The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

On the day they went to the temple.

Lia took extra care in dressing up Thiel.

Although it was an informal outing, it was Thiel’s first outing, after all.

Among the dresses Ian had given her, Lia chose a pink dress adorned with frills and ribbons and dressed Thiel in it. She then skillfully tied her voluminous white hair on both sides.

Furthermore, she placed a cute bonnet with plenty of frills on Thiel’s head and tied a cute ribbon just below her chin.

With the addition of pretty shoes, it was difficult to recognize Thiel’s appearance when she first arrived in Asterian.

Thanks to enjoying delicious food during their stay, her cute cheeks were plump, and a rosy flush adorned her cheeks.

Her large pupils sparkled with liveliness, and thanks to her neatly arranged hair, it had a glossy sheen.

Now, anyone would see her as a noble young lady.

Lia proudly took Thiel in front of a full-length mirror, beaming at her creation.

“How is it, young lady? Do you like it?”

Lia gently asked, lightly holding Thiel’s shoulders.

Thiel looked at herself in the mirror absentmindedly and nodded her head.

‘This is me…?’

It was a sight she could never have imagined while in Nestian.

Rowan always called her a vulgar and ugly mutt, but Thiel didn’t look like that at all now.

Instead, her white hair and striking golden eyes enhanced the charm of the little girl.

Feeling shy, Thiel blushed and looked up at Lia.

“I like it, Lia. Thank you for dressing me up so beautifully.”

“Our young lady is not only kind but also truly beautiful, my dear. I guarantee that there is no girl as lovely as you among all the noble young ladies your age.”

Thiel’s face blushed once again at Lia’s praise.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Lia quickly approached the entrance and opened it.

“Thiel.”

Standing at the door were Perdi and Ludian, Thiel’s two older brothers.

Unlike their usual preference for casual shirts, Perdi and Ludian were dressed in silk vests with gold embroidery, along with jackets.

When Thiel saw her well-dressed older brothers, her eyes curved in delight.

“Oh, brothers!”

“You look truly beautiful today. The pink dress suits you well.”

“Absolutely. We need to fill the wardrobe with pink dresses. You look like a little doll in this outfit.”

Ludian playfully ruffled Tiel’s hair but stopped abruptly.

He didn’t want to ruin the carefully arranged hair that Lia had taken great care of.

However, when Thiel saw Ludian withdrawing his hand instead of ruffling her hair, she looked at him with a puzzled expression. Why didn’t he continue to ruffle her hair?

During her time in the Asterian mansion with Curses, Alpheus, Ferdie, Ludian, Thiel had grown accustomed to being touched, hugged, and holding hands.

So now, she felt slightly disappointed if someone didn’t ruffle her hair.

Understanding Thiel sentiment, Perdi neatly adjusted her dress to ensure it didn’t wrinkle and then picked her up in his arms.

Thiel nestled in Perdi’s embrace, placing both hands around his neck.

“Let’s go now; it’s getting late. Father is waiting for us.”

“Hey, Perdi, stop tickling Thiel like that. I read somewhere that you need to treat young girls very delicately at this age.”

“Where did you learn that foolish theory? Thiel enjoys being held.”

“…From a book. No, not that!”

Ludian and Perdi chatted as they headed towards the carriage.

Listening to her two brothers’ conversation, Thiel cautiously placed her hand on her fluttering heart.

The results of the kinship test didn’t make her nervous.

However, going to the temple made her slightly fearful.

When Cassius explained how remarkable Thiel’s abilities were and warned that everyone would covet her abilities, it made her wary.

‘They said the temple will covet my abilities.’

Thiel swallowed nervously.

Just going to a strange place and meeting unfamiliar people was enough to make her tense, but to think that the people there would covet her…

Ironically, not feeling nervous anymore was even more unsettling.

“Look, he’s waiting for you.”

At that moment, Perdi spoke, his gaze focused in the distance.

Thiel turned her head in the direction Perdi was looking.

In the distance, Cassius stood tall, wearing a splendid cloak, waiting for Thiel, Perdi, and Ludian.

He raised his head and looked at Thiel.

His unwavering gaze fell upon the small child.

Their eyes met.

“…!”

And in that moment, all of Thiel’s worries melted away like snowflakes.

* * *

“Thiel.”

Cassius took Thiel from Perdi and held her in his arms.

Thiel instinctively wrapped her arms around Cassius’ neck. It was thanks to the frequent moments like this that she had grown accustomed to.

“Mr. Cassius…! Oh, no.”

Cassius gently held Thiel, patiently waiting for her to speak her mind.

“Daddy…”

“Yes, my daughter. You look really cute today.”

Thiel blushed and nodded her head.

Each time Thiel nodded her head, the ribbon tied in her hair fluttered.

“Thank you. Daddy, you look really handsome today too…!”

Cassius truly looked handsome.

Although his face was never lacking in any way, today he seemed even more refined, just standing there.

Thiel wanted to leave Cassius’ embrace and sit in the seat of the carriage, fearing that she might wrinkle his magnificent cloak.

“…?”

However, Cassius didn’t let Thiel down.

He held her in his arms and sat in the carriage, placing Thiel on his lap.

As a result, Thiel sat on Cassius’ lap like a little doll, her eyes blinking in surprise.

“…”

“Why are you riding with her in your arms? Thiel’s seat is over here.”

Perdi pointed to the soft cushion placed right next to his seat with a smile on his face.

“When a child is feeling nervous, their parents’ embrace is the best.”

Cassius shrugged his shoulders and gently placed his hand on Thiel’s stomach, pulling her small body closer.

Thiel sat tightly against Cassius’ body, looking at her two older brothers sitting across from her.

“So, I thought I would hold her. Is there a problem with that?”

There was no one in the carriage who could question Cassius’ orders.

Therefore, Perdi and Ludian lowered their heads with a hesitant expression.

“Thiel, is it uncomfortable for you?”

Instead, Perdi looked elsewhere.

He gently caressed the plush cushion prepared for Thiel, asking if it would be more comfortable for her to sit on it.

“The lap might be a bit hard. It would be more comfortable on the cushion.”

“Yes, Thiel. The cushion or even this older brother’s lap would be fine.”

Cassius looked at Perdi and Ludian, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement, as if mocking their feeble rebellion or their imaginary efforts to win over Thiel.

Thiel looked at Ludian and Ferdie for a moment, contemplating, and then nodded her head.

“I appreciate your offer, but I want to sit here.”

As soon as Thiel finished speaking, Cassius pulled her closer and hugged her tightly.

Thiel remained in his embrace and blinked her eyes, as if justifying her decision.

“Really…, it’s comfortable.”

In truth, if she were to prioritize comfort alone, the cushion next to Perdi would undoubtedly be more comfortable than Cassius’ lap.

‘I like it here more…’

Cassius’ warm embrace instantly melted away Thiel’s tension.

If Cassius’ words, “When a child is feeling nervous, their parents’ embrace is the best,” were true, then being held in his warm embrace allowed Thiel to momentarily forget the bad memories she had experienced.

That’s why Thiel found Cassius’ embrace quite comforting.

The slightly refreshing scent that accompanied being in Cassius’ arms also helped alleviate her tension.

“Well, if that’s what you prefer.”

Fortunately, Perdi and Ludian stepped back obediently.

Cassius hugged Thiel tightly and directed an enthusiastic expression towards his two sons.

“You’re acting childish.”

“It’s really annoying.”

The former was Perdi, and the latter was Ludian.

The two brothers huffed and turned their gazes outside as if they couldn’t bear to see such a sight.

Cassius made sure to carefully arrange Thiel’s neatly groomed hair, ensuring that it wouldn’t get messy, regardless of whether his sons disapproved or not.

“…?”

Due to being nestled in Cassius’ embrace, Thiel could only look up at him in a perplexed state, unable to see his expression.