The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 240

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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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Side Story, Episode 8
Dennis guided Tiel and Iandros to the finest room in the Villa.
The room had an unusual structure—two chambers connected by a door, so one could step directly into Iandros’s room by opening just one door.
While Tiel and Iandros were resting, maidservants from the Villa entered and bowed their heads respectfully to Tiel.
“Miss, we would be delighted to help you change into a fresh dress.”
“All right.”
Tiel pondered for a moment, then looked up at Iandros.
“Are we going to see the sea right away?”
“Only if you’re not too tired, Tiel.”
The journey to the Villa had been quite comfortable, so she wasn’t particularly exhausted. Besides, Tiel was eager to see the sea.
“In that case, something light would be best, wouldn’t it?”
“If you’d rather not get swept away by the waves, that’s wise.”
Tiel nodded. Iandros naturally excused himself to the adjoining room to let her prepare.
The maidservants unpacked and organized her belongings, then helped her change into fresh clothes.
Tiel removed the rather heavy dress and put on a comparatively lighter, thinner day dress instead.
Finally, a maidservant carefully placed a hat on Tiel’s head and spoke.
“The sun is quite fierce here, so wearing a hat will make it much easier to move about.”
“Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
The maidservants brushed her slightly wavy hair carefully and tied half of it back.
They did their best to prepare Tiel in a becoming state for an outing, then withdrew, looking satisfied.
Tiel gazed into the mirror.
Reflected there was a strikingly beautiful woman with white hair carefully brushed and bound back.
Tiel, now accustomed to some degree to her own appearance, rose from her seat with a satisfied smile.
Then she made her way toward the room where Iandros was waiting.
The door connecting the two chambers opened silently, without a sound.
It opened so quietly that Iandros did not notice Tiel had drawn near until she opened the door, crept carefully toward him, and gently wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Iandros!”
He stiffened.
The startled Iandros turned at once to face Tiel, who gazed up at him with a giggling smile.
“I’m all ready! You’ve changed clothes too?”
“Formal attire felt cumbersome. That dress suits you beautifully—the hat too. Really lovely.”
Iandros gently pressed down on Tiel’s hat, slightly obscuring her face.
“But… if I’m lovely, why are you covering me with the hat…?”
“Suddenly, I don’t want anyone else to see you…”
Iandros embraced Tiel and buried his face against her sweetly-scented shoulder.
Tiel found his petulance endearing and let out a bright laugh, embracing him in return.
“You don’t need the hat to hide me—no one else looks at me the way you do.”
“Of course not. You’re my betrothed. Who else could dare regard my betrothed with such fervent eyes as I do?”
Iandros laughed mischievously and drew Tiel’s hand toward the Balcony.
“Now then, Tiel, look here. Didn’t I tell you?”
Hand in hand, Tiel and Iandros stepped across the threshold of the Balcony. The moment they crossed it, a cool sea breeze poured in, softly enfolding their faces.
“The room overlooks the sea, didn’t I say? I thought you’d like that.”
Indeed, Iandros’s words rang true.
Tiel fell momentarily speechless at the sight before her, her eyes widening as she gazed out across the vast expanse of sea.
A broad ocean shimmering in emerald hues stretched before them.
“I’ve wondered why they built a Villa in such a remote place…”
Iandros let his words trail off and turned to look at Tiel. She, too, slowly turned her head to face him.
In Iandros’s eyes lay another sea.
The emerald-bright pupils and the waves rippling before them shared the same color so completely that Tiel could scarcely tell them apart.
“But now that I’m here, I think I understand.”
“So do I. Iandros, the sea is truly beautiful… and your eyes are just as beautiful.”
At those words, Iandros broke into a soft laugh—a smile warm and bright as spilling sunlight.
Tiel stood beside Iandros at the Balcony’s edge, gazing out at the sea for a long while.
From far away came the cry of wild geese, and the sound of breaking waves pressed ceaselessly against the Balcony.
Simply standing here felt like standing in the middle of the sea itself.
After gazing at the beautiful vista for some time, Tiel lifted her head slowly.
In doing so, her hat nearly flew away, but she caught it with one hand, preventing it from being carried off by the Wind.
She reached out toward Iandros, her head now raised.
“Let’s go down! I want to see the sea up close…!”
Iandros, watching Tiel with her eager expression, smiled once more. He secured her hat properly and then took her hand.
“All right, let’s go. Down we go. We can even dip our feet in the water.”
***
Tiel and Iandros walked slowly across the Sandy Beach.
Their footprints stretched out in a long trail behind them. Though the sun beat down fiercely, neither seemed to mind in the least and kept walking.
And finally.
Splash.
Tiel, arriving at the gently rolling sea, crouched down carefully and sat back on her heels.
Then she waited quietly for the waves to come.
Before long, a wave returned bearing the sand it had swept away, and it tickled Tiel’s ankles.
In the process, the hem of Tiel’s dress grew slightly damp, but neither of them minded such a thing.
Iandros, watching the seawater infused with deep emerald hues lap gently at Tiel’s ankles, stood quietly beside her and lowered his head.
“Tiel, isn’t it even better up close?”
“Yes, my feet feel cool. The seawater is refreshing… and here.”
Having found something in the sand, Tiel placed ‘it’ in Iandros’s palm.
Iandros lowered his head to see what Tiel had just given him.
It was a small seashell.
“There are so many of these. I once saw someone gather heaps of these seashells and weave them into a necklace—they must have collected them from a place like this.”
Iandros smiled and carefully kept the seashell.
Tiel and Iandros savored the splashing of the seawater around their ankles, then sat a little further back.
The two, now seated side by side on the Sandy Beach, gazed quietly out at the sea.
Originally, this Beach belonged to the Imperial Palace and was off-limits to other Beast-kin.
Of course, when the Villa was empty, other Beast-kin could roam freely, but since Iandros and Tiel now stayed in the Villa, other Beast-kin enjoyed the sea on the adjacent Beach instead.
Thus, Iandros and Tiel had no need to bring attendants.
While basic guards were always watching over them, there were no maidservants or attendants specifically waiting upon them.
So the two sat on the sand with nothing spread beneath them.
The grains of sand were fine enough that it didn’t hurt even without cushioning.
Moreover.
‘Just being with Iandros is happiness enough…’
The sand mattered not at all. Tiel’s heart raced steadily because of Iandros.
Seated beside each other, hand in hand, the two gazed for a long time at the blue sky and the sea, even bluer than the sky, before finally turning to face each other at the same moment.
It was Iandros who spoke first.
“Tiel, thank you for everything.”
Holding Tiel’s hand, Iandros ran his fingers gently over her slender fourth finger as he continued.
“I’ve wanted to say this for a long time, but I’m only now saying it.”
He didn’t elaborate further. Iandros was not one to make such sentiments into lengthy speeches.
Yet in just those words—”thank you for everything”…
Tiel felt as though everything that had troubled her until now melted and dissolved away.

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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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