The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Knock, knock.

Tiel carefully knocked on the door. The attendants standing on either side of the door immediately announced in loud voices.

“Karsus-nim, Tiel-nim has arrived.”

Moments later, the attendants opened the large door. Tiel hesitated for a moment before poking her head through the gap.

At the far end of the room, seated at a massive desk, was a man with perfectly combed hair, piercing golden eyes identical to hers.

Karsus Celeste Asterian. The owner of the room and her father.

Tiel observed Karsus for a moment before knocking lightly again and cautiously asking, “Um, may I come in?”

“Ah, come in, Tiel,” Karsus replied as he carefully set down the pen he had been holding.

Tiel nodded and shuffled into the office, her steps quick and small. The attendants closed the door behind her.

“Take a seat, child,” Karsus said, removing the gold-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and gesturing toward the sofa in the middle of the room.

Tiel obediently perched herself on the edge of the sofa as instructed.

However, Karsus frowned slightly, as if dissatisfied, and strode over to her.

“Not like that,” he said with a faint smile, approaching her and gently lifting her into his arms.

Startled, Tiel’s eyes widened.

“K-Karsus-nim!”

Unbothered by her flustered squirming, Karsus effortlessly carried her to the inner part of the sofa, setting her down comfortably.

Tiel, who had been sitting precariously on the edge, now found herself nestled snugly into the plush cushions.

Only then, seemingly satisfied, did Karsus smile and sink into the sofa across from her.

Tiel, still partially buried in the oversized, soft sofa, blinked as she looked at Karsus.

That startled me...

She had been shocked when he suddenly approached and picked her up, only to realize it had been to seat her more comfortably.

Such an act of care had been unimaginable in the Nestian household.

To Tiel, the touch of an adult had always been something terrifying and cruel.

So this was strange and heartwarming. She had never experienced such kindness before—never even dared to imagine it.

Tiel’s wariness toward Karsus softened slightly. Without realizing it, her fear faded, and her gaze became filled with curiosity as she looked at him.

Karsus, observing her the entire time, felt the corners of his lips lift slightly.

It’s a relief she seems to be adjusting quickly.

He had worried that she might remain guarded for a long time, but she was loosening up far faster than he had anticipated.

While he felt relieved, a part of him also felt deeply sorrowful.

How much suffering did she endure for her to drop her guard so easily after just a few kind gestures?

What kind of treatment had she endured, what kind of life had she led, that he hadn’t known about…

Karsus’s golden eyes briefly blazed with anger directed toward the Nestians before he quickly composed himself, calming the rage.@@novelbin@@

He didn’t want Tiel to notice any trace of his wrath and grow afraid.

Fortunately, Tiel didn’t seem to sense anything.

Soon, maids entered carrying a tray laden with stacked snacks, placing them and a pot of tea in front of the two.

Since Tiel was still young, her tea was replaced with a glass of orange juice.

“Thank you. You may leave now,” Karsus said.

“Yes, Karsus-nim,” the maids replied, bowing politely before exiting the room.

“Tiel, I called you because there’s something I want to tell you,” Karsus said, picking up the most appetizing-looking cookie from the tray and handing it to her.

Tiel accepted the cookie and glanced cautiously at Karsus, trying to gauge his intentions. He had something to tell her... but what could it be?

Could he be changing his mind and planning to send me away again...?

Her thoughts began to spiral toward the worst-case scenario, but Karsus’s voice interrupted her worrying.

“You seemed to remember what happened in the basement that day.”

“Huh? Yes, I do,” Tiel said, nodding. She couldn’t recall it vividly, but she remembered enough.

She remembered Karsus coming down to the basement to find her and the strange light that had erupted from her palms.

“I don’t remember it clearly, but I do remember it faintly,” she said.

How could she possibly forget?

Even now, when she closed her eyes, the scene flickered before her. The desperation she had felt when she thought the Asterians would kill her—and the glowing light that had responded to that desperation.

But what exactly had that light been? It certainly hadn’t been the ice ability she knew of. Just as the question began to form in her mind, Karsus spoke.

“That was your ability, child.”

“...My ability?”

“Yes, a very special one.”

Karsus’s gentle voice rested softly in Tiel’s ears. She blinked in disbelief.

A special ability?

The child tilted her head in confusion.

Tiel had neither the ice ability nor the fire ability. The ability she had used back then was surely nothing more than a minor, insignificant power. Yet here he was, calling it a “special ability”...

Could he be mistaken?

...There’s no way a faint light could be a special ability.

Tiel had never heard of the “ability of light” spoken of in the legends of the Crasion Empire. It was only natural—she had never been properly educated.

Thus, it wasn’t unreasonable for Tiel to think of her own power as nothing more than insignificant.

Karsus began to explain to Tiel the legend surrounding the ability of light, a tale passed down through the Crasion Empire.

He spoke of the legends about the ability of light and its significance. He even explained what the fish-shaped glow that had erupted from her palms symbolized in Crasion.

However, he omitted the part about the second legend, the one passed down only within the Asterian and Nestian families. He didn’t want to burden the child with that knowledge—it was a small consideration on his part.

By the time he had finished, Tiel’s eyes were wide with astonishment. She carefully opened and closed her palms, then asked cautiously, “Th-then, does that mean I…”

“That’s right,” Karsus said gently. “You’re a special child who has manifested the legendary ability. You are special, Tiel.”

Tiel couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It felt like a story from another world. Not long ago, she had been scorned and abused as a useless hybrid, and now she was being called special...

Couldn’t this all just be a mistake?

But as Tiel looked at Karsus, she couldn’t imagine him as someone who would lie.

She brought her hands together, forming a small hollow with her palms. Then, cautiously, she tried using her ability.

A faint light appeared briefly between her hands before vanishing. Tiel’s face showed a flicker of disappointment.

It wasn’t surprising—she had never been taught how to properly use her ability. Still, she couldn’t help but feel upset.

Tiel hesitantly lifted her head to look at Karsus.

“Um, Karsus-nim... then...”

“Yes, go on.”

“Then… can I be of help to the Asterian family?”

Her small lips trembled as she asked the question. The room fell silent for a moment.

Karsus suppressed a sigh.

What did the Nestians do to her to make such a young child ask something like this?

He brushed a hand over his face, his expression heavy, before shifting his gaze back to the little girl.

“Tiel, you don’t have to be of help to the Asterian family. Even if you’re not, you’re still my daughter and a rightful member of this family.”

The results of the paternity test didn’t matter to him.

Tiel was his daughter.

The golden eyes, the white hair symbolizing the snow leopard, and Lena’s locket—all of it proved that fact.

The paternity test was merely a formality to officially declare Tiel as the Asterian successor. Nothing more, nothing less. Tiel was undeniably his daughter.

He had known it from the moment he first laid eyes on her.

There’s no parent in the world who wouldn’t recognize their own child.

Hearing the words “my daughter,” Tiel’s cheeks turned red, and her eyes widened. Flustered, she hurriedly added, “But my grandfather always said that children must contribute to their family…”

“If a family’s survival depends on the hands of a child, then it deserves to crumble. Tiel, children shouldn’t have to worry about such things. All you need to do is eat well and play well.”

Karsus’s voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt. Tiel nodded, almost mesmerized.

“Yes…”

“I told you about your ability because you have the right to know, not because I expect anything from you.”

Tiel nodded again. Karsus looked deeply unsettled, though it didn’t seem to be because of her.

With a complicated expression, he rubbed his face once more before taking the cookie Tiel was still clutching and gently pushing it to her mouth.

“U-um…?”

“Remember this, Tiel. Children don’t need to do anything. At least, not in the Asterian family. All you need to do is eat well and play well.”

It was something she had never heard before in her life.

Eat well and play well? That was unimaginable in the Nestian household. Yet Karsus said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Yes, Karsus-nim…”

Tiel took a small bite of the cookie Karsus had given her, her cheeks flushing from the unfamiliar kindness.

A faint light shimmered from her hands once again.