The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"Chender-nim."

In the quiet room, the man who had approached Chender bowed his head slightly.

Chender gestured for him to sit across from him without turning to look.

"Jay."

Chender spoke slowly. The man smiled slightly, as if confirming that he was indeed the owner of that name.

He was ’Jay.’

His real name was unknown. Everyone called him Jay. No one knew his true name, so Chender had no need to ask, simply calling him ’Jay.’

"How is everything going?"

"It’s going smoothly. At this rate, everything will proceed without any issues."

Jay smiled as he spoke.

Chender gave him an irritated look, his face scrunched in displeasure, before speaking.

"I didn’t ask about that. I was asking about my granddaughter!"

"Everything regarding Loewen-nim is also going well, so there is no need for concern. May...--’s blessing be with us in all matters."

Jay’s words were unclear, and Chender couldn’t fully make them out. However, he understood what Jay had intended to say.

Thus, Chender didn’t press him further or scold him.

"So, why did you want to see me?"

"It’s nothing, really. There’s something I would like to ask of you."

"Ask?"

"Yes, I need something. You must help me, Chender-nim."

Chender clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. It hadn’t been even three months since he had gotten something for Jay when he said he needed it. So what could he possibly need now?

Nestian had the capability to provide what Jay wanted, but Chender found Jay irksome.

He felt uncomfortable and uneasy, even though Jay had been helping both Nestian and his granddaughter Loewen in every way.

"Summarize and report. I’ll check and prepare what’s needed. And... where is Loewen?"

"Loewen-nim is currently at the villa. But she should return to the Nestian estate soon."

Jay spoke smoothly, his voice as fluid as flowing water. Chender didn’t even notice the subtle thrill in Jay’s voice.

"Tiel needs to become far stronger than that..."

Chender muttered. Jay hissed like a serpent tempting to eat the fruit, whispering next to him.

"Of course, she will become stronger. Miss Tiel is already strong enough. She’ll probably be able to overcome the darkness rooted in this land soon and restore the balance of day and night..."

For a brief moment, neither Chender nor Jay spoke, but it was clear they both were imagining the same thing.

***

"Ian-nim!"

Tiel, holding the hem of her dress tightly, followed Ian. The white lace at the end of her dress fluttered like petals in the wind.

Tiel hurried down the stairs and stood in front of Ian. Ian, who was about to leave for the carriage, paused at Tiel’s call and looked at her.

"Ian-nim, are you leaving already?"

"I’ve heard the reason Ferdie called me, so I have to go now. Why... are you sad that I’m leaving?"

"Ah... yes! But it’s not that I’m sad today! It’s just that you seem to be in a hurry today."

Even though Ian Dross had visited her just yesterday, he usually stayed for two or three hours at the Asterian estate whenever he came, spending time with Tiel. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

So this sudden rush to leave was unusual. Tiel couldn’t help but worry if something had gone wrong with Ian Dross’s abilities.

"Wait, wait, come here!"

Tiel grabbed Ian Dross’s hand and pulled him toward her.

She could feel the gazes of maids and servants as they passed by, looking at them. Tiel blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed, as she pulled Ian to her room.

Ian Dross signaled to Cedric to wait and followed Tiel up to her room obediently.

Thud.

Tiel closed the door behind them and sat Ian down on her plush bed. Ian sat on Tiel’s bed and looked up at her.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes? About what?"

"If your brothers find out that I sat on your bed, they’ll probably skin me and hang me on the Asterian estate’s gate..."

"If my brothers are thinking straight, they won’t skin the Crown Prince!"

"Do your brothers look like they’re thinking straight?"

Ian Dross tilted his head. It seemed like he wanted to talk about the "reckless plan" Ferdie had just discussed with them. Tiel, understanding exactly what Ian wanted to say, scrunched her nose in a troubled expression.

"Uhm... sometimes they can be a bit reckless."

"If the fact that I’m sitting on your bed becomes known, they’ll probably act twice as recklessly."

"I’ll stop them! But more importantly, give me your hand."

Tiel grabbed Ian Dross’s hand firmly and closed her eyes.

Ian stopped smiling, his face stiff, as he looked at Tiel. Ian knew exactly what she was trying to do.

Through the ’marking,’ they could share each other’s abilities and burdens...

Since their marking was incomplete, Ian couldn’t share Tiel’s burdens, but Tiel could take on Ian’s abilities.

Ian, unable to refuse Tiel’s hand, hesitated with a troubled expression.

"Tiel, it’d be better if you let go of my hand before your brothers see."

"I’m focusing, Crown Prince..."

"Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?"

"If you keep interrupting me, I’ll keep calling you by that title..."

Tiel retorted without hesitation. Ian Dross, eventually giving up on the verbal battle, reluctantly allowed Tiel to hold his hand.

When Tiel held his hand, she could sense whether his abilities were about to go out of control or not.

Warm light flowed from their connected hands into Ian’s body.

Ian Dross felt a sensation as though the purest and warmest sunlight was flowing through his veins, circulating throughout his body.

It was the unique sensation of Tiel’s abilities—light abilities—only those bonded through marking could feel it.

However, Ian Dross, knowing how unstable his abilities were, didn’t find it pleasant that Tiel was using her abilities for him.

Tiel held Ian’s hand for a long time before letting go.

Her abilities had flowed into Ian, calming his unstable abilities, and for the time being, he wouldn’t lose control.

Ian rubbed his wrist awkwardly, then looked up at Tiel.

"Thank you, Tiel. But next time, you don’t have to do this. I know my own abilities well. There’s no need to ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) worry..."

"Not worry...! Didn’t you say the room in your void space disappeared? There’s little known about void abilities, but I can tell that it’s not something trivial."

"Some of them reopened. Well, some disappeared again. But isn’t it important that they reappeared?"

"Of course not!"

Tiel remembered a distant memory from when she was very young, when she saw something in Ian Dross’s void space.

In that memory, the empire’s Crown Prince and Princess consort tried to control Ian Dross’s powers, but...

’...’

Tiel had never spoken of that incident, nor had she ever mentioned it to Ian Dross or thought about it.

But now, as Ian Dross’s abilities became noticeably unstable, those thoughts couldn’t help but surface.

"What if Ian-nim’s abilities go out of control again?"

A fish made of light, formed by Tiel’s abilities, swam toward her and gently brushed her cheek with its long fins.

Feeling the weaker light, Tiel closed and opened her eyes cautiously, a lump forming in her chest.

Her abilities were weakening, and Ian Dross’s abilities were becoming more unstable.

If the same thing happened again...

’I don’t even want to imagine it.’

Tiel opened her eyes wide.

Therefore, before Ian Dross’s abilities become more unstable, she must find the proper solution.

For instance, like fully completing their marking...