She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 105

Amille's Memory (2)

Sierra died around the time Hanael lost half of her life force.

While Amille struggled constantly to regain her sanity, the Crown Prince's brainwashing curse weakened, but she couldn't meet Sierra. It occurred when the Crown Prince created a fake corpse of Hanael and abandoned it in an alley.

After finding the corpse and burying it in a grave, Sierra held a funeral and hung herself inside Hanael's nursery. Before dying, she muttered continuously, leaving a warning to someone as if experiencing illusions or visions......

Run away. Never get involved. I must protect the child.

Rumors spread that Sierra wrote a strange letter destined for no one, but it was just a passing rumor. Absolutely no one found that letter.

Time flowed even after Sierra died. Following her death, Amille occasionally gained the freedom to move without the control of the brainwashing curse.

Cassius lost his mind, tracking Hanael frantically. Fear gripped the Crown Prince, forcing him to barely keep Hanael alive.

Eventually, Cassius killed the Crown Prince and was imprisoned. Even for a war hero, executing the heir to the empire without justification brought a death sentence. Of course, he didn't care. Life without Sierra held absolutely no meaning, and Hanael was already dying.

Once the Crown Prince died and the brainwashing curse broke, Amille visited Cassius and proposed turning back time.

A thick beard and numerous scars covered his face, yet his gaze remained sharp as he stared mockingly at Amille. Looking at the foolish older sister who had helped destroy Sierra, his glare cut her heart like a blade.

[Cassius] "Get out right now."

[Amille] "Listen to me anyway."

[Cassius] "I am a condemned prisoner, and Sierra is dead. What more is necessary? You are just the Crown Prince's dog."

[Amille] "......That is."

[Cassius] "Leaving you alive right now is my final mercy."

He spat at Amille.

Wiping the saliva from her face, she stood tall. Being mocked and insulted didn't matter. Executing this entire plan required his assistance.

[Amille] "We can borrow the power of the absolute being. There is a sacred relic. A divine object capable of turning back time."

[Cassius] "Then Sierra will......"

[Amille] "She will return, without fail."

Fueled by those words, Cassius broke out of prison.

---

Having found a final hope, he neither ate nor slept properly while searching for the relic left by God. His face grew battered, and he lived a brutal life, occasionally decapitating the assassins pursuing him.

During that time, Amille raised Hanael. Although she was hunted just like Cassius, she cared for the fading Hanael, living her life as a form of atonement.

As Hanael neared the end of her life, Cassius finally discovered the ancient relic left by God after facing countless hardships. It lay at the absolute edge of the empire, on a deserted coastline. In the furthest corner of the beach called Liteanne—meaning "God's Plaything" due to the abstract stone shapes scattered along the shore—sat a grave covered in a massive pile of rocks.

In front of that grave, Amille bowed repeatedly.

Finally, I can turn back time and save Sierra......

Light is emerging.

A brilliant glow emanated from the relic. And......

[A. Being] "O foolish ones who have sought me out. Do you wish to cross the line of time?"

The voice of the absolute being resonated clearly. Unlike Amille, who flinched, Cassius answered resolutely.

[Cassius] "I want to turn back time immediately."

[A. Being] "Even if crossing the line of time requires you to surrender the most precious thing you currently possess?"

[Cassius] "Naturally, I will turn it back."

He answered resolutely because he had already lost his most precious possession.

Amille also nodded. Then, finally......

[A. Being] "My children. It shall be as you wish."

The absolute being turned back time without revealing the nature of the most precious sacrifice. Consequently, Amille realized what she had lost after the regression.

The absolute being, or rather God, barely lifted the brainwashing curse bound to her mind. Amille had to start over from the beginning. She had to train herself relentlessly while struggling constantly to break the curse. Yet it mattered little. As long as Sierra could live at the end of this path, she could do anything.

And as for Cassius...…

Observing him from afar, Amille noted that his condition remained unchanged. He retained both his supreme martial power and his love for Sierra. Though he met Sierra at the academy and fell in love again, he......

He lost every memory related to Sierra.

Yes, Cassius lost his memories. For a man who had lost Sierra, the most vital asset was his memory of her.

Following the regression, Amille accomplished many tasks. She informed Sierra of numerous truths and broke more than half of the brainwashing curse.

The remaining fragments of the curse in her mind faded one by one, and she formulated a strategy to deal with the Crown Prince.

Amille felt optimistic that everything was moving forward successfully. Until that day arrived.

---

On that day, she hummed a tune.

The memory-wiped Cassius is rather troublesome.

Regardless, everything stood perfect, except for Sierra reuniting with Cassius. Even though they reunited, they didn't instantly fall into a fated romance.

Then one day, inside the Great Archmage's chambers at the Magic Tower.

[Abel] "Great Archmage! T-There is trouble!"

[Amille] "What is the matter, Abel?"

[Abel] "Some c-c-crazy person......!"

As Abel, who served as her attendant, burst through the door, all peace shattered.

Looking at the speechless Abel, Amille assumed it was nothing serious, as he frequently made a fuss over trivial matters.

Expecting his usual overreaction, Amille walked down to the ground floor of the Magic Tower and froze.

[Abel] "What kind of scoundrel abandoned it? I mean, there is a baby inside a basket......!"

Amille stared at the baby in bewilderment. A remarkably gentle child who didn't even cry blinked its almond-shaped green eyes.

Barely a year old and looking small enough to fit in a fist, unable to even roll over, the infant rested peacefully inside the basket. If it were a normal baby, Amille wouldn't have been this shocked.

Abel chattered for a long time, asking:

What kind of person leaves a baby here?

Do they think this is an orphanage?

Does the baby possess mana?

How on earth did anyone bypass the Magic Tower's security to drop off a child?

Until he stopped abruptly and stared at Amille in confusion.

Amille stood perfectly still, staring at the infant. An existence that shouldn't be here had appeared.

Since we turned back time, this child shouldn't exist in this timeline. Why?

Collapsing beside the basket, she spoke haltingly.

[Amille] "We turned back time, so why on earth......"

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she stared at the small basket and the baby blinking gently before her.

It was Hanael. Why was she here?

Because time had been turned back, she shouldn't exist in this current world......

The energy of the blue mana that the Crown Prince coveted still flowed from her tiny body. If Amille left her like this, it would only be a matter of time before the Crown Prince captured the child.

Facing a deeply troubled Amille, Abel asked cautiously.

[Abel] "Um, should we send the baby to an orphanage?"

She bit her lips firmly and declined. In the end, she held only a single option.

The only way is to send Sierra to the countryside and have her raise the child.

Amille stood up firmly and held the baby inside the basket tightly against her chest. It felt exactly like that single moment in the past when Sierra had placed the infant in her arms. Perhaps because of that memory, the infant rested comfortably in Amille's embrace, neither crying nor smiling.

[Abel] "Amille, Lady Amille? Is it alright to hold the child like that......?"

[Amille] "Mind your own business."

She stared at Abel. Her eyes were bloodshot from the intense worry she endured in such a short span. When he questioned the normally playful archmage, she made her choice.

[Amille] "......It is my child."

[Abel] "The-The Great Archmage's child?"

[Amille] "Yes."

She resolved to disguise Hanael as her own child. Pretending she had given birth to the child elsewhere, she lied to Sierra about needing to administer a mana rampage potion, desperate to hide Hanael's mana completely.

Furthermore, Amille avoided meeting Sierra, unable to afford a single mistake.

Although she had regressed, the Crown Prince's brainwashing curse remained. Because of that, she frequently executed actions he desired, entirely against her own will.

I ended up telling Sierra to come to the capital.

The complex brainwashing curse forced Amille to select the option most beneficial to the Crown Prince whenever she faced a crossroads. Still, she desperately avoided meeting Sierra. If she ran into her after arriving in the capital, the Crown Prince might discover them.

But now, the Crown Prince discovered everything.

What should she do now?

Will Philoes return?

Is Hanael safe?

And...... did she actually turn back time successfully?

Pondering these questions, Amille squeezed her eyes shut and opened them.

Footsteps resonated down the corridor. Leaning her back against the sofa, she stared intently at the door. As expected, someone knocked. Assuming it was a maid or a servant following the Crown Prince's orders, she muttered listlessly.

[Amille] "Come in."

The door cracked open, and Philoes appeared unexpectedly.

[Philoes] "Um, well......"

He hesitated with a flustered expression. Amille raised a brow in confusion. He wore an expression so pale he looked close to death, as if the Crown Prince stood right behind him.

[Amille] "What is the matter?"

[Iliena] "......Step aside, Philoes."

A beautiful voice resonated, causing Amille to stare at the doorway in surprise.

Standing right behind Philoes and gripping the back of his neck was Princess Iliena.

Amille expected him to arrive alone, yet the Princess stood here. Her low voice filled the room.

[Iliena] "You know who I am, do you not? I heard my brother...... kidnapped Duke Ideos' child."

The Princess spoke urgently, fearing detection, yet her expression showed conflict. Her eyes trembled intermittently, showing she remained completely undecided.

[Amille] "......Yes."

Rubbing her dark-circled eyes, Princess Iliena spoke with firm determination.

[Iliena] "I want to free that child. Amille, Philoes. I need the two of you. You possess the power."

The Princess betraying the Crown Prince was an unexpected harvest.

Studying the desperate expression on the Princess' face, Amille focused her gaze.

This could be a trap. Logically, why would the Princess want to rescue Hanael?

---

If you’re enjoying this novel, please consider leaving a rating or comment on Novel Updates and Naver Series.