"Dad!"
Karsus immediately lifted Tiel into his arms. Tiel comfortably nestled into Karsus's embrace.
He patted his daughter's back as they entered the room.
"You were sleeping, so I told them not to wake you, but did you have a bad dream? You're all covered in sweat..."
Karsus looked at Tiel's damp pajamas as he asked. Tiel pondered for a moment before nodding.
"I had a bad dream, about snakes chasing me."
"Snakes can't touch you. You are like Lena, a snow leopard and the head of the Asterians."
"The snakes overwhelmed me. And..."
As Tiel recalled her dream while still in Karsus's embrace, she grimaced.
The sight of snakes pouring over her body was vividly coming back to her.
Tiel tried not to think about that scene and asked.
"But Dad, where is that girl from last time? I mean, Ria."
"Ria? Why do you ask?"
Karsus draped a blanket over Tiel as he asked.
It was a considerate gesture, fearing she might catch a cold from the dampness. Buried in the blanket, Tiel mumbled her response.
"She appeared in my dream. I feel like I need to meet her somehow..."
"She appeared in your nightmare?"
"Yes."
Karsus pondered for a moment.
He had not intended for Tiel and Ria to meet.
Despite any circumstances, the fact remained that Ria had attacked Tiel.
'Whether by will or not, the attack happened.'
So, Karsus had chosen to keep them apart instead of punishing Ria.
Alpheus, Ludian, Ferdie, and even Ian Dross had agreed with this decision.
But...
"Can't we?"
Tiel looked up at Karsus with her golden, sparkling eyes.
For a moment, Karsus thought he saw a shower of light flakes falling behind her.
"..."
Finally, Karsus sighed and shook his head.
He was indeed overly indulgent with Tiel.
"You must have your reasons for wanting to see her."
Karsus called a maid and ordered her to bring Ria.
The maid promised to bring her without delay, and before she arrived, he carefully adjusted the blanket wrapped around Tiel.
"Make sure to change your clothes before you come down next time. Even if you are a snow leopard, the night air is quite chilly. If you wear wet clothes like this, you'll catch a cold."
"Thank you for worrying about me. Next time, I won't come down in wet clothes. Or if I have to come down in wet clothes, I'll come straight to you. Then you'll wrap me up in a warm blanket like now!"
Tiel chuckled brightly. Karsus stroked her hair while waiting for the maid to return with Ria.
Soon, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
At Karsus's command, the door slowly opened.
Tiel watched the slowly opening door. There stood the maid who had gone to fetch Ria, with Ria beside her, both avoiding eye contact.
"Lord Karsus, as you instructed, I've brought her."
"Well done. You may leave."
As soon as Karsus gave his permission, the maid hurried out of the room. Ria kept looking back at the departing maid, uneasy.
Ria looked much better than when Tiel had first seen her. Her cheeks were plumper, and she wore cleaner clothes than before.
"Come here."
Karsus commanded.
The girl hesitantly approached Karsus. Tiel threw off the blanket she was under and stood in front of Ria.
"Um, hi?"
Tiel greeted her cautiously, her voice as soft and timid as a whisper of a small wild bird.
However, Ria, startled by the sudden summons, looked up sharply at Tiel's ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ soft and careful voice.
The girl glanced at Karsus, then at Tiel, and quickly bowed her head.
"You called for me..."
She stuttered as she spoke.
It was then.
Ria suddenly looked up sharply at Tiel.
Tiel, startled by Ria's abrupt action, widened her eyes. Karsus, too, watched the encounter between the two girls with a puzzled expression.
"Um, I wanted to see you, so I asked Dad to bring you..."
"Why do you have this?"
Ria interrupted Tiel with a puzzled tone.
Tiel also looked perplexed, twirling her unraveled white hair with her finger.
"Um? Have this?"
Ria seemed to ponder deeply for a moment, then looked palely at Tiel and muttered.
"Could it be, that time...?"
"Ria, what are you talking about?"
"Yeah, what are you talking about? Be careful with your actions."
Karsus warned Ria sharply. However, the girl seemed to ignore Karsus as if he wasn't even there.
"Oh, miss."
"Call me head of the house."
Karsus commanded. Ria nodded absently and repeated after him.
"Head of the house... why did you call for me?"
Tiel pondered Ria's question.
'Should I say I called her because I saw her in my dream?'
But it seemed too far-fetched. Tiel couldn't understand why she felt the need to see Ria.
She just felt she had to. Could it be related to the 'voice' she heard long ago when she was seven?
As Tiel hesitated, unable to answer immediately, Ria reached out her small hand.
"Head of the house, may I take a look at your hand for a moment?"
Ria asked cautiously.
Tiel appeared to ponder briefly, then readily gave her hand to Ria.
Ria didn't seem likely to harm her, and Karsus was beside her.
If the girl tried to hurt Tiel, Karsus would quickly intervene.
Besides, Tiel was now quite capable of using her protective abilities. It was not so much that Tiel trusted Ria, but rather she trusted herself and Karsus.
Ria took Tiel's hand and pressed on her wrist, closing her eyes as if to confirm something.
At that moment, Tiel felt something unpleasant squirming inside her.
"!!!"
Without realizing, Tiel recoiled in alarm, pulling her hand away.
Karsus quickly scooped Tiel into his arms. Ria, unfazed, looked at Karsus and Tiel.
"What did you do to my daughter?"
Karsus asked in a stern voice, which might have sounded like a growl of a fierce beast to some. His eyes flashed dangerously.
Tiel, still in Karsus's arms, wriggled to get down.
"Dad, put me down. I'm okay...!"
"You were not okay. What did she do to you? You there, what did you do to my daughter?"
"I didn't do anything."
Ria stated clearly. Karsus did not put Tiel down as he stared at Ria.
The girl carefully clasped her hands together. Tiel stared intently at her actions.
What Ria mimicked was how Tiel used her abilities.
The way seven-year-old Tiel used to use her abilities...
As Ria brought her hands together and closed her eyes, murmuring cautiously, black smoke rose from her hands.
"..."
"!!"
Karsus and Tiel both stepped back and watched Ria.
Among the three in the room, only Ria maintained her composure.