She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 83

We Found the Culprit, But a Problem Arose

Both the Crown Prince and the Princess are highly suspicious.

Sierra tightened her mental guard. The Princess pressed Cassius once more.

[Iliena] "If you will not let them stand unpunished, what do you intend to do, Duke?"

Her clear voice pierced the air.

[Cassius] "First, I greet Your Imperial Highness. My actions will serve as the answer to your question."

His blunt yet dependable voice filled the space.

However, their voices didn't reach everyone on the ground floor. Only those within the private boxes, equipped with various magical devices, could hear each other perfectly.

Time to watch them closely.

Ceasing her fragile act, Sierra rolled her eyes covertly to study the expressions of the Princess and the Crown Prince. She needed to catch every word from these primary suspects.

Unexpectedly, the Princess extended a hand toward Cassius with a bold expression, as if offering a handshake.

[Iliena] "Very well, then the imperial palace will assist you in this matter. After all, the Ideos Ducal House stands as a steadfast ally to the imperial family."

Sierra had not anticipated this sudden offer. Her brow furrowed at the unexpected cooperation.

[Prince] "Hahaha! An ally...... Ah."

The Crown Prince chuckled, wiping away tears triggered by his intense laughter.

The puppets vanished, and the puppeteer lay kidnapped. The troupe and the nobles rushed about in total ignorance. Yet, the Prince laughed loudly, completely detached from the situation. Sierra fought to keep a neutral expression despite his disruptive behavior.

He looks completely insane...... but showing it would be treason. I must calm down. That man is highly suspicious.

Cassius, maintaining a perfect straight face and far more composure than Sierra, spoke first.

[Cassius] "I thank Your Imperial Highnesses for your grace."

[Prince] "Ah, yes. Duke Ideos."

[Cassius] "It would be an unparalleled honor if you assisted me in finding the culprit behind this incident."

Cassius spoke without expression.

However, Sierra stared intently at the opposite box. Beyond the Princess' profile, the Prince's face came into view. He smirked, staring directly at Sierra. Cassius, noting the gaze, covered her eyes.

Disgusting......

Darkness temporarily shrouded her vision, but she preferred Cassius blocking her view. The Prince's behavior displeased her.

Soon, the Pandore House emptied like an ebbing tide. Cassius and Sierra remained in their box, locking eyes. Their shared gaze lasted until the deputy commander entered, a frantic expression on his face.

---

Located in the heart of the capital, the Ideos Ducal House—led by the man known as the empire's Sword Saint—had personally renovated the Pandore Opera House. The grand opening of the puppet show ended in absolute disaster. An unprecedented incident occurred: multiple performers vanished right in the middle of a highly successful opening night. Yet, Sierra and Cassius remained perfectly calm, as if they had predicted this exact outcome.

The deputy commander, who had personally overseen security for the Pandore House, bowed low and blamed himself for the failure. Instead of venting anger or reprimanding the man, Cassius merely tilted his head.

[Cassius] "Leave us."

The brief dismissal turned the deputy commander's face deathly pale.

[Deputy] "But we must uncover the full details of this murderous plot......!"

[Cassius] "I will handle that."

The single sentence made the deputy commander's eyelids tremble. But the man standing before him was none other than the Duke of Ideos.

[Deputy] "As you command."

Silence settled over the darkened theater as the knights and the audience departed. Only Sierra and Cassius remained. She broke the quiet.

[Sierra] "You controlled those puppets beautifully."

[Cassius] "I have never even watched a puppet show before."

He revealed a device hidden inside his clenched hand. More accurately, it was a magical tool shaped like a joystick. Sierra looked at the device, a smile tugging at her lips.

[Sierra] "Yet you handled it perfectly. You must have a talent for it."

Anyone else listening would find this revelation shocking. The entire audience believed that Guardian, the missing puppeteer, conducted the show. In reality, Guardian was a literal puppet. And Cassius had manipulated him.

[Sierra] "Controlling an intricate doll like Guardian can't be easy."

Her eyes crinkled with amusement. A clear reason existed for their total composure despite the disappearance of Guardian, the puppeteer possessing blue water mana. Guardian was actually a mechanical doll programmed with specific commands by Cassius.

A tactical doll handles it easily.

Sierra smiled, reflecting on their preparation.

The plan they formed was straightforward. Cassius designed the framework of the operation, suggesting they use blue water mana to bait the culprit. However, he had scowled like a villain, stating that using a real person with blue water mana belonged to wicked evildoers. Instead, he brought out a tactical doll used during the monster war. He explained that deploying highly detailed dolls in place of humans served as a rare strategy on the battlefield.

[Sierra] "M-My goodness. Is this a real doll......? Something this detailed?"

[Cassius] "Yes. I can control it, and it speaks based on the programmed data. Its lifespan lasts only three days, though."

[Sierra] "Oh, really? What happens when the time expires?"

[Cassius] "It dies like a human and returns to the earth."

The rest went smoothly. Cassius placed a bead filled with blue water mana into the heart of the lovely childlike doll. Because the vessel holding the mana was a mere bead rather than a human body, the energy would dissipate within a few days. However, that mattered little, as the doll would lie buried underground by then. Cassius also attached a scouting magical tool to the doll's eyes.

[Cassius] "Since I linked the doll's eyes to our projection sphere, this doll will serve as our eyes soon."

[Sierra] "Perfect. What a helpful doll. What is its name?"

[Cassius] "Let's name him Guardian. A knight to protect you."

The operation proceeded flawlessly. The strategy allowed the true culprit of the Icarus murders to steal Guardian, a boy puppet perfectly matching the killer's target profile.

The Icarus murders had resumed, and the culprit would undoubtedly covet and kidnap Guardian. Through Guardian's vision, they could pinpoint the criminal with absolute certainty. That was the core of their trap.

Back inside the deserted Pandore House, Abel and Ezel took seats right next to them. Both held teleportation tools, ready to warp to the doll's location at any moment.

Sierra picked up the projection sphere resting on the table. Before the four spectators, the magical recording device flickered alive. Time to verify the identity of the kidnapper. The culprit stood exposed, facing Guardian.

At first, Guardian's vision remained pitch black due to a blindfold applied during the abduction. Bound hand and foot, the boy arrived at a secret room like a piece of cargo. Ten agonizing minutes ticked away in complete sensory deprivation. Then......

[Unknown] "Dispose......"

[Unknown] "Quiet......"

Faint, distorted noise began leaking from the magical device. Sierra, Cassius, Ezel, and Abel grew tense, swallowing hard. Removing the earplugs meant the blindfold would follow shortly. Sure enough......

[Unknown] "An important guest arrives."

[Unknown] "He wants to check if that thing is actually useful."

The idle chatter faded, replaced by absolute silence. Finally, footsteps approached.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sharp sound drew closer. Following Cassius' inputs, Guardian executed a violent shudder. Then......

[Unknown] "Is this it?"

A familiar voice spoke. Sierra held her breath, staring into the device. The blindfold ripped away. Brilliantly bright light flooded Guardian's vision, revealing a man. Long, stark white hair hung down, framing cold crimson eyes stripped of all warmth. The Crown Prince stood before the doll.

[Guardian] "W-Who are you......?"

Fake blood oozed from Guardian's fingertips as the doll trembled according to its programming. For the next three days, it perfectly mimicked human responses.

Free of suspicion, the Prince tilted the doll's face upward with a blank expression.

[Prince] "Child."

[Guardian] "......"

A disturbing grin spread across the Prince's face, entirely out of place for the grim setting.

[Prince] "I have a specific reason for personally inviting you here. Will you listen?"

Glassy blue eyes and soft pink skin made the doll look as if it were about to faint. The Crown Prince touched Guardian's chest, a trace of fascination coloring his features. As a low-ranking mage, he naturally detected mana.

[Prince] "You will serve as a sacrifice for me."

[Guardian] "Sacrifice......"

Guardian murmured, repeating the programmed response.

Pleased by the reaction, the Prince smiled broadly at the doll. It was a radiant, bone-chilling grin. He whispered to someone behind him, seeking confirmation.

[Prince] "What do you think? Will this make a fine sacrifice?"

Another figure entered Guardian's field of vision. A worn robe entirely concealed the person's body and face, and the frame belonged to a woman.

[Woman] "......"

[Prince] "Answer me. You are a mage, after all."

The hooded mage bowed silently, then reached out to blindfold Guardian once more. The Crown Prince whispered.

[Prince] "Take him away and dismantle him."

Treating a supposed human as an object to dismantle exposed the Prince's utter depravity. Whatever his true goal, he lacked all sanity.

Through Guardian's eyes, the spectators watched the entire sequence unfold. The culprit's identity stood revealed. Sierra broke the silence to emphasize the truth.

[Sierra] "It was the Crown Prince."

Someone wore an expression that showed they had already guessed it, while another looked completely shocked. When nobody spoke, Sierra addressed the room again.

[Sierra] "And he has an accomplice. Someone powerful enough for him to rely on. Who could it be?"

They still possessed no clues regarding the accomplice. A sudden hush fell over the room. Sierra studied Abel, whose mouth formed a rigid, tense line.

Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?

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