The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Arne had always maintained a stance of neutrality.

It never took sides, never involved itself in any disputes... even when the House of Everard, the family of water, was wiped out long ago.

And yet, that very same Arne had just declared its support for Asterian. This was a monumental shift. However, the real question was...

...So what exactly is the benefit?

How are they planning to help? Are they going to get rid of Nestian for us or something?

Doesn’t seem all that useful...

After all, the ones sitting in this room weren’t the heads of their families—they were merely eleven-year-old heirs.

No matter how mature they seemed, at the end of the day, they were still just children.

They didn’t fully grasp how incredible it was for Arne to break its neutrality...

"Uh, I can hear you, you know."

Iris chuckled awkwardly.

Tiel, looking somewhat embarrassed, turned to Olivia and Ludian, who had been whispering to each other. They both stiffened at being caught.

"We sincerely appreciate your words," Ferdie spoke up, ever the composed one. "However, this matter should be discussed with our grandfather instead of us."

"Of course. I plan to meet with the Duke myself. But before that, I thought it was only proper to give you a response, since I have received Asterian’s letter."

Iris smiled gently.

"I wanted to tell you not to worry. Arne will do everything in its power to support the young princess."

Whether Iris was being truthful or simply making empty promises was unclear. However, at the very least, her words did not pose any harm to the children.

The conversation ended with the children nodding in acknowledgment.

Iris Hilde Arne, noticing how exhausted they were, apologized for keeping them for so long. She then called upon her attendants and instructed them to escort the children to their rooms.

Tiel instinctively reached for Ian Dross’s hand but failed, as Ferdie effortlessly lifted her into his arms.

The atmosphere of Arne’s estate was distinctly warm and comforting.

Nestian’s estate had the cold, sharp air of an ice fortress. Asterian’s estate was grand and majestic, exuding an air of nobility.

But Arne’s estate felt like a cozy, well-kept castle nestled deep within a forest.

"The guests will each have their own room on the second floor. These are the finest guest chambers in Arne. Everything has been prepared for your comfort, so please rest well. If you need anything, simply ring the bell on the nightstand."

The maid bowed politely. Ian Dross dismissed her with a nod, and the children headed to their assigned rooms.

Tiel opened the door to her room and stepped inside.

It was spacious, immaculately clean, and filled with the fragrance of flowers. A collection of fresh blooms had been placed beside the bed, filling the air with their delicate scent.

"Arne really does have a lot of flowers... It’s fascinating."

"Of course! Arne’s ability is greenery. They can make an incredible number of flowers bloom!"

Olivia, who had followed Tiel inside, effortlessly lifted her up and set her down on the bed.

"An ability that makes flowers bloom... That sounds really amazing."

"It’s not just flowers! Arne’s ability is way more powerful than that. Let’s ask Clemence to show you later! What do you think?"

"Would that be okay? She might not like showing it off..."

"Nah! She’ll love it! The Arne family loves displaying their abilities. They even hold public demonstrations for the people of their territory two or three times a year. Most of them have an altruistic nature and enjoy using their powers for the benefit of others~"

With a playful spin, Olivia walked over to the flower arrangement, plucked a single bloom, and gently placed it in Tiel’s hair.

"Oh my gosh, this is a disaster. Tiel, you cannot be near flowers. Their beauty gets completely overshadowed by how adorable you are..."

At Olivia’s teasing words, Tiel flushed bright red, then suddenly lunged forward and hugged her tightly.

"T-that’s embarrassing to hear..."

Muttering in a small voice, Tiel buried her face in Olivia’s shoulder.

Olivia burst into laughter and playfully tucked another flower into Tiel’s hair.

"I’m not even lying! Every single person in this estate would agree with me!"

Tiel very much wanted to say that the people who grew these flowers in Arne would absolutely not agree, but she held her tongue.

At that moment, Olivia, who had been ruffling Tiel’s hair, suddenly paused. With a puzzled expression, she looked between her hand and Tiel’s hair.

"Hmm...?"

"What’s wrong?"

Tiel blinked up at Olivia with wide eyes.

Olivia, staring at the strands of white fur she now held in her hand, suddenly gasped in excitement.

"Tiel! You’re shedding!"

"Huh? Shedding?"

"Yeah! You’re losing your baby fur!"

In beastkin society, a child's first shedding was just as significant as their first birthday.

It was the very first step in their transition toward adulthood.

Had Tiel started shedding while in Asterian, the entire Asterian household would have surely gathered for a grand celebration!

Olivia suddenly felt a pang of regret that Tiel was crossing this milestone so far away from home.

“Gasp...!”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“D-does that mean all my fur is going to fall out and grow back? Are all my hairs going to disappear...?”

Having never learned about shedding, Tiel clutched her silky white hair in panic, her round eyes widening in alarm.

Her big, shimmering golden eyes grew as large as saucers.

Olivia burst into laughter and pulled Tiel into a tight hug.

“No, no! Your new fur will grow in as soon as the old one falls out, so there’s no way your hair is just going to vanish! Really! So don’t worry too much. This is something to be happy about~! And you’re going to become even fluffier and cuter than you already are!”

“R-really?”

“Of course! And even if—though it’ll never happen—your fur somehow did all fall out, you’d still be the cutest thing ever... But if that happens, don’t worry. I’ll just pluck all of Ferdie’s hair and give it to you.”

...Why would she do that?

Tiel momentarily imagined Olivia yanking out Ferdie’s hair like weeds before squeezing her eyes shut.

It was an all-too-realistic scenario.

“P-please don’t do that! You can’t pluck Ferdie’s hair!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. He has long hair anyway.”

...But wouldn’t that mean Olivia was a better target?

Tiel realized, once again, that she simply could not keep up with Olivia’s thought process.

Just then, the door burst open.

“Tiel, what are you doing?”

Ferdie, Ludian, and Ian Dross walked into the room one after another.

Tiel instinctively lifted her hand to wave at Ferdie—only to slowly lower it.

She had just been imagining Olivia ripping out all of Ferdie’s hair, and now, looking at him, she suddenly felt guilty.

“Did something happen? Why is she acting like that? Olivia, you didn’t do something weird to her, did you?”

Ferdie asked sharply, eyes narrowing when Tiel abruptly stopped greeting him.

Tiel didn’t do anything to me... but soon, she might. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Tiel, unable to tell Ferdie the terrible thoughts she had just entertained, looked at him with quiet sympathy instead.

“How dare you! As if I’d ever do anything bad to Tiel! If anything, I’d do it to you!”

“That’s true.”

“Yeah, that checks out.”

“...Mhm.”

Ian Dross, Ludian, and Tiel all nodded in agreement, one after another.

Ferdie gave Olivia an expression that wavered between exasperation and resignation.

“Anyway! That’s not important right now!”

Olivia thrust out the handful of white fur she had collected from Tiel.

The three boys’ eyes widened in unison.

Ian Dross, Ferdie, and Ludian stared in disbelief at Olivia.

“Wait... don’t tell me... you pulled out Tiel’s hair...”

“Step outside, Olivia! We duel—now!”

“I... didn’t expect this from you, Olivia... I’m disappointed.”

Olivia stared at the three boys in utter disbelief.

“What is wrong with you idiots?! Of course, I didn’t pull her hair out! Our little baby is having her first shedding!”

[What... is this?!]

A deep, rumbling voice echoed in the darkness.

Something slithered and twisted, bodies rubbing against each other with a horrid sound.

It was just like the noise of snakes writhing together.

[There’s no way it has grown this strong already...]

The voice had tried—again and again—to drag Tiel into the abyss.

And since Tiel had not yet fully awakened her Light Ability, she should have been helpless against its pull.

And yet.

[Why isn’t it working?!]

A furious roar erupted from the depths of the darkness.