Previously
Thiel transforms into a snow leopard to retrieve her mother's blankets before Ian uses his rare Subspace Creation ability to hide her and her belongings. Meanwhile, Sinder Nestian hosts Cedric Yuvino, desperately trying to hide the commotion caused by Thiel's escape while promoting Rowen as a candidate for the imperial family.
Cedric doubted his own eyes.
He wiped his glasses with a handkerchief.
Putting them back on, he stared at Ian and the "thing" resting in his hands.
Unfortunately, Cedric’s vision was all too clear.
What Ian held was indeed a small snow leopard.
Cedric asked. Ian shrugged as if wondering what the fuss was about, then set the snow leopard down onto a cushion.
Ian asked gently. The little snow leopard looked into Cedric’s eyes and gave a hesitant nod.
Watching this unfold, Cedric wished desperately that it were all a dream.
Please let this just be a dream.
Let the little beast Ian had summoned out of his subspace not be a snow leopard.
Yet no matter how many times he looked, the creature before him was unmistakably a snow leopard cub.
White fur was the emblem of the Nestian family.
Snow leopards were born only to House Nestian, just as black panthers were born solely to House Astrian.
Once, long ago, an ancestor had been born carrying both Nestian and Astrian blood.
A hybrid born of both black panther and snow leopard lineages was extraordinarily rare.
Within House Nestian, there was only one snow leopard cub of that age.
A seven-year-old girl named Rowen Nestian.
As far as he knew, there were no other young girls in House Nestian besides Rowen.
Then who on earth was this child?
Ignoring Cedric’s bewilderment, Ian spoke.
Ian pointed toward the little snow leopard, his tone suggesting it should have been obvious without needing to be said.
Ian rested a hand on the snow leopard’s head. Glancing between Cedric and Ian, the cub carefully turned on the spot.
In its place, a little girl dressed in shabby clothes appeared before Cedric.
She was lovely, with thick white hair and golden eyes shimmering in the afternoon sunlight.
Cedric stared at Ian and Thiel, too stunned to ask another question.
His gaze held an unintentional sternness.
Tears welled in Thiel’s eyes.
Seeing that, Ian glared at Cedric, who looked back with an apologetic expression.
After hesitating for a moment, Thiel spoke with tears trembling in her eyes.
Stammering her name with her head bowed low, she looked terribly fragile.
Realizing he had frightened the child, Cedric quietly waited to hear her out without interrupting.
Thiel unwrapped the bundle of blankets she carried, revealing its contents to Cedric.
Inside lay two pieces of stale, crusty bread and an inexpensive-looking fountain pen.
Tucked alongside them were a few cheap, toy-like trinkets.
Cedric could tell from Thiel’s reaction alone that she had been neglected and mistreated by House Nestian.
Ian suddenly chimed in, pointing toward Thiel’s eyes.
Only then did Cedric notice that her eyes were unlike those of an ordinary snow leopard.
Snow leopards were normally born with grey eyes.
Snow leopards possessed grey eyes, while black panthers bore gold.
There was only one case where a snow leopard could have a different eye color altogether.
A hybrid of both snow leopard and black panther blood.
Thiel bore the white fur of a snow leopard and the golden eyes of a black panther.
It was clear proof that she carried the mixed blood of both clans.
At that moment, pieces fell into place in Cedric’s mind.
Lena was of the snow leopard clan, and Cassius hailed from the black panthers.
Despite the fierce opposition of both families, the two had had children and formed a household together.
They had twin sons, and Lena had been expecting their third child.
Then, one day, she vanished without warning.
Lena disappeared without a trace, and before long, House Nestian announced her death.
House Astrian had been forced to hold her funeral without even knowing whether the third child had lived or died.
Everyone had vaguely assumed that because Lena had perished, her unborn child must have died with her.
‘Then… could this child be…?’
Cedric shifted his gaze back to the little girl.
He asked in a trembling voice,
Thiel counted on her fingers as she answered.
Her age matched perfectly. If she truly was the daughter of Lena and Cassius, it made sense that Lena would have hidden her away in Nestian.
Had it been known that Lena’s child was alive, House Astrian would have undoubtedly fought to claim her.
As the thought took hold, Cedric turned toward Ian, his jaw slack.
Ian merely shrugged.
The coachman urged the horses onward, and the carriage carrying the three sped toward the Astrian lands at full gallop.
The carriage traveled for three days and three nights before finally arriving in the territory of the black panthers.
Despite Cedric and Ian’s protests, Thiel had insisted on eating only the dark bread she had brought with her.
‘I can’t cause them any more trouble.’
Thiel kept thinking of Ian and Cedric, who had looked after her the entire way.
They had been truly kind to her.
They offered her the most comfortable seat in the carriage, and whenever Ian felt uncomfortable, he let her rest inside his subspace.
It was the first time in her life that anyone had shown her such gentle care, making them seem almost unfamiliar to Thiel.
‘Usually, people frown the moment they see me…’
Yet Ian and Cedric always looked at her with gentle smiles.
Of course, Cedric had seemed a little frightening at first, but over the past three days, Thiel had realized how warm-hearted he was.
He had even bought her clothes, saying she might catch a cold because her old ones were so thin.
Thiel had waved her hands, insisting she did not want to impose, but Ian and Cedric had stood firm.
They had warned that if she caught a cold, they would not take her to see the Astrians.
Not wanting to trouble her two kind companions, Thiel had reluctantly accepted.
They bought a warm dress and a sheer overgarment from a nearby boutique.
It was the first proper dress she had ever worn in her life.
All her time at the manor, she had worn only Rowen’s hand-me-down pajamas.
The fabric was bright and radiant, like golden forsythia, making even an impoverished child like her look lovely.
What was more, six pretty ribbons lined the front of the skirt. Thiel fingered the hem restlessly out of sheer delight.
Even so, Ian and Cedric had apologized, feeling bad that they couldn’t get her something finer and promising to buy her better clothes once they reached the capital.
Though Thiel had adamantly refused, they still insisted on gifting her a beautiful dress when they returned.
‘Is it really alright for someone like me to wear something so lovely…?’
Thiel wondered, toying with the soft ribbons on her dress.
A dress like this was meant for Rowen, who was as pretty as a princess.
She closed her eyes and shook her head.
The Astrians were said to despise the Nestians fiercely.
So it seemed to her that if she wanted to make a good impression, she ought to look neatly dressed, at the very least.
In her heart, Thiel silently thanked Ian and Cedric for their warmth.
Right then,
The carriage came to an abrupt halt. Thiel looked out the window, her eyes wide.
A tiny gasp slipped from her lips.
The Astrian estate carried an atmosphere entirely different
from that of the Nestian estate.
Unlike the snow-draped Nestian lands, the main gates here were framed with vibrant, colorful blooms.
Glancing past the gate, she saw a vast expanse of green lawn, with the grand and imposing Astrian manor rising proudly beyond it.
Seeing it, Thiel’s heart sank.
‘Will I really be alright here?’
She squeezed her eyes shut,
struck by the dread that she might be thrown out of such a magnificent place.
Recognizing the imperial crest on the carriage, the Astrian guards swung the gates open.
The carriage rolled smoothly past the gates and came to a stop before the grand manor’s
main entrance.
Just then, Thiel felt a gentle pat on her shoulder.
Thiel asked, her eyes widening. Ian narrowed his eyes slightly, as if the answer should have been obvious.
Cedric stepped down first, ready to escort both Ian and Thiel.
Still somewhat bewildered, Thiel took
Ian’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.
Just then, an elderly man with grey hair
came hurrying toward them from a distance.
Thiel hung back a single step behind Ian and Cedric, watching the man approach.
He appeared to be the Astrian head butler.
With a broad smile, the butler bowed deeply to Cedric and Ian to pay his respects.
The head butler, Bardin, smiled faintly,
looking somewhat troubled.
Cedric extended his hand to Thiel.
Without thinking, Thiel placed her hand in his.
She naturally took a step forward, standing between Cedric and Ian, and glanced back and forth between Bardin and Cedric.
Cedric’s hand tightened slightly around Thiel’s, reassuring and protective.