Previously
Thiel confirms she has regressed one month into the past by checking a scar on her forehead and decides to flee to the Astrian family to avoid her impending death. She plans to use the distraction of an Imperial visit to escape the Nestian estate, despite the risks of being a hybrid.
It was the day guests from the Imperial Palace arrived at the Nestian mansion.
As expected, the Nestian mansion was bustling.
It was so crowded that even Thiel, tucked away in the attic, could tell today was an exceptionally important day.
The maids scrubbed the manor thoroughly, and the gardeners trimmed the saplings of the low garden trees.
In the center of the garden stood a massive ice sculpture of a snow leopard that seemed crafted solely for this occasion.
Meticulously decorated by the Nestian servants, the mansion looked grander than anticipated.
Thiel peered through the attic window at the servants rushing about.
The servants were busy, but not so busy that they would fail to notice Thiel running away.
Besides, as her grandfather always said, her hair was “bushy, hideous, and frizzy.”
Hair like that would always stand out; if she ran now, she would surely be captured in under ten minutes.
Thiel nodded quietly to herself at the thought.
Fortunately, no one paid any attention to her.
Thiel carefully went over the plan she had spent two days formulating.
First, she would sneak into her grandfather’s study while everyone was asleep.
Grandfather always kept valuables in those drawers, like gleaming coins and fine fountain pens.
And Thiel knew he often neglected to lock the study door, since Rowen loved going in there. Thiel did not like Rowen, but this time she felt grateful to her.
Knowing that shiny things were worth money, Thiel intended to steal some of her grandfather’s valuables and make a break for it.
After that, she planned to hand them to a coachman and ask him to take her to the Astrian estate.
She did not realize, however, that a little girl carrying such expensive goods might be reported or severely punished.
Having reviewed her plan, Thiel clutched her blanket with satisfaction.
Tucked inside were the two loaves of bread she had hidden.
They were emergency rations to eat on her way to the Astrians.
Meanwhile, a commotion arose outside as the guests from the Imperial Palace arrived.
Thiel peeked out the attic window.
A man in a splendid uniform and a boy who looked like his attendant stepped out of a lavish carriage that put the Nestian family’s to shame.
Looking at the carriage that had arrived from the Imperial Palace, Thiel realized that today she would truly escape this mansion. She stared at the grand carriage, clasping her hands neatly over her thumping heart.
After the sun went down, everyone in the mansion fell asleep. Thiel carefully cracked open the attic door.
Creak.
An eerie groan came from the old door. Alert and careful not to wake the servants, Thiel crept out in silence.
She slipped down from the attic and gently took hold of the doorknob to her grandfather’s second-floor study. The door swung open softly.
Relieved that it was unlocked, Thiel swiftly closed the study door behind her.
She hurried over to her grandfather’s chest of drawers and began rummaging through it. Because it was always left unlocked, there was nothing of great consequence inside aside from a few coins. Thiel slipped a coin into her pocket and opened the third drawer.
Resting inside the third drawer was a single, rusted necklace. Thiel gently picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It was old, its luster long since faded.
Click.
She must have pressed something by mistake, because the pendant clicked and sprang open in the middle.
Thiel steadied her racing heart and touched the pendant with care. Inside sat a portrait. She recognized the face at once.
The woman was Thiel’s mother, Lena Nestian. Thiel had rarely seen portraits of her, for Cornelia, who detested Lena so deeply, had gotten rid of every picture the moment Lena died.
Even so, a few paintings still hung in Sinder’s study, which was how Thiel could tell the portrait in the locket was her mother.
Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. Clamping her lips shut, Thiel slipped the necklace around her neck.
‘Since I’m never coming back, I really need at least one thing to remember Mother by.’
Thiel held the locket tenderly, as though it were the most precious treasure in the world.
She opened another drawer, stashing one of her grandfather’s fountain pens and several coins into her pocket.
Creak.
It had been quiet when she entered, but as she went to leave, an unwelcome noise sounded from the door.
Thiel frowned slightly.
‘Aren’t people supposed to be asleep?’
The second floor was usually deserted at this hour, but with no way of knowing that for sure, Thiel moved cautiously. Yet just as she was about to head down the stairs—
Step, step.
Thiel gasped. Her small chest puffed as if it might burst.
It was Rowen’s nanny, Zera.
Mistaking the small silhouette for Rowen, Zera caught sight of golden eyes gleaming in the moonlight. The instant she realized it was Thiel wandering the mansion at this hour and not Rowen, she flew into a frenzy.
Zera’s shout echoed down the hallway.
Thiel bit her lip, completely frozen before Zera, whose face was flushed as if ready to explode at any second.
‘Oh no.’
She had to run, but her legs refused to obey.
To make matters worse, the mansion began to stir, startled servants murmuring as the commotion spread.
Zera lunged forward to seize Thiel. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Thiel took off running, clutching her blanket tight.
Trembling, Thiel sprinted down the hallway with Zera in hot pursuit.
‘Where do I go?’
Zera’s footsteps were closing in. Thiel bolted down to the first floor, burst out of the mansion, and ducked into the garden bushes.
Zera’s shrill screams rang out. Hiding among the shrubs, Thiel shivered, tears filling her eyes. She buried her face in her hands and whimpered,
Drawn by Zera’s shouts, servants came running one after another. A footman approached the very bush where Thiel was hiding. Panicking, she bolted again, refusing to let go of her blanket.
Running frantically for her life, Thiel fled toward an annex she had never set foot in before.
Seeing her dash toward the outbuilding, the servants hesitated and pulled up short.
The annex was where their distinguished guests were staying; no one was permitted inside without permission.
What was more,
Anxious, the servants quickly turned around to report the situation to Sinder.
Even so, a few lingered outside the annex to watch over it and ensure Thiel did not escape.
Panting wildly, Thiel yanked on the first door she came across on the annex’s ground floor.
It opened without resistance. Without thinking, she threw herself inside, then peered through the keyhole back toward the annex entrance, gasping for breath.
Right at that moment—
An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind. Thiel flinched on instinct and turned around. Standing behind her, backlit by the moonlight, was a boy only slightly taller than herself.
The boy’s hand pressed against Thiel’s throat.
As the words left her mouth, tears spilled from Thiel’s eyes.
Flustered, he pulled his hand back and spun the girl around in his arms.
A tiny girl, barely shorter than him, was weeping, her tears pouring down relentlessly.
Seeing the girl’s white hair, Ian frowned. White hair was unmistakably the hallmark of the Snow Leopard clan.
Yet there was supposed to be only one young girl in the Nestian mansion—Rowen Nestian.
Ian tried to recall what Rowen Nestian looked like. He had paid her little attention and hardly remembered her face… but he was certain of one thing: that girl had blue eyes, not golden ones.
In other words, the child who had fearlessly barged into the prince’s chambers was not Rowen Nestian.
He took in her shabby appearance. She wore thin pajamas you could see right through, her hair had gone uncombed for ages, and her bare feet were covered in scratches. She was even clutching a ragged old blanket to her chest.
He had no idea how she had ended up in his room, but she looked for all the world like a fugitive on the run. Embarrassed and overcome with guilt, Ian swallowed hard as he looked down at her.
He used his sleeve to wipe away the tears streaming down Thiel’s cheeks and said,
Faced with Ian’s threat, Thiel paused as if thinking for a moment. Then she parted her lips and spoke.
Knock, knock.
Before she could finish, someone knocked on the door.