She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 113

How to Deal with a Villain (3)

Sierra rose silently after verifying that Amille swallowed the healing potion properly and that her sister's breathing stabilized.

Whether that bastard is a demon or whatever, how dare he touch my sister?

Amille remained completely mute because of that bastard, trapped in an utter state of weakness, only just recovering her breath.

I can't stand by and tolerate this.

Sierra pulled out an item she had stuffed inside her pocket, without taking the time to check what it was.

The Crown Prince moved with creaking motions. Yet to her, who had lost her temper, the prince held no terror. He was simply a bastard who dared harm her sister.

You are finished now, you bastard.

She leaped into the air like a nimble flying squirrel. She struck his head with the object in her hand.

CLANG!

[Sierra] "Die!"

CLANG, CLANG!

After striking two more times, she landed back on the floor, panting heavily.

Looking down, she held a glass bottle. Sierra dropped the cracked glass bottle onto the floor and glared furiously at the Crown Prince, expecting a severe blow. Yet he remained standing stiffly.

It pisses me off that he looks fine!

The glass bottle cracked, yet his skull didn't. The incident demonstrated the sheer thickness of his skull.

Sierra clenched her fists, searching for another way to strike him. At that exact moment, her figure flickered into view before vanishing once more.

Sierra stood face-to-face with the Crown Prince as he turned slowly.

First of all, I am in danger......

A chill ran through her entire body upon meeting his snake-like, narrowed eyes.

Sierra had to maintain her composure. The time for a confrontation had arrived.

[Prince] "How did you use invisibility magic? This is the imperial palace."

As he spoke, he wobbled yet straightened his posture. A normal human couldn't stand immediately after receiving blows to the head.

Sierra froze upon meeting his horrifying eyes. A demon half-possessed the Crown Prince right now. His dry voice echoed in her ears.

[Prince] "......So the space was not empty after all."

He stared directly at the spot where she stood.

He spoke so insufferably. It makes me want to hit him again!

Sierra clenched her fists, looking for an opportunity to land another blow on him. Suffocating to death would feel like an elegant end compared to the thorough beatdown she planned for him.

Completely unaware of Sierra's thoughts, the Crown Prince tilted his neck and smirked repeatedly.

[Prince] "I wondered what it was...... A rat snuck in, I see."

As soon as he raised a hand, Sierra retreated quickly. Taking a hit directly meant instant death, and she couldn't fall here. She recognized her limitations. Cassius had to be the one to face the Crown Prince, not her.

Fortunately, Cassius had no intention of standing idly by. The problem was that as they faced off......

[Prince] "It seems the rat consumed a potion, but unfortunately......"

Sneering, the Crown Prince raised a hand into the air. Instantly, the secret room that had collapsed under Cassius' single blow began restoring itself.

Sierra stared at the sight in disbelief. The situation offered absolutely no comfort.

[Prince] "This secret room is a perfect empire of my own that moves according to my will."

He walked with hands behind his back, muttering to himself. He paid no mind to the thin stream of blood flowing from his head.

Suddenly scanning his surroundings, he whispered.

[Prince] "Now, shall I verify the faces of those who infiltrated my empire?"

His voice sounded languid yet refined, embedded with harsh metallic rasps that felt non-human.

Goosebumps rose on Sierra's skin, as if listening to the hiss of a serpent.

At that exact moment, the potion's effect binding Sierra, Cassius, and Hanael vanished instantaneously. They appeared within the Crown Prince's sight. Hanael hid behind Cassius, poking only her head out.

Did "my empire" mean he could accomplish anything he wanted in this space?

Sierra looked around. Feeling of being trapped behind impenetrable fortress walls washed over her.

Within the empire the Crown Prince constructed, external power held no sway. It was a realm where he alone reigned as an absolute ruler. Yet despite her trembling body and cold arms, rage burned fiercely in her heart.

The Crown Prince's gaze locked onto Hanael. A blue light began emanating from Hanael, clear enough for everyone to sense. He stared at the sight with eyes full of astonishment and longing, filled with ecstasy.

[Prince] "That is...... That is......"

Finally, his lips parted, and a voice full of certainty emerged.

[Prince] "You are the real one."

Hanael hesitated, gripping Cassius' trousers tightly. Her pouting lips reflected her anxiety.

Sierra clenched her fists. At this rate, Hanael would face extreme danger. As she pondered what to do, Cassius shook his head at her.

The Crown Prince glanced annoyed at Sierra and clicked his tongue once. That action alone sufficed.

BOOM!

Sierra slammed helplessly against the wall. She stuck to the wall right beside the fallen Amille, pinned like a specimen in a state similar to her sister's.

She tried to move her body, but in vain. Her entire frame refused to budge, as if bound tightly with ropes.

That damned bastard......

Intense pain flared in her shoulder muscles, but she bit her lip.

Taking one step back to advance two steps forward. Cassius' plan remains...…

However, the Crown Prince's sinister voice cut through the air.

[Prince] "The woman is pinned."

Was it her imagination that her energy drained every time she heard his voice? Yet it felt far from imagination.

Reassured that she could still move her facial muscles, Sierra looked toward Cassius. He gritted his teeth, clearly furious that Sierra was hurt.

She struggled to shake her head, silently telling him that she was fine and not to fall for the Crown Prince's petty provocation.

Fortunately, Cassius understood her message and merely gritted his teeth quietly. Though he appeared calm on the surface, the hand drawing his sword trembled faintly. It could be rage, yet it looked dangerously unstable, as if he might drop the sword at any moment.

Could it be......

Looking down at her leg muscles trembling against her will, Sierra formed a hypothesis. This space neutralized the power of three of them—those opposing the Crown Prince. Even so, they had prepared for any emergency.

Sierra clenched her trembling hands and mentally reinforced her resolve.

As long as Cassius' plan succeeds, everything will be fine.

It was a dire situation where Cassius stood as the sole combatant capable of opposing the Crown Prince, who reigned like an absolute ruler in this space.

Can his plan succeed under these conditions?

Her rapid thoughts held no importance to the Crown Prince. After pinning Sierra, he sneered and stared back at Hanael. The smile vanished from his face, leaving only fierce greed on his twisted countenance.

He took a firm step forward. Yet Hanael poked her head out from behind Cassius and shouted.

[Hanael] "Y-You bad guy who hurt my mommy!"

......My mommy?

I didn't intend to become overwhelmed while hanging foolishly from a wall, but why did those words touch my heart?

Sierra spoke quietly.

[Sierra] "Hanael, it is okay. Mommy is...... okay......"

Yet she couldn't continue. Suffocation choked her throat, as if the space itself rejected her presence.

The Crown Prince glanced at Sierra and mocked her.

[Prince] "I have no interest in emotional melodrama, so both of you shut your mouths."

Even amidst this, Hanael stared only at Sierra with a worried expression. And...... Cassius stepped forward. Gritting his teeth, he whispered provocatively.

[Cassius] "You claim to be the king in this realm?"

The Crown Prince tilted his head sideways, staring at Cassius. Veins bulged along Cassius' jaw.

[Prince] "Hahaha, yes!"

He burst into loud laughter. It was a crisp laugh compared to the cavernous gloom of the secret room.

[Prince] "You have looked down on me until now."

[Cassius] "Is that so?"

Sparks ignited in his eyes at Cassius' indifferent reply. He thrust his face close to Cassius', as if to grab him by the collar.

Because a noticeable height difference separated them, he had no choice but to look up at Cassius. Gritting his teeth, he acted as if that reality wounded his pride.

[Prince] "Your... damn... attitude is what looks down on me!"

He delayed no further. He took a step toward Hanael. Staring down at Hanael, his expression twisted. Yet it was a distinct smile. Pausing briefly, he spoke in a mocking tone.

[Prince] "I will deal with the woman who struck me right after this. I have a prior task to complete first......"

He walked toward Hanael again. As the grotesque man approached, Hanael opened her eyes wide like a startled rabbit and hid tightly behind Cassius.

[Hanael] "He is the bad mister I saw in my d-dream!"

Sierra's heart sank at the mention of the dream. In the end, Hanael had witnessed her past as well. Just like she had, or perhaps in an even more desperate manner. Yet Hanael didn't close her eyes. Instead, without showing fear, the child puffed out her belly and shouted.

[Hanael] "He is strange! His eyes are sparkling black, yellow, and red!"

She spoke the truth. The Crown Prince's facial muscles shifted endlessly, looking like crying one moment and laughing the next. The corners of his mouth and eyes twitched continuously, betraying nervousness. Yet his gaze remained locked onto Hanael.

[Prince] "Come here."

SNAP!

As the Crown Prince snapped his fingers, Hanael's body was pulled forward automatically. Her small body could no longer hide behind Cassius' sturdy frame.

Watching the sight with satisfaction, he cackled.

[Prince] "Ah...... Do you know what?"

Unshaken by the Crown Prince's sarcasm, Cassius spoke quietly.

[Cassius] "What are you talking about?"

[Prince] "I knew beforehand that you would come."

His face filled with ecstasy.

[Prince] "Did you think anything could happen in my empire without my knowledge?"

[Cassius] "......"

[Prince] "I already knew you would come to the imperial palace today. I knew you would arrive around this time."

[Cassius] "Is that so?"

Cassius maintained a dry, detached expression.

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth. To provoke him further, as Cassius remained unbothered by his mockery, his tone grew even more dramatic. He extended a hand as if offering an escort.

[Prince] "Indeed. I loosened security in the imperial palace so you could enter easily. Did you enjoy the game?"

Sierra's face turned pale. She had never imagined the Crown Prince would know her plan. Or rather, she thought he might realize something, but not every intricate detail.

What happens to our plan now?

Pinned to the wall without even the ability to bite her lip, she started to look toward Cassius, then paused. The Crown Prince ignored her like a specimen, turning his back on her to face only Cassius. Thus, she saw only Cassius and the Crown Prince's back......

A new variable just emerged.

Amille's fingertips, sprawled carelessly on the floor, twitched faintly.

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