with the classes?”

“Hmm, not particularly.”

The Swordsmanship Department’s training was notorious for being difficult. Edward especially was known as an instructor who worked students like dogs.

So it was impossible for Erin not to find it challenging. Karon was now at the point where he wasn’t even sure who was sitting before him.

Was this really the Erin he knew? Could someone else have taken over his sister’s body?

“The food seems to go down your throat quite easily, doesn’t it?”

Karon’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden arrogant voice. As always, his sister had too many enemies.

Karon sighed deeply.

Looking toward the voice, he saw Amon glaring at Erin with contemptuous eyes.

It was Karon who answered. Tilting his head sideways, he responded to Amon’s comment.

“Is she not allowed to eat now?”

“No, should I call it having a strong stomach… or just being shameless? You can stuff your face even with Lilia right in front of you.”

“Please don’t pick a fight, Lord Amon.”

Amon sneered at Karon’s words.

“I’m just being honest. It’s bad enough that a murderer is living well, but seeing her enjoying her food right in front of us makes me want to say something.”

“I’ve heard that even dogs aren’t disturbed while eating… Lord Amon seems to rank below dogs.”

Amon’s expression hardened at Karon’s scathing remark.

With the rising tension, the subjugation team suddenly fell silent.

The clinking of dishes and people’s chatter disappeared completely.

Normally, Karon would have ignored this situation.

After all, Erin had done something wrong. If someone did something deserving of criticism, dealing with it was their responsibility.

‘I understand why Amon is acting this way.’

Except for Karon, all members of Ferdin’s preliminary knight corps had trained together for years at Atenz Academy.

Lilia and Amon were comrades who had completed many subjugations and escort missions together, surviving several life-threatening situations.

It was only natural that he would lash out at Erin out of consideration for Lilia’s feelings.

The atmosphere in the subjugation team grew hostile. Karon noticed some of the watching knights whistling.

Their amused expressions made him even more displeased.

If the Duchess were here, she would have stopped him from confronting Amon.

“That’s Erin’s fault. You need to understand people’s reactions.”

But Karon didn’t want to do that.

In fact, he had felt this way since he was very young. No matter what Erin did wrong, he didn’t want to criticize her.

He might scold her himself, but he didn’t want others to do it.

Karon placed his hand on his sword. Amon did the same.

Tension filled the air. Just as Amon was about to draw his sword—

“Amon, stop.”

Ferdin blocked Amon’s hand as he tried to draw his sword.

Amon looked at Ferdin in disbelief. His eyes trembled slightly with shock.

“Ferdin, are you actually taking that villainess’s side?”

* * *

Erin had never resisted others’ criticism. She simply accepted her fate quietly.

Living both as Erin Liserth and in her modern life, she had learned that no matter how much she cried out, people wouldn’t listen to her.

Looking at Amon, Erin recalled the past.

“I, I didn’t kill him.”

One thing had changed from back then.

It wasn’t just Amon who had condemned her, but nameless Swordsmanship Department students.

They had dragged her, trembling with fear, out of the carriage.

“I didn’t kill Calips… it wasn’t me who killed him.”

“Murderer! Even lies should have limits.”

“Don’t you know how much Lady Lilia has suffered because of you?”

“What would you expect from a fake knight?”

Remembering their words, Erin looked at Ferdin. In the past, he had also stood in front of her protectively. And then Karon, who had belatedly understood the situation, had rushed over to scatter them.

Erin knew what consequences that had brought.

The more Ferdin took her side, the more his reputation declined. It always happened, seemingly orchestrated by someone.

This subjugation became the catalyst for Ferdin losing the knights’ trust. Even now, Amon’s face was colored with betrayal as he looked at Ferdin.

Erin looked at the two men blocking Amon.

But there was one thing they didn’t know. She was no longer someone who would hide behind others.

In this life, she intended to face hardships head-on, more than anyone else.

“Lord Amon.”

At the quiet call, all eyes turned in one direction.

Erin’s initially slow steps gradually quickened. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of Amon.

She could feel Ferdin staring at her with an unreadable expression from beside him.