Chapter 64: Caught in the Act

Chapter 64

Caught in the Act

Under the soft glow of moonlight, the yellowish hue reflected off Wint’s sweat-covered body, creating an alluring image. It was fitting for Hero No. 1, with his perfect physique. Seeing this on the cover of a novel would likely make many readers want to lick the book.

"Phew!" Wint exhaled deeply. After spending a lot of time training hard, his mood improved significantly. Initially full of confusion, he used his training to reflect on how to proceed with his plans.

What he didn’t expect was the appearance of the great second young lord of the Setter family. Initially, he thought that scholarship student Ellie had some special abilities that had once helped the Setter family, making them view her as a friend. However, Aman’s appearance changed his perspective.

He tried to show his feelings for Ellie, thinking that if the second young lord had no such relationship, he could either question Ellie or step aside. But Aman made it clear, saying that Ellie was like family to him, implying she should be someone’s fiancée, perhaps even Aman’s own.

Although it was a bit surprising, in the end, Second Young Lord Aman’s actions had always been complex. Perhaps to avoid becoming a tool for other noble families or even the royal family, he chose a convenient pawn and made her the lady of the Setter family.

Second Young Lord Aman had always been like this, always with a clever mind. His plans were so well hidden that sometimes people walked in the direction he wanted without realizing it.

Wint wanted to be like him. However, he realized it wasn’t easy... Just deciding to use Ellie as a key player this time was a wrong choice, showing that his insight was still far inferior to that of Second Young Lord Aman.

Even so, Wint didn’t feel regretful. If his fiancée’s position wasn’t filled yet, it didn’t matter. He just wanted connections with the Setter family. As long as he could play the hero and save a damsel in distress, whether it was Ellie or someone from the Setter family, they would certainly feel indebted to him.

It was unfortunate that the previous attempt to attack the demonic beast didn’t go as planned. If he had been the one affected by the demonic beast’s toxin, he believed that Ellie and the Setter family would surely see him as their benefactor.

But it’s alright...Such good opportunities can come again. With the rumors about the Setter family and Ellie spreading, enemies of the Setter family would surely come looking for the girl. And then...he would truly become Ellie’s savior.

"Though it’s frustrating, there’s no helping it," Wint muttered to himself. He wanted to train a bit more because Aman’s display of power made him realize how weak he still was. If he wanted to become someone who could negotiate with the Setter family, he needed to show enough strength. Otherwise, he would only be a follower of the Setter family.

However, tomorrow he had to work hard again. The punishment of dealing with all the filth had made him realize that a girl like Nara was of no use. She couldn’t even keep her composure. If she were to become his partner, Wint felt that she would likely cause more problems.

Moreover, Nara chose to align herself with the church. Once she became a priestess, her status would elevate, turning him into just a subordinate. Wint didn’t want to be under anyone’s authority in the future, so his relationship with Nara should remain as mere acquaintances.

Besides...he wasn’t so foolish as to not realize that Nara was trying to use him!

Crack!

"Ah!"

As Wint was preparing to return to rest, a soft scream of a woman suddenly could be heard. His body moved quickly on instinct, but as soon as he saw the scene before him, Wint quickly crouched down, hoping the bushes would obscure his view and the woman’s body in the stream.

A perfect body, full of seductive allure to the male sex, was completely exposed. Wint tried to control himself and not look again. However, men and women were naturally drawn to each other. Although he had previously pretended not to be interested in Nara’s body and managed to sleep, that was because she had clothes covering her body, not revealing her full beauty to admire.

This time was truly different!

"Gulp," Wint swallowed hard with difficulty. If someone saw him secretly looking at a woman’s body like this, he would certainly face detesting looks from people around him. The image he had painstakingly built of being foolish and awkward would be irreparably damaged.

Unbeknownst to him, while he was secretly observing Nara’s body, 3 pairs of eyes had already been watching him.

"T-That! That fool!"

"Shh! Keep quiet," Ellie quickly reminded Aria, preventing her from making any noise.

She understood why Aria was so shocked—it was because she never expected someone who always acted so noble and good, like Wint, to have such a vile side.

When Ellie approached Aria and Vida, they initially questioned why she wanted them to follow and hide. However, Aria and Vida’s guilt held them back, and they complied silently.

Earlier, they had been too rash and insulted Ellie, accusing her of being a lowly woman trying to take a shortcut to wealth. They believed Ellie wanted to ensnare Wint and become his fiancée, so they even considered taking action against her. Fortunately, Aman appeared just in time, making them realize that Ellie’s status was more secure than they had thought.

If Ellie had used Aman’s status to elevate herself, she could have acted high and mighty, but she never mentioned it and continued to show respect to them. After discussing it, Aria and Vida even planned to apologize to Ellie. Luckily, Ellie sought their help first, so they didn’t need to apologize—just helping her with this one thing was enough.

But who would have thought that what Ellie asked them to witness was such a shameless act!

"Th-that guy...shouldn’t he be turning around and waiting to take responsibility seriously right now? What is with this behavior like some common pervert!?" Aria couldn’t help but speak up. Despite her intense dislike for Wint as an illegitimate son, she knew well enough what kind of person he was.

In the past, Wint always did everything righteously, using his integrity to uphold justice. To be fair and without bias, Aria considered him a good man, if not for the fact that Wint’s cunning mother had caused her own mother great sorrow. Aria wouldn’t hate Wint so much otherwise.

But the scene before her now made her question all of Wint’s past actions...

A man who seemed so upright was now secretly watching a woman bathe with lustful eyes. Was this normal? Even if Wint accidentally saw Nara’s body, it would be forgivable if he admitted his mistake honestly.

"Wint is a man, after all. Maybe he couldn’t resist the temptation," Ellie said neutrally, but she received skeptical looks from both Aria and Vida in return.

Well...it was odd for the person who led them to witness this scene to then defend Wint. Ellie didn’t offer any further explanation. She hadn’t expected Wint to be a bad person from the start. Even though Aman’s words made her suspicious enough to call Aria and Vida as witnesses, she still hoped Wint to be the same as in the novel.

As long as he told Nara he would take responsibility for everything, like in the novel, she would let this matter go. She would let them care for each other according to the story, allowing Wint to remain the good-natured Hero No. 1. Meanwhile, she would try to stay away from him and avoid awkward situations as before.

However, Ellie’s hopes were dashed. While Aria and Vida were still there as witnesses to this shameful scene, Nara began to move around as if looking for something. Instead of stepping forward to take responsibility with Nara, Wint slowly backed away and returned to his training spot.

Aria and Vida looked at each other in disbelief that such an event had occurred. As someone from the Femon family, Aria felt deeply embarrassed that a man from her family could be so shameless. Before she could get up to drag Wint by the hair to take responsibility for what happened, Nara’s behavior took an unexpected turn.

Who would have thought that Nara’s small frame would slowly rise from the shallow water? She anxiously scanned the area, and when she saw no one around, she immediately showed her displeasure. She grabbed a stick and smashed it until it broke, forming a small sharp piece. To everyone’s surprise, Nara stabbed the broken stick into her own leg, causing blood to flow.

"Ah!!" Nara’s scream was louder than the first, ensuring Wint would hear it.

Nara’s naked body sat on a rock, posing elegantly while displaying the blood trickling from her leg, making it seem like she had accidentally cut herself on an underwater branch. But after nearly 10 seconds, the person she expected to come to her aid still didn’t appear.

Nara was puzzled. She pressed her lips, unsure of what to do next. Approaching Wint naked seemed too odd, and calling out again might be troublesome. If she attracted someone else, not Wint, that could complicate matters further.

Thinking this, Nara hurriedly put on her clothes and limped back to her tent, leaving the three girls stunned by the strange actions of both Nara and Wint.

Ellie’s heart raced. She was certain she remembered the novel’s plot correctly. In the story, Wint accidentally stumbled upon Nara bathing and unintentionally saw her naked. It was supposed to be a coincidence. So why did Nara tried to get Wint’s attention by screaming while Wint hid to secretly observe the heroine’s naked body instead of taking responsibility?

This made Ellie realize...Not only was the heroine not as pure as she had always believed, but Wint was also not the foolish gentleman she thought!

"What on earth is with those two!?" Aria grumbled in frustration. No matter how she thought about it, the whole situation seemed bizarre.

"No matter what, Wint is at fault," Vida wasn’t one to talk much, but she knew how to summarize the heart of the matter. The noblewoman looked at Ellie’s face as if to ask, "Is her words what Ellie wanted?"

Ellie didn’t respond but neither did she deny it. Aria, on the other hand, fully agreed with Vida’s opinion. Additionally, being from the Femon family, she believed that since the illegitimate son had disgraced them, he should bear full responsibility!

"Let’s go. I’ll deal with that illegitimate son!" Aria stood up to her full height, her eyes filled with determination.