The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

The day the Imperial guests arrived at the Nestian estate.

As expected, the mansion was in a frenzy.

Even Tiel, confined to the attic, could tell how important today was.

The maids were meticulously cleaning the mansion, while the gardeners trimmed the low shrubs into perfect rounded shapes.

In the center of the garden stood a massive ice sculpture of a snow leopard, seemingly crafted just for the occasion.

The Nestian estate, polished to perfection by the servants, looked grander than ever.

From her attic window, Tiel watched the bustling activity below.

‘With so many people around, I’ll get caught right away.’

Though the servants were busy, they weren’t so distracted that they wouldn’t notice a small child sneaking out.

And Tiel’s hair—what her grandfather often called “frizzy, dull, and hideous”—would surely make her stand out.

If she tried to escape now, she’d be dragged back within ten minutes.

‘I’ll wait until nightfall to escape.’

Tiel nodded to herself, resolving to stick to her plan.

The one good thing about her situation was that no one paid attention to her.

‘If I wait until after sunset, everyone will be asleep, and it’ll be easier to sneak out.’

She reviewed the plan she’d spent the last two days perfecting.

First, once everyone was asleep, she would sneak into her grandfather’s study.

‘There’s always shiny stuff in his desk drawers.’

Her grandfather kept shiny coins and fancy-looking items, like beautiful fountain pens, in his study drawers.

Tiel also knew that he wasn’t diligent about locking the study door.

That was because Rowen liked to wander in and out of the study.

Though Tiel didn’t like Rowen, she was grateful for that habit, at least for now.

Knowing that shiny objects could be traded for money, Tiel planned to steal some of her grandfather’s valuables and run away.

Then, she would offer the stolen goods to a coachman in exchange for passage to the Asterian family’s territory.

She had no idea that carrying such valuables as a young girl could lead to trouble—or worse—but Tiel didn’t know any better.

Satisfied after double-checking her plan, Tiel hugged the blanket that held her two carefully hidden pieces of bread.

They would be her emergency rations for the journey to Asterian.

Outside, the arrival of the Imperial guests caused a commotion.

Tiel peeked through the attic window and watched as a man in a lavish uniform and a young boy, who appeared to be his attendant, stepped out of an opulent carriage.

The ornate carriage, incomparable to anything owned by the Nestian family, made the reality of her impending escape sink in.

Pressing her small hands to her fluttering chest, Tiel stared at the grand carriage with a mix of nervousness and excitement.

***

After sunset, when everyone in the mansion had gone to sleep, Tiel carefully opened the door to her attic room.

Creaaak—

The old door let out a strange noise. Tiel froze, holding her breath as she waited to see if anyone had heard.

Hearing nothing, she tiptoed out of the attic.

Making her way down to the second floor, she reached her grandfather’s study and cautiously turned the doorknob.

The door opened smoothly.

Relieved to find it unlocked, Tiel slipped inside and quickly shut the door behind her.

She rushed to her grandfather’s desk and began rummaging through the drawers.

As expected, nothing important was in the easily accessible drawers, but she did find a few coins.

Stuffing the coins into her pocket, she opened the third drawer.

“...What’s this?”

Inside the third drawer was a single rusty necklace.

Tiel carefully picked it up, examining it. The metal was tarnished with age, its original shine long gone.

Click.

Startled, she realized she had accidentally triggered a hidden mechanism. The necklace opened in two. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

‘What was that?’

Her heart racing, Tiel gently inspected the necklace.

Inside was a small portrait.

Tiel immediately recognized the woman in the painting.

“Mother...”

The woman was Lena Nestian, Tiel’s mother.

Tiel had rarely seen portraits of her mother. Cornelia, who despised Lena, had removed all of her paintings from the house as soon as she passed away.

But a few remained in Chender’s study, allowing Tiel to recognize the woman in the necklace.

Tears welled up in Tiel’s eyes as she pressed her lips together, suppressing a sob. She quickly put the necklace around her neck.

She would never return to this place again. She needed something to remember her mother by.

Treating the necklace as if it were the most precious thing in the world, she gently ran her fingers over it.

She then pocketed one of her grandfather’s fountain pens and the remaining coins before opening the study door.

Creaaak—

The door let out an unpleasant squeak as it opened.

Tiel frowned, freezing in place.

‘Did anyone wake up?’

Although she knew the second floor was empty at this hour, she couldn’t shake the fear of being caught. Moving cautiously, she tiptoed toward the stairs.

But just as she was about to descend—

Gasp.

She froze.

Tiel gasped for air, her small chest heaving as though it might burst.

“Lady Rowen, I told you not to wander around at this hour—wait, huh?”

It was Rowen’s nanny, Zaira.

Spotting the small figure in the moonlit corridor, Zaira initially assumed it was Rowen. But when her gaze landed on the pair of glowing golden eyes, her face hardened with shock.

Realizing that the figure wandering the mansion at this hour wasn’t Rowen but Tiel, Zaira immediately erupted.

“You! What are you doing here at this time of night? Get back to your room this instant!”

Her shouting echoed through the hallway, reverberating off the walls.

Tiel froze in front of the red-faced Zaira, chewing on her lip in panic.

What do I do?

She needed to run, but her legs refused to move.

To make matters worse, the commotion was waking up the servants, who began stirring and emerging from their rooms. The mansion was growing louder by the second.

Zaira stormed toward her, her steps heavy and deliberate.

Terrified, Tiel shook her head vigorously, clutching her blanket tightly, and bolted down the hallway.

“Stop right there! If I catch you this time, your door’s getting locked for good!”

Tiel ran down the corridor, trembling with fear. She could hear Zaira’s footsteps pounding after her.

Where do I go? Where should I hide?

Zaira’s footsteps grew louder and closer. Without thinking, Tiel darted down the stairs and dove into a bush in the garden.

“She ran away! Find her!” Zaira’s sharp voice rang out as she issued orders to the other servants.

Tiel huddled in the bush, trembling uncontrollably. Tears filled her golden eyes as she whispered to herself, “What do I do... They’re going to catch me.”

One by one, the sleepy servants began searching the grounds, their lanterns swaying in the dark.

One of them approached the bush where Tiel was hiding.

Panicked, Tiel clutched her blanket tightly and bolted once again.

“She’s here! Get her!”

The shout spurred Tiel into frantic action. She ran aimlessly until she found herself at the entrance of an annex she’d never visited before.

The servants hesitated when they saw where she was headed.

The annex was reserved for esteemed guests, and entering without permission was strictly forbidden.

What’s more, the Imperial guests were staying there.

What should we do? the servants wondered. After some deliberation, they decided to report the situation to Chender. However, a few remained stationed outside the annex to ensure Tiel didn’t escape.

Tiel, oblivious to their debate, yanked open the door to the annex’s first floor. It swung open without resistance.

Without thinking, she dashed inside and slammed the door shut behind her.

Panting heavily, she pressed herself against the door, peeking out through the keyhole to watch the servants outside.

Then—

“...Who dares enter my room at this hour?”

A low, unfamiliar voice came from behind her.

Tiel’s body froze, and she slowly turned around, trembling.

A boy, taller than her by at least two heads, stood silhouetted by the moonlight streaming through the window.

He was holding a sharp claw dangerously close to her neck.

“Identify yourself clearly. If you don’t, I’ll slit your throat right here.”

“P-please, s-save me...”

“What?”

“Please save me...”

Before she could finish, tears began streaming down Tiel’s cheeks.

***

Ian, startled, quickly retracted his claws. He turned the trembling girl to face him, noting her small, frail frame. She looked tiny—barely half his size—and was sobbing uncontrollably.

“You...”

When Ian saw her white hair, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

White hair was the unmistakable mark of the Snow Leopard Clan. But there was only one girl in the Nestian family estate.

Rowen Nestian.

Ian mentally went over what he remembered about Rowen. He hadn’t paid much attention to her before, but he was certain Rowen had blue eyes, not golden ones.

Which meant this girl wasn’t Rowen.

His sharp gaze scanned the child’s disheveled appearance.

Her nightgown was so thin it was practically see-through, and her hair was matted, unwashed for days. Her bare feet were scratched and bruised, and her arms were covered in small cuts.

She clutched an old, tattered blanket as though it were her most prized possession.

There was no doubt about it—she looked like someone who had snuck out, desperately trying to escape.

Ian sighed, taking in the sight of her trembling figure. He hesitated for a moment before wiping the tears from her cheeks with his sleeve.

“Don’t cry. Stop crying and answer me. Tell me clearly who you are. Otherwise, I’ll throw you out right now.”

Ian’s stern words made Tiel pause. She hesitated for a moment, her small lips trembling as she finally managed to speak.

“I-I’m Tiel... Tiel Nestian of the Snow Leopard family. I need to escape. I have to get away from here...”

Knock, knock.

Before she could finish, someone knocked on the door.