The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

The news that the young lady had been found brought a wave of relief to everyone in the Asterian estate.

After Tiel had manifested her ability, she fainted on the spot. Karsus carefully cradled the unconscious child in his arms and returned to her room.

He gently laid Tiel on the bed that had been prepared for her and immediately ordered the Asterian family’s physician to be summoned.

The maids, drenched in sweat from searching every corner of the mansion for Tiel, dispersed at Karsus’s command in an instant.

Thus, the room, now empty save for its occupants, was steeped in a heavy silence.

“...Ha...”

Letting out a short sigh, Karsus hesitated briefly before bringing his large hand close to the small nose of the child lying on the bed.

“...She’s breathing properly, at least.”

Confirming that the child’s small chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm and feeling the faint breath against his fingertips, he closed his eyes in relief before opening them again.

Even with the child safely in his arms, she felt so faint, as though she might vanish at any moment. Even the sound of her breathing was so soft that it only served to heighten Karsus’s anxiety.

Drawing some comfort from the fragile rhythm of her breathing, he gently stroked her damp, tear-stained cheek.

‘What on earth...’

What unspeakable horrors had the Nestian family, that wretched place, inflicted on this small child?

‘Ha, Grandfather...? M-my ability won’t manifest... I don’t have any abilities...’

Recalling the sight of the trembling child, curled up and pleading, sent a chill through Karsus’s veins.

At the same time, a seething, inexpressible rage began to boil deep within him.

First, there was the fury he directed at himself—for not even knowing his daughter existed, let alone protecting her from reaching such a state.

Second, there was the rage he directed at those who had pushed his daughter to such despair.

Although he had yet to uncover the exact treatment Tiel endured under the Nestians...

‘I don’t even need to investigate to know.’

From the child’s words just moments ago, Karsus deduced that Tiel must not have been able to manifest any abilities while with the Nestians.

And Chender Nestian, the head of that family, was a man consumed by ambition.

Chender would never have tolerated the fact that Lena and Karsus’s daughter had failed to manifest any abilities.

But then...

Karsus recalled what he had witnessed moments ago in the corridor—the child extending her small palm and showing him.

The light that morphed into the shape of a fish, then a leopard, then scattered like a handful of wind before swelling into something vast enough to seem as though it would devour her whole.

‘And if my assumption is correct, then that light was unmistakably...’

At that moment, the firmly closed door burst open.

Alpheus, the head of the Asterian family, dashed in, his usual composure forgotten. It was the second time today that he had acted so rashly.

“They found her? Is the child— Is she all right?”

Looking visibly anxious, Alpheus strode straight to Tiel, who was lying on the bed, without waiting for Karsus to answer.

Even on the large bed, the granddaughter he had just found appeared painfully small, alarmingly frail, and utterly tiny.

It made sense that the maids would have struggled to find her, given how petite she was.

Alpheus’s gaze lingered on Tiel’s face for a long time.

The heart that had plummeted when he’d heard she was missing melted away like snow the moment he saw her small face.

When he first heard the news of her disappearance, he had been terrified—terrified that he had lost the granddaughter he had just found.

Unconsciously, Alpheus reached out toward Tiel. But just as his fingertips were about to graze her cheek, Karsus stopped his hand.

“Shh, you’ll wake her, Father.”

“What? But I still need to check if she’s all right!”

“I’ve already confirmed that she’s fine. She’s only sleeping.”

“Is that so? Then summon the physician immediately—”

“I’ve already sent for them; they’ll arrive soon. For now, it would be best to leave the child to rest undisturbed.”

After a brief pause, Karsus added, “There is also something I need to discuss with you.”

At his son’s firm tone, Alpheus reluctantly pulled back his hand, his gaze still fixed on his precious granddaughter.

He wanted to look at her just a little longer. No, considering how much he had agonized over her, even staring at her all day wouldn’t feel like enough.

But he, too, didn’t want to wake the sleeping child, so he nodded in agreement.

“...Fine. But the child must not be left alone. Summon a maid.”

Karsus instructed them to bring Ria, the maid who had cared for Tiel when she first arrived at the estate.

Since Tiel seemed wary of strangers, it would be better for someone she was already familiar with to watch over her until a dedicated maid could be assigned.

Not long after, Ria arrived, visibly drenched in sweat, suggesting she had also been searching the estate for Tiel.

Karsus gestured over his shoulder toward the peacefully sleeping Tiel. “Look after her carefully. Make sure she doesn’t disappear again.”

“Yes, Master Karsus.”

Ria nodded, silently vowing not to leave the young lady’s side for even a moment.

After taking one last look at Tiel’s face, Karsus and Alpheus finally left the room, leaving the child to rest.

***

Tiel blinked drowsily, stirred awake by the gentle touch that shook her softly.

“...Mmm.”

She wanted to sleep a little longer.

As she turned her body, her soft cheek pressed firmly against the pillow, causing her eyelids to flutter open naturally.

But her vision was blurry.

It was as though a translucent film covered her eyes, making everything unclear. Her body felt heavy, as if something was pressing down on her.

Curious and slightly uneasy, Tiel cautiously sat up.

At that moment, a strange voice reached her ears.

“Young Lady—”

“...!!!!”

Tiel tilted her head, puzzled by the unfamiliar voice, and turned her gaze toward it. When she met eyes with a stranger sitting by her bedside, she was startled out of her wits and immediately ducked back under the soft blankets.

Her heart raced as her ears suddenly popped out, a reflex driven by her surprise. Her mind, fogged with sleep, cleared in an instant.

‘Who is that person?’

Tiel trembled under the covers, trying to make sense of the situation.

And then...

‘Why am I here...?’

She recalled learning that the people of Asterian loathed her deeply, after which she’d run away without hesitation.

While squirming under the blanket, Tiel searched her hazy memories.

Eventually, she remembered overhearing Karsus and Alpheus’s conversation, fleeing to the basement, and sitting in a seemingly endless hallway, crying.

But the problem was what happened after that.

‘...What did I do after that?’

As Tiel finally remembered what she had done in that dark, endless hallway, her thoughts froze.

Her eyes widened as she shot out from under the covers.

Ignoring the strangers in front of her, she fixated on her scarred and battered palms.

And then, she remembered.

‘There was a fish... in my hand!’

While she stared intently at her palm, lost in thought, a large, warm hand rested gently on her shoulder.

Startled, Tiel snapped her head up.

“!”

“Little one.”

The owner of the warm touch was Karsus. Forgetting her previous thoughts entirely, Tiel instinctively shrank back, her eyes darting nervously.

She wasn’t shrinking back purely out of fear of Karsus. It was also because she had never, not even once, been addressed with such warmth and kindness.

...Though, perhaps she had heard such words before.

‘Little one, come here.’

At that moment, Tiel recalled Karsus’s gentle, soothing voice calling to her in the basement. Her ears perked up at the memory.

Though she had been in a state of panic at the time, she vividly remembered Karsus’s warm tone and the sense of safety she had felt in his arms.

‘...It’s strange. I thought he hated me.’

She distinctly remembered hearing him, in that hallway, say that she should be killed.

‘...I must kill this brat immediately...!’

Tiel shuddered as the memory of the enraged duke’s voice resurfaced.

Yes, that was why she had run for her life.

She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live.

But now...

Why was Karsus calling her with such tenderness, as though she were the most precious thing in the world?

Even though Tiel felt deeply confused, she didn’t pull away or reject Karsus’s touch.

Karsus, noticing her reaction, felt a wave of relief. He had been worried that she might panic again and refuse the treatment she needed.

Gently stroking her fluffy hair, Karsus spoke calmly.

“Apologies for startling you, but it’s best to get this over with quickly so you can rest properly.”

“...O-okay.”

“This is Cade, the Asterian family’s physician. He’ll be the one looking after your health from now on.”

At Karsus’s words, Tiel cautiously turned her head to look at Cade.

The middle-aged man, dressed in a white coat, was smiling kindly at her.

“Hello, young lady. My name is Cade Lester, the attending physician of the Asterian family. Please feel free to just call me Cade.”

Tiel hesitated, glancing around nervously.

The atmosphere made it seem like she should respond to Cade, but she had no idea what to say.

Moreover...

‘...The Asterian family’s physician?’

Tiel blinked in confusion.