She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 69

Hanael Is a Relationship Master

[Maid A] "If Miss Hanael's observations are correct, they like each other."

Hanael tilted her head in confusion as she watched the quietly laughing maid. The maid clearly knew something but refused to share it, sparking instant curiosity.

[Hanael] "Why?"

[Maid A] "Pardon?"

[Hanael] "Why are you so certain?"

The maid pulled the corners of her mouth down at Hanael's bold question. She remained silent until Hanael stopped pouting. Fortunately, the maids adored Hanael, yet they excelled at handling children. They knew how to wait for Hanael to calm down as her excited breaths filled the room.

[Hanael] "Mm? You won't tell me?"

Naturally, their patience held limits. Unable to withstand her curiosity any longer, Hanael deployed her ultimate weapon.

[Hanael] "Even after this?"

Hanael pressed her sausage-like fingers against her chubby cheeks, which resembled freshly baked wheat bread, and tilted her head. She calculated that her cute act would force them to speak.

One of the maids jabbed the ribs of her giggling companion. Furthermore, she murmured in a melting voice.

[Maid A] "Tell her why you are laughing right now before you die by my hand."

The poked maid explained hurriedly.

[Maid B] "People laugh more and become exceptionally shy in front of the person they like. They even hide for no reason. Furthermore, you said they liked each other originally. So after reuniting, their past feelings flared up instantly!"

[Hanael] "Ahhh, I see."

Hanael nodded. Mommy failed to realize it, but she liked Mister Cassius.

[Hanael] "Then what do we do now? How can the lady realize her own feelings? I want her to be happy."

Lost in thought, Hanael fiddled with the bib around her neck.

Spellbound by Hanael's cuteness, a maid committed an unconscious slip of the tongue.

[Maid A] "That is the story of the Duke and Lady Sierra, right?"

[Hanael] "......Huh?"

Hanael opened her eyes wide in panic. A child remained a child.

[Maid A] "If it concerns those two, a method exists."

The maid carefully placed a piece of candy into Hanael's hand. Completely captivated by the colorful lollipop, Hanael gaped and widened her eyes.

[Hanael] "A lollipop!"

The instant her eyes turned into circles, the maid emptied her pockets, pulled out two lollipops, and spoke dramatically.

[Maid A] "Look at these two lollipops. Without any saliva, they don't stick together like this."

[Maid B] "Ugh, that analogy is repulsive."

Despite the scolding from her companion, she popped a lollipop into her mouth and pulled it out. Then she continued firmly.

[Maid A] "But once they are slick with saliva, they stick together instantly like glue! And they never separate."

[Maid B] "You are very disgusting......"

[Maid C] "This is terrible for Miss Hanael's education. It harms her emotional growth."

[Maid D] "Remove her from our praise choir immediately."

The maids clamored, but she remained unyielding. Hanael's eyes also sparkled with intense curiosity.

[Hanael] "Mmm, Hanael loves lollipops."

A maid beside Hanael rummaged through her pocket and swiftly offered another lollipop, which resembled a ball of pure white snow and matched the size of a gold coin.

[Maid E] "Please have this!"

[Hanael] "Mm!"

The moment Hanael smiled again, the maid continued.

[Maid A] "Just like this saliva, a perfect opportunity must spark to make them stick together tightly."

Embracing the lollipop she received from the maid tightly, Hanael nodded. The lollipop analogy felt exceptionally familiar to her.

[Hanael] "Mm, I understand!"

She nodded so vigorously that her neatly braided hair nearly unraveled.

[Hanael] "Then how do we make them stick together tightly?"

[Maid A] "Oh dear, little miss. Your hair first......."

The maid busily braided Hanael's hair. Meanwhile, a maid who possessed deep expertise in romance lowered her voice and whispered softly to Hanael.

[Sasha] "Would you like to try the method I suggest?"

[Hanael] "How can I trust you?"

Hanael fixed a suspicious gaze on the maid. Just as the maid despaired over failing to secure Hanael's trust, her companion stepped in.

[Maid B] "Little miss, this maid has dated a hundred times. Her side job is a relationship counselor, and she even published Sasha's Romance Diary."

[Hanael] "Wow, for real?"

[Maid B] "She is an expert. Trust her and leave it to her!"

Hanael's eyes sparkled with intelligence once more. The maids and Hanael put their heads together to plan a method to glue them together like adhesive.

---

Hours passed in a marathon-like meeting.

By the time Hanael crunched through ten lollipops and the maids exhausted their entire energy, leaving them thoroughly drained, a perfect plan to glue Sierra and Cassius together emerged—a plan that would force Sierra to realize her own emotions.

It was none other than.......

[Sierra] "Hanael, you want to host a party yourself? You are only five years old."

Sierra widened her eyes and stared at Hanael.

I was brewing a potion to identify forged letters, yet a party completely out of nowhere.

Before Hanael opened her door, Sierra had been reviewing the letter repeatedly, organizing her chaotic thoughts. She needed to determine first whether someone had forged this letter.

I was working seriously, thinking I should seek help from the most trustworthy person if I failed!

Until the sudden proposal for a party arrived, she had racked her brain so intensely that physical exhaustion gripped her. Yet witnessing Hanael puff out her chubby cheeks and dance around, demanding a party, melted her fatigue away.

Oblivious or not, Hanael tracked Sierra's reaction and nodded rapidly.

[Hanael] "Yes, a party! Let's throw a party!"

She stared at Sierra with sparkling eyes. A beaming smile sat on her lips, and her eyes curved playfully. Unlike the thoroughly surprised Sierra, Hanael remained resolute.

What on earth occupies this little one's tiny mind?

The flush covering her entire face, her giggling.......

She has a definitive plan. Getting entangled in Hanael's scheme is out of the question.......

Sierra shuddered.

A matching incident occurred last winter. The event traced back to a snowy day.

Snow piled thickly on the ground that day, and Hanael kept giggling to herself from early morning, casting suspicious glances at Sierra. She even ignored the food entirely, her mind locked on her secret mission even as Sierra tempted her with her favorite meat-filled stew and strawberry jam pie.

Though the unusual attitude brought confusion, Sierra dismissed it, assuming the heavy snow excited the child. Furthermore, Hanael behaved exceptionally well that day, even helping wash dishes with her tiny hands.

The little rascal Hanael insisted on running a warm bath and tying a blindfold over Sierra's eyes. Although these bizarre antics triggered deep suspicion, Sierra merely assumed the child was finally growing up. In short, her suspicious kindness granted Sierra a dreamless, deep sleep.

Waking up after sleeping soundly to the sound of falling snow as a lullaby....... Sierra froze upon looking out the window. Over a hundred snowmen formed a spectacular view extending all the way to the village entrance.

Hurriedly opening the window, Sierra faced Hanael, who stood nearly buried in the snow, waving her gloved hand.

[Hanael] "Hanael made Steamed Bun Men!"

[Sierra] "Steamed Bun Men...... What on earth is that? More importantly, did you stay outside all night?"

[Hanael] "D-Don't spank me! There is a Mommy snowman here! A Daddy snowman too, an Abel snowman, a Hanael snowman, and even a kindergarten teacher snowman!"

[Sierra] "......"

[Hanael] "Come out here! The Steamed Bun Man wears a steamed bun hat!"

How can a baby stay outside all night in this freezing winter.......!

Dumbfounded, Sierra had rushed outside wearing only her pajamas and a loosely thrown shawl.

That winter, Hanael used a magic tool created alongside Abel to build hundreds more snowmen on the icy roads.

[Scrooge] "Haha, our village officially became the Snowman Village!"

Sufe Village made the headlines as the official Snowman Village. One could argue it brought a positive result, but the point remained that Hanael executed disruptions on a grand, newsworthy scale. Since this little troublemaker caused disruptions daily, minor accidents failed to register as trouble at all.

Why does she wear that exact expression now?

Why is this little brat acting so incredibly cautious today?

The memory of Hanael staying up all night to build snowmen with Abel using her tiny hands resurfaced. The premonition intensified immediately.

Whenever Hanael discussed a plan, a massive incident inevitably followed.

Whether involving events or emotions, things always progressed rapidly.

---

Sierra crunched on a rye cookie coated in rose jam, staring straight into Hanael's eyes. Hanael rolled her eyes rapidly, looking like someone hiding a guilty conscience.

Something is definitely going on. Should I probe her gently?

Sierra let out a dry cough. Hanael immediately perked up her ears. The child looked poised to track every single strand of hair on Sierra's body.

What on earth filled this tiny baby's mind? Sierra decided to open her mouth and break the silence.

[Sierra] "When are you hosting the party? What kind of party is it? Why are you suddenly demanding a party, hmm?"

She practically fired a barrage of questions. But Hanael proved a formidable opponent, answering every question meticulously.

[Hanael] "It's Miss Hanael's Genius Celebration Party; we are holding it today, and it's because I love being a genius."

Sierra froze with wide eyes. Answering every single machine-gun question neatly.......

[Sierra] "Wow...... our baby is a genius."

The admiration lasted only a brief moment; an issue remained.

[Sierra] "But what should we do? It doesn't seem like the right time to tell the world about our Hanael's genius."

[Hanael] "Huh? Why? Isn't it wonderful that Hanael is a genius?"

Confusion filled Hanael's face. Naturally, she wanted to spread the news of her proud, intelligent brain across the entire world.

[Hanael] "Are you ashamed of Hanael?"

[Sierra] "Of course not!"

But distress already began to mar Hanael's features. Growing anxious, Sierra reflected quickly and decided to hit the nail on the head.

[Sierra] "This family—no, is the word 'family' too difficult? Anyway, Hanael's genius must remain a secret shared only among family."

Hanael widened her eyes at those words. Sierra intended to prepare reasons in case the child questioned her, but.......

[Hanael] "I will keep the genius fact a secret! But, but! By family, you mean the mister, me, and Mommy, right? And Grandma too?"

Hanael focused entirely on a different aspect—specifically, the word 'family.'

Wondering if this counted as a blessing in disguise, Sierra hesitated. Cassius, Sierra, and Hanael as a family. Even the Grand Madam.......

What is this? This time, it doesn't feel like I am being brainwashed.

A bizarre feeling overtook her. A cozy warmth, resembling soft snow gathering flake by flake, filled her heart.

Sierra let out a heavy sigh. She was losing her mind.

Tracking Sierra's expression, Hanael chattered a few more times.

[Hanael] "What is it? Why are you smiling without saying anything?"

For a split second, Sierra wished that Cassius, herself, and Hanael could actually form a family.

Calm down, get a grip. Why am I thinking about romance in a crisis like this?

Because Hanael turned out to be a genius, the paternity test results faced delays. But once the accurate results arrived, leaving this estate remained Sierra's absolute destiny.

Furthermore, her sister's matter loomed over her. Clearing her sister's name and locating her whereabouts acted as urgent priorities; romance was completely out of the question.

My emotions don't matter right now. I must not let Cassius sway me.

She lost count of how many times she turned over this exact thought. It functioned precisely like a defense mechanism. A defense mechanism built to guard against Cassius' love and obsession that rushed in like a tidal wave.

At that exact moment, a proverb from Sufe Village flashed in her mind: Paradoxically, the higher the defensive wall, the easier it crumbles. Along with a bizarre premonition that the high defensive wall she erected against Cassius might collapse entirely.

[Hanael] "Huh? Why are you suddenly making a scary face again?"

Sierra shook her head internally, clearing her thoughts. It was fine, since Hanael couldn't fully decipher her complex emotions.

[Sierra] "Yes, just the three of us...... and a few doctors will know. Other than that, it is our special secret."

No matter how much of a genius she was, a child remained a child. Witnessing Hanel widen her eyes at the phrase "our special secret" proved the reality.

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