The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Episode 63

Time passed quickly like flowing water.

Alpheus and Cassius were still busy with festival preparations, and Thiel continued to learn how to control her abilities from Perdi and Lucian before the Luminari began.

Although she still couldn’t fully control it, thanks to countless practices, she could now prevent small bursts of light fragments from bursting out uncontrollably.

‘Thank goodness.’

She had worried a lot about showing herself unable to control her abilities like a fool, but it seemed she didn’t need to worry.

Thiel tried using her abilities one last time. Tiny lights sparkled like stars in the palms of her hands.

“You should go to bed now, miss.”

Leah, who had been quietly watching her, approached and gently stroked Thiel’s back.

“Tomorrow is the eve of Luminari~. You should sleep early so you won’t be tired when we move tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’m going to bed right away!”

Thiel nodded brightly with a smile. The light fragments seeped into her palms and soon disappeared.

‘Tomorrow is already the eve.’

She felt her heart pounding in her chest. The girl brought her hand to her chest.

‘Finally, tomorrow…’

Tomorrow, the Asterian family would unveil Thiel Asterian, the youngest daughter of the recovered Asterian line, to the world.

Grandfather, father, Perdi and Lucian had said there was nothing to worry about for Thiel, but…

‘I’m still so nervous….’

Throughout her two short lifetimes, appearing in front of numerous people was a first for her.

‘I must not make mistakes.’

Thiel nodded, her lips tightly sealed.

No matter what happens, she vowed not to bring shame to the Asterian family name. With determination, Thiel lifted her head and gazed at the emblem of the Asterian family painted on the wall.

A majestic emblem where a golden laurel and the fangs of a beast intertwined.

As she gazed at the emblem, her heart swelled once again, and without further thought, Thiel retired to bed.

“Goodnight, my lovely miss.”

Leah whispered as she extinguished the room’s lights and tucked the blanket up to Thiel’s shoulders.

“You too, have a good night, Leah!”

Thiel returned the greeting with a slight squint of her eyes.

Leah chuckled happily and soon left the room.

Thiel opened her eyes wide for a moment, gazing at the ceiling, then closed them tightly.

‘Soon, I’ll be able to meet Ian.’

Thinking of the gentle Ian, her heart quickly filled with warmth.

Not long after, the girl fell asleep.

* * *

Are you sleepy, miss?

“Mmm….”

Thiel murmured with her head nestled in Leah’s embrace. Leah softly smiled and stroked the child’s back.

The maids bustled about since morning, assisting Thiel with her outing preparations.

Although the festival begins tomorrow, today’s preparations could be simple. However, the Asterian maids never did anything half-heartedly.

From early morning, they gently scrubbed the still sleepy miss with fragrant warm water, ensuring her skin remained smooth and unblemished with carefully applied oils.

Then, they dressed her in a soft petticoat before donning her with an outing dress.

This dress was one of the six dresses Estella had sent, adorned with a light yellow ribbon and white frills, accentuating the girl’s loveliness.

There was also an incredibly adorable bonnet to complete the ensemble!

The maids combed Thiel’s hair neatly, tying it into two braids before wrapping them around once more.

Her hair was shaped into a neat bun, resembling a doughnut. The maids enjoyed tying Thiel’s hair into a round bun.

They believed that when the hair was tied into a round shape, the round miss looked even rounder and cuter.

“So adorable….”

They didn’t forget to praise their perfect creation from time to time.

After finishing her hair, they placed a lace-trimmed bonnet on top, making her look like a character straight out of a fairy tale.

Leah looked at the prepared Thiel carefully and asked cautiously, “Miss, are you still very sleepy?”

“No, I’m okay now.”

Thiel shook her head. Although her eyes were still heavy with sleep, she felt slightly more awake after the maids bathed and dressed her.

‘I should go to bed early….’

Thiel rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She had stayed up late practicing her abilities last night, so her body felt very tired.

Seemingly aware of Thiel’s feelings, Leah whispered gently.

“You can take a nap in the carriage on the way there. There’s a soft cushion in the carriage.”

Leah whispered as she took Thiel’s hand. Thiel nodded, firmly holding onto Leah’s hand.

Before leaving, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

In the mirror stood a lovely girl who seemed to have popped out of a fairy tale.

‘I’m nervous….’

Even though they were just moving to the villa now, she couldn’t help feeling nervous. Thiel carefully exhaled, feeling slightly calmer afterward.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With Leah’s hand in hers, the girl walked out of the room with some courage. Faint light fragments followed behind, but fortunately, since it was daytime, they weren’t too noticeable.

“Dad!”

Thiel’s eyes twinkled as she spotted Cassius standing in the distance.

As soon as Cassius saw Thiel, he lowered himself so she could embrace him. Leah tactfully released Thiel’s hand at the right moment.

The child quickly approached and embraced her father. Cassius emitted a pleasant fragrance. Thiel hugged Cassius as if she never wanted to let go.

“Thiel, your eyes are full of sleepiness.”

Cassius gently brushed Thiel’s bangs aside with his thick fingers and said.

Thiel turned her head sharply and looked around. Then, after confirming there was no one around to hear her, she whispered cautiously into Cassius’s ear.

“I stayed up late last night because I was so nervous, actually….”

“Nervous? You’ve got me, darling.”

Cassius’s voice was low and firm, carrying a reassuring power that eased the tension in the child’s stiffened shoulders.

“Yeah, I’ll stick close to you, Dad!”

Thiel replied, and Cassius lightly chuckled, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

Carrying Thiel in his arms, Cassius walked towards the carriage, which had been prepared in advance on a red velvet cushion.

All the mansion’s staff lined up in front of the main gate. With countless people standing in front of the grand mansion, the scene was quite imposing.

“Have a pleasant outing, Lord Cassius, miss.”

Parden, the head butler overseeing the mansion, bowed respectfully and bid them farewell.

Since Parden had to take care of mansion affairs, he couldn’t leave the Asterian mansion.

Cassius nodded lightly and, carrying Thiel, climbed into the carriage immediately.

Perdi and Lucian were already inside the carriage.

“Thiel!”

Lucian sprang up. The boy immediately lifted his younger sister, but was stopped by Perdi and Cassius’s gestures, causing him to sit back down.

“Why!”

“If the dress gets wrinkled, it won’t do, dummy. Just look with your eyes.”

Perdi snapped. Lucian grumbled as if annoyed, but he didn’t dare to argue with Perdi’s logic.

“Perdi, Lucian!”

Although Thiel hadn’t met other boys, she was certain that her older brothers were among the most handsome in the empire.

Lucian and Perdi were not just handsome; the term ‘beautiful’ suited them better. The twins, dressed formally, looked stunning despite unbuttoning their shirts or throwing off their jackets, thanks to their clean and pretty faces.

Perhaps even in plain pajamas, they would still look extraordinary. Thiel was certain of that.

Moreover, Lucian had his hair combed up differently than usual, while Perdi had neatly combed his hair back and tied half of it back.

With such grooming, the twins looked truly perfect.

It seemed like Olivia had reason to say, ‘The darlings of the empire would drop dead from their beauty!’

“Thiel, you look adorable today, my little sister.”

Perdi, the beautiful older brother, smiled gently and extended his hand to Thiel. Thiel instinctively grabbed her brother’s hand tightly.

“That’s right! You’re so cute. I guarantee you, there’s no one cuter than you in the empire!”

Lucian chimed in. When the excited Lucian tried to stand up, Cassius gestured slowly, calming him down like a colt.

“Sit down, Lucian, you’ll fall.”

“Yes.”

Lucian obediently sat back down.

Meanwhile, the carriage set off.

Through the slightly open window, Thiel glimpsed the passing scenery outside.

“At last.”

And she murmured softly.

…Somehow, her heart was pounding tremendously.

TL/N: Hi guys Something unexpected occurred and I had to change the place where I share my translations. I appreciate your patience during the time I took to consider what decision to make. I didn’t want to abandon this novel when we were so close to the end. I also have a deep passion for translating these novels and I didn’t want them to come to a halt. Therefore, I will be uploading some of my translations here. The older ones that were available on salmon latte will not be deleted, but I won’t be adding them here either. Let’s embark on this new journey together, shall we?