The Villainess Will Not Bring Dishonor To Her Family

31 - In The Shadow You Cast - Part 1

Eric Celeste's Point Of View

My sister went missing.

Her maid had run to the guards, telling them that she'd run off towards the castle to get to the city... but Lily was always picked up in front of the mansion, so she would probably be unable to find her way out anyway. Even if she got to the gate, the guards would stop her. Still, the mansion guards weren't able to find her, so I joined in. She was only 8, and a girl. She couldn't have gone far, I thought.

I was still searching when the refugees started pouring in, reporting a bandit attack and incoming soldiers from the south. Many of them would stare at me like a ghost, and an uncomfortable feeling spread through my stomach at their gazes.

As the only man in the family here I was called to a council by the knights of the castle.

Since I was only 11 they would be making the decisions, but for appearance and experience I was to observe, and decide which of their 'suggested' strategies we would choose. That was the plan.

A young man entered the room. He was bleeding heavily from his shoulder looked pale as death. He was the only guard that had appeared here, and he was heavily injured. But none the less the only one that seemed to know what was going on...

The city had been attacked in the morning while most were sluggish but still awake. The guards had set out immediately, but had fallen to an ambush, where their captain had been critically injured. They'd been giving their all to defend the civilians, but they were losing until...

He paused there and stared at me. Another uncomfortable look.

"I was certain it had been Eric Celeste-sama..."

Those words made my mind swim, because I knew one person that cross dressed as me. The one person with access to a set of my clothes. Lily. Lily had been where the bandits were? No, her maid had said she had run off.. but how?

"Continue." I pretended to be fine and unshaken. I tried to behave as Father taught me, but I dreaded the story that would follow.

Lily had taken over control of the remaining guards and cast healing magic-

WHAT?!

He continued the story, but I didn't understand how. Lily had the protection of water, how could she cast healing magic?

While the guards were suddenly refreshed and their injuries were healing, the bandit leader requested a duel, which Lily accepted.

My 8 year old sister that had never even touched a sword had entered a duel.

I could see the pallid faces of our knights.

Her death would be made their responsibility for not keeping a proper track of one of the Lord's children.

"And he won. And a village girl with the protection of a light fairy healed him."

A what? She what?

The story was absurd. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Those sort of coincidences... no... Lily couldn't handle a sword... but he said she won as if it was a matter a fact that she could use a sword. She had skills enough to convince a guard that she knew how to handle a sword...

There was... just no way...

"Where is s-... where is he now?"

I pushed away the chills running through my body.

"He and the commander went to hold off the enemy troops until the evacuation of the civilians is over. They said they'd be entering battle around now..."