Previously
Thiel reveals her human form and hybrid identity to a stunned Cedric, who realizes she is the lost child of Lena Nestian and Cassius Astrian. Ian and Cedric treat Thiel with unprecedented kindness during a three-day journey, buying her a new yellow dress and providing her with safety.
The Astrian family was turned completely upside down.
After confirming the color of Thiel’s eyes, the elderly butler hurried off, saying he would bring the Master and the Marquis.
Meanwhile, the maids guided Cedric, Ian, and Thiel to the reception room.
Thiel felt a wave of relief seeing Cedric and Ian accompany her into the room.
At first, she had meant to handle this alone, having promised herself that she would not cause Cedric and Ian any more trouble.
Yet…
Gulp.
Thiel swallowed dryly in awe as she looked up at the ceiling. A lavish chandelier encrusted with immense sapphires was reflected in her small golden eyes.
Glancing to the side, she noticed the dazzling, opulent walls inlaid with gold.
‘This mansion isn’t just huge…’
From the chandelier and the statue at the entrance to the lavishly decorated gates,
everything in the Astrian estate was far larger and grander than in the Nestian estate.
The little girl had no choice but to bow her head in a daze from the very moment she stepped inside.
At this rate, she felt she would never be able to meet the gaze of Duke Astrian, let alone tell him she was his daughter.
Having Ian and Cedric by her side was her only small salvation.
Thiel gazed at Ian, who walked with steady strides while holding her hand firmly.
She wanted to remember her kind friend’s face as clearly as possible.
For she might never see him again.
Ian and Cedric seemed to believe that the members of the Astrian household would welcome her.
‘That will never happen…’
Sinder had drummed it into her head that the Astrians despised her.
Her mother had died giving birth to her, so how could the Astrians feel anything toward Thiel but deep hatred?
In truth, Thiel quietly agreed with Sinder’s words.
She herself felt guilty over her mother’s death; how could anyone else feel any different?
She knew she would never be accepted
as a daughter by the Astrian family.
Still, saying that aloud might make her cry, and it would seem like a betrayal of Ian and Cedric, so she kept her mouth shut.
Upon reaching the reception room, Ian pointed to the middle of the plush sofa and spoke.
Without waiting for her reply, Ian swept Thiel up and set her down on the sofa.
He spoke quickly, pacifying Thiel’s clumsy attempt to scramble back to her feet.
Hearing his reasoning, she realized he was right, so she stayed seated, folding her hands politely.
A moment later, the Astrian maids entered the reception room wheeling a small cart.
Upon it were simple confections, tea, and an assortment of juices suited for a seven-year-old child.
The maids set a small plate in front of Thiel and presented her with a chocolate-filled cake.
Thiel stared at the confection with her mouth parted in surprise, then looked up at Ian.
She was truly famished.
Her own stubbornness had kept her from eating anything other than the bread she had brought with her, though she did not regret it.
She had refused to burden Ian and Cedric any further.
Yet looking at the chocolate cake set before her made her mouth water.
It was inevitable; after all, she was still just a child, and an utterly starving one at that.
Seeing Thiel like this, Ian let out a quiet sigh, took a cake, and set it closer to her.
Cedric chimed in as well.
Even so, Thiel glanced around to ensure the servants
were not watching before she turned down the offer.
She hated the thought of seeming ill-mannered, and would have loathed herself for it.
When Thiel still refused to open her mouth, Ian picked up a piece of cake in his other hand and addressed the servants.
Carrying their trays, the waiting maids filed out of the reception room in an orderly row.
Now only Cedric, Ian, and Thiel sat side by side in the vast reception room.
Ian offered the cake to Thiel’s lips once more.
Thiel understood that this was pure kindness on Ian’s part.
Unwilling to disregard his warmth, she gingerly took the cake into her hands and took a tiny bite.
Before long, the bittersweet flavor of the chocolate cake spread across her tongue.
Tasting that rich sweetness for the first time in her life, Thiel’s eyes went wide.
Just then—
Bang!
The doors to the room burst open.
Thiel froze mid-chew and turned toward the sound.
A man with hair as black as night and golden eyes—the hallmark of the Black Panther—strode into the reception room.
Cedric stood up first.
Only then, upon hearing those words, did Thiel realize who the man was.
‘That person… is my father.’
Freynide Celeste Astrian.
Thiel had heard of him from her grandfather Sinder.
He was described as an utterly arrogant man who cared nothing for the status of those he spoke to and lacked even basic courtesy.
And he had loathed Thiel entirely…
Perhaps from knowing how deeply he despised her, Thiel’s tiny heart began to pound violently.
The little girl neatly clasped her hands together and looked up at the man standing before her.
He was staring down at her with a bewildered gaze,
as if he could not fathom what was happening.
His scrutiny pressed down heavily upon little Thiel.
A heavy silence stretched between them for a time.
It was Freynide who broke it first.
The rest of his words caught tight in his throat.
Yet Ian and Cedric knew what words Freynide was struggling to form.
He wanted to ask if she truly was his daughter.
After Lena Nestian’s death, he had buried all hope in his heart, barely daring to cling to life, and now he was wondering whether this child—whom he had never dared imagine was alive—was truly standing before him.
Thiel, however, did not think that way. Or rather, it was impossible for her to do so.
She was convinced the Astrian family harbored nothing but hatred for her.
To her, the reason Freynide stood
speechless was sheer fury at the sight of her.
The severe set of his features seemed to be that of someone overcome with anger.
Thiel knew that furious expression all too well; it was the only one she had seen directed at her for years.
Naturally, Freynide looked on the verge of erupting, but in truth, his mind was utterly blank.
All the practiced speeches she had prepared vanished, leaving her only with the desperate urge to beg for her life.
Even so, Thiel gathered her composure with the silent presence of Ian and Cedric. Having come this far, there was no turning back to the Nestians now.
And so, she resolved to summon her courage.
Breaking the silence before the speechless Freynide could, Thiel spoke.
Thiel’s golden eyes gleamed beneath the sunlight.
They were the exact shade of Freynide’s own.
Thiel reached out and offered the locket she had been gripping tightly to Freynide.
The metal still held her warmth.
Freynide accepted the locket with trembling hands,
unable to utter a single word.
Even without opening it, he recognized the owner at a glance. It had belonged to Lena.
Pressing the clasp with his thumb, the locket snapped open, revealing the portrait of a familiar face—Lena.
The name escaped Freynide’s lips as a faint, tender smile touched his mouth.
The white-haired woman smiling so brightly in the portrait was the spitting image of the child standing before him.
Without thinking, Freynide reached out toward Thiel
and gently brushed her soft cheek.
Startled, Thiel stood before Cassius and blurted out,
She hurried to speak before Freynide could say a word.
Ian narrowed his eyes at her unexpected behavior.
Her voice trembled like that of someone terrified, though she was far too nervous to notice her own shaking.
Thiel spoke as if dreading that Freynide might turn her out or explode in anger at any second.
At last, she managed to voice the plea that had echoed hundreds of times in her mind during the journey to Astrian.
Thiel lowered her head slowly.
“Here… I just want to stay here.”
As Thiel’s last words drifted away, all mouths fell shut.
A profound silence descended over the room.