Chapter 3
Evelyn stood up, holding the knife placed on the dining table.
“How do you think you can do anything to me with just that?”
Baron Quartz sneered at Evelyn.
Whoosh!
Evelyn, expressionless, lifted the knife, and a vivid golden aura stretched out long and bright.
“Gasp! Oh, an aura!”
“Good heavens! My God. Evelyn! Could it be that you’ve become a Sword Master?!”
Everyone in the dining room gasped, mouths wide open.
Count Barrett blinked repeatedly in amazement as he stared at Evelyn and the knife, or rather the vivid aura emanating from it.
“If outstanding swordsmanship is a prerequisite for the head of the family, then I am the most fitting person for that position.”
Of course, the one destined to become the head of the Barrett family was her brother, but for now, her priority was to overpower Baron Quartz and his family.
Her relentless dedication to swordsmanship had finally paid off.
If not for that, she might have lost the countship to Hain’t without even a chance.
“How do we know that’s for real?”
“If you’re too stupid to tell the difference, that’s really pathetic.”
Evelyn swung the knife at Hain’t, who was yelling angrily. The aura with a bright light flew toward him.
Startled, Hain’t instinctively raised a fork to block it—but nothing happened.
“Haha, as I thought, it’s a lie—”
Shing!
“Ah!”
“Wow!”
All of Hain’t’s clothes except his underwear were sliced away.
The female servants screamed, roughly covering their eyes at his exposed toned body.
The male servants’ eyes widened in astonishment at the wondrous display.
“You! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Clang!
Hain’t, left only in his underwear, hastily grabbed the tablecloth to cover himself, knocking over dishes on the table that shattered on the floor.
“I showed you my skill because you were curious. How do you like it, uncle?”
A faint smile lifted the corners of Evelyn’s lips.
“It’s really, really an aura. Ha… ha… ha.”
Baron Quartz wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
“With this, you can’t say I’m unqualified as the heir of the Barrett family, right?”
“Y-yeah, I suppose so.”
Under Evelyn’s piercing golden eyes, Baron Quartz reluctantly nodded.
He couldn’t ignore her now, since he’d already spoken. With Evelyn having become a Sword Master, she was the closest to becoming the heir.
‘That damn girl.’
Baron Quartz forced a smile and glared at Evelyn.
He couldn’t treat the Sword Master as simply an unfortunate girl cursed by fate.
After several years, she was a prodigy — the retainers wouldn’t be foolish enough to let the Sword Master slip away.
Instead, they’d try hard to keep her attached to the family.
He had thought it would be easy to get rid of her. Now that things had come to this, he had to retreat and find another way to persuade the retainers.
“Ahem. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. Hain’t, you can’t stay here like this, can you?”
Baron Quartz hurriedly gathered his son and wife and fled the dining room like running away.
“That bought us some time.”
Evelyn glared at the Baron family.
“How could you hide the fact that you’ve become a Sword Master so perfectly?”
Countess Barrett, who had been holding her mouth in surprise, finally shouted in a flushed voice after the dining room quieted down.
Evelyn’s cheeks faintly warmed at her mother’s outburst.
“Well, you can’t just say it recklessly.”
In a calm voice, Evelyn’s mother hugged her tightly.
“Congratulations on becoming a Sword Master. You’ve really worked hard.”
Count Barrett, his voice thick with emotion, patted his daughter’s shoulder.
Though happy, he couldn’t rejoice fully thinking of his son lying bedridden.
“The Baron won’t give up easily, so we must prepare.”
“Don’t worry about my brother. I’ll save him no matter what.”
Determined, Evelyn’s eyes gleamed coldly. She would not let anyone take away what was hers.
“Looks like everyone heard the rumor that the young lady is a Sword Master.”
Tinya said beside her with a smug expression.
Perhaps because Evelyn had revealed her aura yesterday in the dining room, more servants than usual seemed to be watching her.
Because of the curse, only Tinya remained as her lady’s maid. No one had treated her badly during their long years in the count’s house, but she knew they secretly feared and avoided her.
“All lessons will be canceled from now on. I’ll focus on training for a while. Tinya, you can leave your post.”
“Of course I will!”
Tinya snorted and hurried away.
‘Is it really that good?’
Watching Tinya’s unusually excited back, Evelyn headed toward the private training grounds.
“Tami? Are you busy?”
After greeting the young lady in front of the training ground, Tinya caught hold of Tami, who was passing by.
“Yes, I need to prepare to welcome the young master soon.”
Tami replied in a stiff voice.
“Ah, but there’s a lot of luggage—”
“It’s nothing that can’t be moved in several trips.”
He said coldly, then stepped back as if he didn’t want to stay any longer.
Tinya’s eyes drooped at his cold glare.
Her arms were full of Evelyn’s clothes. The basket on the floor was also packed with more.
No one else dared touch the lady’s belongings, so Tinya had to move large loads by herself each time.
Sigh. “I’ll help just this once.”
“Thank you. I didn’t plan to carry that much anyway; I have other things to do.”
“That’s an excuse.”
With a sigh, Tami snatched some of the luggage from Tinya. He also wanted to throw Evelyn’s clothes away but couldn’t, thinking of the young master.
‘The young master would probably think it’s not her fault.’
Arriving at the lady’s room, Tami threw the clothes onto the bed without greeting and left.
“Oh, Tami. Thanks—ugh.”
Tinya sighed as she watched him leave but soon smiled.
“Finally, a long-awaited wish will come true.”
Muttering something incomprehensible, Tinya hummed a tune while organizing Evelyn’s clothes.
‘Touching the lady’s things before entering the young master’s room.’
Frowning, Tami changed direction before entering Leonel’s room and headed to the servants’ restroom.
“Young master, this is just a kind of ritual.”
He meant no harm. Everyone was wary of the lady, so he was just cautious too.
Though he thought himself cowardly, he couldn’t like the lady who had caused the young master to collapse.
Tami washed his hands thoroughly with soap and checked his attire carefully.
‘Changing clothes completely would be too much.’
Since Tinya had just washed the clothes, there had been no contact with the lady, so the curse wouldn’t spread.
Knock knock.
“Leonel, young master, I’m coming in.”
After confirming his attire, Tami knocked on Leonel’s door.
No sound came from inside, but after waiting a few seconds in his mind, he opened the door and entered.
The room was half-lit by sunlight through partially opened curtains.
“Young master, it’s a good day today.”
Seeing Leonel lying still on the bed, Tami opened the large window wide.
“They say the lady has become a Sword Master. You must have been a Sword Master yourself around the age of twenty.”
Tami knew the reason he had been cold to Tinya today was jealousy.
If the young master hadn’t been injured, he would surely have become someone great.
Bringing warm water and towels, Tami carefully wiped the young master’s still immature body.
While wiping, he kept folding up his sleeves when they touched the water.
For a moment, Leonel’s eyes twitched, but Tami didn’t notice as he continued.
“When you wake up, you will become the most splendid knight.”
Tami spoke to the young master as he continued his task.
“Phew.”
Evelyn exhaled deeply, her body burning with feverish heat. As she surpassed the threshold of her level, her body felt increasingly lighter.
‘At this rate, I wouldn’t die even if I climbed the Snow Mountain.’
Though the family’s fortunes had declined to the point they couldn’t send the knights, she could leave the capital in her father’s care and climb the Snow Mountain alone to search for medicinal herbs.
‘But the North has more than just that.’
The Holy Sword left by an ancient hero.
The Holy Sword, kept by the duke’s family, had remained untouched for many years after the ancient hero left a will.
Legend said that whoever pulled the Holy Sword would have their wish granted as the chosen hero, but no one had ever succeeded, so it was just a rumor.
Whether medicinal herbs or the Holy Sword, anything to save her brother was good.
The easiest way was not to climb the mountain but to pull the Holy Sword, but she couldn’t rely on an unproven rumor.
