The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

“It seems that Tiel has manifested the ability of light.”

“...What?”

For a moment, silence fell over the office.

The only sounds that filled the room were the ticking of the clock's second hand and the clicking of the locket Karsus held, as he absently rolled it in his palm and snapped its lid open and shut.

It was Alpheus who broke the silence first.

With a look of disbelief, he turned to his son and asked quietly, “...Is it true? Did you see it yourself?”

“Yes.”

Karsus nodded without a moment's hesitation.

“I saw it clearly.”

The basement where Tiel had been found was far too dark, unnaturally quiet, and entirely black. It was impossible not to see it.

The fragments of light that whirled and gathered in her small hands.

The light that took the shape of a fish, then a leopard, scattered like a gust of wind, and then swelled as though it would devour the child whole.

It was brief, but the immense light that illuminated the entire basement was undoubtedly a power that belonged to her.

At Karsus’s words, Alpheus murmured in disbelief, “The power of light... does that mean the legend is true?”

In this empire, there had long been a legend passed down.

The legend of the one blessed by Ruisette, the god of light—a child with the power of light.

The legend spoke of two things: that a child with the power of light would call forth morning to a land where dawn never came, and that the same child would dispel eternal darkness and restore balance between light and dark.

But that was all it was—a legend.

A legend remembered by only a few in an era where most had forgotten its existence entirely. No one truly believed that the power of light from the legend could exist.

And yet—

“My granddaughter has manifested the power of light.”

It wasn’t simply extraordinary that she had this ability.

“If anything, it’s troubling.”

The power of light from the legend... If word got out that someone had manifested it, the Nestian family, the imperial family, and even the temple would all clamor to take Tiel for themselves.

The power of light was that significant.

But for Alpheus and Karsus, that wasn’t the concern at the moment.

After all, the Asterian family— 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The only ducal family that protected the empire, with the strongest existing ability of fire manipulation among the Black Leopards—

Wouldn’t be so easily meddled with, no matter how powerful or coveted the light ability might be.

Unless someone was foolish enough to risk their life.

Thus, Alpheus wasn’t overly worried about the chaos Tiel’s ability might bring. There was something far more pressing.

It was the hidden legend.

A legend passed down solely among the leopard clans, alongside the tale of the child of light.

“Asterian and Nestian shall regain their true power with the glorious light.”

As the power of light came to be regarded as a mere myth, this legend was all but forgotten, remembered by only a scant few.

Now, the only ones who knew of it were the heads of the Nestian and Asterian families, and Karsus as Alpheus’s successor.

Alpheus closed his eyes as if to gather his thoughts and murmured to himself.

“True power...”

True power... could it be that the child could truly lift the ‘curse’ of the Asterian family?

If that were truly the case...

Sensing Alpheus’s train of thought, Karsus let out a short sigh and spoke firmly.

“It would be best to let go of any thoughts of burdening the child.”

“...”

“Legends are just legends, Father.”

His voice was resolute, leaving no room for debate. It was clear he wouldn’t allow anyone to place the weight of expectations on Tiel.

Not even Alpheus Evalt Asterian, the head of the Asterian family and Karsus’s father.

Alpheus slowly nodded, taking a sip from his teacup.

“Indeed.”

A legend is just a legend...

***

Inside the office of the Nestian family head, Chender Nestian:

“You still haven’t found her? Useless fools!”

Chender Nestian’s enraged voice echoed through the room, his face flushed red with fury, veins bulging in his eyes and neck.

Grinding his teeth, Chender glared at the knight commander standing before him, who had just reported their failure to locate his granddaughter, who had vanished without a trace.

“That little brat... just wait until I get my hands on her.”

He would make sure she learned her lesson, so she’d never dare to pull such a stunt again.

After Tiel disappeared, Chender had locked up the maids who were supposed to be monitoring her in the underground dungeon.

Even that hadn’t been enough to soothe his anger, so he deducted the salary of Rowen’s nanny, Zyra, who had reportedly been the last to see Tiel, and threatened to fire her if Tiel wasn’t found.

Though Chender often spoke of getting rid of Tiel, the situation this time was different.

“If the Asterians find out she’s alive...”

If it became known that the Nestians had hidden and raised Tiel, the Asterians would never let it slide.

After all, Tiel was not only Lena’s child but also the child of Karsus Celeste Asterian.

He had to find her quickly—before the Asterians discovered her existence.

Pressing his throbbing temple with his fingers, Chender glared at the knights who had yet to bring him results. His anger boiled to the top of his head.

At the same time, Tiel’s sudden disappearance reminded him of her mother, Lena, Chender’s daughter.

Lena, who had one day suddenly fallen in love with that scoundrel, Karsus Celeste Asterian, declared she would marry him, and vanished without a word.

Tiel, who had always pretended to be obedient, innocent, and quiet, had vanished just as selfishly.

If she were going to take after her mother, she could have at least inherited her genius-level ice ability.

Instead, she had to take after her mother in the worst way possible!

Chender seethed with anger, not even noticing the knight commander cowering before him. His thoughts briefly lingered on one question.

“Why haven’t they found her yet?”

It had already been a week since Tiel disappeared. The entire Nestian household staff and knights had scoured the estate to find her. And yet...

“We’re sorry. We couldn’t find her.”

“There’s no trace of her.”

“Even the annex shows no signs...”

Not a single trace of Tiel had been found anywhere.

By now, she would have gone without food or even access to a bathroom for days. If she were still hiding within the estate, there should have been evidence somewhere.

But there wasn’t.

No trace at all.

That could only mean one thing: Tiel might have escaped beyond the estate grounds.

“How troublesome...”

Chender clicked his tongue in irritation. He should have dealt with her when he had the chance. Letting that opportunity slip away would haunt him.

The only relief was that Tiel was just a seven-year-old child. The Nestian estate was surrounded by vast, snow-covered fields so treacherous that even adults struggled to traverse them.

So—

“Search the area outside the estate thoroughly. Even if she’s left the grounds, she couldn’t have gotten far.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Chender’s command, the knight commander, who had been standing stiffly, quickly exited the office.

Chender moved to the window, staring out at the snowy landscape beyond the estate. The icy plains stretched endlessly, with flurries of snow falling steadily.

If she had gone outside, she was as good as dead.

The Nestian snowfields were vast and harsh enough to cause even adult snow leopards to lose their way and freeze to death.

And Tiel, at only seven years old, being a hybrid of snow and black leopard, had a short coat of fur that left her particularly vulnerable to the cold.

So most likely...

“If she went out there, she’s dead.”

Chender’s gaze on the snowfield was cold and unfeeling. He murmured to himself, his tone calm, as if it were the most natural conclusion.

“Well, that’s for the best.”

He couldn’t bring himself to kill his own blood, nor could he return her to the Asterians. The troublesome child had been a constant source of headaches.

If she’d gone out and died of her own accord, it was better that way.

Under Chender Nestian’s orders, the knights expanded their search to include the snowfields beyond the estate.

Their directive was clear: “If she’s dead, bring back the body.”

And...

“If she’s alive, kill her on sight.”

The knights, ordered to kill a mere seven-year-old child if found alive, collectively cast a glance toward the Nestian mansion.

Blue velvet curtains were drawn over the office window of the Nestian family head.