She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 62

In Search of Sister's Traces

While Cassius traveled to find Sierra, she worked diligently inside the pharmacy. Dressed neatly in her pharmacist's robes, she admired the vintage cutting board and desired to process the top-grade wild yams for the medicine perfectly.

Yet, strangely, her hands kept slipping as she prepared the wild yam. Normally, she could easily process such a simple wild yams without even looking. Today, however, deviated strangely from her usual routine.

She looked down at the peeled wild yam and let out an inward sigh. A microscopic flaw, invisible to others, marked the surface. Slamming the wild yam onto the cutting board with a sharp expression, she muttered under her breath.

[Sierra] "Ah, I can't focus."

It made sense. Questions regarding the Icarus Murder Case floated relentlessly through her mind.

Strange.

When she ran into Ezel earlier, she masked her emotions, pretending nothing was wrong. In truth, she hadn't thought much of it at the moment. But ever since returning to the pharmacy, restlessness and unease have persistently filled her heart. Perhaps the fact that the case involved her sister caused this shift.

What on earth is going on? Can I even locate Sister in the first place?

Cassius, clearly possessing some knowledge, warned her to stay away from the Icarus Murder Case. Sierra's intuition also warned her that entanglement with the case would invite critical trouble. Yet she refused to yield easily. Her sister was involved, after all. Ezel practically declared her sister the culprit.

If it had zero connection to Sister, I wouldn't have dug any further into the Icarus Murder Case!

Sierra narrowed her eyes. Letting out a heavy sigh, she forced herself to concentrate on the wild yam. She spent the following moments peeling the heap of wild yams in a complete trance.

After processing nearly fifty wild yams, a voice broke her from her thoughts just as she peeled the final one on the cutting board.

[Lily] "......Lady."

[Sierra] "......"

[Lily] "......Lady Sierra?"

Startled, Sierra turned her head. Lily firmly gripped her shoulder with wide eyes.

[Lily] "My goodness...... you are completely absorbed, aren't you?"

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

She was indeed absorbed in the Icarus Murder Case. However, Lily's eyes sparkled as she brought her hands together and whispered.

[Lily] "To possess such absolute concentration! It belongs entirely to the realm of the gods......!"

Far from the realm of the gods. Shadows of embarrassment colored Sierra's mind, prompting her to subtly change the subject.

[Sierra] "So, what on earth is the matter?"

Only then did Lily tilt her hand with an 'oops' expression, gesturing for Sierra to lean in.

Pulling off her medical gloves and placing them on the cutting board, Sierra drew a step closer to Lily. Lily whispered in a low voice, as if delivering an absolute secret.

[Lily] "The thing is, Lord Ezel came to see you."

Sierra, who had been thinking about Ezel just a moment ago, flinched and countered.

[Sierra] "Why?"

[Lily] "He said he wishes to see you, Lady Sierra!"

Lily turned toward the door with a tearful face and muttered quietly.

[Lily] "He isn't normally someone who would...... gasp!"

Ezel was already stepping inside the pharmacy. Panic-stricken, Lily stamped her feet.

[Lily] "Excuse me, you can't just walk into the pharmacy......."

Ezel smirked casually, curling the corner of his lips. Lily's expression turned instantly dazed.

[Ezel] "Ah, I wanted to give you this before I leave."

[Sierra] "What is it?"

[Ezel] "A key."

A key. The statement came completely out of nowhere. Anyone would find it absurd for someone to reappear right after parting ways just to thrust a key forward. Thus, she displayed her emotions without filtering.

[Sierra] "What are you plotting? Get out."

Ezel smirked at her firm eviction order.

[Ezel] "I am going to hunt for the suspect of that case. Want to come along?"

Want to come along? The offer carried immense temptation.

Yet agreeing instantly or displaying excessive interest in a murder case would look highly suspicious. Pretending indifference, she replied with a probing tone.

[Sierra] "Why should I?"

[Ezel] "Because you clearly look interested."

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

She raised an eyebrow. He spoke the absolute truth, but she refused to let him catch on to her interest.

[Sierra] "I will accompany you."

She spoke lightly in response.

[Sierra] "Your face looks entirely too confident, so it sparked my curiosity. And......."

[Ezel] "And what? It feels strange whenever you hesitate like that."

She smiled and brushed her hand through his hair.

[Sierra] "Stop speaking to me informally so insolently."

Offering a brilliant smile, she gestured with her chin. It meant they should leave immediately.

Lily looked ready to stop her, but her sister's matter held far greater importance.

I can make up for my attendance later. I already finished all my morning duties anyway.

Scanning the pharmacy interior, Sierra stripped off her outer pharmacist robes.

---

The public carriage within the imperial palace moved swiftly. Thanks to its speed, Ezel and Sierra reached their primary destination in a flash. Yet upon arriving at the target location, Sierra could only let out an absurd laugh.

[Sierra] "What is this place?"

Unlike her, who scoffed at the destination, Ezel remained completely serious.

[Ezel] "This is where traces of the suspect were discovered."

Sister came to a place like this? What on earth is this glittering boutique building?

A boutique on the outskirts of the capital. The establishment looked so excessively flashy and tacky that it resembled a farce staged by someone devoid of aesthetic sense who plastered together objects they deemed beautiful.

Sierra could guarantee that her sister was absolutely not the type to stay in such a place. If anything, she would loathe it entirely.

Yet Ezel intended to investigate a place like this while suspecting her sister as the culprit. A deep smile touched her lips at the absolute certainty that Ezel was entirely wrong.

[Sierra] "Fine, let us go inside for now."

Tracking her expression, Ezel blinked and asked.

[Ezel] "Why that look? Ah, then again, it doesn't look like a murder scene, does it?"

She hadn't smiled for that reason, but she couldn't exactly explain the circumstances either.

Sierra offered a brief nod. Ezel rubbed his face and added.

[Ezel] "Contrary to appearances, this place is exceptionally dark and gloomy."

[Sierra] "What?"

[Ezel] "Because a corpse from the Icarus Murder Case was dumped here once."

He jingled the key in his hand and pressed it into the lock of the tightly shut boutique entrance. Witnessing Sierra's expression turn grave left a strange tickle in his chest. Even while investigating a serious case and unlocking the door, he recalled their earlier conversation.

[Ezel] "But speaking informally makes us look closer."

[Sierra] "Is there any absolute need for us to be close?"

[Ezel] "Then just for one day. It’s my life’s final wish!"

In response to his playful tone, Sierra spoke with a crisp, slightly arrogant attitude, as if granting him a favor.

[Sierra] "Wasting your final wish on this. Fine, whatever. Just for one day."

Concluding that she was a formidable opponent, he stole a casual glance at her. She set her teeth firmly, her thoughts remaining barely visible.

Her expression is either completely transparent or entirely unreadable.

For Ezel, it marked a highly dramatic agreement. In reality, Sierra merely aimed to gain the upper hand, with no other motives.

[Ezel] "Now, step inside."

Stepping inside first, he offered a light warning to Sierra.

[Ezel] "The inspectors already cleared the area after a rough check, so there won't be much to see."

[Sierra] "True. It is clean."

Nodding casually, she searched the surroundings alongside Ezel.

[Ezel] "There are items radiating a trace of mana."

[Sierra] "Mana?"

[Ezel] "Yes. I found a few items myself. For instance, that hydrangea. They say it served as the murder weapon."

Sierra narrowed her brow as she stared at the blue hydrangea.

[Sierra] "Sister, why do you love hydrangeas so much?"

[Amille] "Because they are beautiful."

Plenty of people in the world love hydrangeas.

[Ezel] "A microscopic trace of mana lingered there, and the chemical analysis revealed it is a plant frequently cultivated in the Magic Tower."

[Sierra] "You call this mere coincidence a piece of evidence?"

[Ezel] "Yeah, this alone fails to serve as proof. Of course, there is more."

[Sierra] "What is it?"

Sierra furrowed her brow casually. Ezel squared his shoulders proudly and declared to her.

[Ezel] "I discovered something magnificent in the wake of the inspectors' sweep. Look at this."

A strange displeasure mounted inside Sierra, causing her to scowl deeply, but Ezel smirked and opened the topmost drawer of the dresser in the center of the boutique.

With a mechanical rattle, the drawer slid open, exposing its contents to the world. Until that exact moment, Sierra expected an insignificant object. Yet the instant the object appeared in Ezel's hand, she forced herself to keep from widening her eyes in shock. A pair of dangling pearl earrings hung from his hand. At a glance, they looked exceptionally ordinary.

[Ezel] "These pearl earrings. They blend in perfectly, as if they were items sold right here, don't they?"

The pearl earrings rested on a silver tray. They looked far too simple to serve as a suspect's incriminating evidence. But Sierra knew. And if Ezel possessed the ability to use identification magic, he would know too.

This is absolutely Sister's.

Sierra struggled to mask the panic rising to her face.

[Ezel] "A potent mana, fitting for a Great Archmage, radiates from these earrings."

No, absolutely not. Her sister would never visit a boutique of her own accord unless bound by a request. She could definitely declare that such a bizarre boutique clashed completely with her sister's tastes.

Why did Sister come to a place like this? Did a request draw her here? Or does she hold a connection to the murder case?

Regardless of the reason, the mere presence of her sister's item in this place left a deep unease.

Could this be a cheap trick to frame Sister?

Her sister cherished these pearl earrings. She never separated from them, even when closing her eyes tightly for sleep. Yet now, of all things, her sister's earring lay abandoned at a murder scene. What on earth did this mean?

Is she a victim of the murder case, too? No, absolutely not. Sister isn't dead.

Just as her expression crumpled into a complex scowl.......

[Ezel] "What on earth are you thinking about to make a face like that?"

[Sierra] "Huh?"

Questioning him unconsciously, Sierra flinched. Reminding herself that guilty people always gave themselves away, she smoothly relaxed her rigid lips.

[Sierra] "No, it's just fascinating."

[Ezel] "Then again, it is fascinating for a Great Archmage to carry around a simple trinket like this. Furthermore......."

He spoke in a low voice.

[Ezel] "Blood, presumed to belong to the victim, stained the surface."

[Sierra] "Meaning the probability of the Great Archmage acting as the culprit just increased."

Ezel easily fell for Sierra's testing remark. As he gave a firm nod, she countered with an even more complex heart.

[Sierra] "So, does the investigation conclude for today?"

She stared at him steadily, then turned her head to scan the boutique interior. Aside from the pearl earrings, the space displayed zero anomalies.

Watching her, Ezel nodded.

[Ezel] "Yes, since we secured a clue to the case. I brought you here specifically to show you this."

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

Sierra surveyed her surroundings. He intended to show her the pearl earrings, as no traps stood in sight.

Opening the boutique door for her, he continued lightly and cheerfully.

[Ezel] "I also wanted to apologize for suspecting you."

Stepping outside, Sierra nodded briefly. Accepting his apology, she reasoned it was about time to bid him farewell with a light heart. Right at that exact moment, however, Ezel reached out to grab her slender wrist.

[Sierra] "What are you doing?"

Naturally, her movements proved swifter. Ezel stared at her, letting out a short gasp of admiration for her reflexes.

[Ezel] "And one more thing."

Sierra stepped outside the boutique.

[Ezel] "I am formally asking you out on a date now."

Her expression crumpled completely at the sudden, unexpected statement.

---

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