She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 92

Hanael's Real Mother

Fortunately, the situation smoothed out easily, thanks to the arrival of the Grand Madam, who visited the doctors' quarters as if performing a daily ritual. Upon hearing that the results of the third paternity test were ready, joy consumed the Grand Madam as she lifted Hanael into her arms.

[Hentel] "Your stamina...... is remarkable."

Hentel whispered to her, who deliberately responded with a cold tone.

[G. Madam] "It is nothing remarkable, but surely I can hold my own granddaughter."

Despite her grumpy attitude and frosty expression, her eyes betrayed her intentional act. She acted this way for a single reason: to shield Hanael from any emotional pain.

The bright child buried her face against the Grand Madam's chest, her round eyes shining.

[Hanael] "Grandma!"

[G. Madam] "Yes, child. No matter what, I am your grandmother. Your real grandmother."

[Hanael] "Uh-huh!"

Deep affection clearly bound them. Although sweat beaded on the Grand Madam's forehead from holding the child, her expression turned noticeably brighter.

Finally, everyone gathered in the room. Hentel looked across at Lanya, Kilo, the Grand Madam, Sierra, and Cassius, whispering with absolute solemnity.

[Hentel] "The third and final paternity test results are out."

Sierra felt like a contestant waiting for a survival show verdict. Swallowing hard, she rubbed her sweaty palms against her thighs. Hentel proved to be an exceptional host, masterfully building a tense, breathless atmosphere......

[Hentel] "The results show......"

Sierra stared at Hentel without blinking once. He spoke at last, delivering the final verdict.

[Hentel] "It is a biological match."

[G. Madam] "Oh, heavens!"

The Grand Madam shrieked, tears pooling in her eyes.

What on earth is this?

Utter absurdity washed over Sierra, but having experienced this multiple times already, she quickly regained her composure. She narrowed her brow and stared at Hentel.

She had already spent so much energy convincing Cassius that Hanael was the daughter of the Great Archmage. How could the third test suddenly declare a biological match?

Sierra instinctively glared at Cassius sitting beside her, grinding her teeth.

Oh great, is this man going to misunderstand again?

Fortunately, Cassius tightly squeezed the back of her hand, showing total trust. Meanwhile, relief visibly flooded the Grand Madam.

[Hentel] "However, this is not the end."

[Sierra] "What do you mean it's not the end?"

Sierra questioned Hentel, clinging to a shred of hope.

[Hentel] "First...... I wish to speak further. With Duke Ideos and Lady Sierra privately."

Kilo and Lanya tilted their heads in confusion. Sensing the growing urgency, Sierra signaled the twins with a glance.

[Lanya] "Yes, let us go outside. I want to discuss this more."

[G. Madam] "Very well, I shall go spend time with our little one."

[Hentel] "For now, we must keep everything a strict secret from everyone, including the young lady and all outsiders. A grave...... matter remains hidden here."

The Grand Madam looked worried at Hentel's warning, but she nodded. To her, Hanael already mattered as a real granddaughter.

---

The brief conversation with Hentel concluded. Sierra swallowed hard and exhaled a heavy sigh.

Hentel had left them with a massive riddle to solve. Sitting opposite Cassius, she let out a long breath and addressed him.

[Sierra] "Shall we walk together for a moment?"

She had no idea how to interpret the riddle Hentel had given them.

[Cassius] "Yes, let us do that."

Walking through the estate forest, Sierra felt the urgent need to breathe in the fresh pine air to calm her mind.

[Hentel] "I have no idea why we failed to notice this until now...... It is a certain biological match."

[Sierra] "How can you be so sure?"

[Hentel] "The performance of this magical tool is unmatched......"

Hentel had gone on and on, praising the magical tool, claiming it possessed a dragon's certification and that even a deity would marvel at its design.

At that moment, Sierra felt so wronged she wondered if Hanael had simply hatched from an egg. Hanael was Amille's daughter, so why did the test continuously declare Hanael as her and Cassius' child?!

[Hentel] "But that detail is not the critical part of the story. Please, examine these sheets."

Walking through the forest, Sierra checked the graph paper gripped in her hand.

[Hentel] "Her mana is pure, as if she is not human."

[Sierra] "Not human?"

[Hentel] "Yes. No matter how young a regular human is, living in the mortal world leaves a stain of worldly dust. That stain shows clearly in their mana."

Remembering Hentel's words, Sierra recalled only nodding in silence.

[Hentel] "Yet Lady Hanael feels like...... someone who doesn't belong to this world at all."

[Sierra] "What does that mean?"

[Hentel] "Look at the color of the sheet here."

He had pointed out the sheet assigned to Hanael. Unlike Sierra's sheet, which carried scattered stains, Hanael's sheet remained entirely pristine. The reason was clear.

[Sierra] "What exactly is going on? Our Hanael is innocent, but......"

[Hentel] "May I analyze her further?"

[Sierra] "Does a doctor even do such things?"

[Hentel] "Yes. You may keep us isolated here. Just grant me the opportunity to analyze Lady Hanael's true nature."

Hanael's true nature. She was Amille's daughter.

If she is my sister's daughter, that explains the pure mana...... No, wait. The test called her my daughter. What on earth is happening?

Even as a Great Archmage, Amille could never deceive a magical tool crafted by dragons and dwarves. That meant Hanael physically matched as Sierra's daughter. No matter how much she thought about it, she had never been pregnant, nor had she ever engaged in any such act, which drove her to sheer madness.

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

She wiped her dry face, rubbing her skin in frustration.

[Sierra] "Cassius."

[Cassius] "Yes."

Cassius, who matched her pace, slowed down and stared at her. Now that he focused completely on her words, Sierra found it difficult to speak. But she had to. She parted her lips.

[Sierra] "What do you think?"

[Cassius] "About today?"

[Sierra] "Yes. About Hanael."

[Cassius] "I just thought......"

He spoke softly.

[Cassius] "Is Hanael a baby angel?"

[Sierra] "A baby angel......?"

He stopped walking, turning his gaze to look at Sierra.

[Cassius] "Yes. I just thought she might be an angel sent down from heaven."

His answer was as clean and simple as the steady gaze matching her eyes. Despite the gravity of their situation, it was rather amusing.

Sierra pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and giggled. Yet Cassius looked deeply serious. She smiled, her eyes crinkling.

[Sierra] "Do you believe in God?"

[Cassius] "There is no guarantee a deity doesn't exist."

[Sierra] "I suppose so......"

[Cassius] "Since I have no immediate way to discover Hanael's true nature."

He didn't believe in some romantic legend about Hanael being a heavenly angel. Of course not. The world never operated on such logic-defying events. Yet, listening to Cassius, Sierra found his words strangely comforting. Regardless of the mystery, Hanael stood as their beloved little princess.

Staring at Sierra as she organized her thoughts, he spoke again.

[Cassius] "Sierra, I have something to tell you too."

His earlier expression upon entering the ducal mansion flashed in her mind. His eyes had looked dark enough to cut down an enemy.

[Cassius] "I met the Great Archmage."

With that single sentence, the atmosphere shattered. The romantic mood dissolved into a horror play within seconds.

[Cassius] "Hanael's mother...... I mean."

[Sierra] "......"

[Sierra] "How was she? Is she doing well?"

He spoke with visible difficulty.

[Cassius] "No."

The immediate denial caused her eyes to widen.

[Sierra] "Why? What's wrong? Is she hurt?"

Watching her struggle to breathe, Cassius sensed a strange mismatch. Sierra appeared far too worried, displaying an anxiety that crossed beyond a simple concern for Hanael's mother.

Staring at her intently, Cassius spoke bluntly.

[Cassius] "It is not that she is simply unwell."

[Sierra] "Tell me!"

Her reaction was excessive. Did a deeper connection bind Amille and Sierra? He quietly observed Sierra's ragged breathing before speaking.

[Cassius] "She told us to run away."

[Sierra] "Run away......?"

[Cassius] "Yes. And......"

He paused to catch his breath. Watching him, Sierra instinctively gathered that something that should never happen had occurred.

---

Her sister was hurt. Amille had coughed up blood violently...…

Sierra had listened to Cassius' entire explanation, but no words had struck her with such profound horror. The sister who served as her steadfast shield had spat blood.

Parting ways with him and returning to her room, Sierra lay on her bed, falling into a dazed silence.

No, my sister has never bled like that.

Even when magical experiments failed, Amille had never coughed up blood. A tiny scratch on a fingertip was the worst injury she ever faced.

Just as Cassius suggested, a restriction curse must be binding Amille, forcing her to protect Sierra, Hanael, and Cassius at the cost of her own life.

It must be because of Hanael. The Crown Prince targets her, so my sister is trying to block him.

She is bearing everything alone.

As Sierra muttered those words, a memory from shortly after their parents' deaths flashed in her mind, when loan sharks invaded their home. That stood as one of the oldest memories she possessed. Even back then, Amille knew how to cast basic magic. Amille had resolved to use that magic against the men......

[L. Shark] "You think this pathetic magic can stop us? You brat, don't make me laugh."

[L. Shark] "Get lost, you crazy bitch!"

Gripping the shoulder of a trembling Sierra, Amille hid her younger sister behind her back. A young Sierra was tiny enough to fit perfectly behind Amille's small frame. Thinking back, Amille had been a child herself, yet she fiercely screamed at men twice her size.

[Amille] "Run, Sierra!"

[Sierra] "No! I won't go!"

[L. Shark] "Is this the final struggle of these pathetic, poor brats?"

The insult burned deep within Sierra. She resolved to fight back.

Hearing Amille close her eyes and mutter the incantation with clenched fists, Sierra clawed at the dirt inside her pockets. Because she spent her days playing in the dirt, her pockets were full of soil, and her face was constantly messy. She threw the dirt directly into the men's eyes like lightning.

[L. Shark] "What the hell! Hey, grab her!"

[Amille] "Sierra! Quick, run! It's dangerous!"

[Sierra] "I'm not running!"

[Amille] "My baby, hurry......"

Even when the other men grabbed her arms, Sierra struggled wildly, trying to dig out more dirt to blind the loan sharks.

[Sierra] "Get off me! I will protect my sister!"

And they both ended up severely beaten, leaving Sierra's small body covered in deep bruises.

Amille always told her to flee. To run from danger and use Amille as a shield. But......

[Sierra] "I will protect my sister."

How could she abandon her loving sister who remained trapped inside the palace? She opened her eyes, then closed them again.

Even if this happens again, I will never run away. Fleeing changes absolutely nothing.

Sister, I have no idea what you are facing, but wait for me. I am not running.

As she ground her teeth, a sudden sound escaped her lips.

[Sierra] "Huh?"

She let out a breathless gasp. As if pushing her toward her current choice, a voice whispered directly into her ear. She scanned her surroundings. She was completely alone in the room. What on earth was that voice just now?

The voice brought hope, filling her chest with courage.

Sierra froze. She recognized the familiar voice. Thinking deeper, the truth struck her.

It was unmistakably her own voice.

---

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