The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 134

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 134
“It wasn’t an accident, I swear!”
Tiel protested in an aggrieved voice. What had happened to her was not an “accident,” and besides, the girl had changed her mind midway through, so Tiel hadn’t been injured at all!
But how had Iandros, who should have been at the Imperial Palace, already heard the news and come? Tiel let out a somewhat weary sigh as she bounced off the bed once more.
“If you’re tired, perhaps I should tell him you’ll see him another time?”
Lia knew how much Tiel had endured throughout this entire day.
Tiel had first been worn out by Ferdi and Ludian, who had witnessed the whole affair, and then again by Cassius and Alpheus, who had heard the story later.
On top of that, the servants of the Asterian Mansion, worried about Tiel, had asked her seven times if she was all right each time the young Head of Household walked down the corridor, leaving Tiel utterly exhausted.
Yet Tiel could not turn away Iandros, who had come out of concern, so she shook her head to dissuade Lia.
“I’m fine. I’ll go see him. He came because he was worried about me—I can’t turn him away! Is Iandros in the Reception Room now?”
“Yes, he’s waiting in the Reception Room.”
“All right then.”
Lia opened the door for her. Tiel made her way to the Reception Room at a measured pace, neither rushed nor leisurely.
Tiel’s stamina was poor by nature, and in truth, she had almost no energy left to meet Iandros, yet she pressed forward with quiet determination.
When she reached the Reception Room, Tiel gently pushed open the door.
The servant standing guard at the Reception Room’s entrance reached out to push the door open for her, but Lia, standing behind Tiel, shook her head to stop him.
Tiel preferred to open the door herself when going to meet someone. Even on a day as exhausting as this one.
Inside the Reception Room sat Iandros on the sofa, his posture tense, one leg crossed over the other.
The boy with hair as dazzling gold as sunlight and eyes as rare and beautiful as emeralds had grown far more mature than he had been five years before.
Though the sharp edge of his childhood expression remained, his considerably increased height, broadened shoulders, and toned frame made him appear older than his years.
The boy rose from the sofa, his entire body radiating barely contained anxiety, and upon seeing Tiel enter, he strode quickly toward her.
“Iandros!”
“Tiel, you… were you hurt?”
“I wasn’t hurt! Who told you that? Only a few hours have passed since it happened—how did you already know and come?”
“I heard it from Duke Ebalte, and since I happened to be nearby, I came at once. You weren’t hurt?”
“No!”
“But I heard you were in an accident.”
“I wasn’t in an accident—I could have been, but I wasn’t!”
At Tiel’s words, Iandros’s expression eased slightly. He examined her body carefully, and only after confirming there were no visible wounds did he finally release her.
He was just like Cassius. As if to prove there was nothing wrong with her, Tiel spun around once in place.
Her white indoor dress swirled around her. Her snow-white hair rippled in its wake.
“See? Perfectly fine.”
“Stop that! What if you get dizzy and collapse? Your stamina’s bad enough as it is. Even if you’re not hurt, you could still be shaken—you need to rest today.”
Iandros spoke with firm resolve.
“Besides, what do you mean you ‘could have been’ hurt? I was told you’d been in an accident, but I was in such a rush I didn’t read the full report. Give me a brief summary.”
“A brief summary? Well, there was a girl who was hurt instead of me…”
“Wait, tell me the whole story again.”
Tiel nodded.
“There was a girl who tried to give me a bouquet laced with poison, but at the last moment she changed her mind and took it back. She was exposed to the poison instead, and she’s currently receiving treatment. Right now she’s locked in the Underground Prison.”
At Tiel’s “full” explanation, Iandros nodded as if he finally understood, then asked with a serious expression.
“Have you identified who’s behind this? Actually, never mind. It would be better to discuss that with the Duke rather than you.”
“She hasn’t regained consciousness yet, so they haven’t been able to find out who’s responsible… but I know some of it already!”
“Is that so? Once she wakes up and they identify the mastermind, I’ll kill them myself.”
“You can’t!”
Tiel suddenly threw her arms around Iandros and clung to him. A startled Iandros looked down at the girl hanging from his waist.
The boy’s sharp expression had vanished entirely, replaced by obvious bewilderment. Iandros gently patted Tiel’s shoulder and asked.
“Tiel… what’s wrong?”
“You can’t kill her! I told you—at the last moment she changed her mind and saved me!”
“But she was trying to hurt you, wasn’t she?”
“I’m having this same conversation for the twentieth time… whether she was trying to hurt me isn’t important. What matters is that she changed her mind and saved me. So stop talking about killing her! Do you know how hard I had to work to stop Father?”
“If Asterian had wanted to, he could have forced her awake, found out who was behind this, and killed her. I was wondering why he didn’t, and it was because of you?”
“She’s young! She must be even younger than you are!”
“Younger than you?”
“Much younger than me.”
“And who are you calling young? Look at you—you’re still tiny.”
Iandros spoke playfully as he gently stroked Tiel’s hair. In truth, his mind had been in turmoil from the moment he heard the news.
He’d been consumed with questions: why would such a thing happen in Asterian Territory? And he’d felt anger toward Ferdi and Ludian for not properly protecting Tiel, toward the knights of Asterian’s guard.
He had come here with the firm intention that if the person responsible was still alive, he would kill them with his own hands.
But the moment he saw Tiel unharmed and heard her pleading with him not to kill the girl, Iandros’s resolve had melted like warm caramel pudding, and he found himself unable to be stern with her.
“Fine, I won’t say such things. But Tiel, why didn’t you reply to my letter?”
Wanting to avoid further bickering with Tiel about this matter, Iandros swiftly changed the subject.
Since Tiel was Iandros’s consort, when the perpetrator awoke, Asterian would contact the Imperial Palace anyway.
Her sentence could be decided then. As Iandros changed the subject, Tiel released her hold around his waist and looked at him.
“Oh, that’s right! I forgot! I wrote the reply, but I forgot to ask Lia to send it.”
“You made me wait, Tiel.”
“But you sometimes make me wait too. Last time you didn’t reply to my letter for a whole week!”
As Tiel spoke, a look of chagrin crossed Iandros’s face. It was true that he had forgotten to reply to her letters twice, too preoccupied with his duties.
Iandros had left the Academy and was now studying to become Emperor, which kept him relentlessly busy.
Despite everything, he made time to write letters to Tiel, so occasionally forgetting to reply was hardly inexcusable.
But given that he himself was often tardy in his replies, he was hardly in a position to reproach Tiel for slow responses, so Iandros simply cleared his throat.
“Bring it to me now. I’ll read it right here in front of you.”
“What? No! I’m going to send it to the Imperial Palace.”
“Why? I can just take it with me.”
“Because it’s embarrassing to watch you break the seal and read my letter in the carriage…”
“But… you wrote it for me anyway, didn’t you?”
“It’s still embarrassing, so I’m sending it to the Imperial Palace.”
Tiel insisted firmly. Iandros laughed as if exasperated, but made no further objection and simply nodded.
“Fine. Send it straight to the Imperial Palace. Actually, I should give you a gift instead—a messenger bird. One of the fastest ones that travels between the Imperial Palace and Asterian. That way you won’t have to wait long for my replies, and I won’t have to wait long for yours.”
“A messenger bird?”
“Yes. Asterian uses the method of having servants deliver letters directly, but I often rely on messenger birds. I’d like you to have one too…”
Iandros whispered softly.
Inside the Reception Room.
The boy’s sharp expression had vanished entirely, leaving only a boy concerned for the girl, watching the young girl before him.
A breeze, warmed by the evening sun, drifted gently through the open window, softly brushing against her hair.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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