She’s Not Our Daughter! - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – Rain And You

The duke’s mansion was calm.

However, Cassius’ reaction to the regular report of Sierra’s movements after returning to the mansion was a little more intense than expected.

“…She left?”

“Yes, she said there was something interesting she wanted to see for some time.”

“When…”

His eyes were giddy white. He hurriedly looked around the mansion.

But there was no sign of Sierra.

“She’ll be right back… Your Grace?”

“…Sierra?”

The butler of the family rolled his eyes.

He had clearly said that Sierra herself said she would come back. However, it seemed that Cassius could not hear him now.

Cassius bit his lip, walking past the butler and blinking repeatedly. He almost stumbled, but he righted himself with difficulty.

The nightmares he dreamed of every night had become a reality.

Outside the window, the rain fell hard, but he couldn’t afford to care. He ran madly down the stairs without an umbrella or cloak.

All of the people in the mansion looked at him, bewildered.

At that time, Hanael was having fun playing with the maids in the lobby on the first floor of the mansion. The playful child liked the marble floors, so she settled down there on purpose. She had been playing with her soft, small hands, but now tilted her head at the rapidly changing atmosphere.

“Come here…! Okay?”

“…Ah, baby.”

“Yes? What is it…?

Hanael widened her eyes. In Hanael’s field of vision, Cassius was stumbling to the door.

‘You’re a fool, aren’t you? Where are you going like that?’

It made her feel strange to see the fool who was always nice to her suddenly heading somewhere in a hurry.

‘Where’s that bad mister going without an umbrella? I can’t see him!’

Hanael’s round eyes blinked for a long time, suspicious of Cassius’ actions. While she stayed still, the maids seemed restless. Among them, a brave maid hurriedly stood up and called for another maid.

“Baby.”

The maid, who rushed out to the first floor, carefully spoke to Hanael. “Baby, shall we go in? It’s raining, you can play in a room…”

“…No.” Hanael shook her head.

The little girl stood, hugged her cherished stuffed toy, then moved towards Cassius.

‘Isn’t it raining…? I get sick when I get rained on.’

That fool wasn’t even going anywhere.

He was just looking far away into the distance in the rain. Perhaps he was staring at the gate, waiting for a carriage to arrive

However, when she saw Cassius through the window without a care for the rain, her heart ached. Hanael leaned her fluffy head of pink hair against the wall.

‘Jeez, no. Wake up, Hanael! Think of mother!’

Hanael turned her head.

Before she realized it, someone was at the doorway with her.

“Here we go again…” The gentle sigh from the godmother tickled Hanael’s ears.

‘What do you mean by “here we go again?”’

So this has happened once or twice before? What on earth happened?

The hand holding her stuffed toy clenched.

“Is it starting again?”

“…No, sweetheart. You’ll catch a cold if the freezing wind hits you.”

“Okay…”

She stroked Hanael’s beautifully tied hair. The godmother spoke quietly to Hanael. “The bad mister is paying for his crime.”

“That’s not fair…”

Hanael looked down at the stuffed doll. It was a doll that the bad mister gave to her as a present. Not long ago, she met the bad mister without telling Sierra, who was busy making medicine.

The bad mister handed Hanael an ugly pink rabbit doll. The seams were messy, and its black bean-like eyes were placed too low. In short, it was a doll that fell far short of Hanael’s aesthetic standards.

“Hanael, what do you think of this doll?”

“Sir. It’s ugly.”

Cassius hid the doll behind him.

“Ah, I made it myself… It’s ugly, right?”

…She didn’t think the bad mister would make something like that.

Hanael scratched her head carefully.

“Um? When did you make this?”

Cassius smiled awkwardly as he smoothed the stuffed doll’s ears.

“A few years ago. When I was thinking of you guys… This isn’t enough, is it?”

Hanael slowly moved her hand to accept the ugly rabbit doll.

“I’m not taking it because I like you, so go away.”

The stuffed doll he gave her was quite fluffy since it had a lot of cotton inside.

[E/N: this is a flashback, hence the bold text.]

‘Well, I’ll be leaving this mansion with my mother eventually. One memory wouldn’t hurt…’

It was mature of Hanael.

The bad mister was very mean, but his eyes looked a little lonely at that time, so she couldn’t help it.

Hanael grabbed the stuffed doll. “…I like it when it rains. Grandmother.”

Really?”

“Yup. So I’ll keep watching the rain in my cloak.”

The godmother gave Hanael an inscrutable look.

***

It rained like this on that day.

Leaning back on an old tree, Cassius closed his eyes and recalled the day when he accepted that he had completely lost Sierra.

He had waited a long time in front of her empty house.

In the rain, just like today…

“I beg you, it is raining, Your Grace… I’m afraid you’ll get sick.” The butler held out an umbrella.

“It’s fine, go on inside.”

He waited all night in front of Sierra’s house that night, thinking that she might come back.

But even after waiting a long time, Sierra did not come back.

Forever.

That night, he collapsed from a fever due to the rain. He saw Sierra in his dreams, looking at him resentfully. It was like she was asking him why he never came to visit her and their child.

As his fever burned, so did his guilt.

After a few days, he had recovered a little and went back to Sierra’s house in the middle of the day. But then, a woman who called herself Sierra’s friend arrived.

“Hmm.”

“…What?”

Although he was sweet and affectionate to Sierra, Cassius was not good with other people. The woman who looked at him feistily clicked her tongue.

“That’s a bit of a waste. A broken heart?” she whispered

“Leave.”

He was in no state to hold a conversation with another woman. Anyway, he had to wait for Sierra, or he’d have to go and find her if she never showed up.

“You’re looking for Sierra?”

His pale complexion was flushed with fever. Cassius glared at the woman, meeting her green eyes and…

He flinched. Her eyes looked just like Sierra’s.

‘Sierra’s gone to raise a child. So you can’t find her.’

Maybe this was a warning.

The cold-looking woman with her pink hippie perm grimaced and smiled.

“What, gone to raise a child…”

“Literally.”

“Hold on, what…”

She knew Sierra’s whereabouts, and if the sudden teleportation was any indication, she was also an archmage. If it weren’t for the little pin she accidentally dropped on the floor, Cassius might have thought her a hallucination.

Of course, he didn’t want to believe it at first.

A child.

However, there was conviction in that woman’s voice. A faint spark of suspicion began to burn.

So he waited for Sierra.

Even when it rained, he waited without an umbrella. Even at night, he waited for her with fireflies around him.

He still had no power to disobey the emperor’s orders to take his title as a duke.

If he leaves for battle, he won’t see Sierra for a long time.

All sorts of thoughts were jumbled in his head.

That’s why he was so anxious now.

“She’ll come back.”

…Perhaps, for a long time. Cassius waited there.

She will come back.

Sierra left a note saying she’d be back. That’s why…

He brushed a hand over his wet uniform and smiled calmly. There were eyes watching him. The godmother, who had been watching him stand tall in the rain for a long time, stumbled and touched the window frame.

Hanael grabbed the arm of the old woman. “Grandmother…?” she whispered.

“Baby.”

The godmother’s hand dropped. Hanael tilted her head curiously.

“Why is he crying out there?”

“It’s because of the rain, baby.”

“No, I saw it. He’s crying.”

Sierra had only been gone for a few hours.

But in just a few hours, much of the atmosphere of the mansion turned dreary.

*** 

Sierra rode in the carriage, happy and refreshed. The enchanted four-wheel carriage was literally the best. It’s spacious and warm, and she felt like she could live there for the rest of her life, but that was just an exaggeration.

“This was a very meaningful day, wasn’t it?”

Sitting in the carriage and fanning her face, Sierra grinned. “Yes, the future of this empire seems bright.”

The doctor across from her scratched his sideburns, smiling. “And I thought I was going to feel uncomfortable because of the sudden rain, but I’m completely dry. As expected of magic.”

‘Jesus, magic reminds me of a nuisance.’

It did.

She suddenly thought of her sister because of it.

Sierra gritted her teeth thinking of her big sister. When she sees her, she’ll make sure to twist her…

“…Yes, but the atmosphere of the estate is a little strange.”

…Sierra’s thoughts were shattered by the doctor’s words. Their carriage was on its way inside the gates of the mansion. However, no matter how rainy it was, there were no signs of it in the garden or near the trail, nor was anyone using cloaks or umbrellas. Sierra squinted and looked out of the rain-spattered window.

“You’re right. Isn’t it a little gloomy today?”

Sierra looked blankly at a beautiful tree near the gate of the main building. And under the tree, she flinched seeing a shadowy figure just standing.

“I think I just saw a ghost…”

“That sounds terrifying… That… can’t be”

The two tilted their heads, looking curiously at the mansion that was immersed in ominous mystery.

At last, the carriage stopped.

Sierra entered the mansion comfortably thanks to her umbrella. Hanael, standing still in the doorway, fell into Sierra’s arms.

“Mom!”

Her lace socks were wet. Also, the corners of her mouth were downturned.

“Who dared to…”

‘…harass my daughter?!’ she almost shouted.

Sierra bit her lips in a hurry to stop herself.

‘Oh God, I’m being brainwashed into thinking she’s my daughter.’

Sierra coughed loudly. “Who made my Hanael sad, hmm?”

Hanael’s shoulders drooped. “You know, ah… daddy, no, the bad mister is strange!”

Bad mister?

Does she mean Cassius?

Sierra looked away in a hurry.

Her face was grim when she finally saw the servants.

What is this atmosphere…?

Did you have a formal portrait taken…?