CH 12

Episode 12

Thiel also knew about the family doctor belonging to each family. The Nestian family also had a doctor.

But.

‘… That person didn’t treat me.’

On the day Rowan had pushed her down the stairs and her forehead was severely damaged, Thiel had visited the family doctor without the maids’ knowledge.

One day, I overheard what Rowan was saying.

‘I’m going to see the doctor. The burrs on my nails are so stinky that it bothers me!’

Rowan went to the doctor in Nestian and did not complain about the trip afterwards.

Since then, whenever she was injured, she often wanted to go see the “doctor,” but she held back because she didn’t think her grandfather would allow it. She didn’t want to risk getting in trouble for acting on her own.

However, on that day, Thiel’s forehead was torn and hurting so badly that she gathered the courage to knock on the door of the room where the doctor was staying.

The wound on her forehead was so deep and painful that she just couldn’t ignore it anymore… She hoped she could at least receive a cloth to clean the wound. But…

‘I cannot treat your wound, Miss.’

The Nestian doctor, who had a sad expression, firmly told Thiel to stand in the cold hallway.

‘I am the doctor of the Nestian family. However, Miss, you have not received the Nestian name, have you?’

The Nestian doctor turned Thiel away, saying that he could not treat her because she was not a pure Nestian, but a mixed blood.

On that day, Thiel realized, ‘The doctor of a family only treats those who have received that family’s name… I can’t receive treatment.’

But then, this doctor said, “It’s an honor to meet you. Would it be okay if I briefly examined your condition?”

Kaid, who introduced himself as the Asterian doctor, kindly asked Thiel if he could examine her condition. Thiel, who was in a situation completely opposite to what she had experienced in Nestian, didn’t know what to do and opened her mouth while rolling her eyes.

“Uh, I’m Thiel. But… I haven’t received the Asterian’s name yet. Can I still receive treatment?”

As soon as Thiel finished speaking, silence fell in the room.

Everyone was surprised by the question, ‘Can she receive treatment even though she hasn’t received the mark of the Asterian family?’ They couldn’t find the right words to say to this little girl.

As the surroundings fell silent, Thiel looked around with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Did I do something wrong?

Should I not have asked that question?

She regretted asking such a foolish question, but it was too late to take it back. Just as she was about to ask them to pretend they didn’t hear her, someone called out her name.

“Thiel.”

A gentle voice tickled Thiel’s ears. She lifted her head cautiously, having become familiar with the voice after hearing it a few times.

A sharp nose, an elegantly raised mouth, a chiseled jawline, and smooth skin that seemed to have been carved by a skilled artist.

He resembled Rowan’s cherished sculpture. Or perhaps Cassius was even more handsome.

However, what caught Thiel’s attention was not his handsome appearance.

“…”

Under the full and thick eyelashes were transparent and beautiful golden irises.

As soon as Thiel met his identical golden eyes, she felt strangely relaxed and at ease.

While Thiel couldn’t take her eyes off Cassius’s face, Cassius smiled, lifting his beautiful mouth.

“Look at your iris.”

As Cassius finished speaking, Lia took a small mirror out of her pocket and handed it to Cassius.

Cassius brought the small mirror to the boy’s nose.

“What color is it?”

After looking into his own iris for a moment, Thiel nodded and replied.

“It’s golden.”

“This is evidence that you are my daughter. At the same time, it proves that you are a member of the Asterian family.”

The eyes were clear. They were beautiful golden irises that only members of the black leopard family of Asterian were born with.

So the result of the paternity test was merely a formality, and everyone agreed without dispute that Thiel was Cassius’s biological child and carried the bloodline of Asterian.

Thiel opened her eyes wide and met Cassius’s gaze.

“So, Thiel,” Cassius murmured softly, stroking the child’s small, round head as if tapping a wedge.

“As long as you have those eyes, there is nothing you cannot do in this mansion.”

There was a moment of silence. Thiel soon trembled and asked again in a trembling voice, realizing what Cassius meant.

“What do you mean?”

“…”

“You mean I can stay in this mansion…?” 

“Yes.”

Cassius responded without any hesitation. At that moment, Thiel’s eyes sparkled, and her mouth opened slightly. Her heart, which had been frozen with coldness and abuse for a long time, it was suddenly filled with bright light.

‘I won’t be kicked out.’

For now, he could stay here for a while. Just knowing that fact made Thiel ecstatic.

Of course, whenever he recalled the voice of the enraged Duke Eward, a sense of unease crept up on him.

“You don’t have to skip meals, you don’t have to live like you have nothing, and you don’t have to sleep in the warehouse or barn.”

Every time Thiel heard Cassius’s voice, the sense of unease that had risen in her disappeared without a trace, leaving only a handful of relief that tickled his chest.

Cassius’s large hand gently patted her small, soft cheek. One eye closed involuntarily due to the pressure, and Thiel looked at Cassius with the other eye wide open.

“So don’t worry, you can stay here without doing that.”

“… Yes.”

“Since you must be tired, let’s talk about the details later and have you receive medical attention first, Kaid.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Kaid nodded his head lightly. He cautiously reached out his hand to Thiel and asked for permission once again.

“May I examine the young lady’s physical condition?”

After a moment of hesitation, Thiel nodded her head.

***

After giving Thiel a thorough examination, Kaid diagnosed her with malnutrition, but fortunately, her overall health was in good condition. He prescribed that she should eat well and rest, and her condition would naturally improve.

Although Thiel was relieved to hear Kaid’s diagnosis of her overall good health, the mansion’s servants were not.

“A seven-year-old child with malnutrition!”

“That’s ridiculous. We should tell Hugo to make plenty of delicious and fatty food right away.”

However, the servants who were trying to urge the mansion’s cook were all brought under control by the butler, Parden, and the housekeeper, Sophia, of the Asterian mansion.

“Just because she has malnutrition doesn’t mean we should feed her fatty foods. It won’t make her any better.”

It was already well past dinner time. It was clear that if she ate greasy food at this time, she would suffer from indigestion for a while.

Furthermore, when Thiel first arrived at the mansion, there was a time when she forced herself to eat cake and ended up throwing up everything.

So it was best not to feed her anything at this time…

“She hasn’t had a proper lunch or dinner.”

It was impossible to put a child who hadn’t eaten properly to sleep. Therefore, Sophia asked the kitchen to prepare a soft corn soup, a piece of meat, and a little warm bread for Thiel.

Following Sophia’s advice that “you should always eat something easy on the stomach late at night,” 

Thiel emptied about half a bowl of warm corn soup.

As the warm food went down, she truly felt a sense of comfort in her stomach.

She remembered sitting on the narrow bed, rubbing her grumbling stomach.

Lia entered the room with a tray and placed it on a small table.

“Well, Miss. You’ll feel better if you have something sweet,” Lia whispered affectionately, as if casting a magic spell from a fairy tale, and handed Thiel a small spoon.

Thiel blinked at the dessert in front of her.

Lia had brought a red fruit pudding with sweet and sour cream.

Since Lia had previously seen Thiel’s eyes sparkle at the sight of dessert, she knew that Thiel liked dessert.

So, with the permission of Parden and Sophia, Lia brought a sweet snack that Thiel could enjoy without any hesitation.

Thiel blinked at the dessert in front of her.

Is it okay for me to eat this?

It felt strange to eat something at this time, so Thiel asked hesitantly. Looking at Lia as if asking for permission, Lia smiled and placed her hand over Thiel’s, picking up a spoonful of the dessert that combined cream and fruit pudding in perfect harmony and gently placing it into Thiel’s mouth.

“…!”

“How is it? Does it taste good?”

Thiel’s eyes widened in surprise at the taste of the pudding in their mouth.