Previously
Thiel explores her new room and recognizes the Astrian family crest, which features laurel leaves and black panther fangs, from her mother's necklace. Barden explains the family's fire-based powers and shows her a unique diamond suncatcher gifted by Cassius.
When Thiel tried to thank Cassius, she felt self-conscious for some reason.
Brushing aside her embarrassment, she said,
Thiel nodded, a blush rising on her cheeks.
Thiel did not understand the immense worth of the blue diamond suncatcher, but she knew diamonds were costly; even so, she cared far more for its beauty than its price.
There was truly no need to go that far, yet she merely nodded, not wanting to brush aside Cassius’s earnest sincerity.
Just then, maids brought in a three-tiered stand laden with sweets and pastries. After arranging everything neatly on the table, they set out hot cocoa alongside Cassius’s coffee and quickly withdrew from the room.
‘…Sweets.’
Thiel tried to suppress the fierce urge to pop one of the delectable pastries into her mouth right away and turned her gaze aside.
She had come today to express her gratitude to Cassius, so she did not want to appear obsessed with cakes and sweets.
Naturally, however, she could not hide the longing shining in her eyes.
An unwitting smile touched Cassius’s lips as he noticed Thiel’s gaze, which had remained fixed on the treats from the moment the maids carried the tray in.
Thiel did not hesitate. Taking up the plate, she pressed her fork into a corner of the cake.
Yet unlike when Leah had fed her, the slice did not break cleanly; instead, it crumbled away into powder beneath the tines of the fork.
Unable to get the bite into her mouth, Thiel furrowed her brow in dismay.
Cassius, who had been watching her quietly, placed his hand over hers, steadied the fork, and scooped up a piece of the cake to guide it toward her lips.
A faint smile curved at the corners of Thiel’s mouth.
Opening her mouth like a little fledgling, she took in the bite of cake. The moment the sweet cream touched her tongue, sheer happiness washed over her face.
Cassius waited patiently while Thiel chewed the bite, then offered another piece only after making sure she had finished.
From time to time, he handed her the warm cocoa to sip, worried she might choke.
As he watched the child trustingly accept each bite without hesitation, Cassius gently tucked a strand of her curly hair behind her ear so it would not catch on the frosting.
All at once, he remembered an incident from not too long ago. A knight had arrived at the training grounds wearing a brooch his daughter had made for him, boasting proudly:
At the time, he had dismissed it as mere bragging and paid it little mind.
Yet it was just as the man had said…
Raising a daughter was a wondrous and delightful thing, Cassius mused, gently caressing Thiel’s cheek.
Alvinus glared at Cassius, his gaze dripping with betrayal.
Cassius replied with nonchalance.
As Alvinus grew more irritated by the indifferent response, Cassius took a sip of his tea and shifted his gaze toward him.
Alvinus barked in exasperation, scowling at his son.
For Alvinus had been holding back his desperate yearning to see his granddaughter, longing just to pat her little head.
Yet the son who told him to keep his distance because the girl was so timid had gone and enjoyed cake with her, leaving him burning with betrayal.
Cassius, however, remained cool and unaffected.
Recalling how Thiel had stared at her own palm with such intense wonder the moment she woke that day, Cassius murmured,
Cassius then continued,
Alvinus sprang up from his seat. His wide eyes and the low, menacing tone of his voice were alarming.
Thiel was Alvinus’s granddaughter and the legitimate heir to House Astrian.
It was not merely because she had awakened the Power of Light.
It was because Thiel was Thiel, and nothing could ever change that.
She was the daughter of Cassius Celeste Astrian and Lena Nestian.
Furthermore, to a parent, there was no such thing as a “useless child.”
Even if she had awakened no power whatsoever, Alvinus would have cherished and adored the precious child they had finally found. That was what parents did, and that was what family meant.
And yet to hear her called useless! Alvinus’s expression grew tangled with turbulent emotions.
Still, he could not fault the child for thinking that way.
The blame lay on the adults, himself included, that Thiel had ended up in such a state.
He felt bitter sorrow over failing to protect her. The thought of all those years they had spent without even knowing she was alive was agonizing, let alone failing to shield her from harm.
Observing the shadow darkening Alvinus’s face, Cassius spoke in a level voice.
Cassius’s brow furrowed as the memory of Thiel’s trembling voice echoed in his mind.
He went on,
Alvinus bellowed in a fury,
How could a child ever be expected to support a family? It was the family that was supposed to support the child!
What was more, Thiel was only seven years old.
For her to utter such words with such timid care meant she had been forced to hear them for an agonizingly long time.
Drained by the fury surging through him, Alvinus sank back into his chair.
His granddaughter’s little face—which he had kept from seeing properly out of fear of frightening her—hovered persistently before his eyes.
Cassius’s gaze turned razor-sharp in an instant.
As he set down his teacup, the tea within swirled into a tiny vortex. His reflection rippled in the dark liquid before vanishing.
It was the most critical matter before them.
At the same time, it was the issue everyone in House Astrian, including Cassius and Alvinus, cared most fiercely about.
Alvinus’s expression, which had trembled between wrath toward Nestian and guilt toward Thiel, steadied in a single breath.
Thiel had made it to House Astrian entirely on her own; what remained was now the responsibility of the adults.
It was time to notify Nestian that the child was under Astrian’s roof, and that they would never dare lay a hand on her again.
He would have preferred to skip such pleasantries, but he could not. Had he neglected the formalities, Nestian might later lodge a protest and attempt to tear the child away.
Now that Thiel had manifested the Power of Light, every possible clue that might reveal her secret had to be thoroughly erased.
She could not be put in any danger.
And he would also have to extend his thanks to the Crown Prince for bringing Thiel safely to House Astrian.
The tasks that had been set aside on the pretext of tending to the child could no longer wait.
They had to be handled step by step. Tapping his fingers against the armrest of the sofa, Alvinus said,
He paused for a heartbeat, then continued with steady resolve,
“…Yet we can make them pay the price through other means.”
Sinder Nestian had concealed Thiel and subjected her to cruelty despite knowing full well she was the flesh and blood of Cassius Celeste Astrian.
And now, the time had come for him to pay.