Chapter 22
Erin suddenly came to her senses and looked around.
The other students in the swordsmanship department were also staring at her with blank, stunned expressions.
“Philip, what did we just see?”
“Did Erin… just defeat Sir Amon…?”
Maybe that was too much. The moment Erin saw their reactions, she felt a slight regret.
‘I got too absorbed in the spar.’
But it had been an enjoyable match.
Erin turned her head forward again. Amon stood there, his face still flushed.
“That was a good match, Sir Erin.”
Amon’s tone had returned to normal.
Only then did Erin feel at ease. Formal speech truly didn’t suit Amon Hedor.
After shaking hands with him, Erin turned her head to confirm the burning gaze she had been feeling for a while.
Duke Asilly.
He was staring at her as if he would burn her alive with his eyes.
Following Erin’s gaze, the other students turned their heads as well and were startled upon seeing the duke.
They had all been so focused on Erin and Amon’s match that they hadn’t even noticed his arrival.
“Duke Asilly!”
“When did you get here?!”
The students hurriedly placed their fists over their chests and bowed.
Amon did the same. Like the others, he bent at the waist, his eyes filled with admiration.
Among them, only Erin remained standing straight, meeting the duke’s gaze directly.
The duke’s eyes gleamed with interest as he met hers.
In the past, she had always felt deep guilt toward him. Every time she saw him, she would tremble, not knowing what to do.
Once, at a party, she had even fainted from the pressure of his gaze.
But in this life, since the young lady had survived, she could cast off that burden completely.
Thinking so, instead of bowing deeply, Erin gave him a light nod.
She knew the respect other knights held for Duke Asilly.
If she had been an ordinary knight, she would have bowed deeply in this situation.
But as a fellow Sword Master, she didn’t want to show excessive courtesy.
Rather, she felt a competitive spirit—as someone at the same level.
The duke looked at her as if amused, but Erin deliberately ignored him.
As a Sword Master, he might have sensed something from her.
However, since those at the same level couldn’t accurately measure each other’s strength, he would likely see her as nothing more than a talented student.
Perhaps that was why he seemed even more interested. He might even be pleased with her bold attitude.
He was the kind of man who believed geniuses should possess a certain level of arrogance.
His presence here was unexpected, but it had nothing to do with her.
There was something else that concerned her more.
Erin shifted her gaze away from the duke and looked toward one side of the training ground.
Raymond stood there, watching her from afar.
Short black hair. A gentle-looking face. A man with a faint presence.
Now, Erin knew that faint presence was intentional.
Raymond was saying something to her. Erin read his lips.
‘Erin! Long time no see.’
He was smiling brightly, as if he were genuinely happy to see her.
The moment she saw him, Erin felt as if she were being dragged out of a strange, happy dream and back into reality.
‘Today… really was strange.’
Caron had worried about her. The young lady had smiled warmly at her. And Amon had acted as if he acknowledged her.
But all of that felt like nothing more than a dream.
Her reality was here.
Thinking that, Erin raised her hand slightly and waved back at Raymond’s smile.
‘Happiness doesn’t suit me anyway.’
She recalled the words the marchioness would always say during her lessons.
“You will never be happy, Erin.”
She was used to Raymond’s smiling face.
He always smiled like that whenever he saw her.
In the past, she had liked that smile.
If only he hadn’t been smiling like that when he killed her…
Then maybe she wouldn’t feel like vomiting now.
Her throat—the one that had been pierced in her previous life—ached with a chilling pain.
* * *
Raymond was watching Erin’s class for a while.
To ensure smooth lessons, the First Knight Order had long since left.
Yet for some reason, Duke Asilly remained, standing alone with his massive frame, continuing to stare at Erin Lisers.
If Raymond had been in her place, he would have felt burdened by such an intense gaze.
‘What… she’s pretty good? No wonder Corellia was worried. Is that the talent of the Lisers family? How did she hide it from us and train her swordsmanship? That’s almost creepy.’
Even so, he simply smiled without concern.
No matter how promising a sapling might be, it could always be trampled before it bloomed.
And Corellia was the best at that.
If he carried out the task she had entrusted to him, everything would be resolved.
No matter how impressive she was in the swordsmanship department, without real combat experience, she was just a naive child dreaming of becoming a knight.
Thinking that, Raymond recalled his conversation with Corellia.
Her plans were always perfect. She didn’t know failure.
She occasionally did insane things, but she was incredibly cunning.
After the messenger left, Corellia had explained her plan.
“Soon, the Emperor will order Ferdin Lisers to go to the land of the werewolves, subjugate them, and rescue the hostages. Those useless refugees.”
Werewolves.
Raymond realized the Emperor was truly serious this time.
Was he trying to eliminate his second son for good?
“Ferdin Lexia and his provisional knight order will definitely be deployed. Count Leon will accompany them, but there won’t be any real support.”
“A lot of people will die.”
“That’s right. But more people support Ferdin Lexia than the First Prince, Ditrion. Naturally, that makes him a thorn in the Emperor’s side. He may struggle to survive, but what’s the point? No matter what he does, the Emperor will try to kill him.”
“….”
“I’m really looking forward to it. When the Second Prince dies, Erin will blame herself for everything. She’ll think everything started going wrong because she got engaged to him. Though, honestly, they’re both in the same situation.”
As if something had just occurred to her, she continued:
“When her fiancé dies because of this, I wonder what she’ll think? She’s gotten quite arrogant since entering the swordsmanship department… It might be fun to crush her so she can never hold a sword again.”
A devil, through and through.
Raymond shook his head as he listened.
“This time, she won’t escape. A passing Sword Master? Let’s see if that kind of luck happens twice.”
Yes. It wouldn’t.
Raymond calmly thought about what he needed to do next.
He planned to quietly attach himself to Ferdin Lexia’s mission and create a situation where he and Erin would be alone before they even reached the werewolves’ land.
And when that moment came…
He would make sure Erin could never hold a sword again.
How should he do it?
Since he still felt some attachment, he planned to make it as painless as possible.
‘If I can stage it as an accident… that would be perfect. Then that foolish Erin would keep clinging to me.’
If that happened, it would also be easy for him to withdraw from the mission under the excuse that she was injured.
Thinking that, Raymond looked at Erin.
As she swung her sword, sweating, she looked no different from the other students beside her.
‘That’s boring.’
He had imagined her failing and collapsing in despair within the swordsmanship department.
But she was adapting far too well.
Raymond frowned in dissatisfaction.
Seeing her among others was completely different from how she used to be—always alone in the marquis’ estate without him.
She looked best when she was in despair.
And the face she made when she clung to the faint warmth he offered during those times—that was the most amusing of all.
As soon as the class ended, the students sheathed their swords and began gathering their belongings.
At the same time, Duke Asilly, who had been standing beside Raymond, left as if his business was finished.
His gaze did not leave Erin until the very end.
