Previously
Ian visits Thiel in the drawing room and presents her with a massive collection of expensive dresses, sparking a subtle rivalry with Birdie over who should provide for her. Ian mentions the pending paternity test, briefly frightening Thiel before he reassures her with his presence.
After Ianthros departed, Leah moved to escort Thiel to her room, but Birdie stopped her.
Taking Thiel with him, Birdie returned her to her room.
Having heard the news of Ian’s departure, Lodian had abandoned his Academy duties and come running over to join him.
Birdie answered with a smile.
Feeling embarrassed by Birdie’s answer, Thiel fidgeted with the black doll she had received as a gift, then turned her gaze toward Lodian.
Meeting Thiel's eyes, Birdie extended his hand to her before finishing his sentence.
Lodian spread his arms wide, full of insistence.
Thiel fiddled with the hem of her dress, wondering which of her older brothers she ought to go to.
The one Thiel chose was Birdie.
That was because she was more familiar with Birdie than with Lodian, whom she had only met about once.
Lodian looked despondent, but Birdie was delighted.
Even so, Lodian quickly accepted Thiel's choice and sat down beside her, looking right at her.
He gently touched her white hair and took her small hand.
Murmuring in wonder, Lodian looked over at Birdie and spoke as if he had finally remembered something.
Lodian grumbled as he stroked Thiel's soft cheek.
Soon, however, the boy’s eyes sparkled.
Birdie cut into the conversation between Lodian and Thiel.
Thiel’s eyes widened as she looked at Birdie.
Birdie was staring at Thiel with a chilly expression, sending a shiver through her.
Yet almost instantly, Birdie smiled again and tickled the palm of Thiel's hand.
The cold look on his face from mere moments ago vanished completely, leaving only a boy beaming with a brilliant smile.
Thiel tilted her head in confusion, yielding her palm to Birdie.
Behind him, Lodian was watching Birdie with a strange expression.
Alvinos chewed and swallowed an entire large piece of meat, then asked while thoroughly wiping his mouth with a table napkin.
Lodian nodded.
What Lodian said was true. The results should have been ready a week after the strands of hair were sent.
Astrian’s donations to the temple alone were worth several years of the imperial budget.
So, naturally, the temple should have processed Astrian's request as quickly as possible.
Cassius nodded, cutting the steak on Thiel's plate into bite-sized pieces.
He then speared a finely cut piece of meat with a fork and brought it to Thiel’s small mouth.
Thiel chewed busily with her little mouth, her plump cheeks showing signs of having gained some weight.
Her round, golden eyes stared intently at the meat, her hair neatly tied back.
Cassius and Lena were the only Black Panther and Snow Leopard who had married and borne children in this generation.
It was utter nonsense to say that Thiel, born with the distinct traits of both clans, was not their biological child.
Therefore, Cassius had not paid much mind to the paternity test, having considered it nothing more than a pointless formality.
Had the Nestians said or done something to the temple? It was a reasonable suspicion.
If the paternity test results were manipulated to create a discrepancy, Nestian could clear themselves of the charge of abusing Cassius’s daughter and take Thiel with them.
So it had to be verified.
Cassius gazed at his daughter for a moment as if looking upon the most precious thing in the world, then wiped some sauce from her cheek before speaking.
Birdie smiled brilliantly and nodded. Thiel's eyes shifted toward Birdie at the word ‘announce.’
‘The youngest daughter is alive… announce it.’
What did announcing it mean, though?
Thiel was only a seven-year-old child who had never received any proper education, so she neither knew nor understood such difficult words.
When Thiel rolled her eyes inquisitively toward Birdie, he tilted his head slightly, never losing his gentle smile, and spoke.
Thiel nodded vigorously. The corner of Birdie’s mouth hardened slightly, but his smile soon returned.
Because it happened in the blink of an eye, no one caught the shift in his expression.
Lodian, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Birdie and Thiel, raised a fork holding a large piece of meat and looked at her.
This time, Thiel did not feel surprised or panicked at the mention of presents.
That was thanks to having already heard about it from Ian. Instead, her round eyes sparkled with brief anticipation.
Birdie, who did not miss Thiel’s eyes lighting up with expectation, followed up on Lodian’s words.
This time, however, her eyes did not shine as they had before.
On the contrary, she looked a little frightened.
Birdie blinked in surprise, not having anticipated such a reaction.
Cassius said this as he rested his large hand on Thiel’s soft hair.
Thiel raised her head, feeling the warmth atop her crown.
"……".
After dinner ended.
Birdie and Lodian, believing they had grown reasonably close to Thiel, asked Cassius if they could look after her.
Naturally, Cassius attempted to refuse.
Since Thiel had said so, Cassius had no reason to stop his sons from doting on their younger sister.
In the end, he permitted Birdie and Lodian to care for Thiel. And now.
Birdie patted the seat beside him.
Thiel was torn between Lodian, who was offering a piggyback ride, and Birdie, who was offering to read her a story.
"……!"
After an agonizing debate, she gingerly went over and sat next to Birdie. A piggyback ride sounded fun, but the stories intrigued her even more.
Ever since coming to the Astrian estate, Leah had been reading her fairy tales every night before bed, and Thiel truly loved them.
In the Nestian manor, fairy tales had belonged solely to Rowen and the other children.
Thiel loved fairy tales because they let her imagine eating plenty of delicious food and sleeping in a warm place within that mysterious wonderland.
So on the days Thiel managed to sneak out of the attic, she would creep over to Rowen's door and quietly listen to the fairy tales read through the crack.
‘But I don’t have to do that anymore.’
A smile spread across Thiel’s face. Now, Leah read her stories every night without her needing to eavesdrop. And…
She also had a kind older brother reading fairy tales to her.
Birdie's calm voice tickled Thiel's ears.
The little girl sat beside Birdie, absorbed in the short story.
Just then, Lodian, sulking after being repeatedly shut out by Birdie, wedged himself between the two of them and spoke.
Lodian said, pointing his finger at the illustrated page.
In the children's book was an illustration of a giant lion wielding its supernatural power.
At Lodian’s words, Birdie’s face creased into a scowl as he anticipated his twin’s next move.
Birdie tucked his stray hair behind his ear and opened his mouth.
Lodian waved his hand through the air with a triumphant look.