She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 107

I Trust Mommy!

Amille glanced at the dungeon cell behind her and scoffed inwardly. Knowing this child was not the real Hanael, it was now time to let the Crown Prince make a foolish blunder.

She smiled for the first time since entering the Crown Prince's palace. Whatever Sierra planned, she would support it entirely. And......

[Amille] "Sierra must want me to stay alive too."

The moment she caressed the fake Hanael's cheek, she realized for the first time that she must remain alive. She would survive by any means to witness a happy ending in this world.

---

After the Crown Prince kidnapped Hanael, the Ideos ducal mansion fell into utter chaos. The servants generally didn't question Sierra's disappearance. Since the prince had kidnapped Hanael, they assumed the shocked Sierra had left to recover somewhere.

However, Sierra remained inside the Ideos mansion. Specifically, she hid inside a small dungeon cell that had been closed long ago within the estate. Of course, Cassius' delicate care turned the dungeon cell into a beautiful space resembling a fine hotel room.

Her mind remained incredibly tense. Sierra bit her nails and looked down at Hanael cradled in her arms. The child held in her arms was not the kidnapped fake, but the real Hanael.

[Hanael] "Phooey."

Hanael pouted, glaring at the oatmeal porridge as if it were a mortal enemy from a past life. Regardless of the commotion inside the mansion, they ate a delicious lunch together in the small, cozy room.

Everything is going according to plan so far.

Sierra realized the Crown Prince targeted Hanael. Fortunately, before he arrived, she swapped Hanael with the doll. The real Hanael remained safely hidden inside the secret dungeon right beneath the mansion, cradled in her embrace.

Will my sister try to rescue Hanael? I hope she doesn't. It is far too dangerous.

Amille stood as the only variable. If the dream Sierra experienced was real...... Amille had spent much time with Hanael, so she would definitely know the truth.

I made small differences to the doll that anyone who held Hanael closely would recognize.

Thanks to the craftsman's skill, the doll's size and appearance matched Hanael perfectly. Anyone catching a passing glimpse would immediately mistake the doll for Hanael.

However, the real Hanael had no mole on her cheek. The exquisite doll, on the other hand, displayed a distinct mole right on its cheek. Furthermore, her body temperature ran slightly warmer than normal. The cold temperature of the doll remained a detail the Crown Prince would miss, but Amille would instantly recognize.

[Hanael] "It was hard."

Deceiving the Crown Prince required a massive amount of Hanael's power. Before the prince arrived, she had to pour her mana into the doll. Honestly, Sierra expected little, planning only two days of training. Yet......

Wow, a massive amount of mana is flowing inside!

You are an absolute genius.

It was an unexpected success. At this rate, enough of Hanael's mana accumulated inside the doll to deceive the Crown Prince for a long time.

Then, the doll went into Cassius' hands. He wore a terrifying expression that surpassed even the Crown Prince, whispering cynically.

[Cassius] "I drew a spell to summon a demon inside it."

[Sierra] "......What if the Crown Prince summons the demon, absorbs its power, and becomes even stronger?"

[Cassius] "It is a low-level demon, so it will slowly consume his mind and body."

[Sierra] "Oh......"

[Cassius] "I also placed every kind of curse imaginable inside it, including ones I can't mention to you."

Sierra decided not to ask how he knew so much about demons. Having fought the monster war, he likely understood the demon realm well.

Besides, he would never do such a thing to me.

She nodded and replied.

[Sierra] "Right, let us just kill him. He is completely insane."

Ever since the recent dream, Sierra had been grinding her teeth at the thought of the Crown Prince. Whether that cursed bastard became demon food mattered nothing to her. She clenched her fists tightly.

Detecting that Sierra's attention had drifted away, Hanael began to whine immediately.

[Hanael] "Hmph! Oatmeal porridge tastes bad!"

Sierra spoke strictly to Hanael.

[Sierra] "You must eat it anyway. You have eaten absolutely nothing, and you used a lot of energy."

She pouted and buried her face in Sierra's chest.

[Hanael] "Hmph! Amille gives me lots and lots of candy! I hate you!"

Even as she spoke, she squirmed, terrified that Sierra might push her away. Sierra held Hanael tightly against her chest and whispered into her ear.

[Sierra] "I am not mean. If you eat candy, your teeth will rot."

Hanael pouted, unable to comprehend why she was confined to this tiny room after customarily eating only grand feasts.

[Hanael] "How long do we stay here?"

[Sierra] "We will leave soon."

[Hanael] "Okay! I trust Mommy!"

She spoke as if it were a matter of course.

Watching Hanael glance toward the oatmeal porridge revealed that the child placed no deep meaning behind the declaration. Yet those words tasted incredibly sweet to Sierra. Deep emotion filled her heart.

She bit her lip. She gently patted Hanael's shoulder.

[Sierra] "......Yes."

Hanael rolled her round eyes at the sudden touch. Sierra pressed her lips gently against Hanael's round forehead. As soon as the soft kissing sound faded, Sierra whispered.

[Sierra] "I trust my baby too."

[Hanael] "Huh? My baby?"

[Sierra] "Yes, my baby."

Hanael blinked and giggled. Her tiny front teeth looked as lovely as a squirrel chewing on an acorn. Watching that smile, which looked as if Hanael possessed the whole world, Sierra experienced a sheer sense of déjà vu. She never expected the child to look so happy simply from hearing the word mother.

[Hanael] "Mommy, I love you!"

She pronounced the words clearly. Sierra set down the toy rabbit Hanael held tightly. Cradling Hanael close to her chest, she whispered like a quiet vow.

I love you too.

Just a little longer, and her tiny baby would walk out into the open.

Then the door swung open, allowing bright white light to flood the room from outside.

Sierra raised her eyes, which had adjusted to the dimness, toward the doorway. Cassius walked inside. Hanael giggled and opened her mouth wide.

[Hanael] "Daddy!"

They looked completely like a family of three. Watching this scene, Sierra suddenly experienced an overwhelming warmth fill her chest.

---

Upon hearing the word daddy, Cassius had to struggle all day to wipe the joy from his face. He always maintained a detached, neutral expression, and now that Hanael was supposedly kidnapped, he was supposed to look grief-stricken.

I can't hide my expression.

The word daddy from Hanael, and even the soft smile touching Sierra's lips upon hearing it, replayed in his mind.

[Cassius] "Hah......"

Just as a smile spread across his face, an annoying nuisance entered his office.

[Ezel] "Duke Ideos!"

It was Ezel.

Seeing his face allows me to regain my straight face instantly.

Keeping the thought to himself, he raised a brow at Ezel.

[Cassius] "What is the matter?"

[Ezel] "It is about the Princess!"

[Cassius] "Ah."

The news that Princess Iliena had been confined to the palace while attempting to save Hanael had a massive impact.

Cassius had already received the report. Ezel apparently came to rescue the Princess after learning the news. Knowing their close relationship, Cassius found the visit natural and offered a brief assessment.

[Cassius] "She will not die anyway."

[Ezel] "Damn it, I know that, but still!"

Ezel wore a complicated expression.

Looking at him, who pretended to be detached but clearly harbored a caring nature, Cassius spoke quietly.

[Cassius] "The Princess will not suffer physical harm. She will endure some distress, but she is merely paying the price for her past silence."

Princess Iliena shared the guilt of knowing about the Icarus murder cases without exposing them. Although Cassius understood that she couldn't easily step forward to denounce the crimes, he spoke harshly to ensure Ezel remained steady.

Cassius looked down at his desk and slowly gripped an object resembling a black ball of yarn. A subtle dark energy, visible only to him, emanated from within the yarn. The Crown Prince was definitely using this object now.

Still hovering restlessly, Ezel stared at Cassius and questioned him blankly.

[Ezel] "What is that? Why are you suddenly touching that ball of yarn while we are talking? Aren't you making a doll? What do you call that?"

[Cassius] "Yarn."

[Ezel] "Holding a ball of yarn... is knitting your hobby? Or are you a cat? I heard cats love balls of yarn."

He couldn't reveal the entire plan to Ezel. The fewer people who knew the secret, the better. He stared into Ezel's golden eyes and gave a dry reply.

[Cassius] "Think whatever you like."

Ezel bit his lip at those words, trying to suppress a laugh.

[Ezel] "Pfft, haha. I am sorry. You don't look the part at all, but it is actually quite cute—ah, never mind."

In the end, laughter conquered his willpower. Ezel rolled his eyes and apologized, but the corners of his mouth remained turned upward. Furthermore, realizing that the current situation was no laughing matter, he stopped abruptly, causing him to hiccup. He was doing the absolute most.

Cassius clicked his tongue.

[Cassius] "Your face shows you are indulging in a thoroughly useless delusion."

[Ezel] "Gasp, how could that be?"

[Cassius] "I feel insulted for some reason. Your assumption is incorrect."

He wore a displeased expression, refuting Ezel's idea. However, Ezel clearly disagreed, biting his lip again as he muttered.

[Ezel] "Right, of course. You can be embarrassed, you know."

His tone rose playfully. Cassius dryly corrected his pronunciation.

[Cassius] "Embarrassed, 'you know'?"

[Ezel] "Heheh, yes. Keep it up. Stay strong."

Cassius gave up on convincing him. A simple misunderstanding mattered little; it merely caused minor annoyance.

He looked away from Ezel's golden eyes and rolled the ball of yarn in his hand. The dark energy emanating from the connected yarn slowly faded.

[Cassius] "It succeeded."

Ezel tilted his head at his sudden remark.

[Ezel] "Pardon? Your hobby succeeded?"

Staring at Ezel, who still failed to grasp the point, he stated firmly.

[Cassius] "The Crown Prince took the bait."

The prince would falsely believe he was absorbing the blue mana from Hanael's body, along with her entire life force. However, that exquisite doll contained no blue mana; instead, a wicked demon possessed it. That demon would slowly devour his life from its very source. By the time he realized the truth, it would be too late.

 As Cassius offered a satisfied smile, Ezel grumbled.

[Ezel] "How do you even know that? Seriously, sometimes I think you are a ghost."

By the time the dark energy in the ball of yarn vanished completely, the Emperor would discard the Crown Prince. And before that......

[Cassius] "Leave now. The Princess will be rescued soon."

The day the Crown Prince's wicked deeds would be exposed to the world drew near. And the day this useless misunderstanding about his knitting hobby would be cleared...... was likely near as well.

Cassius stared at Ezel with a slightly uncomfortable expression—specifically, at the lingering smirk on his face.

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