The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

The three men jumped to their feet at the maid’s words.

“The young miss is in the guest room near the kitchen, but...”

Before the maid could finish, Karsus was already striding ahead with long, determined steps. The maid hurried after him, nearly running to keep up as she continued speaking.

“She seemed hungry, so I served her some desserts, but... she ate too quickly and ended up vomiting...”

Her voice trembled as if she were about to cry.

“She was stubborn and only ate two slices of bread the entire journey. It seems her stomach couldn’t handle the sudden influx of food,” Cedric said, furrowing his brows.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed noisily through the hallway as they rushed toward the guest room.

Before long, they arrived at the room where Tiel was. Karsus knocked on the door.

“Little one, may I come—”

Thud!

A loud noise came from inside. Without waiting, Karsus swung the door open.

“...”

“Ah...”

What greeted him was a disheveled tea table, a maid cradling a trembling little girl in her arms, and chaos throughout the room.

The maids who had been cleaning froze and looked up at Karsus. He glanced at the carpet that had been pulled aside. In one corner, there was a noticeable stain from the child’s vomit.

The little girl, with her head hung low as though she had committed a grave crime, was shaking uncontrollably.

The floor was littered with bread and desserts.

Karsus pieced together the situation from the maid’s earlier report, Cedric’s comments, and the pile of desserts.

The starving child had overeaten and upset her stomach, vomiting everything back up.

He wanted to reassure his daughter that vomiting wasn’t her fault, but he held himself back.

‘It wouldn’t do to scare her further.’

The child was clearly in a fragile state. She had been described as being overly cautious, and now, having vomited, she was likely even more anxious about upsetting those around her.

“I'm... s-sorry...”

As expected, the little girl was already trembling like a leaf, apologizing profusely.

The maid holding Tiel gently patted her back and said, “I’ll take the young miss to clean her up.”

Karsus nodded, his expression conflicted. The maid quickly left the room, carrying Tiel in her arms.

***

Maid Ria carried Tiel toward the bathroom. The small body in her arms continued to tremble uncontrollably.

“Hic, hic!”

Tiel was so startled that she couldn’t stop hiccupping. She clung tightly to Ria’s neck with her arms, her small voice trembling as she spoke.

“I-I'm sorry... I’m sorry... Please don’t kill me...”

Tiel kept her eyes tightly shut, repeating the same words over and over like a broken doll.

Ria didn’t know what this tiny girl had gone through, but her heart ached as she gently stroked Tiel’s tangled hair.

She held the child close, trying to convey warmth and reassurance.

“It’s all right, it’s all right, young miss. It’s not your fault,” she said softly, her soothing voice wrapping around Tiel like a blanket.

The small girl seemed to calm down slightly at the sound of Ria’s voice.

When they reached the bathroom, Ria sat Tiel down and began filling a basin with warm water.

If another maid were there to help, the process would have been easier.

But following Karsus’s instructions to limit Tiel’s interactions with others, Ria had to handle the task alone.

Once the basin was filled, Ria lifted Tiel again and spoke gently.

“We’ll need to take off your dress now. Is that okay?”

Tiel was still trembling and didn’t seem capable of responding.

Unable to leave the child in such a state, Ria carefully undressed her, peeling off the bright yellow dress Tiel had been wearing.

The soft fabric fell to the floor, revealing a body covered in bruises and scars.

They were unmistakably not injuries one could get on their own.

Ria was speechless at the sight, the severity of Tiel’s condition far worse than she had imagined.

“Oh, miss... Oh, my goodness...”

“...I-I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...”

Misinterpreting Ria’s reaction as anger or disappointment, Tiel burst into tears again, apologizing profusely.

“I'm s-sorry... I really... hic!”

“No, no, young miss, it’s not your fault. You’re okay. Everything is fine,” Ria said, trying her best to console the child.

She gently placed Tiel into the warm water.

Ria silently cursed whoever had caused such harm to this innocent child as she began to carefully wash her delicate skin.

The fragrant bubbles touched every corner of Tiel’s body before dissolving away.

Though most of the wounds had long since healed, Ria was extra cautious, ensuring not to cause any discomfort.

The water quickly turned murky. It was no surprise, as no one in the Nestian household had cared enough to bathe Tiel properly.

Her hair, matted from neglect, had sections so tangled that Ria realized she would need to cut some parts.

‘It’s practically solid. I’ll have to cut it.’

But with only herself and the young girl in the bathroom, Ria decided to delay trimming Tiel’s hair. Leaving the child alone to fetch scissors felt too risky.

Hic!

Tiel’s hiccups echoed loudly in the quiet bathroom.

She tried covering her mouth with her hands, but the sounds escaped through her fingers.

Ria gently lowered Tiel’s hands and said, “You don’t need to force yourself to hold it in, young miss. I’ll bring you some water after your bath. Drinking water will help stop the hiccups.”

Her voice was calm and warm.

With care and precision, Ria continued to wash Tiel’s small body thoroughly.

Eventually, the murky water began to clear, and no more dirt washed away. Only then did Ria stop.

The unpleasant odor that had clung to Tiel was gone, replaced by the fresh scent of soap.

Ria wrapped the little girl in a large towel and dried her off gently.

Afterward, she dressed Tiel in a small set of pajamas she had prepared in advance.

The pajamas had once belonged to Olivia, Karsus’s young nephew, and fit Tiel perfectly.

The young girl often stayed at the Asterian estate, so several outfits for girls were already stored in the room she now rested in.

During that time, Tiel, worn out from crying, had fallen into a deep sleep. Ria gazed at the peacefully sleeping girl with a soft, affectionate expression.

‘I don’t know what you’ve been through, young miss...’

‘But I hope you find peace here.’

Ria whispered a quiet prayer into Tiel’s ear, cradling the sleeping girl as she quickly headed toward the room.

***

The room where Tiel was laid to rest belonged to Karsus’s niece, Olivia, who used it when visiting the Asterian estate.

The room, filled with items for a young girl, provided a comforting and familiar environment for Tiel.

After placing Tiel on the bed, Ria asked another maid to summon the family physician, Cade, as well as Karsus.

Before long, Karsus, Ian, Cedric, and the physician Cade entered the room.

Cade was a middle-aged man in his forties with a warm and gentle demeanor.

“Is the child all right?” Karsus asked urgently.

Ria shook her head.

“She kept crying, saying she was sorry and begging not to be hurt. She cried herself to sleep. I can’t even imagine what she must have gone through...”

Ria’s gaze lingered on the sleeping Tiel, whose face looked more at peace than it had since arriving at the Asterian estate.

“...Examine her condition,” Karsus ordered curtly.

Cade took Tiel’s frail wrist and began his examination.

After a thorough check, he raised his head to look at Karsus.

“She’s severely malnourished, and her growth is significantly delayed compared to other children her age. As for any other issues, we’ll need to wait until she wakes up to assess further.” 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“She is small,” Ian muttered, comparing Tiel’s size to Rowen’s in his mind.

Despite being the same age, Rowen was a full head taller than Tiel.

“What’s the reason for her sudden sleep?” Karsus asked.

“She’s likely exhausted. She probably hasn’t slept properly during the journey. Young beastfolk often fall into sudden sleep when they’re severely sleep-deprived,” Cade explained slowly.

Karsus nodded in understanding and dismissed the others. He sat down carefully beside the bed, gazing at the small girl who now slept so soundly.

When she was awake, she had been so startled by him that she couldn’t even speak properly.

‘I can eat very little, and I can live as if I don’t exist. I’m fine sleeping in the storage room or the barn, so please...’

He hadn’t been able to tell her what he wanted to: that she could stay in the Asterian estate as much as she liked.

‘I want... to stay here.’

If she wished it, he would even wrest the Nestian estate from its current owners and hand it to her.

Karsus resolved to tell her the moment she woke up.

That this was her home now, and she had nothing to fear.

That anyone who dared to harm her would face the full wrath of the Asterian family.

Karsus gently kissed the back of Tiel’s tiny hand, marveling at the warmth emanating from her small body.

At that moment, Cedric cautiously asked, “Will you conduct a paternity test?”

Both Ian and Karsus turned their gazes toward him without saying a word, their looks clearly questioning the necessity.

The golden eyes alone were proof of her mixed heritage, a symbol of the Asterian and Nestian bloodlines.

Cedric quickly defended his suggestion, “Of course, I’m certain she is your daughter. But for formalities—”

“We will conduct the test,” Karsus interrupted, gently tucking Tiel’s hair behind her ear.

“It’s a necessary procedure. We need the documentation to officially register her in the Asterian family records.”

“Then we should cut some of her hair now,” Ian suggested.

“She might be startled if we cut it after she wakes up.”

To perform the paternity test, both the child’s and Karsus’s hair samples were required.

Ian gestured toward Ria, who retrieved a pair of scissors and carefully snipped a small section of Tiel’s hair from the back.

The strands of white hair shimmered faintly in her palm.

“Send the sample to the temple for the test. My own sample is already stored there,” Karsus said.

He had sent his hair to the temple years ago, anticipating the possibility of finding his child someday.

Now, all that remained was to send Tiel’s hair and wait for the results.

While the temple’s backlog of requests was usually lengthy, the Asterians’ substantial donations ensured their requests were prioritized.

Karsus took one last look at his sleeping daughter before speaking.

“We should leave now. She might wake up.”

“Understood. We’ll take our leave,” Cedric replied, exchanging a glance with Ian.

Ian nodded, adding, “Our schedule has been delayed quite a bit. Your Highness, it’s time to return to the Imperial Palace.”

“I wish I could say goodbye to her,” Ian muttered, glancing at the peacefully sleeping Tiel.

“Thank you for everything today, Your Highness, Cedric. I’ll formally express my gratitude another time,” Karsus said.

He then turned to Ria.

“Submit the hair sample to the temple for the paternity test. Also, call the maid from earlier to stay with the child. Inform me immediately when she wakes up.”

“Yes, my lord,” Ria replied.

The four of them exited the room, leaving it in silence, save for the soft, steady sound of Tiel’s breathing.

At that moment—

Fwoosh!

A bright light flickered from Tiel’s hand. It shifted into the shape of a fish, then transformed into a tiny bird before fading away.

No one had seen it.