The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"That is...!!"

The inscriptions on the wall were in an ancient script—one that had long been forgotten by most, known only to a select few.

And among those few were Alpheus and Karsus.

They immediately recognized the writing.

"Karsus..."

"Yes. It’s written in the ancient language."

Glowing letters gleamed on the stone wall, forming the following words:

[When the long darkness fades and the light fully takes its place in this world, Asterian and Nestian shall reclaim their true power.]

Shortly after, more words appeared.

[The light shall suppress the darkness by merely existing.]

"Suppress the darkness by merely existing..."

Alpheus and Karsus instantly grasped its meaning.

It must be referring to what had happened when Tiel calmed Ferdi’s rampage.

She can subdue Madness simply by existing...

It was an astonishing revelation.

Something the leopard clans had desperately longed for.

But there was no fundamental solution.

In the end, it means that Tiel is necessary to suppress Madness.

Her very presence was what held the Madness of Asterian and Nestian in check.

And that meant—once this truth became known, everyone would seek to possess her.

Nestian would covet her as a means to cure Madness.

Other families would see the lifting of the Asterian and Nestian curse as a threat and target her out of fear.

"What a nuisance."

But Karsus, Alpheus, and all of Asterian would never allow Tiel to be taken.

Lena had been taken from them—that was more than enough.

They would not repeat the same mistake.

A murderous glint flickered in Karsus’s golden eyes.

His pupils narrowed into slits, taking on the feral gaze of a beast.

Had Alpheus not intervened, Karsus might have bared his fangs outright.

"Calm yourself, Karsus."

"...."

Karsus slowly nodded. His gaze softened, returning to its usual state.

Moments later, the glowing inscriptions on the stone wall slowly faded away.

As Tiel’s power receded, darkness filled the room once again.

A small orb of light remained in her palm.

When she blinked, the light dimmed and was reabsorbed into her skin, as if returning to where it belonged.

Tiel couldn’t read the ancient script, so she had no idea what had just appeared on the stone wall.

All she could do was gauge from Karsus and Alpheus’s expressions that the message had been serious.

Cautiously, she asked,

"Um... was it something bad?"

"No, Tiel. You did well."

Alpheus stepped forward and gently lifted his granddaughter from where she had collapsed onto the pedestal.

Tiel squirmed slightly in his arms.

"Ah, Grandfather! Your clothes will get dirty..."

"It’s fine, child. You did well."

Alpheus paid no mind to the dust that had transferred to his clothing. Instead, he held her close, running his hand affectionately over her soft hair.

"You did well, Tiel."

Karsus reached out and lightly pinched her chubby cheek before releasing it.

Tiel giggled and hugged Alpheus’s neck tightly.

With that, Alpheus and Karsus carried Tiel out of the chamber.

As soon as the three of them had exited, the sound of grinding gears echoed through the air. The bookshelf moved back into place, sealing the room once more. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Alpheus cast a lingering glance at the now-hidden entrance before pointing to the spine of the book Tiel had pressed earlier.

"Tiel, if you ever want to come here again, you may do so at any time."

"But... isn’t this a place only for the heads of the family?"

"It is a secret chamber for the Lords of Asterian, yes. But more importantly, it is a sanctuary for those who possess the Light Ability.

Which means, it is your chamber.

You may enter and leave as you wish."

Alpheus ruffled her hair.

Tiel’s face lit up as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay!"

She glanced at the old book’s spine once more.

For some reason, she already felt an attachment to it.

After all, that book had confirmed that she truly belonged to Asterian.

There had been nights when she had lain awake, tormented by the fear that she might not be one of them.

But now—now she would be able to sleep peacefully.

As Karsus gazed at the smiling child, he reached out and ran his fingers through her fluffy white hair.

Soft strands slipped gently between his fingers.

***

Tiel, Ferdi, and Ludian sat side by side at the long dining table, eating blueberry pie.

With a single bite, the crispy crust crumbled perfectly, giving way to the sweetly stewed blueberry syrup and warm, tender fruit filling that melted in her mouth.

Tiel couldn’t stop marveling as she ate.

To think such food exists in the world...

Every meal in Asterian felt like a new and wonderful experience.

Meanwhile, her two brothers seemed unimpressed, taking only a few bites before setting their forks down, as if they had grown indifferent to such delicacies.

In stark contrast, Tiel was eating with her mouth wide open in pure amazement.

"Tiel, is it good? Should I ask them to bring more?"

Ferdi gently dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin as he asked.

Tiel glanced sideways at Ria, rolling her eyes to gauge the maid’s reaction.

"But... I shouldn’t eat too much..."

"No, Miss. Young Masters. One pie per person. You still need to eat dinner later."

"Then take mine."

Ludian promptly slid his blueberry pie toward Tiel.

He then looked up at Ria with a smug expression.

"Since I’m giving mine away, it’s fine, right?"

"Ludian, that’s not what Ria meant, you idiot," Ferdi sighed.

Tiel stared at the plate that had been pushed in front of her before nudging it back toward Ludian.

"Oraboni, you should eat it! It’s really delicious. One piece is enough for me."

She then speared a neatly cut piece of pie with her fork and held it up to Ludian’s mouth.

Ahh— Even though she wasn’t the one eating, her tiny lips parted as if she were.

"You’re giving this to me? Tiel!"

Ludian, touched, eagerly took the bite. Crumbs scattered around his lips, but he didn’t seem to care.

Ferdi, who had been silently watching, lightly tapped the back of Tiel’s hand.

"Tiel, what about me?"

"Oh! I’ll give you some too, Oraboni!"

Flustered, Tiel hurriedly picked up another piece with her fork.

Ferdi propped his chin up and smiled at her, amusement glinting in his eyes.

At that moment—

"Stop pestering your little sister, Ferdi, Ludian."

Karsus appeared out of nowhere and pressed down on Ferdi’s head, ruffling his neatly combed hair.

Ferdi’s once-orderly hair instantly became a mess.

"We weren’t bothering her! How does this look like pestering?!"

"That’s right, Father! We were just playing with Tiel!"

Ludian protested, while Ferdi quickly tried to fix his disheveled hair.

Karsus ignored both of them with a shrug.

"Tiel."

He looked down at his daughter, who had just stuffed her cheeks full of pie.

Her puffed-up face made her look like a chipmunk.

Tiel chewed thoroughly before swallowing, then grinned widely.

"Kars—hup. I mean, Dad...!"

"Yes, my daughter."

Karsus cupped her soft cheeks in his large hands, using his thumb to wipe away a stray crumb.

Tiel blinked up at him.

"You still need to eat dinner. You can’t just fill up on snacks."

"Okay, don’t worry! I’ll eat dinner too!"

"Good girl. Eat plenty and rest well today. We’re going out tomorrow."

"Going out?"

Surprisingly, it was Ludian who asked, not Tiel.

Having just stolen Ferdi’s blueberry pie, he tilted his head curiously.

"You’re taking Tiel outside?"

"Yes. The results of her paternity test are in. But don’t worry, Tiel. I’ll be with you."

Tiel nodded firmly. She wasn’t afraid anymore.

The Asterian secret chamber has already acknowledged me.

There was no way she wasn’t of Asterian blood.

The test was purely a formality at this point.

Still, the thought of visiting the temple made her a little anxious.

She wasn’t used to strangers and had never been anywhere besides the Asterian and Nestian estates.

But knowing that Karsus would be with her made her feel reassured.

So instead of voicing her worries, she simply smiled and nodded.

"I’m coming too."

Ferdi, who had somehow managed to fix his hair, stepped forward and placed a hand on Tiel’s shoulder.

"Then I’ll go too. What if someone tries to take Tiel?"

It was an unnecessary concern within Asterian territory, but neither Karsus nor Ferdi pointed that out.

Karsus glanced between his two sons before shoving his hands into his pockets and standing up.

"The temple won’t be pleased."

That was his way of granting permission.

With that, he ruffled Tiel’s hair one last time before leaving the room.

And not long after, Tiel happily finished her entire plate of blueberry pie.