She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 61

Sierra Is With a Strange Man?

[Ezel] "This continues our conversation from last time."

He whispered toward her with a bright smile.

[Ezel] "I have a few things to discuss."

Sierra swallowed hard and locked her gaze onto his face. Ezel whispered back with an intrigued expression.

[Ezel] "First, the Icarus Murder Case."

The moment she heard 'Icarus Murder Case,' the conversation from earlier resurfaced in her mind. That absurd nonsense about Abel acting as a suspect and her sister serving as the culprit.

I only keep this jerk around because of that nonsense.

She kept Ezel close, hoping to uncover information about her sister while he hunted for suspects.

Maybe he dug up information on Sister.

Sierra looked at him as he smiled deviously and shrugged her shoulders casually.

[Sierra] "If you plan to spout more nonsense, I will leave. Tell me something interesting instead."

He pressed a thumb against her furrowed brow to smooth it out.

[Ezel] "First, good news. Don't worry, your friend Abel is officially off the suspect list."

Until recently, he seemed highly suspicious of Abel. Sierra responded lightly with a cheerful tone.

[Sierra] "That sounds like good news."

She winked slightly. His voice sank low.

[Ezel] "Because, you see."

He continued with a calm, natural flow.

[Ezel] "I suspect the woman I targeted is the true culprit."

"The woman I targeted" meant her sister, right?

Sierra scoffed, finding it ridiculous. But his expression remained grave, like a journalist delivering verified facts.

[Ezel] "A crime remarkably similar to the Icarus Murder Case occurred recently. We confirmed it as the work of the same perpetrator."

[Sierra] "I've never heard of that. Are you lying?"

She gathered every scrap of gossip, yet she had heard nothing regarding the Icarus Murder Case.

He burst into a soft laugh at her baffled expression.

[Ezel] "We placed an embargo on it to prevent potential panic, and since the victim was a commoner, it didn't stir much noise. Well, that's just how it is."

[Sierra] "I will take your word for it."

She couldn't trust every word he spoke. Deciding to investigate this later, Sierra asked cautiously to avoid arousing suspicion.

[Sierra] "Right, setting that aside, you claim it is the same culprit. And you claim that woman is the culprit."

[Ezel] "I sensed significant mana inside the situation, so it felt like a mage's work. But the energy differed greatly from the aura of the wolf shapeshifter, Abel."

[Sierra] "That is a relief. Contact me if you find interesting information in the future. I am becoming interested."

The correlation between a murdering mage and her sister. She refused to believe her sister was the true culprit of a murder case. However.......

[Ezel] "Well, I will do that."

He shrugged and placed a small magic tool into Sierra's hand.

[Ezel] "How about you take an interest in me, rather than just the Icarus Murder Case?"

[Sierra] "No thanks."

She burst into laughter at his shameless flirting, but honestly, he failed to attract her. The interaction felt like a hug between ordinary friends. To her, one gesture from Cassius held far more power than a hundred sweet words from Ezel.

---

At the same time, inside the Imperial Council Hall.

The Imperial Council Hall featured a unique structure resembling a panopticon, with circular seating placed apart, centered on the chair of the chairperson.

Typically, nobles could skip the imperial council for reasons like inspecting their territories, leaving it ineffective with only a few nobles in attendance. However, on this day, the session hosted an unusually high-profile crowd, including the Emperor and the Duke of Ideos. Consequently, numerous nobles attended to curry favor with the Ideos family. Countless nobles filled the hall.

Finding the unexpected bustle baffling, Count Sola, the Chairperson, hid his confusion and cleared his throat.

[C. Sola] "I will begin the meeting. I will explain the bills submitted by several nobles. Today, I will provide brief explanations, and we will judge whether to pass or reject them in a future session."

Although Count Sola spoke and submitted several bills, the nobles paid zero attention. Their eyes brimmed only with greed, seeking to align themselves with the Ideos family.

Cassius offered no openings to those seeking opportunities to speak with him. Standing straight with an elegant expression, he scanned the documents. He sought no exchange with the other nobles here.

He locked his gaze onto Count Sola. The time for the words he wanted had arrived.

[C. Sola] "Finally, the Marriage Law Revision has been submitted."

[Noble] "The Marriage Law Revision?"

The nobles stared at each other in confusion.

The imperial legislative process began with high or low-ranking nobles, granted participation rights submitting bills. Revising an existing law required the consent of ten or more heads of noble families.

[Noble A] "Do they intend to revise the marriage law? What, do they want to support incestuous marriage?"

Several nobles, who had yet to grasp the situation, cracked jokes. But the Chairperson, who had already checked the details of the revision bill, didn't laugh. The faces of those who began to comprehend the situation turned pale.

[C. Sola] "The first sponsor of the bill is Duke Cassius Ideos."

The sponsor was none other than Cassius Ideos, the empire's war hero! The situation was unexpected.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince stared at him with narrowed eyes. Amidst the upheaval within the council, only Cassius maintained a calm face. As others moved their lips, Cassius rose from his seat. As the bill's sponsor, he had to provide a brief introduction.

[Cassius] "This is a new amendment that legalizes marriage between nobles and commoners, or nobles and semi-nobles. Please confirm the details in the distributed proposal."

They froze in panic. The bill literally shook the foundations of the empire. No matter how powerful Duke Ideos remained, he wouldn't emerge unscathed after proposing such a bill.

[Noble B] "What is the meaning of this!"

[Noble C] "You must have misread it."

[Noble D] "How could the Ideos family propose such a......."

The nobles frantically rummaged through the proposal documents they had ignored until now. Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of flipping pages. Cassius explained in a calm tone.

[Cassius] "The bills submitted today will undergo sufficient discussion before being put to a vote."

Despite the stir he caused before everyone, Cassius recalled his conversation with the lobbyist. He had spent an astronomical sum, but several corrupt nobles would readily cast their votes. Even now, among the shocked nobles, some cleared their throats and lowered their eyes, pretending to know nothing.

Cassius rose elegantly.

[Cassius] "The proposal is complete, so I will see you all during the vote."

The atmosphere turned freezing, as if doused in cold water. Some might view the council system as 'just,' but the reality proved otherwise. If the Ideos family desired, they could use lobbyists to spread money and use power to intimidate. If he desired, no law could stop him. Except for one—Sierra.

I only need to win Sierra's heart.

Sierra, who wore a strange expression without denying Hanael's words that they looked like a family.

"I am glad."

The events of yesterday repeated in his mind. Now, winter raged, but his heart felt as warm as standing hand-in-hand with Sierra on a street where cherry blossoms danced. Since this happiness came after a long time, it felt incredibly precious.

But.......

"Ah, sorry. It feels a bit uncomfortable."

Cassius cast his gaze downward. He departed, haunted by the memory of her pulling away every time he drew near.

I should visit the pharmacy.

Could he leave work with Sierra like usual today? Given her history with near-abduction, he intended to escort her home.

---

Cassius stood before the carriage to head toward the imperial palace pharmacy. But a sweating aide cautiously blocked his path.

[Aide] "Your Grace."

[Cassius] "What is it?"

Cassius stared at the aide with a dry face. He found anyone disrupting his happiness deeply displeasing. The aide's face turned pale. But he bit his lip, refusing to avert his gaze.

[Aide] "Well...... I have an urgent matter to report."

[Cassius] "What is it?"

[Aide] "Well, that is......."

After fidgeting for a long time, the aide squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. Cassius paused and stared at him.

[Aide] "Lady Sierra is with a strange man."

His heart sank to the floor.

[Cassius] "A strange man?"

He cast his gaze downward. He felt a desperate plea beneath his chest that the aide had seen incorrectly.

[Cassius] "Working in a pharmacy often requires being around strange men."

[Aide] "He was not a pharmacist. He had a slippery, handsome face, and he sought out Lady Sierra specifically......."

Suppressing a twisted obsession, he curled one corner of his mouth into a crooked sneer.

[Cassius] "Did he look impure?"

[Aide] "Yes. He was also holding a bouquet. But he appears quite skilled."

[Cassius] "Then he must be bold to approach her."

If anyone approached Sierra with impure intentions, they wouldn't keep their lives for long. Ezel’s stealth skills remained quite formidable. That allowed him to accept the Princess's requests and successfully hide his identity until now. He could easily evade tracking by others.

[Cassius] "I will go."

Instead of the carriage, he looked at the horse standing nearby. Riding a horse would bring him there within five minutes.

[Aide] "Come to think of it, he....... he seems to have feelings for Lady Sierra."

Cassius' expression turned as cold as a winter day. The aide, who had served him for years, turned stiff at the chilling look. As the aide froze, forgetting his words, Cassius urged him with a sharp gesture.

[Cassius] "Go on."

Cassius' lips set firmly. The aide had only fueled the fire in Cassius' heart. Cassius ground his teeth. If he caught the man, he would tear him in half.

[Aide] "He seemed skilled in magic, so I couldn't verify the contents of their conversation."

[Cassius] "......."

[Aide] "They even hugged at the end......."

Disrupted by chaotic sensations, Cassius closed his eyes briefly and opened them. Sierra was not the type to offer intimacy to others easily. Cassius, who craved her attention from her side every day, knew this better than anyone.

[Cassius] "Nonsense."

So that statement must be nonsense. Yet his stomach churned strangely. He fought the urge to acknowledge that this emotion stemmed from petty jealousy.

Could she be meeting a strange man?

Did Cassius possess the right to ask Sierra if she loved someone other than him?

If...... if Sierra loved another man, could he let her go?

The answer always remained impossible. Cassius Ideos wanted Sierra to be happy, always. However, he wanted her to be happy by his side. It was a fiercely selfish desire. He wondered if this was why Sierra avoided him. He tried to suppress this wildfire-like obsession.......

[Cassius] "Where is she right now?"

Maintaining his rationality before Sierra proved impossible. His vision went white for a split second. Cassius bit his lip. He was thinking of the longsword he left in his office.

---

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