The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

‘Maybe he was mistaken?’

It was possible. Ian’s dimensional pocket was so dark that anyone unaccustomed to it wouldn’t be able to see even an inch ahead.

So maybe he just misidentified the decorations or the tassels.

Yes, that must be it. Tiel nodded to herself.

"Let’s go inside, Tiel."

Ferdi gently wrapped an arm around her small shoulders. Behind them, Ludian, looking utterly delighted, chimed in.

"The dress is ready! At the upcoming Luminarie, you’ll shine the brightest!"

"Even without that dress, our Tiel is already the cutest and prettiest."

Ferdi added, his voice filled with certainty.

Hearing the unfamiliar word, Tiel tilted her head in confusion.

"Luminarie...?"

"You’ve never been before... Ah."

Ferdi had started to ask but quickly realized his mistake and lightly covered his mouth with the back of his hand.

Ludian, meanwhile, let out an exaggerated sigh and shoved Ferdi’s shoulder roughly.

"Tiel is only seven years old! Luminarie happens once every three years, so of course she’s never been! What were you thinking?"

"Oh... right."

Ferdi had assumed she had never attended because the Nestians had locked her away, but in reality, she was simply too young to have ever gone.

Relieved that his words hadn't been a mistake, he exhaled and proceeded to explain gently.

"Luminarie is a festival dedicated to Lysseth, the God of Light. It happens once every three years. There are lots of fun events. All the heirs of the noble families attend, too."

"Then... does that mean Rowen will be there too?"

"Rowen? Rowen Nestian?"

"Yes, I was wondering if Rowen and Aunt Cornelia would be there."

"They probably will. If I remember correctly, Rowen even attended when he was four years old, being carried around by a nanny."

So she would have to see Chender, Aunt Cornelia, and Rowen again.

Tiel had thought that after arriving at Asterian, she would never have to meet them again.

Her mood immediately sank.

‘But... I still want to go.’

A festival for the God of Light... Just how amazing would it be?

Tiel had never attended a festival—she had never even gone outside.

The first time she had left the Nestian estate was when she escaped to Asterian.

The second time was when she traveled to the temple by carriage.

So this Luminarie would mark something truly special for her.

For a brief moment, she felt discouraged—but then, her golden eyes sparkled with determination.

‘Alright. I won’t let this get me down.’

After all, as long as Dad, Grandpa, and my brothers are with me, they won’t be able to take me away.

Even Aunt Cornelia, who had tormented and despised her, wouldn’t be able to do anything this time.

Noticing Tiel’s unease, Ludian quickly tousled her fluffy bangs and grinned.

"Don’t worry, Tiel! If they try to bother you, I’ll burn them all to ashes!"

"You can’t burn them, brother..."

Tiel quickly stopped him.

She didn't like Rowen or Aunt Cornelia, but burning them was a bit too much... She firmly shook her head again.

"You can’t. Promise me, alright?"

Ludian, looking slightly disappointed, nodded.

"Fine, I won’t burn them. ...Probably?"

Hearing his uncertain response, Tiel squinted at him suspiciously.

Realizing this wouldn’t do, she grabbed Ferdi’s sleeve and tugged.

"Brother, Brother. Please stop Ludian."

"Hmm. Well, if people are off-limits, a carriage should be fine, right?"

Ferdi casually mused as if discussing what to eat for lunch.

Tiel was utterly speechless.

***

Tiel hadn't transformed into her beast form even once since escaping the Nestian estate.

The first reason was that there was simply no need to.

The second reason...

‘The mansion is too hot...’

The Nestian estate belonged to the Snow Leopards, located right in the middle of a snowfield where blizzards raged all year round, never allowing the temperature to rise.

Of course, since Tiel had shorter fur than other Snow Leopards, she had never fully adapted to the cold of Nestian.

...Which was why, in her previous life, she had died so miserably.

Even so, Tiel was a Snow Leopard.

She had longer and thicker fur than the Black Leopards, and she could regulate her body temperature by biting her own tail, making her instinctively prefer the cold over the heat.

And that was exactly the problem.

Unlike the Nestian estate, which was buried in a frozen wasteland, the Asterian estate was located in a warm and temperate region all year round.

So, naturally! The temperature was not suited for a Snow Leopard like Tiel. Even though her fur was shorter than most Snow Leopards, it was still unbearably hot for her.

On top of that, unlike the Snow Leopards, who possessed Ice Abilities, the Black Leopards wielded Fire Abilities.

Which meant... the Asterian estate, filled with heat energy, was even hotter than its surrounding lands.

And perhaps that was the problem.

"...Kiiing."

Tiel looked down at her hands.

The scarred palms she had become so familiar with were gone.

In their place, soft, pink paw pads pressed against the floor.

Tiel jumped lightly off the bed. Her body felt much lighter than usual.

She quickly ran to the mirror to check her reflection—only to droop her ears and tail in dismay.

Staring back at her was a tiny baby Snow Leopard, standing there with her ears and tail completely drooped.

‘Why did I suddenly transform?’

It was strange. Not once had she ever been forced into her beast form.

And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t turn back.

Eventually, Tiel gave up on reversing her transformation and approached the door, intending to call for Ria.

But—

‘...Was the door always this huge?’

The tiny Snow Leopard tilted her head.

Even as a cub, she was still a Snow Leopard—though small, she was still larger than most feline beastkin.

So... she should be able to reach the handle with a jump, right?

However, the door seemed far bigger than she remembered.

Startled by the discrepancy, the baby Snow Leopard plopped down in front of the door.

Then, she began furiously scratching at it.

"Kiing!"

She had no choice.

If she couldn’t open the door by herself, the only option was to scratch at it until someone outside heard her!

But no matter how much she scratched, no one came.

Normally, at least two or three maids would be passing through her room, including Ria—so this was strange.

‘Maybe today is just an unlucky day...’

In the end, she gave up on scratching the door and jumped back onto the bed.

She decided to pull the servant’s bell rope beside the bed instead.

"Nggh..."

Tiel bit onto the long golden cord and pulled with all her strength.

Ding—.

A bell chimed through the long corridor.

Satisfied, Tiel let go of the rope and wagged her tail.

Not long after, Ria hurriedly entered the room.

"Miss! I'm sorry for being late—oh my?"

Upon spotting the tiny baby Snow Leopard lying sprawled on the bed, Ria’s eyes widened in shock.

She didn’t immediately reach out to touch Tiel. Instead, she crouched down to meet her gaze and carefully asked again.

"Miss? Did you transform?"

"Kyuuu..."

Tiel shook her head vigorously. No, I didn’t transform on purpose! I woke up and I was already like this!

Of course, Ria couldn’t understand a word.

Since Tiel was still young, she couldn’t communicate properly in beast form.

Adult beastkin could still speak with their clan members even when transformed—but Tiel was too young for that.

Ria pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what her young lady wanted.

Then—she suddenly clapped her hands together.

If it had been normal Tiel, she would have turned back immediately and said what she needed.

But since she was still stuck in beast form, all she could do was wave her tiny paws.

Which meant she probably couldn’t shift back.

"Miss, do you want to see Lord Karsus? Is that why you called me?"

"Kyah!"

Tiel eagerly nodded, immediately leaping into Ria’s arms.

I knew she would understand!

Ria had a special ability—the ability to understand Tiel's thoughts without her saying a word!

...Or at least, that’s what Tiel believed.

In reality, Ria didn’t have any special ability. Tiel was just terrible at hiding her emotions.

But regardless, Tiel was convinced that Ria was amazing.

And Ria did not disappoint.

Scooping up the tiny Snow Leopard, she smiled and gently stroked Tiel’s fluffy fur.

"Oh, I see~. My adorable young lady. I’ll take you to him right away."

Tiel rubbed her nose against Ria’s neck.

The soft fur tickled, making Ria giggle.