Chapter 4 - I expected it, but it’s really as expected.

Chapter 4 – I expected it, but it’s really as expected.

Something smells fishy.

Sierra closed the pharmacy and stepped out. On the way to school through a strangely arranged path, Sierra discovered something bizarre.

The small school building was glowing. The walls were painted with gold. Sierra squinted and approached the building.

“No, what’s this?”

There were villagers, who were suspicious like her, on the path leading up to the school. The rural village was quick to spread rumors.

“What’s all this?”

That’s all I could say before a little girl jumped out from the school’s front gate.

“Mom!”

…I couldn’t tell Hanael not to call me “Mom,” by the way.

Sierra looked around in a hurry. Fortunately, Cassius was not around. She replied, hugging Hanael.

“Wait, Hanael, did something happen?”

“Yeah! A pumpkin carriage showed up at school today! It was so magical!”

Hanael grinned. Behind the little Hanael, the director of the school walked over with a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Sierra.”

“…?”

What else could she be grateful for?

Sierra and the director clearly just had a business relationship.

The director was an ordinary person in his 40s, who was meticulously sensitive and lived a vague mission for children. If Sierra hadn’t donated to the school, there would be no relationship between them…

“I heard you remodeled our entire school.”

“…Me?”

…When did I?

“Why, thank you. I had no idea you were so wealthy!”

A snobby school teacher rubbed Sierra’s hand like a fly. She has always looked down on her because she believed Sierra was poor.

‘I have the worst memory. What’s wrong with her all of a sudden?’

I really don’t want to pay them back. Sierra turned to look at the school building.

There are usually two ways to construct a building. Constructors build their buildings, or wizards use magic to build them. Usually, wizards in rural villages hire constructors because of the high labor costs.

Though…

Terra, the only overage woman in the village, had pouty lips.

“Sierra, you didn’t donate all that money yourself, did you?”

That’s right.

But before Sierra could answer, Terra went on.

“Ha! You must have gone around and found a rich aristocrat. Does he make you feel like Cinderella?”

Sierra raised her brow in a state of discomfort and gave Terra a warning.

“Don’t speak nonsense.”

“I know your earnings, you don’t have to make excuses!”

“What makes you think I asked a rich aristocrat?”

Something was quite suspicious. Sierra grabbed Terra’s hand, signaling her to stop.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Terra shouted, and Sierra stared right back at her. An answer came from somewhere else, instead of Terra.

“Ah, Sierra. Noble knights from the outside brought in a wizard to reconstruct the building.”

“Noble knights?”

Sierra added pressure to Terra’s hand. Though she looked thin, she was actually quite strong after many years of taking special strength potions. Terra wriggled nervously, but couldn’t get out of Sierra’s grip.

“Yes, noble knights! They’re camping at the back gate. I hear they’re the knights from the Great Duke’s family who won the war!”

Now, if I put all the information together, there’s only one answer.

A man with excellent financial resources, a man who can control the knights, and a man who’s in debt to Sierra, who only wishes her happiness!

Cassius Idios!

After releasing Terra’s hand vigorously, she whispered to Hanael in a friendly tone.

“Hanael, stay with this teacher for a minute.”

“W-What are you!”

“Out of my way, Terra!”

Sierra strode toward the back gate, heading towards the shiny school building.

Walking at a fast pace, she reached the back gate quickly. The knights camping outside the gate dispersed like ants. They rushed away when they met her gaze.

Most of them were highly athletic, so it was easy for them to quickly hide in the forest path.

Fortunately, she could snatch a dumb knight by the wrist before he ran away.

“Excuse me, knight?”

“Yes, yes? I don’t know anything!”

“You recognize me, right?”

“I-I don’t know…”

The confused knight scratched the back of his head while Sierra asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I have something to discuss with Duke Idios.”

The knight looked down at Sierra.

Soft blonde hair and almond shaped eyes. Her green eyes were also bright. Even though Sierra was a woman who looked very fragile judging from her appearance.

Yet…

The knight wondered. It was quite strange.

“As you know.”

Why do I feel overpowered?

“W-Well, w-what do you want…”

“Duke, where are you now? I need to talk to you.”

***

Cassius seemed to have been hovering around Sierra this whole time. As soon as he heard she was looking for him, he quickly followed her like a dog.

Why are you acting like a puppy that was left in the rain?

Of course, she didn’t have much in mind on what to do, but she wasn’t comfortable leading on an innocent man…

“I have something to say, duke.”

“Sierra.”

Sierra was certain when she looked into his eyes. Though nothing was said, it was obvious.

To be precise…

‘Did you have a hard time living here all by yourself, surrounded by these scumbags?’ Was his expression.

This isn’t right!

Sierra opened her mouth and went straight to the point.

“I have a question. A lot of pretty weird things happened to me today.”

Sierra looked at him with her arms crossed. Cassius whispered softly, tilting his head.

“A lot of things?”

“Randomly, old Scrooge came to me, saying I don’t need to pay rent! They say Hans is in prison, and Hanael’s school hired a wizard to reconstruct the building…”

Wait, these are all good things for me.

Sierra tried really hard to keep control of her temper, but she suddenly became dizzy from the anger.

Cassius mumbled, with his languid eyes.

“Hans… you call each other by your first name.”

Oh my God. Does that matter right now?

“Duke, please mind your own business from now on. Hanael is not your daughter.”

Of course, everything was great. I didn’t have to see Hans, who kept proposing to me and molested all the girls in the village anymore, as well as not paying the old Scrooge.

However, considering the cause of Cassius’ actions, it couldn’t be as good as it seemed.

A strange state of mind that makes him see Hanael as his daughter.

What will happen if he figures out that Hanael is not his child?

I’m positive that he’d be very upset.

So Sierra was determined to tell him, but Cassius did so first.

“I just…”

“?”

“…I’ll do what you tell me, Sierra.”

He closed his eyes and showed a painful expression.

“Except to leave you.”

His rough fingertips brushed over her shoulder like a butterfly and moved away. His warm hands tied tightly at the shawl by her shoulders.

Sierra still doesn’t know exactly how Cassius had lived.

‘No, why do you look so emotional and hopeless?

Sierra sighed, seriously. However, one good thing came out of this misfortune.

A carrier pigeon was coming from a far distance.

The fact that a carrier pigeon was here meant one thing. Abel had finally arrived.

***

“Sister, it’s strange.”

Abel frowned. Sierra was surprised. It was rare seeing Abel make such a serious face.

“What’s strange?”

“I mean the Duke Cassius Idios, I think he’s been looking for you for over five years.”

“…?”

He’s been looking for me for five years?

Sierra settled in this rural village five years ago.

After graduating from the academy, I spent a night with Cassius and dated him briefly for about a month. Right after we broke up, I came to this rural village to raise my sister’s daughter.

Since then, no one, including Cassius, could find the village because of a protection spell my sister cast… So Cassius had been looking for me?

As the only heir of Duke Idios, why would he look for a woman he had a one-night stand after briefly meeting, like Sierra herself?

“…Is that possible?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t make sense. I’ve been looking through some old newspapers, so I think it’s true.”

Abel handed over a morning newspaper that has a yellowish tint from a few years ago.

— ‘Rabid dog,’ who is the woman Duke Cassius Idios is searching for?

Duke Cassius Idios, who returned with a splendid victory in a year’s war against the beasts where everyone thought he would lose!

Rumor has it that there’s a woman he’s looking for.

She’s from the Royal Academy, with a beautiful blonde, long straight hair… —

“…It’s only gossip, but Cassius is a rabid dog…”

I was stunned because this didn’t match the past at all.

Plus, Cassius could have become someone else different since he had fought in a war. Wars are big and traumatizing events that can change people.

But Sierra knew the image of Cassius in the past. The Cassius from the past…

‘Sierra, Marigolds are very pretty, just like you.’

Always wearing a friendly smile.

‘I thought you liked them, so I tried growing a flower bed… it’s a bit difficult.’

It was so cute that I couldn’t avoid his gaze, his ears were hot.

Yes, Cassius was originally such a kind and pure child.

He was a tiny dog, no, a big dog, he was a golden retriever!

That golden retriever is said to have 100 yellow cards in his heart.

[ T/N: some who has a heart so wide, they would give near infinite pardons. ]

But how did he change by 180 degrees in five years…

It feels like it was just yesterday that he was so embarrassed, he couldn’t even hold my hand.

The Cassius of the past melted away and turned into a sharp cold man.

“Yes, Sierra. Apparently, he had been looking for you all along.”

“You didn’t… think I would have a baby in one night, did you?”

“…It’s not impossible, but there is a possibility. Do you know what is in the hands of Duke Idios?”

Abel was right.

The Duke had a rare hand. Cassius was an illegitimate child, but he naturally rose to the title because the Duchess of Idios did not want to have any more children.

For generations, only one son was born into the Idios family. Cassius was probably only the 11th son…

So, as a joke, people used to say, “Isn’t there a curse stating that only one child could be born into the Idios family?”

Now as I recall the past, Cassius’ strange obsession was understandable.

Obviously, Cassius liked himself and his attachments from his childhood.

However, Sierra and Cassius had only been dating for about a month since they slept together and didn’t have a deep connection.

She was more like a date mate, rather than a girlfriend.

In her memory, Cassius from the academy was certainly kind and friendly. Though no matter how affectionate and kind a person is, there was no reason for them to obsess over a woman they spent little time with.

However, if Sierra mistakenly thought she was pregnant with his child, then his obsession would be understandable.

Sierra nodded, agreeing with Abel’s words.

“Yeah, that’s right. The Idios’ family obsession is well known. Maybe that’s why he thought Hanael was his child.”

“Yes, I didn’t think he’d be able to back down easily, so… I think a little extra action Is needed.”

“Special measures?”

Abel nodded vigorously. He opened a newspaper scrapbook, the secret weapon was hidden inside his pocket.

“So, there’s something you can do, right?”

“Of course, Sierra!”

Sierra took it from Abel’s hand in reply, she was soon handed his scrapbook.

I knew it.

I knew I could trust you!

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