The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Olivia was granted permission to stay at the Asterian estate for the time being.

“Waaah! Thank you, Uncle!”

Even if her main role was to act as Tiel’s personal fan, she seemed quite satisfied with the arrangement.

As for Tiel...

“Ah, hello, Unnie.”

The very next day, she faced Olivia in her human form.

Tiel shyly peeked out from behind Ferdi, cautiously offering her greeting.

It was amusing—after all, she had snuggled right into Olivia’s embrace the moment they first met. And yet now, she was awkwardly greeting her.

But this is the first time she’s seeing me in human form...!

Tiel blushed, greeting her timidly. However, when no response came for a long while, she hesitantly looked up.

Why wasn’t she answering? Could it be that, unlike her beast form, she wasn’t cute anymore...?

“KYAAAAAH!”

Olivia suddenly let out an ear-piercing shriek. Ferdi and Ludian, their expressions practically screaming I hate this, glared at her.

“She’s so, so, SO cute! Oh my gosh, she’s even cuter than when she was in beast form! Tiel~!”

Olivia scooped Tiel into her arms, hugging her tightly. Caught off guard, Tiel blinked before breaking into a small, shy smile.

“You’re seriously adorable, Tiel. Is there anything you want? Hm? Just say the word, and I’ll buy you everything!”

“Oh, come on. We’ve already bought her everything she needs.”

Ludian scoffed with a smirk. Olivia shot him a chilling glare.

Uh-oh, they’re about to start fighting again...

By now, Tiel was an expert at preventing fights. It seemed impossible for three or more people to gather without someone getting into an argument.

I need to stop this before it gets worse.

Tiel quickly grabbed Olivia’s hand, her cheeks tinged red as she murmured, 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“Wind... I’d like to feel more of that cool wind. It feels really nice.”

“You’re so precious, Tiel... If only you were my little sister.”

Murmuring as if she had fallen in love, Olivia waved her hand.

A massive gust of wind swept through the Asterian estate’s halls. Unable to control her strength properly, she had practically summoned a small storm indoors.

I-Isn’t this a bit much?

Tiel, who had imagined only a gentle breeze, widened her eyes. Clicking his tongue, Ferdi flicked his wrist.

A spark of flame shot from Ferdi’s fingertips, colliding with Olivia’s wind. The two opposing forces clashed, causing a small explosion.

BANG!!

The servants gasped in horror. Staring at the now charred section of the hallway, their faces drained of color.

“Can’t you control your power? Tiel is still small. If she got caught in that, she wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Oh my, look at me. I got so distracted by how incredibly cute she is that I completely forgot.”

Olivia giggled sheepishly before waving her hand again. This time, a soft, cool breeze brushed through Tiel’s fluffy white hair.

“You’re really just the cutest. If you were my sister, I’d carry you everywhere every day...”

“No need. I already carry her all the time.”

“Tiel, don’t you prefer being in my arms over Ferdi’s?”

Olivia and Ferdi both looked at Tiel at the same time. Ludian took a step back, clearly enjoying the spectacle of their brewing competition.

After some thought, Tiel finally spoke.

“Oraeboni’s* arms are warm, and Unnie’s arms are cool... so I like them both.”

(*Oraeboni = formal/loving way to address an older brother)

Her golden eyes curved as she beamed sweetly.

Ferdi and Olivia both smiled at the same time.

“This won’t do!”

Olivia suddenly jumped to her feet. Ludian tilted his head warily.

“What now?”

“Tiel is just too adorable—I can’t take it! Tiel, let’s go out together. I’ll buy you all sorts of delicious treats.”

“?”

Ferdi’s expression darkened in an instant. Tiel, caught off guard, stammered.

“I-I’ve never been outside before...”

“What? Uncle and Grandpa kept you locked up this whole time?!”

Olivia gasped in shock. Tiel quickly shook her head, worried she might misunderstand her father and grandfather.

“No! It’s because I get nervous around new people, so they were being considerate of me. They didn’t want me to get overwhelmed.”

“Whew, you scared me! I almost ran off to yell at them for keeping you locked up just because you’re too cute.”

...Honestly, that wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Ferdi and Ludian, reflecting on Alpheus and Karsus’s behavior thus far, subtly nodded in agreement.

“Anyway, so you’ve never gone out before? Let’s go! I know a bakery that sells the best cakes!”

Tiel blinked.

She had never even considered leaving the estate before.

There were plenty of delicious things here, and her fear of strangers had always outweighed her curiosity for new places.

But then—

There’s going to be a festival soon, right?

They said the festival would be packed with people.

So, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get used to the crowds in advance.

After thinking for a moment, Tiel nodded.

"Okay, I want to go outside. B-But... will Dad allow it?"

"Of course! He’ll definitely say yes!"

Just trust your big sister! Olivia clenched her fist confidently.

***

"......."

"......."

Ferdi and Ludian silently turned their heads as they watched Olivia practically rolling around on the floor.

Ah, so this was her plan...

Tiel, too, covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Uncle! How is it possible that Tiel has never been outside the Asterian estate? Let me take her out—I’ll buy her all sorts of delicious things!"

"I said no. It’s too dangerous."

Karsus rejected the idea firmly. Upon hearing this, Olivia looked as if she was about to collapse onto the floor.

Her awareness of being the heir to the Wolfgang family was nowhere to be seen.

"Uncleee!!"

"You heard about Tiel’s ability."

Karsus replied calmly. Because of her unique power, Tiel had to be extra cautious.

There was no way he was letting her go outside under Olivia’s supervision. At his signal, the maids subtly propped Olivia up to prevent her from lying down completely.

Tiel watched Olivia’s exaggerated dramatics for a moment before cautiously calling out.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I heard there's a festival soon. But at this rate... my second time going outside will be the festival itself."

"......."

"Festivals have lots and lots of people, right? I get nervous around strangers, so I might get overwhelmed... That’s why I’d like to try going out once beforehand."

At Tiel’s reasoning, Karsus’s brow twitched slightly.

Not missing the opportunity, Ferdi and Ludian quickly chimed in.

"That’s right, Father. It’s better for her to get used to it before the festival."

"We’ll take care of her properly. You don’t need to worry."

Ludian declared confidently. Karsus fell into thought.

Indeed, if Olivia, Ferdi, and Ludian were with her, he could rest assured.

However...

You never know what could happen.

He had planned to keep things low-risk at least until the festival.

Karsus’s gaze fell on Tiel.

She was looking up at him with hopeful, expectant eyes.

In the end, Karsus sighed and gestured with his hand.

"Fine. You can go. But you’ll have to take Asterian knights with you."

They say no father can win against his daughter. Turns out, that was true.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you, Uncle!"

"Thank you, Dad! We’ll be safe and have fun!"

The first exclamation was Olivia’s, the second was Tiel’s. Karsus gave a small nod.

"Don’t stay out too long, and come back soon. And don’t use your ability outside, just in case."

"Okay!"

"I’m not worried about you, Tiel. It’s the ones behind you that are the problem."

Karsus growled lowly, having just received news that Ferdi and Olivia had scorched part of the hallway earlier.

Ferdi and Olivia quickly averted their eyes. Ludian stepped forward.

"Don’t worry! I’m here! If they try to fight again, I’ll—"

"As if. The best I can hope for is that you don’t join in. If you have to fight, do it in the training grounds, not in front of Tiel."

Karsus ruffled Tiel’s, Ferdi’s, Ludian’s, and Olivia’s heads one by one.

"Don’t worry, Father."

Ferdi replied maturely. Karsus nodded in approval.

"Go to the training grounds and bring at least five knights. I’ll be checking."

Leaving those final instructions, Karsus departed, saying he had urgent matters to attend to.

Tiel smiled brightly, nestled between her excited older siblings.

I get to go outside.

Back in Nestian, she had never even dreamed of something like this.

But here in Asterian, it was just another normal day.

Going outside...

How wonderful would it be?

Her cheeks puffed up with excitement at the thought of going out with her siblings.