She’s Not Our Daughter! - Chapter 37

Chapter 37 – Finding Out The Secret Of Her Birth

Sierra’s mouth was agape. This situation was just absurd… but she couldn’t say anything to refute it.

The results were suspicious enough, but the most suspicious ones were…

‘These doctors—no, are they quacks?’

Sierra looked around the room. Everyone seemed to trust the results of the test without a doubt, all except Sierra. She coughed a few times and eventually stuttered.

“S-So then…”

Everyone’s attention was brought to Sierra right then. They waited fervently for her next words, as if they were listening to a cardinal’s oration of the holy doctrine. Everyone was looking only at her, but Sierra couldn’t find the right words.

‘This is crazy… What kind of situation is this even??’

It was too strange.

‘She’s not her daughter, but they’re saying she actually is? What?’

Watching as Sierra opened and closed her mouth without saying anything, Cassius spoke in a low tone.

“…So then?”

While everyone’s eyes were still on Sierra, she turned her head to the Godmother, who was holding Sierra’s hand gently, then to Cassius, who stared at her with a serious look on his face, then to the old doctor Hentel and the twin doctors Lanya and Kilo.

Sienna carefully retracted her hand from the Godmother’s grasp and thought of several things at once.

‘I don’t understand. Perhaps Cassius…? Cassius bought them off?’

“I have a question.”

Sierra tried to clear her throat before speaking, but her voice still trembled, conveying her turbulent thoughts.

“Did you maybe… receive any money?”

Well, of course, she tried to beat around the bush, but she went ahead and asked if there was any chance that these doctors had been bought off, or even just rumors alluding to them being quacks.

Not long ago, she had realized how deep exactly Cassius’ affection for her was, so at the back of her mind, she had some suspicions that even the results of the paternity test could be manipulated.

‘Actually, Cassius doesn’t seem to be the type of person to buy people off, but the world has changed, so…’

Yet Cassius was the righteous type, and he really wasn’t one to use money like this for his own benefit.

However, if these doctors were really either quacks or bought off, Sierra was adamant to make them spill the truth and confess. Her eyes glowed insidiously.

“Of course, we will be getting a small amount as compensation. But the results are nevertheless accurate.”

The doctor’s voice was powerfully confident.

Faced with this bizarre situation, Sierra desperately needed some time alone. That quack… No. First, she should have raised questions about the credibility and effectiveness of the paternity test that these doctors created.

“The kit. May I have a look?”

“Sierra.”

“…Huh? No, um, yes, Your Grace?*”

“This is only the first stage of the test. There are still two more stages remaining, so… We’ll still have to see.”

Looking into Cassius’ eyes, she tried to nod and agree with him, but she paused.

No, why even say that when…

‘Cassius, you look like you’re about to cry…!’

Of course, the paternity test that was developed by the most trustworthy doctors had a result of 80%, that’s why Cassius also thought that Hanael was really his daughter. At one side, even the Godmother was wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

“How hard must have been for you, baby and Sierra…”

“That’s…”

Even if she said it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t work on these people. Sierra looked at the Godmother with a blank look on her face.

“That won’t be the case anymore. I’ll protect you from now on.”

The doctors were supposed to clear all suspicions of Cassius being Hanael’s father.

But the paternity test just made the misunderstanding even worse.

Sierra looked at the doctors with a sharp gaze, retracting her hand that she held out while asking for a sample of the test kit.

‘This wasn’t my plan!’

“I would like to talk to the doctors for a moment.”

“Huh? What is it, Sierra?”

Looking at the Godmother first, then at Hentel, Sierra spoke with emphasis.

“I need to talk to you for a moment.”

It was time for a serious conversation.

* * * 

The doctors and Sierra were left alone so they could talk, only after the sensitive Cassius and Godmother had finally calmed down.

’Child, I’ll give you the whole world.’

‘No, you don’t have to give me the whole world… You should take it easy…’

‘Sierra, you’re too agitated. Let’s rest for now.’

‘No, I’m not agitated at all. I’m very calm right now.’

Sierra had a hard time soothing both the Godmother and Cassius, especially the latter’s tears. Then after a while, only four people were left in the room. Lanya and Kilo looked at Sierra with glittering eyes.

But Sierra returned that look with a cold stare.

‘I’m sure. I’m sure of it.’

These people must truly be quacks. Sierra uttered her words one at a time as she stared down at the doctors sternly, looking as though she was about to grab them by the collar.

“Look here. I need to check that paternity test of yours.”

Sierra doubled down on her glare and spoke straightforwardly.

“I don’t believe you.”

The twin doctors were startled, at which Sierra suddenly wondered if they were angry that their medical innovation was being suspected. But Kilo answered kindly, with only a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“I’ve never seen anyone doubt our skills!”

…Sierra didn’t expect such a flippant response, so she felt unbalanced. However, Lanya looked at Sierra and said kindly.

“It’s not the Kingdom of Hippo’s… Anyway, please check it yourself.”

“Show me.”

Sierra decided to check the paternity test kit for the first stage.

* * * 

A few hours later, she returned to her room after examining the kit, bringing along all three doctors with her.

Sierra realized that there were no flaws to the kit, so she was trying to control her reactions for now.

“These guys are geniuses…”

Sierra sighed deeply. There was only one thing left in her arsenal—the potion of truth. And the second stage of the paternity test.

‘I should assume for now with a reasonable doubt against the results because, after all, the kit is still under development.’

Sierra decided that there was definitely an error in the results of the first stage of the test. She called in the doctors, crossed her legs and spoke haughtily.

“I would like you to drink the potion of truth and swear that this kit is truly legitimate.”

The potion of truth was a drug designed to make the person who drank it speak only of the truth. The doctors shrugged as they looked at Sierra, as though they expected this.

“I apologize, but the three of us have already taken the potion of truth.”

“I’d like you to drink the potion that I myself specially formulated.”

Sierra nodded towards the table solemnly.

On the table were three bottles of the potion, all of them about the size of an index finger.

Her potion of truth had ten times more efficacy than the usual, and she had tested this before. Kilo, Lania and Hentel’s eyes trembled.

“Amazing. I’ve never seen a potion of truth that’s green.”

After this remark, they each took a bottle and swallowed the contents. Their eyes clearly sparkled with the curiosity of a scholar, not even holding any doubts toward it. Sierra gulped as she looked at them.

Sierra knew that the potion would work the moment it went down a person’s throat. She looked at them and coughed to alleviate her own tension.

“Now, tell me about the paternity test kit.”

“Our paternity kit had been manufactured with great care, and it had undergone a number of clinical trials to test it. I swear on my honor as a scholar that there are no flaws to the test.”

“Of course, there may be some errors, but…”

“…That’s why the other two stages of the test are there to fill in the gaps.”

Listening to Hentel, Kilo and Lanya, Sierra buried her face in her hands as she was lost in thought.

‘It’s real. At this point, there’s no one who can defend me and tell the truth apart from my sister.’

Of course, she could just wait two more months for the next two stages of the test. However…

‘Will anyone still believe the results of the next two stages when there’s already an unofficial announcement that he’s the real father from the first stage’s results?!’

Of course, it was known that the paternity test had three stages in total, and the latter two had better reliability compared to the first stage. But wouldn’t it all just be better if her sister appeared and explained everything? Sierra was sure that she’d lose her voice while waiting for the results of all three stages of the test.

“Yes, alright. Then let’s proceed with the second stage of the test.”

“I understand.”

They bowed towards Sierra. Hentel and Kilo left first, but Lanya was left behind with her head still bowed. Then, she raised her head and frowned.

“Oh, Ms. Sierra.”

“What is it?”

“I read the note.”

Sierra was about to ask what she was talking about, but she paused. Lanya was clearly talking about the patient who had the Amolta disease. Sierra didn’t have the chance to say anything before Lanya stepped out the door with a smile on her lips.

As the door clicked shut, Sierra thought to herself.

‘If there’s no way to disprove their credibility… then naturally, I should question the reliability of their paternity kit.’

Sierra stared at the closed door and gritted her teeth. The only way to prove that Hanael wasn’t her daughter was to prove that those doctors were quacks. Either that, or she should drag her sister here.

She had always been supportive of her sister’s carefree way of living, so even if she was being misunderstood by other people, she didn’t mind that her sister didn’t visit since she respected her sister’s will. But this time…

“Sister…”

There was an emergency now.

Alone in the room, Sierra spoke to herself drearily.

“You told me to do whatever I can, right? Then, I will.”

Her sister, Amil, was clearly a genius of her own right. She was an archmage and was the second-in-command of the great Magic Tower. But on the other hand, Sierra was also a genius in pharmacology.

And medicine was one of her specialties. The range of her own skills were much wider than Amil thought.

‘Now that it’s like this, I’ll just have to grab your hair and drag you here to prove it.’

Sierra clenched her fist with an insidious smile.

‘First, let’s look and see if she’s had any contact with Duke Ideos.’

Sierra’s mind was on hyperdrive as she thought of ways to prove her innocence.

She jumped up from her seat and headed out the door.

——

tl/n: Sierra was speaking to Cassius informally at first, but she caught herself and switched to formal language.

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