She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 55

Chaos in the Ideos Family

A few minutes later, Sierra quickly left the warehouse as if nothing had happened.

Ezel slumped onto the floor in utter exhaustion. Staring at the doorway where she had walked out, he let out a hollow laugh.

Fortunately, I didn't reveal the final secret.

Her truth potion forced him to speak honestly, but it didn't compel him to answer things she never asked. In that sense, a stroke of luck remained within his misfortune.

He strode toward the doorway and muttered under his breath.

[Ezel] "Anyway......."

She was an incredibly fascinating woman. A bright smile spread across his face, carving dimples near his lips.

[Ezel] "I genuinely like her."

Learning about Sierra's existence delivered an unexpected harvest. He finally understood why Cassius Ideos loved that woman.

Turning over those thoughts, he calmly stepped outside the door. Now that the magic had worn off, it was time to head toward the Princess' Palace.

---

Ezel entered the Princess' Palace. Whether from prolonged ventilation or some hidden trouble, an intense chill filled the palace. Maids trembled violently, their teeth clacking together.

While he pondered the strange environment, the Head Maid hurriedly ushered him into the drawing room.

[Ezel] "The weather grew quite chilly, Your Highness."

Despite his subtle hint, the Princess merely let out a hollow laugh without saying a word. She was already half-drunk.

He sat quietly in the chair across from her and studied her face.

[Ezel] "Did something happen?"

[Iliena] "A great deal happened."

She reached beneath the table for a pipe to smoke shisha, but stopped with a soft chuckle.

[Iliena] "Ah...... I shouldn't do this."

A heavy boredom drifted from her lazy expression, but it vanished in a flash. Her sharp gaze locked onto him.

[Iliena] "Tell me what happened on your end instead. Didn't you go to meet Sierra?"

[Ezel] "Yes. However......."

Hesitating for a moment, he declared quietly.

[Ezel] "Nothing major happened. She is a perfectly ordinary woman."

[Iliena] "Yet your face looks quite flushed."

[Ezel] "Well. Aren't you the one with the flushed expression, Your Highness?"

He countered smoothly. But the Princess reacted differently. She stared at him with an unusually loose expression before letting out a sharp sigh. Her face clearly revealed her failure to carry out her intentions.

[Ezel] "It seems your meeting with Duke Ideos went poorly."

She laughed hollowly, pouring champagne into a glass on the table.

[Iliena] "I failed."

[Ezel] "I see."

The outcome brought zero surprise. Anyone could easily see through Cassius' emotions. His heart belonged solely to Sierra. Since he loved the woman enough to consider rewriting the marriage laws, the Princess' persuasion stood zero chance of working.

Only the Princess remained blind to that reality. Her current impatience blinded her to what everyone else already knew. She either loved him deeply or possessed a hidden reason to marry him at all costs—a reason even Ezel couldn't discern.

[Iliena] "For starters...... yes, you called her an insignificant woman. If you offered her gold and treasures, she should have fallen for it easily. Why return so quickly?"

[Ezel] "Because she held zero interest in gold or Duke Ideos from the very beginning."

While his own personal interest colored the statement, it wasn't entirely wrong.

She focused her attention on things other than Cassius. For example…….

While Ezel tilted his head, deep in thought about Sierra, the Princess slammed her teacup onto the table, her pride deeply wounded.

[Iliena] "So she holds zero interest in Cassius......."

[Ezel] "Yes."

[Iliena] "I must plan a different strategy."

Knowing this crossed the line, he stared directly at the Princess and continued.

[Ezel] "Do you have zero intention of giving up on Duke Ideos, Your Highness?"

[Iliena] "Yes."

Knowing it was unnecessary, she added anyway, unable to contain herself.

[Iliena] "I have a reason that prevents me from giving up."

[Ezel] "I doubt that reason stems from love alone."

Chuckling, she lifted her champagne glass again and took a sip. Her pleasant, low voice echoed lightly through the room.

[Iliena] "I can say no more....... Leave now."

She crossed her legs lazily, watching Ezel's departing back.

He clicked his tongue silently at his client's flushed face.

Fine, Sierra interests me far more than the Princess anyway.

He smirked internally and nodded.

[Ezel] "Understood. I will see you again when I have more news to report."

Calling himself a double agent felt a bit extreme since he fully intended to fulfill the Princess' request to a reasonable extent. His actual assignment remained simple enough that he didn't need to betray her. He merely had to filter information about Sierra and the Duke and deliver it to the Princess—even if it came with the condition that he must assist their marriage.

I hold zero interest in a marriage between the Duke and the Princess.

He had somehow become a pseudo-double agent, yet he still planned to carry out his client's orders properly.

Ezel stood confidently at the doorway without a shred of guilt. Watching his back, the Princess spoke quietly.

[Iliena] "Come to think of it."

[Ezel] "Yes."

[Iliena] "Don't come when my older brother visits the palace. He only comes once a month, so you likely won't run into him."

[Ezel] "......."

[Iliena] "Neither of you will enjoy the encounter."

He turned around smoothly and replied.

[Ezel] "Yes, understood."

Rumors labeled the Crown Prince weak, though lately he had transformed into the palace playboy. Ezel heard gossip that the prince excelled at poker, but…….

Is he worth guarding against?

Ezel possessed zero interest in the Crown Prince. Still, as the Master of the Information Guild, he needed to maintain a basic level of attention.

Turning over thoughts of the prince, he opened the palace doors himself and stepped outside. The servant waiting to open the door wore a bewildered expression.

I dislike this situation.

Ezel was far too much of a free spirit to tolerate such rigid treatment. He shrugged and walked away.

---

Meanwhile, Sierra, who had easily subdued Ezel, traveled calmly back to the Ideos Duke's estate. She hummed a tune, thinking about the magic tool she slipped to him.

Since he remains interested in me, I can just use the magic tool to extract information from him again.

Ezel remained unaware that the truth potion he swallowed carried both short-term and long-term effects. The short-term effect forced him to confess everything she wanted. The long-term effect—which he had yet to discover—would trigger a sharp pang of guilt whenever he attempted to lie to her.

The truth potion is an absolute masterpiece.

She smirked and looked out the carriage window. The Ideos ducal estate emerged outside. As the vehicle slowed down, Sierra stared calmly out the window and stiffened at the dark aura surrounding the estate.

[Sierra] "What on earth is that?"

Drawing closer, she realized it wasn't black mist, but knights clad in black iron armor. They packed the perimeter tightly, as if deploying their entire military force.

Wait...... what is up with this atmosphere?

Sierra stepped down carefully in front of the darkening Ideos mansion. Even when the pale-faced gatekeeper escorted her into the main hall, she didn't view the situation with extreme gravity. However…….

The moment she entered the first-floor main hall, the Grand Madam called out her name with a near-scream.

[G. Madam] "My child!"

The elderly woman paced the floor so frantically that her face had turned completely white. Fully armed knights packed the center of the hall alongside her. Recognizing their familiar faces, Sierra knew they were the ducal knights assigned to guard and shadow her.

As Sierra stood in a daze while the Grand Madam patted her frantically, the older woman spoke with sharp indignation.

[G. Madam] "To think you suffered a kidnapping......."

[Sierra] "Pardon? A kidnapping?"

[G. Madam] "Regardless! We filed a missing person report with the imperial palace and launched a full search!"

Sierra's jaw dropped.

Patting her shoulders to ensure her body remained unharmed, the Grand Madam pulled Sierra into a tight embrace.

[G. Madam] "How terrified you must have been, without a single knight to guard you!"

[Sierra] "No, I merely vanished for about three hours......."

[G. Madam] "You were missing for a whole three hours!"

Releasing Sierra from her embrace, the Grand Madam glared icily at the knights.

[G. Madam] "I will ensure everyone pays dearly for this crime. Both these knights and the imperial palace that failed to protect you!"

Veins bulged on her neck as she unleashed absolute fury.

Sierra glanced toward the Head Maid, hoping she would calm the Grand Madam down. Fortunately, reading her distress, the Head Maid spoke carefully.

[Lexel] "How about submitting a formal petition to the imperial palace?"

She clearly lacked tact.

[G. Madam] "This matter far exceeds a simple petition to the imperial palace!"

And the Grand Madam escalated things even further.

Things just got incredibly out of hand.

That wasn't all. The Grand Madam had summoned her daughter-in-law at some point, and Adante stood right beside her, barking furious orders at the knights.

[Adante] "How dare you neglect the daughter-in-law of the Ideos family!"

I am not your daughter-in-law, though.

But Sierra lacked the sheer audacity to utter those words in this chaotic environment.

Securing a massive harvest from the kidnapping meant Sierra had to endure the matching backlash. She let out an inward sigh and psyched herself up.

I need to resolve this quickly. After all, I deliberately ditched my guards.

Sierra, the Grand Madam, and Adante gathered at the center of the hall, while the escort knights formed a tight circle around them, lowering their heads—a thoroughly bizarre scene.

[Sierra] "This is all my fault!"

Sierra dropped to her knees and sobbed. It was the same fake crying performance she used to deceive Ezel earlier. Naturally, as her tears dripped down, the surrounding air turned even colder.

[G. Madam] "Drag every person responsible away and execute them."

I knew it!

Sierra hurriedly spoke up to flip the script.

[Sierra] "No! Actually...... I ditched them myself using a potion. I am sorry!"

[G. Madam] "You...... ditched them?"

[Sierra] "Yes!"

[G. Madam] "W-Why would you do such a thing?"

[Sierra] "I just...... wanted to feel free."

The word 'free' froze the Grand Madam in her tracks. Adante murmured, turning the word over.

[Adante] "F-Freedom......."

[Sierra] "But after three hours passed, I found myself missing the Duke's mansion, the Grand Madam, and Marchioness Adante again."

Their expressions relaxed instantly at her words.

They are so simple.

With her knees growing numb, she wanted to stand up. She spoke carefully.

[Sierra] "So, could you please spare them from punishment?"

Kneeling once to clear their punishment is an excellent trade.

She had no alternative. Sierra refused to let the knights suffer because of her self-staged abduction. Growing up as a commoner, she knew the horrific fates that befell commoners or knights punished by nobility. They shouldn't face ruin only because of her.

[Sierra] "If these men suffer because of my mischief...... imagine how heavy my heart would feel!"

Sierra appealed to them, letting her tears drip down continuously.

The room fell into absolute stillness. While neither the Grand Madam nor Adante dared to step forward, the sharp click of leather shoes broke the silence.

[Cassius] "What is going on here?"

An icy, frozen voice cut through the air. The only man missing from the hall, Cassius, descended the stairs. He marched straight toward Sierra, lifted her from the freezing floor, and questioned her.

[Cassius] "What happened, Sierra?"

She spoke softly at his tender tone, which contrasted sharply with his previous voice.

[Sierra] "I wanted to see the outside world so badly that I ditched the knights, but I worried they might face punishment because of me......."

[Cassius] "So that was your concern."

At his display of deep affection, the surrounding knights froze even harder than when they anticipated execution. The maids had already adapted to his gentle side, but the knights certainly had not.

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