She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 95

A Highly Volatile Situation

[Sierra] "This makes absolutely no sense."

[Cassius] "Calm down, Sierra."

Somehow, she ended up expressing more anger than Cassius, the actual victim. His expression remained terrifyingly still, like a calm lake.

Sierra knew her reaction looked ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. Rage consumed her. She vented her frustration once more, ruffling her hair.

[Sierra] "How can he just erase all your achievements? Huh?"

[Cassius] "......"

[Sierra] "There is a limit to discarding people after they serve their purpose!"

Cassius might let this slide, but she couldn't. She scowled deeply, her face betraying her sheer fury.

[Sierra] "Either way, for them to go this far......"

[Cassius] "......"

His expression turned terrifyingly cold.

[Cassius] "It means they intend to turn the Ideos Ducal House into an enemy, at the very least."

[Sierra] "......"

She remained silent for a moment to organize her thoughts. The phrase turn into an enemy carried deep meaning.

Why would the Crown Prince do this? The Ideos Ducal House possesses enough power to bring down birds in mid-flight. Wouldn't it be better to win them over rather than oppose them?

In truth, only two possibilities existed. The Crown Prince either believed his own strength had grown enough to challenge the Ideos House, or he suffered from a delusion. Sierra hoped for the latter, but......

[Cassius] "I told you about what happened at the meeting the Crown Prince called recently."

[Sierra] "Yes."

She recalled the words he shared in the past. She cast her eyes downward and fell into thought.

The information he shared proved the Crown Prince held a hidden trump card.

Naturally, the Crown Prince's ultimate goal and specific forces remained a mystery. Cassius had to uncover those details. In that case, her own duty was......

If a problem arises, should I just kill him?

......brewing poison.

Ever since childhood, her older sister Amille had told her that she must know how to use poison to protect herself. She had taught her everything from start to finish about what tactics to deploy when a real enemy appeared.

Thinking of the Crown Prince, Sierra muttered inwardly.

Hey, you aren't the only one who knows how to use dirty tricks and poison.

Brewing the poison would take a long time, but...…

I know how to do it too!

---

A few days later, inside Sierra's room at the ducal mansion. A guest secretly entered her room.

[Sierra] "What brings you here?"

The Grand Madam had come to find Sierra, looking gaunt.

[G. Madam] "......"

She maintained a quiet silence before firmly grasping Sierra's hand across the table.

[G. Madam] "I came because I have something to tell you."

In truth, the older woman had ruled as the monarch of imperial high society for decades. As she aged, her instincts proved accurate most of the time. Sierra knew this fact well, so she watched the Grand Madam intently, remaining tense.

[Sierra] "Yes...... What is the matter?"

[G. Madam] "Soon......"

Even after beginning, the Grand Madam fell silent for a long time. Sierra paused, noting the older woman's hesitation to voice her inner thoughts. The Grand Madam carefully studied Sierra's shifting expression as her face changed from relief to confusion.

Accompanied by the clinking of a teacup, she spoke.

[G. Madam] "......I believe a war will break out soon. Cassius already knows, but...... I came here suspecting you remain unaware."

Lately, the Grand Madam had avoided entering Sierra's room. Sierra found this puzzling. Since the test proved a definite biological match, she expected the older woman to press for marriage. Yet contrary to her expectations, the Grand Madam's expression remained calm.

[G. Madam] "We must arrange for the marriage to take place before the war begins."

In reality, she was calmly insane. Sierra awkwardly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and questioned the Grand Madam.

[Sierra] "......Shall we return to the main point?"

[G. Madam] "Ah...... Right. Let us discuss the war first."

The Grand Madam took a sip of her tea and nodded.

The imperial house instigating a war felt incredibly sudden. First, the current Emperor despised conflict. The influence of his uncle, Archduke Axion, who spent decades opposing war, played a significant role. Consequently, the imperial house avoided openly starting a war. Second, an era of peace had already settled. Ever since Cassius slaughtered the monsters, war was virtually nonexistent, save for minor territorial disputes between lords. Then why—

[Sierra] "......Yes, please tell me."

Tense, Sierra stared blankly at the steam rising from her teacup.

[G. Madam] "According to Marchioness Eshinya, General Anassa received a secret order."

Marchioness Eshinya served as a close ally to the Grand Madam, acting as her eyes and ears. General Anassa was the Marchioness' older brother, and the two shared a famously close bond.

The rumor comes from a direct, reliable source. It carries real weight.

While high-ranking noble politicians mostly dismissed high society gossip, the current social circles served as the absolute center for the latest information. A reason existed why noble ladies understood political secrets better than the gossiping commentators focusing on politics.

[Sierra] "Then, what kind of secret order......"

It surely concerned the war. Sierra swallowed hard, staring at the older woman.

Hiding her exhausted expression, the Grand Madam gently stroked Sierra's hair. She focused on the Grand Madam's next words.

[G. Madam] "It comes from the Crown Prince."

Why did Sierra feel that the Crown Prince stood as the beginning and end of everything? A prince who had not even reached his forties...…

She blinked quietly and spoke.

[Sierra] "Yes, what about the Crown Prince?"

[G. Madam] "He claimed a monster gate will soon open in the west. He even stated that the previous monster war was a failure."

[Sierra] "If that happens......"

She finished Sierra's sentence.

[G. Madam] "He will soon issue a command to Duke Ideos. He will order him to conduct a scouting mission."

Sierra bit her lip hard.

Something is wrong. The Crown Prince is deliberately finding fault.

A monster war could actually happen, and Cassius might have failed. However, knowing how corrupt the Crown Prince truly was, this situation felt entirely like a trap set by the royal.

I must prepare for the final moment.

She had to brew a colorless, odorless, and tasteless poison. As a pharmaceutical genius who had spent years researching, executing this task would pose no great difficulty.

For some reason, the academy never taught secret techniques for brewing poison...... Sierra recalled the image of Amille training her to make a colorless and odorless substance.

Even though my sister didn't actually know how to brew it herself.

The deadly poison known as the Tears of God—Ataraxia. A toxin that destroyed a person with maximum agony yet left behind no trace at all.

Amille had insisted that Sierra possessed the power to create that poison. Though Sierra had countered, asking how she could brew a substance unrecorded even in ancient texts...…

I feel like I can pull it off.

Even if it required a long time, it stood as a better alternative to Cassius heading to war. If he actually had to participate in this conflict...…

She pressed her hand to her temple. Right at that exact moment.

[Sierra] "Can you just not go to the war?"

[Cassius] "Huh? Why?"

[Sierra] "Something feels wrong. I think you'll get hurt."

[Casssius] I won't get hurt."

[Sierra] "What if you're injected with monster poison? You'll need an antidote, right?"

A voice echoed sharply inside her mind. Lost in her own thoughts, Sierra raised her eyebrows in perplexity, questioning aloud.

[Sierra] "......Pardon?"

Knowing it was impossible, she still wondered if the Grand Madam had spoken. But she looked thoroughly bewildered.

[G. Madam] "......What are you talking about?"

[Sierra] "Did you...... say something just now?"

Sierra tilted her head in confusion. The Grand Madam mirrored her gesture, equally puzzled. Sierra shook her head.

[Sierra] "I must have misheard."

No. It didn't feel like a simple auditory hallucination. Sierra narrowed her brow.

---

Her Ominous premonition materialized into reality. Inside the secret room of the Ideos estate, Sierra and Cassius met. He spoke to her clearly.

[Cassius] "I must participate in the monster war."

[Sierra] "......So it has come to this after all."

The Grand Madam was correct. Cassius had to head to the front lines. The Crown Prince orchestrated everything. Naturally, he wouldn't fall helplessly into the royal's trap. He surely had his own countermeasure.

Mirroring Sierra, he sat with his chin in his hand, wearing a bored expression. His mind held ample evidence proving the Crown Prince was the true culprit of the Icarous murders.

[Cassius] "Before heading to war, I plan to spread rumors that the Crown Prince is the true culprit behind the murders."

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

She nodded, offering a brief exclamation.

[Sierra] "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a rumor for a rumor."

[Cassius] "Exactly. It will leave them thoroughly rattled. Tarnishing his authority just when everyone expects the upcoming transfer of power to begin will deliver a real blow."

Lately, the Crown Prince had been appearing more frequently in meetings instead of the current Emperor. Gossips naturally predicted an impending transfer of imperial power.

Sierra nodded thoughtfully. Spreading counter-rumors first was a solid move. However......

[Sierra] "I haven't finished preparing the poison yet."

[Cassius] "Poison?"

He raised his eyebrows in confusion. She nodded slowly.

Ever since her conversation with the Grand Madam a couple of days ago, a sudden urge—resembling a divine revelation—had driven her to prepare a deadly toxin for emergencies. Consequently, she had lost herself in brewing a fatal poison. Of course, even for a genius like her, creating a colorless, odorless, and tasteless toxin proved challenging, leaving her progress stalled......

[Sierra] "Ah...... It's nothing major yet."

She laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck.

[Sierra] "So...... are you going to establish the base camp?"

[Cassius] "......Yes. Do you want to come with me? It's dangerous."

After considering it briefly, Sierra nodded vigorously.

[Sierra] "Yes, let us go together. I can accompany you as a pharmacist."

She needed to be there to verify any issues immediately, whether concerning his safety or the shifting tide of war.

Right at that exact moment, the firmly locked door of the secret room clicked open. This chamber was supposed to be completely secure. A blue energy swirled around the doorway, explaining the intrusion. Hanael strode into Sierra's view, sticking her belly out proudly.

Wait. This is a secure room. How on earth did she get inside......?

---

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