She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 44

The Last Trace Sister Left

[Abel] "Noona! Lord Cassius!"

Sierra quickly reached out and pushed Cassius' chest away. Cassius ground his teeth again, watching Abel walk toward them cheerfully with the detection potion in hand.

[Cassius] "What is it?"

Fanning her flushed face, Sierra spoke to Abel. Of course, inside her mind, Cassius' deep gaze from moments ago replayed endlessly.

I'm crazy, completely crazy! Getting caught up in the mood out of nowhere.......

Her heart kept leaning toward Cassius. Struggling to lock eyes with the bounding Abel, she asked.

[Sierra] "Right, what is it, Abel?"

The innocent Abel, completely unaware that he had interrupted a kiss between pseudo-lovers, smiled brightly and waved his hand.

[Abel] "I found a trace!"

She gasped at the unexpected words. Half-forgetting the previous incident, she hurried toward Abel.

[Sierra] "Where? Where is it?"

[Abel] "It's a tiny cabin over to the west!"

He pointed quickly toward the west.

[Sierra] "Right, let's go! Cassius, you too!"

Signaling Cassius urgently, she stiffened as memories of him rushed back. She turned her gaze to Abel, dismissing the thoughts completely.

Get a grip. Finding my sister and clearing up the misunderstanding matters more right now.

Cassius' heavy gaze lingered on her profile, but finding her sister took priority.

Flanked by Abel and Cassius, Sierra walked to the western cabin. The worn log cabin possessed a strange tranquility, an unlikely sanctuary for her sister.

She examined the surroundings of the log house thoroughly before facing the front door. After studying the frosted windows and the yard, she shrugged.

[Sierra] "Nothing stands out as suspicious. Let's head straight inside. Sound good?"

[Abel] "Yes, let's!"

[Sierra] "I will open it."

Before anyone could react or Cassius could stop her, Sierra grabbed the doorknob tightly.

Right then, Abel, who had been whistling cheerfully behind her, suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.

[Abel] "No, Noona!"

[Sierra] "Huh?"

[Cassius] "Sierra!"

Cassius also yelled, striding toward her. Abel's urgent whispering broke through.

[Abel] "N-Noona, around you......."

When Sierra, gripping the doorknob, sensed the oddity and turned around, chaos erupted. Cassius reached out to grab her shoulder, and a horrified Abel stretched his hand toward her.

[Abel] "Noona! O-O-Over your head!"

Abel couldn't finish his sentence. The thick white mist instantly repelled Cassius' shielding hands as it enveloped her. In that split second of panic, Cassius reacted with incredible speed to cover her entirely. However, a massive storm surged even faster, swallowing Sierra. Shock froze her body completely. She barely opened her lips to murmur.

[Sierra] "What on earth is...... this?"

Her voice vanished into the smoke without leaving an echo. A massive storm of mana erupted, defying the small scale of the isolated cabin. Sierra stared in surprise, yet she possessed no way to stop it. She reached out to clear the mist but paused.

Wait, I think I'm fine?

Letting out a quiet, deep breath, she stilled when the storm offered a protective warmth instead of an attack.

The whirlwind around her stopped instantly. Just as relief arrived, a massive gale struck her entire body once more. Sierra struggled to move, but she couldn't escape the hurricane-like tempest trapping her.

What is this? What's going on?

An even larger whirlwind enclosed her, yet she remained surprisingly calm. The cyclone didn't harm her; it felt as soft and cozy as a cloud. Besides…….

I hear a sound.

At that exact moment, her sister's voice reached her ears like an illusion.

[Amille] "Sierra."

How could she ever forget her sister's voice?

She looked around quickly. Yet, only the cloud-like softness surrounded her.

[Sierra] "What is this? Sister, are you here?"

Only her own voice echoed back. Sierra looked around, her shoulders drooping.

[Sierra] "She isn't here....... What on earth is this?"

She let out a bewildered laugh at the ridiculous situation. Then, the barrier surrounding the house dissolved.

[Cassius] "Sierra!"

Cassius stood there with a fierce, demon-like expression, his sword drawn from his waist. As a Sword Master, he had shattered the magic cast on the house using his sword aura.

[Sierra] "Cassius."

She tried to think calmly about how fortunate it was that they could enter the house, but Cassius rushed toward her. Checking her face and body obsessively, he whispered in a low voice.

[Cassius] "I thought I lost you again."

She had only heard her sister's voice once. Her physical condition remained perfectly fine, making it embarrassing.

[Sierra] "No....... I'm fine."

She patted his shoulder reassuringly. Moisture seeped into the shawl covering her shoulder.

Did he worry that much in such a short time? Was he crying?

Cassius kept her locked in his embrace for several minutes without lifting his head, confirming her existence and seeking her warmth.

[Sierra] "Fortunately, we can go inside now, right?"

She spoke cheerfully, scanning the interior of the dilapidated cabin.

[Cassius] "Whoever you are looking for, they are a dangerous person, Sierra."

She narrowed her gaze and gave a firm denial.

[Sierra] "She is a good person."

[Abel] "T-That's right!"

As Abel chimed in, she laughed softly and scanned the interior again.

Like its exterior, the cabin's interior was bizarre. A simple space containing a single bed, a kitchen setup, and a desk. It resembled an empty barn so much that if her sister saw it, she would think, Is this a shed?

No matter how she looked at it, her sister, who adored lavish parties, would never stay in a place like this.

[Sierra] "Abel."

[Abel] "Yes, Noona?"

She stared at Abel proudly.

[Sierra] "From here, Sis—"

She bit her tongue before she could say "Sister," quickly checking Cassius' reaction before shutting her mouth.

[Sierra] "I mean, Hanael's mother—her traces end here. That means she teleported."

Her eyes flashed. Watching her, Abel hesitated cautiously. Sierra signaled Cassius.

[Sierra] "Cassius, could you set up a small barrier around this area with a magic tool outside?"

She planned to speak with Abel while Cassius cast a simple barrier spell outside.

[Cassius] "Sierra……."

[Sierra] "Please."

Cassius, who hated the idea of leaving Sierra alone after the recent whirlwind incident, finally surrendered to her request and went outside.

The moment the door shut completely, Sierra strode right up to Abel.

[Sierra] "What is this? What on earth is happening?"

[Abel] "Let's search the interior first. Lady Amille definitely left something behind."

His origins as a magic tower guard dog couldn't be hidden; Abel possessed surprising sharpness.

Locking eyes with Abel, Sierra hurriedly searched the space. She took the bed area, while Abel inspected the rest of the room.

She frowned as she checked the bed and found no clues, but a gasp came from Abel as he searched the desk. She perked up like a meerkat.

[Sierra] "Did you find something?"

[Abel] "Well...... yes, Noona."

Sierra took a quick step toward Abel. Given the cabin's tiny size, a single step brought her right to him.

[Abel] "Inside this drawer, Lady Amille wrote a coded letter, but I can't read it at all."

[Sierra] "What? A coded letter?"

[Abel] "Yes. Judging by the handwriting, it's definitely Amille......."

Sierra scowled. Wondering if her sister played another prank, she snatched the letter roughly. Her expression turned strange when she saw the front of the envelope.

[Abel] "What is it, Noona?"

Studying her face, Abel looked at her with curiosity.

[Abel] "Do you know something about the code?"

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

Should she say she knew it or not?

Clutching the coded letter, Sierra stared at Abel with a complicated look.

[Sierra] "I do know it. This is a code she and I created together."

Normally, when an unexpected letter appeared, one would suspect a hidden motive—wondering if someone forged the letter or set a trap while posing as her sister. However, the moment Sierra held the letter, she knew instinctively that her sister wrote it.

My sister and I developed this code. We made it ourselves during childhood, so no one can forge it. This letter definitely came from her.

Her sister had promised to use this cipher if something critical threatened her safety.

Sierra compressed her lips tightly and opened the envelope.

[Amille] "Hello, Sierra. If you receive this letter, you must have come looking for me by now."

What is this?

"Hello, Sierra." Her sister's letter read as if she anticipated Sierra's arrival. Of course, knowing Sierra's temperament, it was an entirely predictable scenario. It meant her sister knew Sierra would lose patience and come searching for her eventually....…

She compressed her lips hard.

[Sierra] "I think this is a letter my sister wrote to me."

[Abel] "Pardon?"

Looking up at his bewildered face, Sierra let out a long sigh.

Maintaining her tense expression, she read down the page. As she scanned the cryptic message, her face hardened terrifyingly.

[Amille] "By the time you read this letter, I might no longer exist in this world."

The casually scribbled handwriting belonged to her sister without a doubt, but the contents delivered a shocking, unexpected blow.

Might no longer exist in this world? What exactly does that mean?

As her expression turned grave, Abel stared at her with a panicked face.

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