She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 97

I Uncovered the Crown Prince's Plot

As soon as Cassius heard her words, he inspected Hanael's condition. He intended to make his next decision with absolute caution.

Just in case.

He secretly summoned a mage and urged him to examine Hanael. Though Cassius felt reasonably certain, he maintained his usual detached expression, contrasting with Sierra's visible anxiety and restlessness.

It is amazing how he maintains his composure even at a time like this.

Every time the mage touched and examined Hanael's feathers, her heart hammered wildly against her ribs......

A ten-minute battle of nerves followed. Initially, the mage wore a troubled expression upon looking at Hanael.

[Mage] "It is simply a white bird, correct?"

[Cassius] "Yes."

[Mage] "First...... I will thoroughly examine it. I must determine if an anomaly exists, or if this stands as an unholy bird that attracts monsters."

The mage stroked the white bird's wings and tilted his head for a long moment. In the tense environment, Sierra watched the shifting expressions of the mage, her own features tightening and relaxing in turn.

What is it? What in the world......?

Sierra didn't expect the mage to know everything, nor did she believe the mage could deliver a flawless diagnosis. However, since Cassius had summoned this person, the man had to be highly capable. Watching such an expert handle and evaluate Hanael filled Sierra with unavoidable tension.

After ten minutes that felt like an entire year, the mage furrowed his brow and quietly whispered into Cassius' ear. Because they spoke in whispers, Sierra couldn't hear their conversation, swallowing hard as she watched the exchange.

And...... the moment the mage finished speaking, Cassius' face hardened completely. He issued a brief, firm order dismissing the man.

[Cassius] "Leave us."

The mage bowed quickly, closed the door, and departed. With the fleeing mage gone, he spoke.

[Cassius] "The mage stated that he could find absolutely no other problem with Hanael."

[Sierra] "So it is not a side effect of the animal transformation. It is definitely because of her mana, right?"

Although she felt fairly certain, a slim margin of doubt remained. Cassius nodded firmly at her words.

[Cassius] "Strangely, the mage detected absolutely no mana. He claimed to know nothing."

[Sierra] "Can only the monsters perceive Hanael's mana?"

[Cassius] "Unless another reason exists, it must be due to her mana."

[Sierra] "I have never heard that blue mana can tame monsters......"

Finishing her sentence, Sierra rubbed her sweaty palms against her thighs out of tension and whispered.

[Sierra] "Perhaps the Crown Prince already knows everything."

He added cautiously.

[Cassius] "If so, it makes sense. That man possesses an ambition far too grand for his small capability."

He now refused to call him by his royal title, openly despising the prince as "that man." The action felt perfectly characteristic of Cassius, yet uniquely raw, causing Sierra to offer a soft smile despite the high stakes.

[Sierra] "Yes, you are right."

Fortunately, the brief smile dissolved a portion of her tension. Perched on the back of Sierra's hand, Hanael chirped repeatedly.

Did my sister infiltrate the enemy camp to stop the Crown Prince's conspiracy?

The reasoning was straightforward, as both of them reached the identical conclusion that only a single explanation existed for the gathering monsters.

[Sierra] "We must stop him."

[Cassius] "Yes. Hanael is involved now."

Her thoughts drifted elsewhere, settling on her older sister, Amille.

My sister must have leaped into the enemy camp to rescue Hanael. But why go that far......?

Suspicion kept gnawing at Sierra. She couldn't comprehend why Amille chose such a perilous path.

She frowned, gently stroking the white bird perched firmly on her hand. Something remained hidden here, without a doubt.

Meanwhile, Cassius appeared to have finalized his strategy.

[Cassius] "Sierra."

He turned to her, a gleam in his eyes.

[Cassius] "Have you heard the saying, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

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

[Cassius] "I intend to employ that very strategy."

Sierra looked up at him. His warm gaze filled her with the absolute certainty that she could trust him completely with everything. Yet a few lingering questions remained like sediment in her mind.

Why did Amille cooperate with the Crown Prince's plot in the first place?

Was she acting as a double spy?

And what was the true nature of that pure mana that didn't belong to this world?

No, pull yourself together, Sierra. Now is the time to focus on a single objective.

That objective meant thwarting the Crown Prince's conspiracy and protecting Hanael.

[Sierra] "What kind of strategy is it?"

Cassius laughed softly, bringing his lips close to her earlobe to whisper his secret plan.

---

Now that they understood the Crown Prince's plot, their countermeasures were falling into place one by one. Everything progressed smoothly.

However, in the meantime, Hanael grew deeply fond of her animal form. Although Sierra sighed repeatedly as she chirped continuously......

[Hanael] "Cheep! (I defeated them all!)"

Watching her chatter so enthusiastically, Sierra lost all desire to stop her. The child enjoyed it immensely, and Sierra calculated that keeping Hanael as a bird inside the room was beneficial, since the animal form suppressed the release of mana.

The calculation proved entirely correct. Fascination with flying around the room as a bird consumed her, leaving the child completely oblivious to anything else.

[Hanael] "Cheep? (How is it? Am I amazing?)"

[Sierra] "Yes, you are incredibly amazing."

Sierra sighed, reaching out to stroke the tiny bird. Right at that moment, a bouncing sound echoed from a distance.

This place should be completely deserted.

After uncovering Hanael's secret a short while ago, Sierra relocated to a different tent. The tent sheltering Hanael and her stood isolated to guard against potential ambushes, surrounded by various magical devices that ensured a high level of security. Outside the tent, a small monster—a slime—came hopping toward them.

This is trouble. The monsters keep gathering here.

For now, the lack of any human presence kept the situation hidden. However, things might change moving forward. Sierra couldn't fathom how the monsters tracked them down, but she feared exposure if this continued.

Now that we have a strategy, I must return as quickly as possible.

Sierra sighed, activating the disruption device Cassius had provided. The slime bounced away, retreating into the distance.

---

[Prince] "Something is very strange about this."

The situation naturally progressed according to Sierra's designs. However, she overlooked a single detail: the Crown Prince was far more sinister and relentless than she anticipated. Furthermore, he possessed highly sharp instincts.

[Prince] "It makes no sense."

Whenever the Crown Prince nurtured a seed of suspicion like this, his subordinates faced imminent doom. It was a common occurrence, given his habitual cruelty. Sure enough, a subordinate asked with a trembling voice.

[Subordinate] "Pardon, Your Highness? What is it......?"

Completely ignoring the anxious subordinate, the Crown Prince rested his chin in his hand. His gaze locked onto Amille, who sat silently beneath her hooded robe. The prince muttered cynically while staring at her.

[Prince] "I ordered a thorough investigation into the woman named Sierra, and the fact that she hides absolutely no suspicious background is precisely what arouses my suspicion."

[Amille] "......"

Amille nodded quietly as if agreeing with his words. Watching her, the Prince tilted his head at a crooked angle and chuckled.

[Prince] "She belongs to that bastard, so she must hide something. I had my men dig into everything, and they discovered she keeps a bird."

[Amille] "......Pardon?"

[Prince] "A bird, I said. A bird."

While noblewomen frequently carried messenger birds, no one in the room dared to oppose his claim. No one possessed the courage to tell the prince that he was chasing a false lead.

[Subordinate] "It is highly suspicious."

[Subordinate] "What kind of bird is it, Your Highness?"

[Prince] "They claim it is a white bird, no less."

He spoke with a mixture of arrogance and ignorance. The nobles wished to counter, wondering what could be wrong with a white bird, but the prince's oppressive aura thoroughly subdued them.

Breaking the chilling silence, Amille spoke from her seat.

[Amille] "Noblewomen frequently carry messenger birds when departing for campaigns."

As she pointed out, it could be an ordinary messenger bird. However, the Prince snapped his fingers rhythmically and shook his head.

[Prince] "No."

[Amille] "......Pardon?"

[Prince] "It is not."

[Amille] "......"

Meeting Amille's firm gaze, the Prince wore a strange expression. She bit her lip in immediate regret.

It was her clear mistake. Had she left the matter alone, the suspicion would have drifted away like the wind. Instead, her deep anxiety allowed the Crown Prince to cultivate a new seed of doubt.

[Prince] "Why are you doing this?"

He clicked his tongue repeatedly and questioned her.

[Prince] "Why do you defend that woman so fiercely?"

Amille stared into his eyes and spoke quietly.

[Amille] "Defend her? Why would I ever defend a woman like that?"

Yet his serpentine gaze locked onto the Great Archmage.

[Prince] "What? Do you also wish to serve Cassius Ideos?"

His deep paranoia and intense inferiority complex made him highly volatile, and Amille had made the fatal error of provoking him.

She bit her lip, distress clear on her face. When she remained silent for a long moment, the Crown Prince directed a freezing glare at her and barked.

[Prince] "Amille. How dare you."

He sneered.

[Prince] "Throw yourself into the dungeon for the time being. It seems you require some discipline."

[Amille] "......"

Undergoing discipline meant nothing to Amille. However, if any harm befell Sierra and Hanael during her confinement...…

Unfortunately, the Crown Prince had already prepared Amille's punishment.

[Prince] "I must ensure your leash remains securely fastened."

A profound crisis would surely strike Sierra and Hanael in the meantime, just as Amille feared. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them to look at the Crown Prince. She had to devise a plan; this timeline had to be different. Yet......

Damn it, I am entirely powerless.

The instinctual obedience to the Crown Prince, carved into her since childhood, flared back to life. It violently disrupted her mind.

Yielding to the overwhelming instinct that threatened to crush her sanity, Amille bowed her head deeply.

During the meeting, the Crown Prince commanded his men to launch a rigorous investigation into Sierra and her white bird. And......

[Philoes] "Amille."

The moment the meeting concluded, Philoes, the Crown Prince's chief subordinate who had long worked alongside Amille, approached her.

Having quickly received an object from the prince, Philoes held a crimson gem in his hand. Though Philoes remained oblivious, Amille had encountered that jewel before. Her vision blurred with sudden panic.

[Amille] "......"

[Philoes] "I received an order to bind you for the time being."

She gasped silently. Yet she couldn't betray her panic; it was time to play her part once more.

He shook his head a few times and spoke.

[Philoes] "I have devoted the past several years to serving His Highness. I will obey his command, but......"

Looking at him, Amille felt a faint glimmer of hope. Although he stood as the Crown Prince's chief subordinate, Philoes possessed a gentle, weak-willed nature. Sure enough, the command to confine Amille left him visibly conflicted.

Naturally so, as Amille had faithfully executed the prince's orders until now. Casting her aside without cause amounted to discarding a loyal hound. Reflecting the internal confusion brewing within the ranks, his gaze wavered.

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