The cave fell silent after Bai Chen’s question.
Snow drifted quietly outside.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Xue Linyuan looked down at the small snow leopard cub standing before him.
The cub’s silver eyes were almost identical to his own.
For a moment, the prince couldn’t speak.
Because no one had ever called him father before.
No one.
Not in all his years of life.
The cursed prince who was never supposed to have descendants.
The prince whose bloodline was supposedly doomed to end with him.
Yet now—
A small cub stood before him asking the question he had never imagined hearing.
“…Are you really our father?”
Beside Bai Chen, Bai Yan folded his arms stubbornly.
Unlike his brother, he wasn’t hiding his emotions.
“If you are,” Bai Yan said bluntly, “where were you?”
The cave became even quieter.
The question struck harder than any blade.
Xueyin immediately looked toward the twins.
“Bai Yan…”
But the cub continued.
“When Mother was sick.”
“When Mother carried us.”
“When Mother cried at night.”
His small fists clenched.
“Where were you?”
Xue Linyuan stood motionless.
Not because he was angry.
Because he had no answer.
How could he explain years of separation to children?
How could he explain that he never knew they existed?
The prince slowly lowered himself until he was at eye level with the twins.
His voice was calm.
“…I didn’t know.”
The twins blinked.
“I didn’t know your mother was carrying you.”
No excuses.
No lies.
Just truth.
Xueyin quietly watched him.
There was something strangely sincere about him.
Pain flickered briefly across his face before disappearing.
“If I had known,” he continued softly, “I would have come.”
Bai Yan’s ears twitched slightly.
The fierce cub wanted to stay angry.
But instincts were strange.
The closer he stood to this man—
The more familiar he felt.
Like looking into a future version of himself.
Bai Chen seemed to feel it too.
The connection between blood relatives.
Impossible to explain.
Impossible to ignore.
The calm twin glanced toward Xueyin.
His eyes silently asking:
Mother, what do you think?
Xueyin froze.
What did she think?
Honestly…
She didn’t know.
This man was supposedly connected to the original Bai Xueyin.
Not her.
Yet every time she looked at him—
Her heart felt heavy.
Not with love.
Not with recognition.
But with a strange sadness she couldn’t explain.
As if some part of this body still remembered.
Suddenly—
A sharp gust of wind blew into the cave.
Snowflakes scattered across the floor.
Xue Linyuan’s expression changed instantly.
Cold.
Alert.
Dangerous.
The transformation was so sudden that even the cubs noticed.
“What happened?” Xueyin asked.
The prince slowly stood.
His silver eyes moved toward the cave entrance.
Someone was approaching.
Fast.
Very fast.
A moment later—
A cheerful voice echoed from outside.
“Little Snow Fox!”
The voice sounded young.
Bright.
Almost playful.
Then a figure burst through the snowy entrance.
A handsome young man with fluffy reddish-brown hair appeared carrying a large basket.
His golden eyes immediately locked onto Bai Xueyin.
And lit up.
“You’re awake!”
Before anyone could react—
He rushed forward.
Straight toward her.
The red panda cub’s eyes widened.
The newcomer looked exactly like an older version of him.
Meanwhile, Xue Linyuan’s face instantly became terrifyingly cold.
The newcomer finally noticed him.
“…Ah.”
The cheerful smile froze.
The cave temperature dropped several degrees.
The young man blinked.
Then laughed awkwardly.
“Snow Leopard Prince.”
Xue Linyuan stared at him expressionlessly.
The red panda prince swallowed.
“…You found her first?”
The two males looked at each other.
Neither smiling.
Neither backing down.
And for the first time, Bai Xueyin realized something.
The return of one male wasn’t the end of her problems.
It was only the beginning.
Because more people from the original Bai Xueyin’s forgotten past were coming.