Chapter 19: Chapter 19

The Asterian and Nestian families, both part of the leopard clans, shared a bordering territory.

As a result, their interactions were far from rare. Asterian, as the leading family of the leopard clans, provided supplies and resources to Nestian and allowed them to export minerals to other regions through trade routes that crossed Asterian lands.

But now—

"What? The trade route has been cut off?"

"Yes, and they've also declared that they will cease all supply and resource support..."

"What? Why? What could those bastards possibly be thinking!"

Chender slammed his hand on the solid wood desk with such force that veins bulged on his neck and forehead.

Asterian had never once resorted to cutting off trade routes or halting resource aid, no matter what Nestian had done.

It had been an unspoken agreement—a minimum courtesy extended to Nestian, tucked away in its barren territory.

Furious, Chender’s expression twisted as his aide, Stanley, closed his eyes tightly for a moment, silently wishing for this storm to pass.

"It seems this is the reason..." Stanley hesitated, holding out a letter.

"Give it to me!"

Chender snatched the letter from Stanley’s hand with such force that Stanley stumbled slightly but quickly regained his footing.

The wax seal on the envelope bore the unmistakable mark of the Asterian head. Chender tore it open roughly and unfolded the letter.

The smooth yet coarse-edged custom paper bore the vivid red insignia of the Asterian family head, proof that the letter had been personally written.

Chender’s eyes darted across the letter’s contents.

And soon, his face turned pale as if frozen solid.

"...Ha!"

The contents were nothing short of shocking.

The letter stated clearly that Tiel, who had been lost in Nestian, was now staying with the Asterians and that they would take full responsibility for raising her moving forward.

Chender couldn’t believe what he was reading. He went over the same part again and again.

'Nestian is deemed unfit to raise the child. From this moment onward, Tiel will be raised by the Asterians.'

"Tiel... Tiel, it says..."

No matter how many times he read it, the name was unmistakable: Tiel.

It was indeed that half-blood brat’s name.

Chender stared at the letter, unable to close his gaping mouth.

How had she ended up with the Asterians?

Although the territories of Nestian and Asterian bordered one another, it would take over a week by carriage to travel from the Nestian estate to the Asterian estate.

Walking was out of the question. The treacherous snowy landscapes of Nestian and the harsh deserts of Asterian made such a journey nearly impossible.

But then how...?

Suddenly, Chender recalled the day Tiel had disappeared—the day the imperial guests had visited the Nestian estate.

"...Could it be?"

He remembered how Tiel had gone toward the guesthouse where the imperial visitors were staying. To avoid offending them, they hadn’t conducted a thorough search of the area.

The timeline fit. Tiel must have climbed into the imperial carriage and left the Nestian estate.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Chender ground his teeth and pounded the desk repeatedly, the letter crumpling and tearing in his hands. His sharp nails dug into his palms, causing them to sting, but he didn’t care.

He should have killed her. He should have killed her long ago.

When she was just a newborn, before she had failed to manifest abilities.

He’d hesitated, sparing her because of the ties of blood, and now that brat was blocking Nestian’s path forward.

With the trade route severed, Nestian would now have to rely on maritime trade. The costs associated with that would be significant. The cessation of resource support was another devastating blow.

Chender pressed his throbbing temples with his fingers.@@novelbin@@

Losing a single child had caused them far too great a loss.

"Why! Why did we lose her!"

Stanley, standing nearby, lowered his head apologetically.

"...I’m sorry."

"Fire Zaira immediately! And punish the maids who were in charge of that brat!"

"Understood, sir."

At that moment, the door to Chender’s office burst open, and Rowen appeared, his large eyes brimming with tears.

"Rowen?"

"Grandfather? What do you mean Zaira is being dismissed? She’s my nanny!"

It seemed Rowen had overheard everything from behind the door. For a moment, a flicker of dismay crossed both Chender’s and Stanley’s faces.

"Rowen, we’ll talk about this later. This is adult business."

"No! I don’t want her to leave! I won’t let her go no matter what!"

"Rowen, I said we’ll discuss it later!"

Chender’s angry roar startled Rowen, who flinched and stepped back, his shoulders trembling.

"...!"

Rowen glared at Chender for a moment before turning sharply and storming out of the office.

"...Ha."

As if the issue with Tiel weren’t enough, now Rowen was acting out, too.

Chender sighed heavily, dragging his rough hand down his face.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

***

"…!"

Tiel shrank back and hid behind Ria’s skirt, peeking out cautiously with wary eyes to look up at Alpheus.

"So it’s true what they said—the child is very shy," Alpheus muttered, withdrawing the hand he had awkwardly extended toward her.

Ria gently stroked Tiel’s back and whispered soothingly, "This is your grandfather, miss. He’s Karsus-nim’s father."

"…Yes," Tiel replied with a small nod. She already knew that Alpheus was her paternal grandfather, but still...

‘...He’s scary!’

To Tiel, Alpheus looked frighteningly similar to Chender.

In truth, the two had nothing in common—neither in ability nor temperament—but to a seven-year-old’s eyes, they appeared alike.

They were both elderly men, after all.

‘I know he’s a good person.’

She had planned to thank him for the beautiful room just yesterday.

But thanks to the abuse she had suffered at the hands of Chender, Tiel instinctively cowered before anyone who seemed of a similar age.

Unable to approach Alpheus, Tiel remained hidden behind Ria’s skirt, stealing glances at him.

Watching her, Alpheus’s face filled with regret. Then, as though struck by an idea, he clapped his hands.

"Ah, Tiel. This grandfather of yours has prepared some gifts. How about that?"

"Gifts…?"

"Yes! Bring them in at once!"

Alpheus’s voice carried an excited tone as he called out.

At his command, servants entered the room, carrying large boxes one after another.

The boxes, wrapped in pretty ribbons, came in various sizes—some reached up to Tiel’s knees, while others were even taller than her.

Seeing the array of gift boxes, Tiel’s curiosity was piqued, and she cautiously peeked out from behind Ria’s skirt.

‘They’re just like the ones Rowen gets.’

The gifts resembled the piles of presents Rowen received on his birthdays.

Rowen had often been showered with such extravagant gifts by Chender, though Tiel had never received any herself...

"Now, Tiel, all of these are yours," Alpheus said with a broad smile.

"A-all of them?"

"Yes, every single one. These are gifts from your grandfather. They’re all toys crafted by the best artisans. Some of them were even made by Lorenzo, a toymaker who creates only twelve toys a year!"

Alpheus gestured proudly to the boxes now filling the room.

‘Nothing captures a child’s heart quite like toys.’

He had heard that Karsus had gifted Tiel a precious sun catcher, but Alpheus was confident that Tiel would enjoy these toys far more.

Children her age, after all, preferred toys to gemstones.

That’s why, on the day Tiel arrived at the mansion, Alpheus, enchanted by the sight of her golden leopard eyes and snowy curls, had immediately sought out the finest toymakers to order an abundance of toys for her.

The thought that Tiel might not actually be his granddaughter had never crossed his mind. Of course, it hadn’t—her youthful face was the spitting image of Karsus’s when he was a child.

Ria gently took Tiel’s hand and encouraged her, "Come now, miss. Let’s open one of the gift boxes. Shall I help you?"

Tiel nodded. Holding her hand, Ria crouched down and began to tug at the ribbon on one of the boxes.

"Wait, let me do it," Alpheus interjected, stopping Ria with a hurried gesture. He crouched down beside Tiel, taking the box into his hands.

Tiel’s face showed a flicker of confusion, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by anticipation for the gift.

Alpheus carefully pulled at the ribbon, undoing it with practiced precision, and handed the box to Tiel.

Hesitating for a moment, Tiel finally lifted the lid of the large box.

As the lid came off, what emerged from within was—

"…!"

—a large black leopard plush with yellow sapphire eyes.

The plush was soft and fluffy, and as Tiel stared at it, a bashful smile spread across her face.