She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 28

How to Discover His Taste

Vulnerable to temptation, Sierra nearly succumbed to Cassius. However, she shook her head.

The people in this manor, including Cassius, treated her well for one reason: Hanael.

They believed the child belonged to their rare and precious bloodline. The staff, the Grand Madam, and perhaps even Cassius shared this delusion.

Don't give in, Sierra.

She firmly locked the doors to her heart.

He might like me for a moment, but feelings are fleeting.

Love between a commoner and a noble? She had never seen that end well.

Love belongs in romance novels, not my life!

She had no interest in "genuine love" that required fighting against the world's opposition.

I must find him a partner who matches his status immediately.

She simply wanted a life without any storms.

[Sierra] "Yes. I understand, Cassius. I have something to say....…"

[Cassius] "What is it?"

[Sierra] "If we host a salon, we need to send invitations."

[Cassius] "Right. You don't need to worry about that. I plan to select and invite specific nobles."

She shook her head and acted as pitifully as possible.

[Sierra] "I want to help with the invitations too...... Can't I?"

She lowered her eyebrows.

Despite her wariness, she felt grateful to Cassius. She wanted him to be happy even without her. For that to happen, he needed good friends and a partner.

When the truth about Hanael came out, and she eventually left the manor, she didn't want him to feel alone. He needed reliable nobles by his side.

[Cassius] "Of course you can."

He nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

---

Unlike the peaceful manor, the Imperial Palace was in chaos. The Princess was the most furious of all.

Inside a secret room in the Princess' Palace, tapestries woven with gold thread decorated the walls.

The Princess sat alone with Ezel. She swallowed the hot tea a maid had served and closed her eyes.

She had summoned him to sit before her, and now she voiced her anger.

[Iliena] "Ezel, what happened?"

[Ezel] "It is exactly as you see, Your Highness."

She grit her teeth and muttered.

[Iliena] "Buying the salons was an eccentric move, but I could tolerate it as a business venture. However, he even gave that woman a temporary title as a quasi-noble."

A quasi-noble rank sat between commoners and nobles. Though temporary, the weight of such a title was significant. Royalty and high nobility often looked down on the rank, but for a commoner like Sieera, it was a treatment far beyond her station.

[Ezel] "Why do you worry? Even if he gave her a quasi-noble rank, they can't marry."

[Iliena] "Does he intend to make her a mistress?"

Cassius was the pure and upright type, which was why she wanted him as her husband. He wasn't particularly kind or warm, but he wasn't the type to stray once he had a wife. That quality appealed to the Princess.

[Ezel] "It seems she is his first love, so that is possible."

The Princess looked at the rising steam of her tea and remembered a conversation from the salon. She recalled the giggling of a mischievous young lady.

The other women who tried so hard to become the Duchess look like dogs chasing a bird now, don't they?

It was the daughter of Count Aventure. She had debuted at too young an age and hadn't mastered the subtle speech of high society yet. She had smiled like a bright troublemaker while looking around.

Those innocent words shattered the Princess' poker face. Even Lady Macbeth, who claimed to be the Duke's first love, looked crushed.

[Ezel] "What are you worried about, Your Highness?"

His eyes sparkled. The Princess stared at his beautiful, haunting smile for a moment before snapping out of it and gritting her teeth.

[Iliena] "I have every reason to worry. The Duke, whom I planned to use as my pawn, brought another woman. Ezel, do you find this situation funny?"

[Ezel] "Of course."

He looked down and laughed.

[Ezel] "Doesn't it interest you, Your Highness? The Duke of Ideos finally has a weakness."

[Iliena] "......What?"

[Ezel] "A person with a weakness crumbles easily."

He took the fan from her hand. She had gripped it so hard that cracks ran along the inner ribs.

[Ezel] "Just as the cracks in these ribs are the weakness of this fan."

He gripped the fan with one hand. Without much effort, the ribs shattered completely. Only splintering wood remained in his hand.

[Ezel] "Humans break easily when you attack their weakness."

She glared at him.

[Iliena] "I'm not trying to destroy the Duke, Ezel."

[Ezel] "But Your Highness."

His lips curled into a smile.

[Ezel] "A person becomes human once they have a weakness. Hasn't the Duke been nothing but cold until now?"

She frowned slightly.

[Ezel] "Doesn't that make it easier to get close to him?"

He smiled elegantly. Whenever this man laughed, she felt as if she were being cast under a spell.

[Ezel] "First, join the salon."

[Iliena] "That's impossible. They will only invite those close to the Grand Madam."

[Ezel] "If Your Highness can't attend, I will participate."

He narrowed his eyes and smiled.

Duke Cassius Ideos had acted unexpectedly, but their plan wouldn't face any major issues.

Ezel placed the broken fan on the table and stood up gracefully.

[Ezel] "Then, Your Highness. I will see you at the salon."

[Iliena] "Where are you going, Ezel?"

[Ezel] "Who knows?"

He gave a vague answer, but his destination was already set. He intended to uncover the truth behind the salon being built specifically for Sierra.

I'll finally meet the Duke of Ideos.......

Right now, his actions were merely part of his contract with the Princess. However, Ezel had one more critical duty to fulfill.

He hid his true intentions and smirked.

---

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Ideos manor was warm and cozy.

Hanael, Sierra, and Cassius sat side by side on a small sofa in the drawing room. Sierra sat on the far left, Hanael in the middle, and Cassius on the right.

They looked like a happy family as they held a serious discussion. The topic was which nobles to invite to Sierra's party.

[Cassius] "This is the registry of nobles. Use this to choose who to invite."

He stared at Sierra with a proud expression. He looked as if he wanted praise, which made her let out a low laugh.

Since Cassius is this kind, he can definitely make friends!

[Cassius] "I brought everything you wanted."

He kept glancing at her while handing over the list, clearly waiting for a compliment.

However, Sierra didn't give him one. A compliment should come from a future friend or partner.

He looked dejected at Sierra's strict expression. She ignored him and flipped through the pages.

Of course, Cassius possessed an iron will. He didn't give up just because he didn't get praised once.

He continued to watch her with sparkling eyes. She looked away, cleared her throat, and whispered seriously.

[Sierra] "First, I want to invite people our age."

[Cassius] "People our age. Yes, I understand."

He quickly grabbed a quill and a notepad from the table.

[Cassius] "Is there anything else you want?"

[Sierra] "Hmm...... I want an even number of men and women."

Since Cassius didn't seem to have any partners or friends, a 50/50 ratio seemed perfect to find him someone.

But then, he stopped writing and looked up.

[Cassius] "......Why?"

[Sierra] "Oh? I just think it will be more fun if the genders are mixed."

In reality, she wanted him to make both male and female friends. However, Cassius clearly misunderstood her intentions.

Why does he look so sad?

She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. He explained in a low voice.

[Cassius] "We don't usually invite many men to a salon."

[Sierra] "Ah...... I didn't know that."

He studied her face intensely. Then he lowered his eyes and nodded.

[Cassius] "I'll do as you wish."

His thick eyelashes trembled as he spoke. He looked sorrowful.

Sierra looked through the noble registry, trying to find someone suitable to be his friend. He watched her and whispered.

[Cassius] "Look carefully. There are photos and names."

[Sierra] "Okay."

She shrugged and gave a small laugh. He spoke quietly.

[Cassius] "I've been thinking."

She looked up from the list. He wasn't looking at her; his gaze was fixed on the registry.

[Cassius] "I believe you can form good relationships with the people who gather that day."

Something about his words felt off.

[Sierra] "Hmm....…"

[Cassius] "If they don't form a good relationship, I will make sure they do. So don't worry."

He shouldn't do that.......

He had a terrifying expression on his face. Cassius' aggressive tendencies were showing.

You can't make friends through threats.......

It seemed his time at war had left him with poor social skills. Sierra felt certain that she needed to help him improve before they entered society together.

She looked at him and declared her terms.

[Sierra] "Yes, thank you. Also, I have a small favor, Cassius."

[Cassius] "What is it?"

[Sierra] "On the day of the salon, you can't stay only by my side."

[Cassius] "......Why?"

She couldn't tell him she wanted to find him a new match.

Sierra held her breath. While she was trying to think of an excuse, someone else spoke up.

[Hanael] "Isn't it obvious?"

Hanael, who was resting her chin on her hand and reading a storybook, chirped from the side. Sierra looked down at her, startled.

[Hanael] "Mama wants to make friends while you aren't around, too."

That's not it! I want Cassius to make friends!

But Hanael didn't stop her wrong guess.

[Hanael] "Because Mama has no friends."

Sierra flinched at her innocent voice.

I mean, it's true, but she didn't have to say it so bluntly!

[Hanael] "But you only need me."

She tilted her chin up boldly. Sierra pinched the child's soft cheeks.

[Sierra] "You! Who told you to speak so rudely? And I told you to call me Aunt!"

[Hanael] "Hmph."

Hanael pouted, but Cassius stared into space with a thoughtful look.

Worried he might misunderstand again, Sierra spoke seriously.

[Sierra] "I don't really have many friends."

Wait, that isn't helping.

Sierra met his eyes and spoke calmly.

[Sierra] "But I lived just fine without many friends, so don't worry about me."

She meant it. One didn't always need social interactions to survive.

---

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