The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 257

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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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Special Side Story 7
“Luna, why are you crying? Hmm?”
“Come now, shall Uncle show you up close?”
Ludian shrank the bird he’d created with his Ability and held it before Luna’s eyes.
The massive bird that had burned so fiercely it seemed capable of consuming an entire village was now no larger than a small flame, fluttering in front of Luna.
Luna watched it intently while rubbing at her eyes with her tiny fists.
‘I wasn’t trying to cry.’
She hadn’t wanted to cry, so why had tears suddenly come? It was strange.
Her tear ducts seemed to have broken down. Nothing was listening to her. Luna kept rubbing her eyes with her sleeve.
“Luna, no. If you rub like that, it’ll hurt later.”
Ferdi gently caught Luna’s wrist and stopped her, then drew a handkerchief from his pocket and gently patted her cheeks with it.
“There, Uncle will dry your tears.”
“Luna didn’t mean to cry…….”
“But suddenly tears came out?”
“Yes, suddenly…… Uncle’s Ability, I wanted to see it up close, so I went over, but you wouldn’t let me come closer…….”
So the tears came. Though her halting explanation was slurred and difficult to understand, both Ferdi and Ludian understood Luna’s meaning perfectly.
“Is that so? Uncle made a mistake, didn’t he?”
“N-no, it wasn’t Uncle’s fault…….”
“Good girl Luna, but you mustn’t get too close when Uncle Ludian uses his Ability. It could hurt you.”
Ferdi pointed to the bird created by Ludian’s Ability as he spoke.
“Even this little friend would be sad if he hurt Luna, wouldn’t he?”
“Yes…….”
“If Luna gets hurt, Uncle and I will be sad, and Mother, Father, and Grandfather too.”
“Mm-hm…….”
Luna nodded her head earnestly. Now that she thought about it, Ferdi was right.
If Luna got close and hurt herself, Mother would be terribly upset. Mother treasured and loved Luna so very, very much.
The tears that had been flowing in droplets dried up, and Luna, who had stopped crying entirely, looked up at Ferdi with her dampened face and spoke.
“Now, I won’t do dangerous things.”
And she reached out her short, plump arms and threw herself into Ferdi’s embrace.
“Uncles, I’m sorry I made you worry…… I won’t worry you anymore.”
As Luna wriggled in his arms, Ferdi and Ludian’s eyes met.
In that moment, the two brothers felt a sensation they hadn’t experienced in a long time: their hearts were in perfect accord.
‘Oh, how adorable.’
‘Incredibly adorable.’
The two of them had always thoroughly dismissed hypotheses like “twins can read each other’s minds” or “twins’ hearts are in harmony,” but in this moment, they could sense that their hearts were in perfect alignment.
Ludian gently stroked the small head sniffling in Ferdi’s arms.
“Little one, look at this.”
And he made a tiny bird from a very small flame and set it on Luna’s fingertip.
“Isn’t it amazing? Wow!”
“Sniff, snort, Ooohhh!”
Seeing this, Luna’s eyes widened once again in wonder. Ludian’s fire was small, and because he controlled it so well, it wasn’t hot.
Ferdi didn’t scold or rebuke Ludian for it when he saw how delighted Luna was.
The tiny flame bird perched carefully in Luna’s palm.
‘Amazing.’
Wow, that’s so cool.
And really, really neat.
For Luna, this was a very special experience.
A special and wondrous experience she could never have had through her own strength alone.
***
Iandros had returned to the Imperial Palace, while Tiel remained at Asterian with Luna.
After finishing dinner, Luna returned to her room.
Luna’s room had been newly made for her by Cassius and, though a bit smaller than the room Tiel used, was decorated nicely with charming little things.
When Luna flopped onto the bed, Tiel, who had followed her in, and the maid arranged Luna’s bedding.
“Luna, do you think you can sleep alone?”
“Yes, I sleep alone every single day. I’ll be fine here too.”
Luna slept alone well even without Tiel.
Luna and Ain’s siblings had been trained well in Independent Sleep Training.
Thanks to that, Tiel could sleep peacefully, though she was still worried about Luna having to sleep alone somewhere other than the Imperial Palace.
“Don’t worry, it’ll really be okay!”
Luna scurried into the blankets with spirit and gave a thumbs up.
A single small thumb poked out from under the blanket. Tiel laughed as if she couldn’t help herself.
“All right, but Luna…….”
“Hm?”
“You have to brush your teeth.”
“…….”
“Just because you’ve come to Asterian doesn’t mean you can sleep without washing up.”
“Aww……”
Luna poked her head out from under the blanket with a disappointed expression.
But in this regard, Tiel was a firm mother. She had no intention of letting Luna sleep without washing.
“Come now, get up. They’ll bring warm water soon. Wash up lightly and then to bed.”
“Yes…… ”
Just then the maids arrived with warmed water. Since Luna was still small, they planned to wash her in the bedroom.
Among the servants at Asterian Mansion, those who were rather elderly were the ones who had attended young Tiel.
With the skill they’d developed handling seven-year-old Tiel, they expertly washed the four-year-old Luna.
“Princess, blow your nose for me.”
“Blow!”
“Good, you did well. Here, sniff.”
“Sniff.”
“Good.”
It wasn’t until Luna had blown her nose thoroughly that she was released from the maids’ hands.
Fluffy.
Glossy.
Now that she was clean, Luna looked up at Tiel with an expression that clearly asked, “Can I lie down now?”
Having done so much with her four-year-old body, she was tired and drowsy.
Besides, today she’d even skipped Nap Time because she was so excited meeting Grandfather and her uncles.
“Mama, I’m sleepy…….”
When Luna rubbed her eyes, Tiel carefully lifted her into her arms and laid her in bed.
In that moment, the maids turned off the lights in the room. The room became dark in an instant.
In the moonlight coming through the window, Tiel’s hair and her eyes shone, but in the darkness, only they glimmered.
The child reached out her hand to Tiel, the motion familiar and sure.
“Sleep well, my little one.”
Tiel took that small hand gently in her own and, speaking carefully, began to sing.
Her voice was hushed and soft.
And yet.
“Light…….”
As Tiel sang, her Ability — light — appeared in the form of fish dancing around them.
It resembled the shape of a mobile Luna had played with when she was very young, and also like the ripples on a pond.
Sleep now, my baby
Even the birds outside the window drift to sleep
And the moonlight behind the curtain slumbers too
As Tiel sang, the fragments of light moved with even greater care.
The light traced its path at a steady pace, settling weight upon Luna’s eyelids one stroke at a time.
Pat, pat, pat.
And Tiel’s own gentle patting besides.
Four-year-old Luna had no strength to withstand all these “sleep now” attacks and keep her eyes open. For that, she would have needed to be at least seven.
“Mmm, sleepy…….”
Luna finally drifted off to sleep, nestling in Tiel’s warm embrace.
Soft breathing.
Her small body rose and fell in steady rhythm. Luna had fallen asleep.
But even after Luna had fallen asleep, Tiel remained still for a long time.
She held Luna close, listening to her rhythmic breathing, the small heartbeat within.
This was Tiel’s favorite time of day, the time she most looked forward to.
The time to hear her beloved daughter’s heartbeat.
How many more minutes did that quiet heartbeat continue?
“She really is asleep…….”
Tiel smiled softly and lifted herself up. After arranging Luna’s hair, she rose carefully so as not to wake the child.
Click.
Tiel left, and as Luna’s door closed, the soft light that had been drifting through the room vanished entirely.
But that was all right.
Because Luna had the moonlight.
The slumbering moonlight had become Luna’s friend, draping itself gently over the sleeping child’s body.
***
“……Ah, Mama! Maamaa!”
Waaaaah!
Luna woke from her sleep and burst into tears. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
She’d had a bad dream.
In the dream, a terrible snake appeared and swallowed Mama, and swallowed Father, and swallowed Luna too!
“Ugh, sniff, sob…….”
Four-year-old Luna clutched the blanket tightly, trying to stifle her tears and calm herself, but it was not easy.
The dream had been so vivid and so frightening!

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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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