She’s Not Our Daughter! - Chapter 49

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 49 – The Princess’ Proposal

“…Then why do you ask?”

“I’m suspicious of him because he approached me last time. But I heard in the palace that he’s popular, so I wanted to find out more.”

“…What?”

Cassius always had a subtle smile on his lips whenever he looked at Sierra, but right now, he suddenly looked like an asura. Surprised by this, Sierra flinched slightly, after which Cassius schooled his features once more.

“He dared to approach you.”

“…Oh, um, nothing special happened.”

“I’ll investigate him properly, Sierra.”

Right then, he smiled affectionately as he held Sierra’s arm.

“So that there’s no bone left. You don’t have to worry.”

“No, that would be…”

Sierra thought that things were going well, but… She didn’t know why, but when she looked at Cassius, it seemed like the brakes were all gone.

She couldn’t erase the thought of it. Sierra just smiled and gave him a stiff nod.

“Yeah, o-okay, go ahead and do that.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, Sierra.”

Cassius threw her a trustworthy look and spoke in a friendly voice. His very image would comfort anyone.

“…Okay.”

By the time the captivated Sierra returned to her senses, Cassius spoke once more and emphasized.

“As soon as possible. I’ll find out everything. You know I’ll do anything you ask.”

Like a puppy, he leaned his head against Sierra’s shoulder. She endured and let him stay next to her, patting his shoulder familiarly without feeling awkward. Did she get through to Cassius, even only little by little?

But why was her heart pounding? Was this the sound of her heart of Cassius’? Sierra didn’t know.

A few days later, Cassius received notice from the information guild that he commissioned. Dressed in a simple coat and wearing formal shoes, he entered the guild with an expressionless face.

“Your Grace, Duke Ideos.”

A man with a slight build, whose face was covered with a mase, greeted him.

“We’ve found the man named Ijiel.”

“What information do you have?”

This man was the guild’s leader. Noticing Cassius’ sharp tone, he smiled broadly.

“You’re in a hurry.”

At this, Cassius straightened his back and stared down at the man. His blue eyes did not contain even a hint of sympathy or warmth.

“I don’t want to waste my time on trivial nonsense.”

And with this, the man smirked and held out a small file.

“Here you are.”

The sound of the documents being flipped could be heard. What Cassius read was similar to what he already knew. Name, age, gender, connection to the Princess and Crown Prince, and his demeanor in social clubs.

“Your information is terrible.”

For a moment, the man’s lips hardened into a line as though his pride was wounded, but then a crooked smile soon replaced it.

“Then what about this? The man named Ijiel, the person who’s interested in him is none other than… Duke Ideos’ beloved Sierra.”

Cassius straightened his posture and smiled dryly.

“It would be right to kill him even without any information.”

“Even if it’s mere interest?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s one kind of interest or another.”

At Cassius’ words, the man smiled and even applauded without sincerity.

“I’ll be rooting for you, Your Grace.”

Cassius’ cold gaze was set on the face of the information guild’s leader. He didn’t want to argue with a man who was famous for being eccentric. He couldn’t afford to waste time now.

“Then.”

After saying this, Cassius left. The iron door without a latch slammed shut as, the sound of metal scraping heavily. Cassius turned around and left, perhaps on the way to another dark guild.

“He’s more in love than I thought. The Princess must be suffering quite a bit.”

The man lowered his mask and pressed the disguise magic tool that was in his pocket. And the face that was revealed under the mask was Ijiel’s.

The secret leader of the information guild. That was Ijiel’s identity,

With his mask in one hand dropped to his side, he swept his face with the other hand.

“Sierra and Cassius. I know the relationship between those two.”

He bit his lips hard.

“Sierra. She’s related to all sorts of big names, yet she’s a common pharmacist.”

Following the order of the Princess, Ijiel found out everything about Sierra and was fully aware of Abel, Sierra’s close aide. However, information about Abel was hidden beneath a veil, so Ijiel felt that his perfect command over information had faltered. At least, he found out that Abel was a former guard of the magic tower.

“…Abel, a dog of the magic tower. But how could a countryside pharmacist like Sierra be connected to a dog of the magic tower?”

A smile tugged on the corners of Ijiel’s lips.

He didn’t know what connection they had. It was completely hidden.

“Is it related to the disappearance of that woman, Amil?”

His considerable interest could be seen with how his lips curled up even more. Fortunately, he thought that he would be able to have a chance to learn about Sierra more.

Either way, he could use the Princess, who’s half-crazy about the Duke of Ideos… or the Duke himself once he’s decided to try and eradicate her. That’s when Ijiel would contact Sierra.

Cassius turned away in ease. Even if he went back to the estate right away, Sierra wouldn’t be there, but he had made a meaningful first request today just as she had told.

Seeing how his lips had turned up, the Princess asked with a strange gaze.

“Did something happen for your mood to be pleasant, Duke?”

“Not at all.”

“This is an important issue, so I asked for your presence personally.”

“Yes, please let me know.”

The Princess looked around her again. She seemed to be checking if there were no other people. Cassius thought that her attitude was stranger than usual, but he didn’t want to talk about it further. The Princess’ feelings weren’t important to him.

What Cassius was curious about were only what Sierra thought and felt today. The reason why the Princess sought him out personally was not at all important.

Realizing that Cassius looked less closed-off than usual, the Princess smiled deeply. She had more expectations for their conversation today, and the situation might work out a little better for her.

“May I ask you to come to the drawing room in the palace for a while?”

Every time they met, she would always try to invite him to the Imperial Palace, but he had never accepted once. But today, when he allowed this meeting with her, maybe…

“It would be difficult.”

But even today, it was impossible. But the Princess had no intention of stepping down. She recalled what happened according to Ijiel.

’I believe that Duke Ideos is planning to marry Sierra.’

‘…That can’t be.’

‘Why not? He’s about to change the law with regards to marriage, too.’

‘That’s impossible… No matter how much power the Duke holds.’

‘Is there anything that the ‘Duchy of Ideos’ can’t do?’

Glancing at the anxious Princess, Ijiel spoke softly as though to relieve her concerns.

’…Would you like to meet her separately, that woman?’

‘What?’

‘As you know, I’m confident with my words.’

‘…Then.’

‘Please distract the Duke for a moment. Then I’ll try to have someone kidnapped.’

Ijiel gave a dazzling smile that would captivate anyone. At this, the Princess nodded. Yeah, things might work out easier than she thought if he could persuade Sierra.

“I have something to say about a woman named Sierra.”

Cassius’ expression quickly hardened.

“You are not someone who can call her name easily.”

The unbridled, vivid anger in Cassius’ eyes made the Princess freeze. She gestured towards her maid.

“Guide His Grace to the Imperial Palace.”

She walked with trembling steps as though she was walking on a lake that was covered with only thin ice. She was trying to buy time with Ijiel, but…

‘He’s my man anyway. I can’t be jealous of a commoner woman.’

She tried to deny it, but it was true that she felt that way when one mention of Sierra’s name could make the Duke this angry. She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them once more, trying desperately to deny her blazing jealousy.

Inside a drawing room of the Imperial Palace, without even taking off his coat, Cassius was served tea, but he turned to the Princess and spoke firmly.

“Please get to the point.”

The Princess’ pride took a great hit because this was what she didn’t want to hear the most.

But she smiled broadly anyway and replied.

“Alright, I’ll be straightforward. I like the Duke, and I think you’re the only marriage partner who would suit me.”

“I see.”

As if she had said nothing, he brushed her off as though she was nothing more than an annoying bug. Her pride was rattled once more, but she continued determinedly.

“That commoner woman doesn’t suit you, Duke.”

As if a trigger had been pulled at the mention of ‘commoner woman’, Cassius’ expression became extremely cold at once, when he was only expressionless a while ago.

“But what should I do? I do not like Your Highness.”

However, despite Cassius’ firm response, the Princess opened her lips again.

“Isn’t it enough that you know my feelings? For me, that’s enough.”

Then, Cassius neatly cleaved the conversation to an end.

“I will never marry you, Your Highness.”

“But you don’t have anyone else to marry, do you? A woman who fits your status.”

“A woman who fits my status… No, there are a lot of women out there.”

“Ha…”

“There’s no reason for me to listen to Your Highness’ useless drivel any longer.”

Cassius was about to get up. The Princess bit her lips tightly. When she saw the man who occupied her heart so besotted with another woman, she felt her heart aching. But the Princess swept her hair roughly and spoke once more.

“But what to do, Duke?”

With this, Cassius instinctively felt ominous. While his eyes were shaken for a moment, finally, the Princess felt that she had his full attention.

“While the Duke and I were talking…”

The Princess leaned over, her expression as though she wasn’t very pleased with the situation either. Cassius looked at her then, urging her to continue.

“A close friend of mine would have already asked Miss Sierra to talk for a while. And perhaps… she might have gotten hurt.”

Cassius jumped to his feet. Then, with a drier expression on her face, the Princess murmured softly.

“It would be too late even if you leave now. I won’t tell you where they are.”

Out of his chair now, he carefully buttoned his duffle coat and warned her with a low voice, his eyes cold.

“How dare you. I will make you pay for this.”

And the Princess replied with an equally low voice.

“For a woman who does not even have any power, are you saying that you’ll oppose the Imperial Family?”

“She…”

Cassius’ expression was unreadable, but his voice was extremely cold.

“She is the mother of my child.”

The Princess’ eyes grew wide. And Cassius, who was looking at her, turned away slowly.

“This time, I’m not going to sit still.”

The Princess clenched her trembling lips. She should have predicted this defeat from the moment he said that he had a child with that woman. But she didn’t want to give up. She had already done too much to do that.

The more he clung onto Sierra, the more the Princess wanted him. Her eyes grew nervous as she watched the Duke’s retreating figure. It was an odd feeling.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────