She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 75

The Results of the Second Paternity Test

[Sierra] "First, I will tell you my request."

Cassius nodded, studying her serious expression. Since he promised to pluck the stars and the moon, he would surely track down her sister as well.

Sierra lowered her voice.

[Sierra] "The Great Archmage, Amille."

[Cassius] "Yes."

He responded affectionately, then furrowed his brow as if an unusual thought struck him.

[Cassius] "Did she torment you?"

Well, Amille did torment her....... but if Sierra claimed she was tormented now, Cassius looked ready to turn her missing sister into pulp the moment she appeared.

[Sierra] "No, she didn't."

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

She studied every detail of his expression. His sullen look suggested he harbored ill feelings toward her sister.

Is he going to harm my sister?

[Sierra] "I want to find her because something looks suspicious."

She added just in case.

And.......

Should I tell him or not?

She had confessed her love, and their hearts aligned. They trusted each other deeply. Therefore, she should share this with him.

She lowered her voice to the absolute limit, whispering softer than a monologue.

[Sierra] "You might not believe me, but she is Hanael's mother. That is why I want to find her even more."

Cassius remained silent for a long moment, maintaining his usual indifferent expression. Sierra tried to read his piercing gaze but failed.

Would he believe this absurd claim? If he trusted her words, it would help in locating her sister. She stared at him, filled with intense nerves.

At her words, Cassius raised his wine glass to wet his throat. Sierra stared blankly at his throat and swallowed hard.

[Cassius] "If you wish, I will find her without fail."

Finishing his sentence, he smiled brightly. His refreshing laughter echoed in her ears.

Why does he look so handsome?

Right when her face flushed bright red, the door opened. Sierra hurriedly stared at the doorway. The Head Maid, dressed in her usual uniform, walked in with a rigid posture.

Strange. She isn't someone who interrupts a meal. Is there an emergency?

Sierra questioned the intrusion. Fortunately, her curiosity resolved easily. The Head Maid approached with quick strides and handed the documents from her coat to Sierra.

[Lexel] "The results of the second paternity test are out."

[Sierra] "Are these the documents for the second paternity test?"

[Lexel] "Yes, My Lady."

Receiving the paternity test results amidst everything brought immense satisfaction.

Everything is perfect. Now it will prove that Hanael is not my daughter.......

Sierra nodded. She heard that the second stage utilized a far more precise system than the first, so it would clear her name. Sierra nodded toward the Head Maid.

[Lexel] "Would you like to hear the explanation immediately?"

As the Head Maid finished speaking, Sierra stared at Cassius.

Ah, come to think of it.

Sierra lowered her gaze toward the fork Cassius held out. Watching him still holding the fork sent a strange prickle through her heart, making her emotions complex. Therefore, she decided to follow her heart.

[Sierra] "Ah."

Well, eating meat offered by a lover brought no harm.

Her simple decision triggered a massive commotion within Cassius.

Witnessing her part her lips, he beamed, his smile blooming like a flower. He watched the meat slide into her mouth, his brow furrowing.

[Sierra] "Why?"

He spoke quietly.

[Cassius] "I worry you will get indigestion. No, everything about you worries me. Utterly......."

She intuitively sensed trouble.

His condition has worsened.......

That expression looked as if he wanted to chew the food for her. Sierra shook her head, amazed by his behavior. She tried to ignore his intense, deeply concerned gaze fixed on her.

They say worrying is a habit, and this must be exactly what that means.

His face maintained a worried expression.

[Sierra] "I am fine."

Chewing and swallowing the meat carefully, Sierra reassured him. Cassius immediately held out a glass of water before her.

Drinking the water in a daze, Sierra studied him with questioning eyes before turning back to the Head Maid. Since Hanael had begun to doze off, the Head Maid was the sole witness to this ridiculous comedy.

And this loyal maid, who dared to witness the affection between her master and the future duchess.......

[Lexel] "I saw absolutely nothing. Please, continue your meal."

You saw everything!

Yet Sierra chose not to press the Head Maid. She reasoned that she wouldn't maintain neutrality in such a situation either.

Seeing Sierra blink with a dazed expression, the Head Maid spoke.

[Sierra] "Since the meal is over, let us check the results now."

[Lexel] "Then I shall take my leave."

Sierra offered a brief nod as the Head Maid bowed politely and departed. She smiled seriously, staring at the document. Indeed, the paternity test results held far more importance than the currently half-crazed Cassius.

The second stage must be different!

With that thought, she checked the document and froze instantly. That meant....... this was.......

Watching her hands shake violently, Cassius tilted his head in confusion.

[Cassius] "What is wrong, Sierra?"

[Sierra] "It states that she is my biological child."

She assumed the second stage would differ, but these doctors were absolute quacks.

No....... Of course, right. She previously thought they weren't quacks because the first test left her completely dumbfounded.

By this point, even the dense Sierra had to realize the truth.

Something is definitely wrong here.

Hanael was by no means her daughter. Sierra held absolute zero memory of pregnancy or childbirth. Yet why did the world keep framing Hanael as her child? Panicked, she blurted out the first words that came to mind.

[Sierra] "Cassius, something is wrong."

She stared at the dozing Hanael. Staring at Hanael, who wore her bib neatly, she spoke again.

[Sierra] "Hanael is not my daughter, so why do the results keep declaring she is?"

[Cassius] "You said Hanael isn't your child. Then why......."

He matched the confusion clouding her features. Yet he masked his chaos to reassure her.

[Cassius] "Calm down, Sierra."

Sierra squeezed her eyes shut and opened them at his words. Just as he said, it was time to maintain composure. Her eyes narrowed like a detective beginning an investigation.

[Sierra] "Unless someone bribed the doctors to forge this, does a hidden secret exist that I know nothing about?"

Her voice trembled. He stared at her calmly and continued.

[Cassius] "First, the identities of the Hippo Kingdom's doctors are secure. The likelihood of forgery is low."

[Sierra] "Then what on earth is going on......."

[Cassius] "Sierra."

He spoke.

[Cassius] "Could you possess a past that you fail to remember?"

Sierra shook her head firmly. She refused to let such questions confuse her now. She was a genius, granting her an intuitive grasp of cause and effect. Now was the time to cooperate with Cassius and locate her sister, the root of all these events.

[Sierra] "First, grant the request I made."

Perhaps her sister's disappearance and the reason Hanael kept emerging as her daughter were connected to this case. Sierra bit her trembling lip firmly.

[Sierra] "Track down any traces of the Great Archmage. You command the power to do so, Cassius."

Absolute desperation gripped her now. She needed to borrow his power to find her missing sister and demand answers about what she lacked knowledge of.

[Sierra] "We must find her. Please, as quickly as possible."

Amidst this situation, she wanted to know most of all if her sister remained alive. As tears welled in her eyes, Cassius reached his hand toward her.

[Cassius] "Don't cry."

He whispered in a voice that sounded far more desperate than the red-eyed woman.

[Cassius] "I will stake my life to find her—that woman named Amille."

Though nothing stood confirmed, that single promise gradually melted the knot in her heart. Sierra offered a faint smile and nodded.

---

Right when Sierra experienced this period of massive upheaval, a commotion also shook the Crown Prince's palace. The Saker family had searched all the way to the wasteland for the 'Child of Mana' but ultimately failed to locate them.

Staring out his palace window, the Crown Prince stubbed his cigar against the table and recalled the past.

"Your Highness, more than a few individuals are tracking the Icarus Murder Case."

"So many interest themselves in a case that stands buried, you say?"

"Yes......."

"Who is it?"

"If I dare guess, it involves someone connected to the Princess. While his exact identity remains veiled, his name is Ezel. Ah, and furthermore......"

"Furthermore, what is it?"

"His Majesty the Emperor mentioned that the Duke of Ideos also touched that case......."

The Crown Prince's expression turned even colder.

Cassius Ideos.

Compared to the idle Crown Prince, Cassius was the magnificent Duke who led the Monster War to victory. Why did such a man show interest in a case already forgotten by memory?

That woman, did they call her Sierra?

The Crown Prince possessed eyes, so he knew. He knew that Cassius Ideos went utterly mad over a woman named Sierra.

The corners of his mouth twisted. Turning away from the window, he looked down at the Princess kneeling at his feet. Staring down at the bruise marking Princess Iliena's wrist, he smiled viciously.

[Prince] "Sister."

He fixed a freezing glare on the trembling Princess Iliena.

[Prince] "You know perfectly well what became of the woman involved in that case, the Archmage Amille."

[Iliena] "That is......."

[Prince] "If you wish to avoid that exact fate, you should have secured your place as the Duke of Ideos's wife by any means necessary. That way, my ascension to the throne becomes far smoother."

[Iliena] "I am...... making an effort."

Looking down at the expression of the once-haughty but now utterly pathetic Princess Iliena, the Crown Prince maintained a mocking sneer. He cast the extinguished cigar carelessly onto the floor. Watching the cigar fragment roll across the marble floor, he crouched down to match her eye level.

[Prince] "Furthermore, one of your dogs is tracking something strange."

He spoke to mock her.

[Prince] "Did they call him Ezel? Why is that man tracking the Icarus Murder Case?"

At the mention of Ezel, the complexion of Princess Iliena, who struggled to maintain her rigid posture, turned even whiter.

[Iliena] "I will warn him. So please, don't touch Ezel. He is my loyal subordinate......."

[Prince] "Princess, I trust you don't harbor the audacity to dig into my background."

[Iliena] "That is......."

He delivered a mocking remark.

[Prince] "Keep that in mind."

He stood up without lingering.

Staring at the retreating back of the departing Crown Prince, Princess Iliena ground her teeth. A sharp grinding sound echoed, as if her teeth might shatter. Yet such things held absolute zero importance to her right now. What mattered was.......

Ezel, what on earth are you thinking?

She ordered him to investigate Cassius and Sierra, yet.......

Why on earth are you investigating the Icarus case?

Regardless, she had developed some affection for him, so she must issue a warning. If the Crown Prince resolved to kill Ezel, she would command no power to stop it.

Princess Iliena glared at the retreating back of the departing Crown Prince.

To avoid becoming like the Archmage, I must marry the Duke of Ideos by any means necessary.

Once, Princess Iliena despised her maternal brother, the Crown Prince, viewing him as a mere idler. Yet after uncovering what befell the Archmage, who unexpectedly betrayed the Crown Prince....... her world changed completely. Iliena readily followed the Crown Prince's commands and submitted to his words. To her, who grew up in the imperial palace, the final fate of the Archmage brought absolute terror.

That cruel bastard will drain me dry until I die. That is absolute.

Groveling before the Crown Prince enraged her, but she had no alternatives. Yet it remained an unavoidable reality.

Following the Crown Prince's orders, she had to finalize the arrangements for her marriage alliance with the Duke of Ideos. She resolved to summon Ezel and command him to halt his investigation into the Icarus Murder Case.

---

If you’re enjoying this novel, please consider leaving a rating or comment on Novel Updates and Naver Series.