The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"Miss, are you all right?"

Ria placed a hand on Tiel’s forehead as she spoke.

Tiel rubbed her drowsy eyes with her sleeve and nodded. Other than feeling a little tired, she was fine.

"Yes, I'm okay. But... Ferdi, is Ferdi Oraboni okay?"

Tiel blinked as she asked.

Her last memory was of hugging the rampaging Ferdi at the training ground.

After that, everything had gone black, as if ink had been spilled over her memories.

Just then, the door quietly opened, and two familiar figures stepped inside.

Ferdi and Ludian.

Tiel’s eyes rounded with delight.

"Tiel—!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The moment they saw her sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard and blinking sleepily, Ferdi and Ludian both called out to her at the same time and hurried to her bedside.

They had just returned from seeing Karsus, who had told them everything that had happened to Tiel at the Nestian estate.

The abuse... the suffering this small child had endured there...

Ferdi’s usually composed face was a complete mess.

Ludian was no different.

Seeing her two brothers looking so disheveled, Tiel instinctively reached out a hand.

"Oraboni...?"

"Tiel, you're really okay, right?"

Ferdi asked, his eyes filled with worry.

Both he and Ludian were blaming themselves for everything—Tiel’s collapse, the trouble Karsus and Alpheus had gone through...

Especially Ferdi.

If only I hadn’t acted recklessly...

Then Tiel wouldn’t have collapsed.

Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could see the image of her fainting in his arms.

The way her small hand had fallen limply...

"Oraboni."

Tiel didn’t fully understand what was going through Ferdi and Ludian’s minds, but she could tell that they were deeply worried about her.

She carefully cupped Ferdi’s cheeks with both hands and nodded.

"I'm really okay! But... Ferdi Oraboni, are you okay?"

Tiel’s gaze trembled as she examined him.

The last thing she remembered was Ferdi standing precariously amidst the flames.

Is he really okay now?

Thankfully, although Ferdi looked a little disheveled, he no longer seemed on the brink of collapse.

That’s a relief.

Tiel smiled brightly.

"...Tiel, at a time like this, you should be worrying about your own condition first," Ferdi murmured, his voice heavy.

She shouldn’t be worrying about others.

Ferdi’s shoulders slumped slightly as he sighed.

"Seriously, you idiot! It’s a good thing everything turned out fine, but what if it hadn't? You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"But..."

"But what?! Do you have any idea how scared I was?! You're already so tiny, and you have no sense of fear at all—!"

Ludian huffed in frustration.

Tiel looked startled, her large eyes rolling as if in confusion.

Ferdi turned to him, as if trying to calm him down.

"Hey, Ludian. Watch what you say."

"Am I wrong? Do you have any idea how much I panicked?!"

Sparks flew between the two brothers.

Their concern for Tiel had somehow turned into a sibling argument.

Tiel quickly grabbed Ludian’s hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I'm really okay! So please, don’t worry about me. I’ll be careful from now on. And..."

"...And what?"

"I know you would never hurt me."

Tiel looked up at Ludian as she spoke.

The hand holding his tightened slightly.

Her golden eyes shimmered.

"...What do you know, you tiny thing."

"No, I really do know."

That he would never harm her.

Tiel whispered softly.

Everyone in the room held their breath.

Ludian let out a small, strangled noise and turned his head away.

"This—this time, I'll let it go. Got it? But if you do that again, I’ll seriously scold you."

"Yes! Don’t worry! I won’t do it again, I promise!"

"Yeah, Tiel. Never again. Never do that again."

Ferdi, who had been silent, finally spoke, his voice strained.

Tiel’s gaze returned to him.

He looked as if he was about to cry.

"O-Oraboni..."

"Never again. Promise me."

Ferdi pulled her into his arms.

Tiel buried her face into his warm embrace and nodded earnestly.

Ferdi didn’t let go for a long time.

Wrapped in his warmth, Tiel’s body gradually filled with a comforting heat.

Ria, who had been watching the scene with a pleased smile, gently pulled Tiel’s hair back and tied it into a loose ponytail.

"Now that you’ve just woken up, you should eat something. I’ll go get some soup and soft bread. Ferdi-nim, Ludian-nim, please let her rest a little."

"Yes—."

After Ria left the room, Ferdi and Ludian continued apologizing to Tiel over and over again.

Especially Ferdi. The shock from what had happened seemed to weigh heavily on him.

The wary distance he had maintained toward Tiel before had long since vanished.

Ridden with guilt, Ferdi had stayed by her side the entire time she was unconscious.

Ludian had snorted at the sight of it, but Ferdi paid him no mind.

Tiel didn’t dislike it.

No—she liked it.

The brothers she had once thought would despise her were now worried about her, caring for her.

Her thick wall of wariness melted away like snow under the sun.

And on top of that—

That fire...

The towering pillar of flames that had looked like it would devour Ferdi whole had obediently withered away in her hands.

[Jump in, child. Jump in.]

[You can save him...]

That voice she had heard—what exactly had it been?

But no matter its identity, one thing was clear.

I can save him.

If something like that happened again, she would save him once more.

Tiel’s bright golden eyes glowed again.

That thought alone made her feel like she could burst with joy.

She could be of help to Asterian.

She could be of help to the kind people of the Asterian family—to her affectionate brothers.

"What’s got you smiling like that, little one? Hm?"

Ludian playfully pinched Tiel’s cheek, not hard enough to hurt.

Tiel giggled.

But Ludian’s hand was quickly swatted away—Ferdi had smacked the back of it without hesitation.

"Don’t pinch her carelessly."

"You—you little—!"

Just as the two brothers were about to start another argument, the door slowly opened.

The three children naturally assumed it was Ria returning.

"Planning to cause more trouble, are you? Ferdi, Ludian."

But surprisingly, the person who walked in was none other than Karsus Celeste Asterian.

Tiel’s eyes widened in surprise, while Ferdi and Ludian’s narrowed.

They were wary, afraid he had come to chase them out of Tiel’s room.

Karsus let out an amused scoff and gestured with his hand.

"I’m not here to kick you out, so stop looking at me like that. What kind of eyes are those to give your father?"

Effortlessly moving his two sons aside, Karsus sat down next to Tiel and checked her condition.

Tiel placed her small hand over his much larger one and looked up at him.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore."

"Good. That’s a relief."

Karsus nodded.

"I heard from Ferdi and Ludian about what happened last night. You stopped Ferdi’s rampage."

"Y-Yes!"

Tiel beamed and nodded enthusiastically.

Her innocent excitement brought smiles to everyone in the room.

But Karsus quickly composed himself, his expression turning stern as he looked at her.

"That was reckless, Tiel."

"...Oh."

"It was a reckless thing to do. At that moment, Ferdi was dangerous. If you had been just an ordinary child, you would have died."

His voice was chilling.

Tiel immediately shrank, her expression wilting.

If she had been in her animal form, her ears and tail would have drooped completely.

Unable to watch any longer, Ferdi suddenly interjected.

"It wasn’t Tiel’s fault! This is all because of—!"

"Ferdi."

Karsus called his name, and Ferdi immediately shut his mouth.

But his expression remained full of protest.

Karsus looked at him for a moment before shifting his gaze back to Tiel.

"...But thank you."

"......!"

"You saved Ferdi’s life."

Karsus gently stroked her soft cheek.

"I wasn’t scolding you. I was just worried. Because I’m your father."

Tiel nodded.

Karsus really was worried about her.

He was nothing like her maternal grandfather, Chender Nestian.

Karsus always, in every situation, put Tiel first.

Thanks to that, she was slowly learning how to care for herself, too.

Tiel nodded again and smiled softly.

"Yes. I’ll be more careful from now on. Thank you."

After a brief hesitation, she tentatively reached out and clutched Karsus’s thick hand.

"A...Appa..."

Karsus let out a warm chuckle and ruffled her soft hair.

"Good girl. My daughter."

His large hand rested gently on her head.

"Tiel."

Karsus gazed at her for a long moment. Tiel met his gaze without looking away.

Two pairs of golden eyes—so similar—stared into each other.

After a pause, Karsus lowered his voice and murmured,

"There’s somewhere we need to go together."