She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 38

A Proposal?

Sierra stopped before she could leave the room. She realized she shouldn't rush outside immediately. First, she needed to create a detection medicine to find her sister and send a letter to Abel.

First, I need a medicine to identify a person's traces.

Every person possesses a unique mana wave. Great Archmages usually leave particularly large waves. She usually erased her tracks, but Sierra had been near her since childhood. She could recognize even the faintest whisper of Amille's power.

Once she decided to find her sister, a pleasant confidence filled her. Sierra gripped her fists.

[Sierra] "Making the medicine comes first. Then, I just have to use it to find her tracks."

A spoon of violets and sugar, mixed with a Potena potion, should work.

Recipes for countless potions flashed through her mind. She hummed as she opened the massive medicine storage door. She quickly found the violets, sugar, and Potena root. The bitter scent of the herbs filled her lungs. She grinned.

[Sierra] "Thanks, Cassius."

Potena roots were rare and expensive. Back when she worked as a village pharmacist, she couldn't even dream of making high-quality potions because she lacked such ingredients. Now, she had Cassius as a powerful supporter. He had built her a storage room filled with the finest materials.

Ironically, his help makes it easier to find the sister who can prove he isn't the father.

She sat at the worktable with the ingredients. After carefully calculating the ratios, she finished the potion and let out a long sigh.

The test reagent is finished.

Now, she had to write to Abel. She gripped the quill and wrote with an aggressive hand.

—Abel, you don't need to catch her. Just find her general location. I will help from now on. Return to the mansion. Let's go kill...... I mean, find my sister together.

She summoned a small messenger bird and tied the letter to its leg. She attached a red label to the message. Thinking of where Abel might be, she tapped the bird's tail. The bird chirped as if embarrassed and took flight, stretching its wings.

[Sierra] "Safe travels, little bird."

She wondered what the Grand Madam and Cassius were doing while she examined the paternity kit.

I should tell them I'm going out for a while.

Cassius would likely oppose the idea. In the worst case, she would have to find a way to bring him along.

---

Hours passed before Sierra finally stepped out of her room. She only noticed the time when Hanael, smelling of soap after a shower with the maids, peeked through the door.

[Hanael] "You're smiling so much!"

[Sierra] "You're right. I am."

Making medicine was her favorite hobby. She laughed and lifted Hanael into her arms.

[Sierra] "Hanael, is it time to sleep?"

[Hanael] "Yeah. Hanael is tired......"

Sierra moved toward the bed with the child, but she froze at the doorway. A group of maids stood there with their shoulders held high. Even the oblivious Sierra noticed their suspicious expressions. Their mouths curved up like clowns, and their eyes narrowed into happy crescents.

What is with those faces?

The maids always looked at her with motherly affection, but this was extreme. Sierra watched them with a confused gaze.

Hanael wiggled out of her arms and ran into the room. Before she could catch her, the Head Maid spoke with an awkward smile.

[Lexel] "Do you...... perhaps need a late-night snack?"

[Sierra] "Oh, no."

Lexel stepped forward. Sierra tried to back away, but her back hit the wall. She looked up at the Head Maid, who was a full head taller than her.

Is she...... trapping me against the wall?

While Sierra stood there stunned, the Head Maid leaned in and whispered with a loose smile.

[Lexel] "Lady Sierra, I think we will hear good news very soon."

[Sierra] "What? Good news?"

Lexel's tone changed to that of a gossiping merchant.

[Lexel] "You might not believe it, but I think His Grace is preparing a proposal."

[Sierra] "......What?"

[Lexel] "You must be so happy, right?"

Sierra stared at them, horrified. Lexel's eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands.

A proposal? This is impossible!

Her expression cracked. She rubbed her eyes, which were dry from making medicine, and muttered under her breath.

[Sierra] "So......"

[Lexel] "Keep it a secret, alright?"

Is this real life?

A Duke proposing to a commoner—or a low-ranking noble—was unheard of. It ignored the entire class system. If this weren't the Ideos mansion, she would have laughed at the absurdity. But looking at Cassius's recent behavior and the Head Maid's face, it felt dangerously real.

Sierra couldn't adjust to the mansion's runaway atmosphere. It would take time for Abel to reply, so she had one urgent task. She had to find Cassius Ideos and stop that proposal!

---

[Sierra] "......I heard."

She sat across from Cassius, who always made himself available to her. He was busy breaking her favorite cookies in half, but looked up to respond to her voice.

[Cassius] "Heard what, Sierra?"

Since she omitted the embarrassing word "proposal," he had no way of knowing what she meant.

Cassius looked confused as he met her dull gaze. Sierra sighed, bit her lip, and whispered.

[Sierra] "I heard you're going to pro... pro... propose to me."

[Cassius] "......I can't leave you in this uncertain state. This was the best solution I could find."

She spoke with firm conviction.

[Sierra] "A commoner—no, a low noble—can't become a Duchess."

[Cassius] "It doesn't matter."

His voice was firmer than a stone wall.

Is he planning to make me a high noble? Even that shouldn't work.

It was a wild thought, but based on his behavior, it was a logical guess.

She tried to shut down his plan.

[Sierra] "Even if you make me a noble, the current law says an adopted noble lady can't marry into the high nobility."

He set down a cookie and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. Sierra was momentarily surprised by how his every movement flowed with noble grace. It reminded her of the massive gap between them.

He laughed softly and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

[Cassius] "No. I will simply abolish the law that says only high nobles can marry high nobles."

Her jaw dropped. His plan went far beyond her imagination.

Cassius watched her carefully and gently stroked her forehead.

[Cassius] "If that is what you want."

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

[Cassius] "The only thing that matters is your wish, Sierra."

[Sierra] "Uh...... well......."

The Head Maid was right. Cassius, now entirely convinced that Hanael was his daughter, acted like a runaway train. He looked ready to destroy the legal system and propose right now. This had to stop.

This is a disaster.

She realized the danger.

Regardless of whether the paternity test has legal power, I might never be able to leave this mansion with Hanael.

She could lose Hanael. Even if Cassius didn't want to take her, imperial law might force it.

The Grand Madam and Cassius love me right now, so they won't throw me out and take Hanael yet, but......

With the strange test results, the situation was growing too large. Sierra decided to cast doubt on the doctors' skills first.

I need to check if those people are quacks.

She hadn't found any major flaws in the kit, but one could never be too sure. It was time to re-evaluate the doctors.

The only way to clear her name was to prove the test was wrong and bring her sister as a witness.

---

Early the next morning, the doctors' annex was loud with unexpected activity. Hentel was locked in a private room, re-checking the results and preparing for Phase 2.

The twins, however, were busy. They were packing their medical bags and stethoscopes to treat the Marquess's wife, Andante Mails, at the Grand Madam's request.

Their day would have been normal if not for a sudden visitor.

As Kilo and Lanya prepared to leave, Sierra appeared. She wore black mourning clothes, as if she were attending a funeral.

[Sierra] "I want to observe the treatment of that lady."

Kilo and Lanya looked at each other in shock. Her timing was perfect; they were just about to leave.

[Lanya] "Lady Sierra, I'm sorry, but that isn't......"

[Sierra] "Don't I have the right? I'm the one who identified the Amolta disease."

Her confident attitude silenced them.

[Sierra] "You will need an assistant who understands pharmacy."

[Kilo] "That is......"

Lanya's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

[Lanya] "Let's go. But you'll have to hide your identity, right?"

Sierra tilted her head.

I'll finish this in one go.

She gripped her fists, hiding the fire in her eyes.

[Sierra] "Hiding my identity and sneaking in is easy."

Her gaze was so intense that Kilo actually took a step back.

---

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