She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 66

An Impious Devotee

[Sierra] "What do you mean, there is no one except me?"

[Cassius] "......"

Confusion consumed her; she cast her gaze downward and muttered to herself.

[Sierra] "No, something definitely existed......"

[Cassius] "What existed?"

[Sierra] "I can't say."

Cassius closed his eyes and opened them as he listened quietly. Reflection marked his features.

Sierra lacked the luxury to worry about him right now. Rubbing her stiff eyes, a ragged breath escaped her lips.

Chaos filled my mind. What on earth did I just hear?

She stared back into Cassius' blue eyes, analyzing the situation deeply to decipher the reality.

Why did no one else enter the room?

Yet no matter how much she pondered, her small brain offered no answers. Finally, she rubbed her face and looked up at Cassius.

[Sierra] "So...... you claim a barrier protects this room?"

[Cassius] "Yes."

Her mind raced. Cassius stated that as a fact, but he overlooked one detail. Her sister Amille, the prime suspect for planting that letter in the drawer, reigned as a Great Archmage. A legendary Great Archmage who could easily shatter a simple barrier.

[Sierra] "Someone might easily bypass even a dragon's barrier."

Cassius shook his head and spoke with absolute conviction.

[Cassius] "No, Sierra. No one can bypass a dragon's barrier."

[Sierra] "......"

[Cassius] "Even the Master of the Magic Tower can't achieve that. It remains an impossible domain for human strength."

The Master of the Magic Tower commanded even greater mana than her sister. If such an elite found it impossible, her sister faced the same limitation. Her sister was a Great Archmage, but still a human.

Then the person who entered my room and left a warning wasn't Sister?

The probability that it wasn't her sister—or even a human—surged. Confusion flooded Sierra's clear eyes. Cassius' expression contorted as he watched her.

[Cassius] "If an intruder broke into your room to harm you......."

Sierra waved her hands hurriedly. She refused to discard the slim hypothesis that her sister had visited. For this reason, Sierra kept the full truth from Cassius, since his furious face made it clear he would kill the culprit on sight.

Cassius locked his heavy gaze onto her fluttering fingertips. Meeting his piercing eyes fully, she answered definitively.

[Sierra] "No, no. That is not it."

[Cassius] "If a problem arose, I will resolve it. We can move you to a different room."

[Sierra] "Hmm."

Sierra contemplated briefly but shook her head.

If someone holding a grudge is the culprit, no place is safe. They even pierced a dragon's barrier.

If her sister was the culprit, the circumstances differed, but the probability that it wasn't her sister had just increased.

[Sierra] "No. It is fine."

Cassius let out a short sigh and stared at her. Sierra stared back.

[Cassius] "The one who protects you is me."

[Sierra] "......"

A unique responsibility laced his tone. The past Sierra would have scoffed, What nonsense, I protect myself. But her heart differed now. Anxiety and confusion dominated her thoughts, making his steady, calm voice bring genuine comfort.

[Cassius] "Therefore, I will order a more thorough investigation to uncover any intruders."

Unlike her hesitation, he displayed clean decisiveness. Deeply moved, she nodded quietly.

[Sierra] "Right, thank you......."

The cooperation of Duke Ideos, the master of this estate, would provide immense help. She fixed her blank gaze onto the table and nodded faintly.

[Cassius] "I will also conduct a full investigation on the maids. So, don't make that expression."

[Sierra] "That expression?"

[Cassius] "Yes. A face that looks exhausted."

Do I look exhausted?

He tilted his head, studying Sierra before extending a hand carefully. His long fingers tapped her cheek. He naturally smoothed away the stray hairs falling near her mouth.

[Cassius] "Stop thinking about the intruder. You need to rest now."

Meeting Sierra's green eyes, he spoke with extra emphasis.

[Sierra] "I need to rest......?"

[Cassius] "Yes."

[Sierra] "I have been resting the entire time lately....... I am resting right now too."

He shook his head. Witnessing his gesture, Sierra faced her buried emotions once more.

In truth, exhaustion gripped her. Her mood had swung violently up and down all day. She thought she had found her sister, but the more clues she uncovered, the more she felt trapped in a labyrinth.

She still didn't know if her sister lived or died, and some strange entity bypassed a dragon's blessing to leave a letter. Fear suddenly surged inside a corner of her usually fearless heart.

But telling him I'm exhausted changes nothing.

Hardening her heart, she shook her head firmly.

[Sierra] "No, I am not exhausted. I am really fine. More importantly, thank you for believing my words and investigating whether an intruder exists."

Taking a short breath alongside her words, she placed her trembling hands on her lap, clenching them into firm fists.

After a few breaths, her usual composure returned. She had an immense amount of work to do; acting tense, upset, exhausted, or fearful didn't suit her.

I need to return to my room and properly uncover the identity of this letter. I must verify if it is Sister or not, and find out whether she is alive......

Absorbed in the mysterious letter's identity for a split second, Sierra completely forgot about Cassius standing right before her.

But he didn't forget. He watched her relentlessly. He spoke to her quietly.

[Cassius] "Thank you for believing your words, you say?"

Instantly recognizing his presence, Sierra's eyes widened slightly.

[Sierra] "Uh, yes. From your position, it must be an inconvenient request. Yet you are working hard to accommodate my circumstances."

His hand suddenly touched her cheek.

[Cassius] "There is no question of whether I believe your words or not."

Hearing him call her name in a light, humming tone, Sierra realized his proximity. At that exact moment, his rough fingertips—hardened from gripping a sword—stroked her tender cheek comfortingly.

[Cassius] "You are a god to me, and even more than that."

The comforting touch turned warm and soft, as if handling delicate piano keys. Sierra closed her thick eyelashes, absorbing the warmth radiating from his left hand.

Because of this, his words reached her a beat late. Feeling her tension and fatigue dissolve, she suddenly processed his words and froze.

[Sierra] "Huh? What did you say?"

She often heard embarrassing phrases from him, but a day like today was a first.

A god? What on earth....... No, more importantly.......

It didn't take long for his immensely tender touch to transform into something deep and passionate. His fingertips brushed her lips. The rough tips lightly tapped her soft lips.

[Cassius] "If you are a god...... I guess I am an impious devotee."

He spoke the truth. What devotee stared at a god's lips with such a burning gaze? His expression screamed that he wanted to kiss her, to press his tongue against hers.

Matching his words of being an impious devotee, his fingertips slipped between her slightly parted lips. The hand brushed against the tips of her teeth for a brief moment, moving like a tongue during a kiss, before resting on her lips again. Sierra couldn't even think to close her lips or speak; she froze stiffly, staring at him.

[Cassius] "But please, acknowledge my faith."

He pulled his hand away. Watching his retreating fingertips, she flinched.

Why do I feel regretful? I am losing my mind. Am I frustrated?

But her regret lasted only a brief moment. Cassius immediately drew his body close to her.

[Cassius] "Hmm? Acknowledge it."

His face stood inches away now, his tone desperately urgent. Baffled, Sierra countered.

[Sierra] "F-Faith? Acknowledge it?"

[Cassius] "Yes."

[Sierra] "Uh...... well. The state religion of our empire is the Lapis Church, so if you worship me, it's heresy, then we might both face execution at the heresy inquisitor's stake."

Rambling nonsense; she squeezed her eyes shut.

Sierra, you lunatic, what on earth are you spouting!

Normally, she would want to push him away, but she couldn't. For some time now, treating Cassius harshly had become difficult for her. No, it was downright impossible.

I am absolutely losing my mind.

Abandoning her attempt to escape, Sierra opened her eyes again. Even while she tried to distract herself with other thoughts, Cassius stared straight at her, drawing right in front of her.

Consequently, she had no choice but to squeeze her eyes shut again because his lips pressed close to her forehead. With a brief, soft peck, his cool lips touched her forehead and pulled away.

As her eyes snapped open in surprise, he let out a low laugh, keeping his face close.

[Cassius] "No matter what you say, I believe everything, Sierra. And this......."

His lips pressed against her forehead once more, slowly pulling away.

[Cassius] "Is because I want to make you feel better."

The kiss from him, who proclaimed himself her devotee, worked perfectly. Her mind, which had been swirling with negative sensations, calmed down completely. However, the kissing strategy triggered a side effect. The moment his lips touched her, her heart began to flutter wildly.

[Cassius] "Your expression should look better."

His lips touched the space between her brows with a soft peck.

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

[Cassius] "I can't completely stop you from having bad thoughts."

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

[Cassius] "But at least for today, I want you to sleep while thinking of me, not bad thoughts."

[Sierra] "Ah......."

Sleep while thinking of him. Cassius possessed a talent for saying incredibly embarrassing things with complete nonchalance. Sierra thought seriously to herself.

Amazing. How can he say those words without a single ounce of shame?

Even without a mirror in front of her, she was certain that her body, from her spine to the top of her head, had turned bright red. But his face looked entirely different. His expression remained perfectly clean and composed.

[Cassius] "Understood?"

Even now as he questioned her, he hadn't turned red at all. For some reason, that fact displeased Sierra, causing her to pout her lips.

Her lips curled up unnaturally.

[Cassius] "What a relief. You finally smiled a little."

He planted tiny kisses around her eyes. The corner of her eyes felt so ticklish that she forgot what she wanted to say and burst into a laugh.

[Sierra] "T-That tickles......."

[Cassius] "And now you are laughing even harder."

The tiny but sweet kisses against her eyes made her face flush crimson. Normally, her personality would prompt her to wave her hands and tell him to stop kissing her.

[Cassius] "You are thinking of something else again, Sierra."

For the third time, his lips brushed the bridge of her nose, slowly moving down. She squeezed her eyes shut. She had no room to think of anything else now because his lips touched the edge of her own. She carefully rubbed her lips against his to break the contact, silently telling him to stop.

[Sierra] "It's over now."

However, her touch acted as a fuse for him.

[Cassius] "Please, don't drive me crazy."

The raw, desperate agony in his voice shattered her composure, freezing her in place. Her heart raced wildly. Casting her gaze downward, she forced herself to breathe steadily.

[Cassius] "Did you believe it ends that easily?"

He smirked, curling one corner of his mouth.

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