The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"Ugh!"

Tiel jumped in surprise, her eyes widening. The white creature that had flown so close to her perched on her shoulder and flapped its wings a few times.

"Wow!"

Tiel turned her head and gasped, looking at the white bird now sitting on her shoulder.

The gift Ian Dross had sent was a messenger pigeon.

"Hello?"

As she extended her hand, the pigeon gently hopped onto her palm.

It was a smaller bird than the usual messenger pigeons used for carrying letters.

Additionally, while typical messenger pigeons were dull-colored, brown or black, the pigeon Ian had [N O V E L I G H T] sent her had feathers that were dazzlingly white.

Ferdie and Ludian, already knowing what Ian’s gift was, were not surprised.

Instead, they muttered, "Ian always sends gifts for himself!" but fortunately, Tiel didn’t hear them.

Tiel gently soothed the pigeon and opened the letter tube tied to its ankle.

She then unfolded the letter inside.

The letter was neatly written in Ian's handwriting, and it read:

[This is a well-trained messenger pigeon from the Imperial Palace. It doesn't have a name yet, so you can name it. Once you name it and train it well, it will follow you closely. The pigeon already knows the way to the Imperial Palace, so there's no need to teach it a new route. I hope you’ll send your reply through this pigeon. Please write in detail about how you felt upon receiving my gift.]

The letter was short and concise.

After reading Ian’s letter, Tiel smiled brightly and gently scratched the pigeon’s cheek. The white bird, with no hesitation, snuggled up to her hand.

"What should I name you?"

Tiel muttered to herself, and the pigeon tilted its head. She lightly kissed its beak.

"Tiel, don’t kiss animals on the mouth..."

Ferdie, who had been quietly watching, frowned and advised his sister, but Tiel didn’t mind.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Tiel gazed intently at the pigeon, blinking her large eyes, before whispering as she lowered her head.

"I’ll think about it and give you the best name..."

The pigeon seemed to enjoy it, letting out a long "peep!" A small feather gently landed on Tiel's head.

"So, did you find it?"

Ian Dross, after receiving reports from Alpheus and Karsus about "Oshian" and "Jae," asked as he examined the materials.

"Not yet, but we’ve confirmed a few locations that might be the 'hideout' the girl mentioned."

Karsus spread out a map, marking the territory of the Russell family.

The territory was so small that there were only a few places left to check, and Karsus explained that the search wouldn’t take long due to the limited size.

Ian Dross slowly scanned the marked locations. Indeed, the territory was small enough that it wouldn’t take long to investigate.

"Has the girl confirmed that Oshian Russell is behind this?"

"We verified it through a portrait."

"In that case, why not confront Oshian Russell directly and interrogate him instead of investigating quietly?"

Ian Dross asked, a bit puzzled.

Certainly, this was a serious matter involving the head of the Asterian family being harmed. Confronting and interrogating the suspect, Oshian Russell, would likely raise no objections from anyone.

However, Alpheus shook his head.

"Oshian is not the main problem. The girl said the real issue is a man named Jae. He is elusive and disappears quickly. It’s better to investigate quietly if we want to catch both of them at once."

"I see. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, just your words of support are appreciated."

Ian Dross put the materials down and briefly tried to recall Oshian Russell’s face.

But he couldn’t remember it. The Russell family was a very small, rural noble family, while Ian was the exalted Crown Prince.

He felt a sudden irritation at not being able to recall the face of the one who had tried to harm his beloved Tiel.

"And send Oshian’s portrait to the Imperial Palace. I need to see it too. As much as I’d like to bring him to the palace for an interrogation, I’ll hold off for now, as the Duke suggested he might flee."

"Yes, Your Highness. I’ll send it right away."

Alpheus bowed his head. Ian Dross, in an attempt to calm his frustration, turned toward the window and looked outside.

The sun was setting.

"Duke."

Ian Dross called out to Alpheus.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

Alpheus responded.

"Doesn’t the sun seem to be setting earlier these days?"

"Hmm... it might just be your imagination. It’s unlikely that the sun would set earlier."

Alpheus answered Ian’s question, and Ian nodded in agreement.

"Maybe it’s just my imagination."

"Yes."

"Alright, I guess it’s just in my head."