She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 6

A Path Paved with Flowers

Cassius handled every detail of their departure himself. Everything moved with a speed that left Sierra stunned.

First, he hired a substitute pharmacist to guard the shop while she was away.

[Sierra] "A top graduate from the Academy of Pharmacy?"

Why would a top graduate work as a temp in a rural pharmacy? Isn't that a waste of talent?

But the next detail was even more shocking.

[Knight] "I am a Dragon Knight."

Cassius appointed a knight to ensure no one robbed the house while Sierra and Hanael were gone. A Dragon Knight, of all things.

What on earth is this scale......

Of course, since Amille’s stealth magic had expired, strange enemies might appear. A Dragon Knight provided undeniable security.

He keeps giving me exactly what I need. I might get addicted to this life!

Cassius spoke quietly as he watched her confusion.

[Cassius] "It is a small gift. Please accept it, Sierra."

[Sierra] "It feels like a very big gift......"

[Cassius] "This is nothing."

She wondered about the true scale of the Duke's castle and braced herself.

Nearby, Hanael, dressed in her cute nursery uniform, hugged Sierra’s leg and rubbed her face against her.

[Hanael] "Mommy, don't forgive the stupid mister yet!"

This was a problem. If Cassius discovered Hanael wasn't his daughter, would he turn on the girl? Sierra quickly tried to quiet her.

[Sierra] "Hanael, you shouldn't speak to him like that."

[Hanael] "Hmph, fine...... Sniff!"

Running from a cold, Hanael’s nose dripped.

Sierra reached into her pocket for a cold potion, but Cassius moved faster. He dropped to one knee and pulled a handkerchief from his uniform. Without hesitation, he wiped Hanael’s nose.

[Cassius] "You have a cold."

Even for a child, most would find the fluids disgusting, yet Cassius remained gentle.

[Hanael] "S-Stupid mister...... go away!"

Hanael’s face turned bright red as she scrambled back.

Sierra worried. Hanael shouldn't get attached to him!

She looked down at Cassius and whispered coldly.

[Sierra] "Cassius, don't give your heart to Hanael."

He slowly met her eyes. His deep blue gaze sank like the dark ocean.

Why is he looking at me like that? I feel so guilty!

He folded his handkerchief slowly, as if the dirt didn't bother him.

[Cassius] "I only......"

[Sierra] "......"

[Cassius] "I only want to be good to her."

Sierra’s worry for the future deepened. Cassius was obsessed. If he learned Hanael wasn't his, he might truly lose his mind.

No. I have to play along for now. The truth will come out in three months.

She needed to find out why he was so mistaken and plan how to clear things up. She also planned to scout locations for a new pharmacy in the capital!

I need to keep writing to Abel, too.

Her eyes shone with determination as she mapped out the next three months.

---

Cassius and Sierra finally boarded a carriage bound for the capital. They could have used a teleport scroll to arrive faster, but researchers claimed such magic caused nausea and headaches in small children like Hanael. Instead, he brought a carriage marked with the Duke’s crest.

[Hanael] "Whoa! Amazing! The world is so fast!"

The carriage raced forward.

Hanael had never left the village. Sierra was leaving for the first time in five years. Emotions swirled within her.

Cassius watched her and called her name softly.

[Cassius] "Sierra."

[Sierra] "......Yes?"

He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

[Cassius] "We caught some strange men near your house."

[Sierra] "......"

Her sister’s enemies had begun to show themselves. Since Amille often took bizarre requests, her rivals used strange magic. Necromancers, dark guild leaders, and astrologers who summoned demons.

They definitely intended to attack us.

Without Cassius, Sierra and Hanael might have met a grim end.

If it wasn't for him, we would be in trouble. Where did Amille go?

That sister of hers was nothing but trouble.

Sierra’s head ached with the mystery, but Cassius gave a sharp, simple answer.

[Cassius] "I swept them all away. Don't worry."

Swept them away? He didn't kill them, did he?

A chill ran down her spine.

[Sierra] "......Thank you."

[Cassius] "I don't know how you hid until now, or who is hunting you."

His husky voice pierced her ears.

[Cassius] "But you don't have to worry anymore."

[Sierra] "......"

[Cassius] "I will protect you from now on."

Her face flushed at his burning gaze.

Hanael is right here! How can he say such embarrassing things......

Sure enough, Hanael looked away from the window and turned her head sharply.

[Hanael] "Daddyyy......"

Was she talking in her sleep? It broke Sierra’s heart. She sighed and closed her eyes.

---

Several days passed inside the carriage. Just as Hanael began to fuss, they arrived at the Ideos mansion in the Imperial Capital.

Sierra gave Hanael a spoonful of medicine for her motion sickness and stepped outside.

But the mansion was stranger than she expected. Sweat trickled down her back.

Did I really make the right choice coming here?

She stared in shock. The vast field of marigolds at the gate was one thing, but every maid, servant, and the butler stood in a perfect line to greet them.

Seeing the servants tremble under Cassius’s gaze made her realize how absurd her situation was.

Hanael shared her fear.

[Hanael] "H-Haa. Hanael has never seen anything like that."

She gripped Sierra’s hand, trembling.

[Sierra] "Is it scary?"

[Hanael] "Huh? Hanael is excited! Is the capital always like this? It's so cool! I'm going to do so many fun things with Mommy!"

Hanael lifted her chin and talked excitedly. Sierra stroked her hair.

[Sierra] "No, we are only staying for three months, okay? Places like this are rare even in the capital."

[Cassius] "You can stay forever if you want."

Sierra had no reply to his blunt offer. She opened her mouth to speak, but Hanael beat her to it.

[Hanael] "The bad mister has such a cool house, but never came to get Hanael."

Pain flickered across Cassius’s face. Sierra gripped her chest, feeling twice as much pain.

Every time Hanael bullies him, I lose years off my life......

Sierra gave up on talking and looked around.

Under Cassius’s escort, she entered the mansion. She marveled at the massive chandelier as they climbed the stairs.

They reached the end of a long hallway on the second floor, past a hanging garden filled with flowers. Cassius signaled the butler.

[Butler] "Miss Sierra, Miss Hanael. It is an honor to meet you. I am the butler of House Ideos. I will show you to your rooms."

Sierra walked beside Cassius, thinking deeply.

Cassius has changed. He acts like a real noble now.

She stopped in front of a massive room. It looked as if it had been prepared for years. The suite was larger than her entire house in the village. On the right, a fantasy world of toys awaited Hanael. The girl dashed inside.

[Hanael] "Haa! Toys!"

[Sierra] "Be careful, Hanael."

[Hanael] "No! I love toys! I won't be careful!"

[Sierra] "Still, be gentle."

Sierra turned her gaze to the room on the left. She froze, more shocked than Hanael. She couldn't even hear the girl’s playful voice anymore.

[Sierra] "What...... is this......"

Before her lay a "brave new world" she had dreamed of since her Academy days.

Cassius whispered from behind her.

[Cassius] "You said it once. You wanted every potion and herb in the world."

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

She had said that. But it was just a passing comment.

The walls were lined with labeled potion bottles. Next to them stood a temperature-controlled storage room for herbs. Any pharmacist would weep at the sight.

When she didn't answer, he sounded anxious.

[Cassius] "I filled it as much as I could, but it is still not enough."

Sierra covered her mouth with a trembling hand. This was too much.

He is such a good person......

I'm going to cry. Is this heaven?

She looked at him, and a happy tear rolled down her cheek.

Cassius, however, misinterpreted her tears. He clenched his jaw, his hands shaking.

[Cassius] "Sierra, I don't know what to do when you cry......"

[Sierra] "Cassius, thank you."

Even if this kindness came from a mistake, he was a wonderful man. She couldn't help but think so.

His eyes turned red with emotion. He reached out and gently wiped her tear.

[Cassius] "I lost you over something so small, yet you......"

His desperate voice snapped Sierra back to reality.

Right. He's still misunderstood.

Sierra and Cassius forgot that every servant was watching in breathless silence. The mansion staff was professional, immune to most shocks. But this broke them.

The cold-blooded "War Demon," Cassius Ideos. The man who slaughtered monsters like a devil and reportedly killed his own father, looked like about to cry.

[Cassius] "Sierra."

He took her hand to escort her further.

[Cassius] "I will show you your bedroom now."

The maids rubbed their eyes. Cassius returned to his cold expression.

[Sierra] "Oh, alright......"

Sierra nodded, feeling a bit awkward.

But every servant standing behind them knew one thing: a warm spring breeze had finally reached the frozen Duke’s mansion.

---

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