The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

The child hastily picked up a shard of the broken mirror lying on the floor.

In her rush, the sharp edge nicked the tip of her finger, but she didn’t care.

Wide-eyed, Tiel stared into the shard of the mirror she held.

Reflected back at her was a frail child with gaunt cheeks, dull white hair, and golden eyes—a pitiful, wretched sight.

“Truly...”

I’m alive.

Tiel muttered to herself, her fingers brushing over the face in the mirror.

How am I alive?

She was certain she had died.

On that snowy day, on the balcony of her grandfather’s study.

She could still hear her grandfather’s shouting when she closed her eyes.
The cold, the loneliness, the fear on the balcony.

...And the fading sound of Rowen and her grandfather’s laughter as her consciousness dimmed.

And yet, here she was, alive.

“Am I dreaming?”

She blankly stared at the shard of mirror in her hand.

A single drop of blood trickled from the finger she’d cut on the glass.

“No, it’s not a dream.”

She really was alive.

The stinging pain in her finger and the blood that seeped from it were proof enough.

On top of that...

Tiel cautiously brushed aside her messy bangs.

There was a jagged scar etched onto her forehead.

It was the same scar she had gotten a month before her death when Rowen had pushed her down the stairs, causing her to fall.

By the time she’d died, the wound had mostly healed, scabbed over and faded. But now, it was raw and fresh, as if it had happened just yesterday.

“...It’s like it just happened,” she murmured, gingerly touching the wound on her forehead.

“Ouch...”

The spot stung. A faint smear of blood marked her fingertip.

If that was the case...

“Have I gone back in time? But how...”

Lost in thought, Tiel stared down at her hands.

Her hands, scratched and bruised, seemed to flicker with a faint light for a moment before it vanished.

Did I imagine it?

She rubbed her palms together, but the light didn’t return.

I must have been seeing things.

After all, she’d just come back to life—seeing such illusions didn’t seem too far-fetched.

Tiel stopped staring at her hands and slowly lifted her gaze.

Her empty, hollow eyes took in the cobweb-covered ceiling of the attic.

She had returned to the past.

Which meant that if she did nothing, she would die again in a month.

Tiel frowned.

Her grandfather and aunt’s voices still echoed in her mind, reverberating like a curse.

The cold from the balcony clung to her chest like ice, making her feel as though her body would freeze solid.

Placing a small hand over her chest, Tiel thought to herself, I don’t want to die again.

She didn’t want to be locked on that balcony again.

...And she definitely didn’t want to die hearing the sound of her family’s laughter.

Tiel scrubbed her tear-streaked eyes with her sleeve.

The rough fabric left her skin red and raw, but she didn’t care. She clenched her small hands into fists and made a firm decision.

I’ll run away.

Even if it meant wandering aimlessly and dying alone, she would escape.

Tiel nodded resolutely.

But where should I go?

Sitting on the floor, she began to think.

The Nestian estate was in the middle of a snow-covered tundra.

Even if she managed to escape, she would freeze to death before getting far.

So I need to decide where to go before I leave...

Chewing on her nails absentmindedly, Tiel glanced at the mirror shard.

That was when her golden eyes, reflected in the glass, caught her attention.

...My eyes?

The very eyes her grandfather and aunt despised, calling them “repulsive” and “disgraceful.” As she stared at them, an idea suddenly flashed in her mind.

“...Asterian.”

She carefully whispered the name, then gasped, quickly glancing around.

Once she confirmed no one was watching, she finally allowed herself to breathe.

In the Nestian household, the name “Asterian” was forbidden.

The Black Leopard Clan of Asterian.

For generations, the Snow Leopard Clan of Nestian and the Black Leopard Clan of Asterian had been bitter enemies.

The reason Tiel had never been accepted as a granddaughter was because she carried the blood of the Asterian family.

“Vulgar wretch.”

That was what her grandfather Chender muttered about her with disgust.

“Useless thing! If the head of the Black Leopard Clan saw you, he’d tear you to shreds on the spot. You should be grateful I’ve even let you live!”

Remembering those words, Tiel curled into herself.

Not just her grandfather, but her aunt Cornelia, her cousin Rowen, and even the household servants spoke about Asterian the same way.

They all said that the Black Leopards would kill her on sight if they ever saw her.

That there was no place for a hybrid like her anywhere.

But Tiel, who had spent her entire life within the Nestian estate, knew nothing of any other clans.

...I have nowhere to go.

A young beastkin without any ties couldn’t possibly survive in the harshness of the outside world.

But staying in the Nestian household meant certain death in a month.

So,

“I’ll go to the Asterian family.”

It was the only place Tiel had even a shred of information about.

The territory of Asterian was located on the opposite side of the continent from Nestian.

Unlike Nestian, where it snowed year-round, Asterian was said to have an incredibly mild climate.

Even if Tiel were to be cast out there, it seemed like a better place for survival than Nestian’s frozen wasteland.

‘...Father.’

The unfamiliar word lingered in her thoughts as she silently mouthed it a few times before stopping herself.

If she called him father, he might tear her apart on the spot.

Her grandfather and aunt had always told her that the people of Asterian despised her.

‘Because my mother died because of me...’

But still, she was his daughter. Maybe if she promised to live quietly, eating little and staying out of sight, he might let her stay.

Hope flickered in Tiel’s golden eyes.

‘Yes, I’ll tell him I’ll eat little and won’t cause any trouble...’

She could live on just one piece of bread every two days; she’d make that clear.

Now that she had decided on a destination, the next challenge was figuring out how to escape.

Her room was in the attic, the most secluded part of the mansion, which lowered the chances of being caught during her escape.

But.

‘The guards are everywhere.’

She sighed, peering out the window at the knights patrolling the estate’s garden.

On top of that, every servant in the mansion knew her face.

If she stepped outside her room, she’d be beaten and dragged back to the attic without question.

‘...Isn’t there a way to sneak out?’

At that moment, the attic door swung open with a bang.

“Ah!”

Tiel instinctively squinted against the sudden flood of light.

Standing in the doorway was Emma, the maid assigned to bring her meals.

Emma.

Tiel feared Emma the most out of all the maids in the mansion.

Not because Emma hit or insulted her—she didn’t.

But because Emma often chose not to bring her food at all.

Emma was the only maid tasked with entering the attic, so if she decided not to feed Tiel, there was nothing Tiel could do but starve until Emma returned.

With a scowl, Emma stomped over to Tiel and threw two hard pieces of bread at her feet.

“Ugh, while everyone else is fussing over Rowen and whether she’ll go to the Imperial Palace, I’m stuck looking after this hybrid. What did I do to deserve this?”

Emma grumbled, stamping her foot in frustration.

“Here. Eat this. Make it last because I won’t be coming back for a while.”

She won’t be coming back?

Tiel’s eyes widened at Emma’s words, her lips parting slightly.

‘Now that I think about it, someone from the Imperial Palace did visit around this time.’

The memory resurfaced.

A month before her death, Tiel’s cousin Rowen Nestian had been selected as a candidate for Crown Princess.@@novelbin@@

To be precise, all girls of Rowen’s age from noble families were made candidates.

An envoy from the Emperor’s inner circle had visited the Nestian household to evaluate Rowen, and the family had been busy preparing for the guest’s arrival.

Naturally, Tiel had been completely ignored.

During the envoy’s stay, Tiel had barely eaten, left neglected in the attic.

The door hadn’t been locked, so she could have left the room if she wanted. But she hadn’t—her grandfather terrified her too much.

Remembering that time, Tiel bit her lip.

‘No, this is actually perfect.’

Emma wouldn’t come near the attic while the guest was there.

All the maids in the mansion would be busy trying to get Rowen’s attention.

Even Cornelia would be too occupied dressing Rowen up to think about Tiel, and the same went for Rowen and Chender.

That meant this was the perfect time to escape.

Emma left quickly after tossing the bread.

Tiel carefully gathered the two pieces of bread Emma had thrown.

‘At least she brought bread.’

She tucked the bread under the blanket she used to sleep, relieved.

Tiel’s meals alternated between watery soup and hard bread.

If Emma had brought soup instead, Tiel wouldn’t have been able to bring any food with her during her escape.

Growl—

Her stomach let out an embarrassing noise, her ribs faintly visible beneath her thin nightgown, but Tiel held back.

She couldn’t eat now.

If her memory was correct, this was the last meal Emma would give her during the guest’s stay.

Tiel ignored her hunger and turned in a slow circle in her small room.

Whoosh!

A faint light flashed, and the child vanished. In her place stood a small, unremarkable snow leopard cub.

It was Tiel’s beast form.

The tiny cub shivered. Most snow leopards would be fine in this cold, but Tiel wasn’t like the others.

As a hybrid of the Black Leopard and Snow Leopard clans, her fur was short, offering little protection against the chill. Tiel was always sensitive to the cold.

Shaking, Tiel crawled under the blanket where she had hidden the bread.

The cub settled herself beside the bread. The smell had already drawn nearby mice, but they froze when they saw her.

Tiel hugged the two pieces of bread close to her small body and closed her eyes.

She needed to conserve her strength for the escape.

***

‘Today is the day.’

Tiel clenched her tiny fists, her thin lips pressed into a firm line.

Today, she would escape this mansion.