The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

“How are they reacting?”

Chender asked slowly. Opposite him, Cornelia responded with a faint smile.

“There hasn’t been any reaction yet.”

“They must feel like their feet are on fire.”

Chender spoke calmly.

As Asterian had predicted, it was indeed Nestian who spread the hidden legend.

It was an event that could only be orchestrated by Nestian. After all, that legend had been passed down exclusively between the two great leopard clans.

“You think I’d let those bastards have it their way?”

Both the Nestians and Asterians suffered from the same inherited madness, preventing them from freely using their abilities.

Even in such a state, Asterian’s abilities completely overwhelmed those of Nestian. If that madness were to be cured, there would be no stopping Asterian anymore.

That had to be prevented.

If Nestian’s power alone wasn’t enough, then they would have to borrow the strength of other families.

Wolfgang had already sided with Asterian, but if the remaining three families united, stopping them wouldn’t be impossible.

Damn it, if only I had known sooner.

Who could have imagined that a child who had shown no abilities even at the age of seven would suddenly manifest the Light Ability the moment she arrived at Asterian?

So, in the end, this wasn’t Chender’s fault. And yet, it was.

Had he not raised Tiel with such relentless abuse, she wouldn’t have thought to run away from Nestian.

If she had remained, the legendary ability would have naturally fallen into Nestian’s hands.

As the legend foretold, Nestian would have regained its original strength and become the most powerful family in the empire...

“Damn it!”

Chender bit out a curse. What use was regret now? The damage had already been done.

He had already spread the ‘hidden legend’ passed down within the leopard clans to each of the great families. Now, Asterian would be forced to scramble to protect that little brat.

Under normal circumstances, Nestian would never have dared to attempt something so reckless.

After all, the head of the leopard clans was Asterian, and Nestian was a subordinate house beneath them.

But now, things were different.

Asterian has already severed the trade routes connecting them to Nestian.

And not just that—supply shipments had been cut off as well. A measure never before taken, no matter the disputes between the two families.

Because of one little brat, Nestian had lost too much.

And those who have nothing left to lose are far more dangerous than those who do.

“Lena...”

Chender’s voice came out as a low growl, making Cornelia flinch.

Chender had loved Lena. Truly.

She had been an exceptional daughter—until she was deceived by that scoundrel, Karsus Celeste Asterian!

But regardless of Chender’s affection for her, Lena had inflicted immense damage upon Nestian.

In life, she had refused to take the position of family head.

And in death, she had left behind a completely useless daughter!

Sensing that Chender’s fury was turning toward Lena, Cornelia let out a small chuckle.

“Don’t worry, Father.”

“...”

“I’m here. I’ll make up for my sister’s failures...”

“You know nothing! Nothing at all!”

Chender roared. Startled by his sudden outburst, Cornelia narrowed her eyes and took a step back.

“You have no idea what Lena meant to Nestian... You don’t understand, Cornelia.”

His gaze, now cold as ice, locked onto his daughter.

A child born with the Ice Ability, yet strong enough to overcome fire.

Perhaps the first and last of her kind...

Watching Chender murmur to himself, Cornelia bit down on her lip.

The deep color of her painted lips was soon tainted with an even darker shade—droplets of blood welling up.

Just wait and see, Father.

I’ll prove that I’m more useful than Lena, who died so pathetically.

I’ll prove that Rowen is far more valuable than that brat, Tiel!

“...Rest well.”

Cornelia turned sharply and walked away.

***

There wasn’t much fuss about the Crown Prince’s birthday.

When the servants asked how they should prepare, Ferdi scoffed and replied,

“Just do the bare minimum. He’s spending his birthday away from his own home. If he expects some grand celebration on top of that, he’d be completely shameless.”

Ferdi wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t an official banquet, just a small party among the children of the Asterian family.

Still, for words directed at the Empire’s Crown Prince, his tone was rather disrespectful.

Fortunately, Ian didn’t seem to care much about their remarks.

In fact, Ian Dross even agreed with Ferdi to some extent. After all, he hadn’t come to the Asterian mansion expecting a grand celebration.

He simply wanted to spend time with them. That was all.

Still, since this was the first party among the children, the Asterian servants put in their utmost effort to decorate the mansion.

The Asterian estate was already vast and lavish, but with the servants’ diligent touch, it gleamed even more brilliantly.

Tiel didn’t dare to step outside into the garden, but she admired the view from her room window, exclaiming in awe.

“It’s sooo pretty... The Asterian servants are all so skilled. Don’t you think so, Ria?”

“Of course, my lady. They are Asterian servants, after all. This much is only natural.”

Ria responded with a bright smile, and Tiel nodded.

The Asterian servants were indeed exceptional.

The chefs were incomparable, the gardeners were skilled enough to revive withering trees, the maids polished the corridors until they gleamed, and the knights patrolled in formation, their shining armor catching the light.

Everything about it was magnificent.

And it made Tiel so happy.

If only she could go outside and see it all for herself...

“Are you still feeling hot, my lady?”

Ria placed a small ice cube in Tiel’s mouth as she asked.

Tiel swallowed it down and nodded.

“Yes...”

“It’s not even summer yet... This could be a problem.”

Unlike Nestian, where it snowed year-round with bitter winds, Asterian had all four warm seasons.

Even though Tiel was a snow leopard with shorter fur, it was inevitable that she would feel hot in this environment.

“What should we do...? We can’t exactly haul over all the ice from Nestian.”

Huh?

Hearing Ria mutter that to herself, Tiel’s eyes widened.

Wouldn’t that be a bit much?

The Asterian servants cherished Tiel immensely, and their devotion often manifested in strange ways like this.

“It’s definitely not an option.”

A voice interjected from behind. Ferdi had appeared silently, smiling.

“Oh, young master.”

Ria quickly stepped aside from Tiel’s side. Ferdi naturally sat down next to Tiel and took the cup of ice from Ria’s hands.

“Here, open up.”

“Ahh—”

He slipped another piece of ice into Tiel’s mouth.

“It’s pointless. The ice would melt by the time it gets here.”

That’s his concern?

Tiel’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“If it melts, then all the effort of bringing it would be wasted.”

Ferdi stated it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

It didn’t even cross his mind that taking ice from another territory in the first place might be an issue.

“Well, that’s... true.”

“Just wait, Tiel. Someday, I’ll gift you the entire Nestian territory.”

Not just the ice—the entire territory?

Huh...?

Tiel turned to Ria, seeking help. But Ria’s eyes were sparkling as she looked at Ferdi.

Her gaze practically screamed, What a brilliant idea!

Tiel gave up on arguing further.

“Let’s go now. Ian has arrived.”

“Already?”

Tiel’s golden eyes lit up in excitement. At the same time, two tiny golden fish flickered into existence, swirling around her.

Ever since that outing where she had cake with Ian, she had struggled to keep her ability under control.

Whenever she felt happy, little lights would pop out on their own, surrounding her.

It was fine. It was all fine.

The glowing lights were cute, and the fish that swam through the air were beautiful.

And, of course, his little sister—eyes gleaming with joy—was adorable.

But still...

She didn’t react this strongly when I arrived.

Ferdi couldn’t shake the feeling that he had somehow lost to that bastard Ian Dross.

Tiel, on the other hand, was just as flustered as Ferdi at her own power’s misfire.

“Oh no, not again. Come here, you guys.”

At her call, the lights obediently gathered into her small palms like well-trained pets.

When she clenched and then opened her hands again, the trapped lights dissipated in an instant.

At least they listen to me a little better now.

When she had first awakened her ability, it had been impossible to control.

The lights seemed to obey her, but at the same time, they didn’t.

But over the past few nights, after practicing alone until dawn, Tiel had finally begun to learn how to handle her power.

Of course, she still wasn’t anywhere near as proficient as her brothers or Olivia.

But even so, this was already a big accomplishment.

I shouldn’t get greedy just yet.

Tiel clenched her fists.