The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

“Ian-nim! Happy birthday!”

Tiel ran up to Ian excitedly to greet him.

Ian instinctively moved to lift her into his arms but hesitated when he saw the two brothers standing firmly behind her. Slowly, he lowered his arms instead.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes! Of course! Look at this!”

Tiel clutched the sleeve of Ian’s robe and opened her tiny palm, looking utterly confident.

Paaah!

A small burst of light flickered from her hand.

The glow quickly formed into the shape of a fish, which floated gracefully in her palm.

Ian’s lips curled up ever so slightly.

It’s grown already?

The last time he had seen it, the fins had been noticeably shorter.

Now, they were longer, and the fish had a much more defined shape.

It meant that, in just a short amount of time, Tiel’s ability had advanced significantly.

That was precisely what Tiel had wanted to show him.

“I’ve improved a lot, haven’t I? It’s still far too weak to be worthy of Lady Lysette’s power... But if I keep practicing, I’ll be able to create even greater fish!”

Tiel whispered excitedly.

To Tiel, Ian was more than just a benefactor.

If a light was bright enough to illuminate the entire world, everyone would naturally recognize its existence.

But it was far more difficult to recognize a light on the verge of flickering out—especially one that had yet to shine at all.

Yet Ian had seen her. He had seen her and saved her.

He had gone out of his way to bring her safely to Asterian, despite the long and treacherous journey. Even after that, he continued to visit and help her.

How could the word benefactor possibly capture what Ian meant to her? To Tiel, Ian was something even greater.

And Ian, who had vaguely begun to realize the depth of her feelings, gently ruffled the top of her head.

“Well done, Tiel. You’re amazing, so you’ll learn to control your power in no time.”

“Yes!”

“But don’t overwork yourself. Like I always say, there’s no need for you to push yourself too hard.”

His voice was as kind as ever, making the young girl beam as she nodded.

“Yes! Don’t worry!”

“Then let’s head inside. At this rate, we’ll be standing out here all day.”

Ian reached out and took Tiel’s hand gently. Tiel, without a hint of hesitation, grasped his hand in return.

Watching this from the side, Olivia tilted his head slightly and whispered into Ludian’s ear.

“Hey, he seems closer to her than you do.”

“Shut up.”

“At this rate, you’re gonna lose your little sister.”

“Don’t worry, Olivia.”

This time, it was Ferdi who spoke.

“That won’t be happening.”

He smiled smoothly, looking every bit the picture of an elegant noble heir.

Even if everyone present knew his personality was the one flaw in that perfect image.

***

“...Wow.”

The first to speak was Olivia.

Laid out before them was an overwhelming spread of dazzling, luxurious dishes—so many that they couldn’t even begin to count them all.

This was the result of the Asterian chefs’ blood, sweat, and tears after being abruptly informed that they had to prepare food for the Crown Prince’s birthday party...

“Blood and sweat? Now that you put it that way, I’m kind of losing my appetite.”

Ludian scratched his cheek.

“Are you trying to piss me off?”

“I just have a weak stomach.”

“Then don’t eat, simple as that.”

“Excuse me, Your Highness. Just because you phrase things in an elegant way doesn’t mean they sound polite.”

Ian Dross smiled as he took the seat at the head of the table.

Normally, the highest seat was reserved for the host, but it wasn’t as if they could have the Crown Prince sit at the lowest position either.

“Come here, Tiel. Sit next to me.”

Ferdi, who had taken a seat beside Ian, pulled out the chair next to him.

A waiting attendant, holding a thick cushion to help Tiel sit comfortably, stepped forward.

“No, not there. Over here.”

At the Crown Prince’s words, the attendant immediately halted and then carefully placed the cushion on the seat beside Ian instead.

A man with quick judgment.

“...”

For once, Ferdi, Ludian, and even Olivia had nothing to say.

Not because Ian was the Crown Prince.

But because, just for today...

“Well, it is my birthday. No objections, right?”

No one had any objections.

Probably.

And yet...

Why does he piss me off so much?

Ludian stared at him, puzzled. Ian Dross was always annoying, but today, he was especially annoying.

Without hesitation, Tiel took the seat next to Ian.

Before the meal began, Ian tilted his head slightly.

“Cedric.”

At his call, Ian’s aide, Cedric, appeared from somewhere and bowed.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Bring what I prepared.”

Cedric bowed. After whispering something to the attendant beside him, the servant quickly exited the dining hall.

The other children stared at Ian Dross, murmuring amongst themselves.

“What did he bring?”

“Payment for the meal?”

“But he was supposed to pay with a dress. He wouldn’t just throw out some random trinket and call it even, would he...?” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Ferdi’s eyes narrowed. Ian Dross glanced at him.

At one point, Ferdi had at least been somewhat aware that Ian was the Crown Prince.

Now, it seemed that awareness had completely vanished. Not that Ian particularly cared.

While the others continued their chatter, Tiel turned her head away from them and looked toward the dining hall entrance. The attendant who had left earlier was now returning, carrying something in his hands.

“A box?”

To be more precise, it was closer to a jewelry case.

The servant, holding the elaborately decorated box, handed it to Cedric.

Then Cedric, in turn, passed it to Ian.

It was an incredibly inefficient way to hand something over.

“Tiel, this is your gift.”

Ian Dross took the box and placed it in Tiel’s hands.

Tiel’s eyes widened.

“For me? But it’s not even my birthday today...”

“I’m giving it because I want to. Just take it.”

Cautiously, Tiel accepted the jewelry case. Ian gave a small nod, as if to ask why she was hesitating instead of opening it.

Prompted by his silent urging, her small hands fumbled over the latch.

Click.

With a soft sound, the lid lifted, revealing what was inside.

“...This is...”

Tiel’s golden eyes grew impossibly wide as she immediately recognized the item within.

The other children, upon realizing what it was, also reacted with shock.

“!”

“That’s...”

“My god.”

It was impossible not to recognize it.

This was a treasure of Nestian, something that only grew within Nestian’s territory.

“The Breath of the Snowfield...”

Tiel whispered in awe.

The Breath of the Snowfield—a name as grand as the flower itself.

Even in Nestian, only a handful of these flowers remained.

And for good reason—it was an incredibly rare blossom that bloomed only once every hundred years, nestled between the frozen cliffs.

But rarity alone wasn’t what made it so valuable.

This flower never melted, no matter how intense the heat.

And for the one carrying it, it had the miraculous ability to lower body temperature.

In other words, it was exactly what Tiel needed right now.

“How did you...?”

Tiel asked cautiously.

Even those bearing the Nestian name rarely had the opportunity to see this flower, much less possess one.

So how had Ian managed to obtain it?

“I received it as a gift a long time ago. Nestian once presented it to the imperial family, and His Majesty gave it to me.”

When Ian Dross was younger, he had been particularly sensitive to heat.

Not anymore, though.

“Since His Majesty gave it to me, it was mine. But now that I’ve given it to you, it’s yours.”

“Why are you giving this to me...? It’s your birthday today, so you should be the one receiving gifts...”

Her voice was careful, uncertain.

Ian answered without hesitation.

“Because you need it.”

He took out the flower, which looked as if it were sculpted from pure ice, and gently placed it in the front pocket of Tiel’s dress.

A cool breeze immediately enveloped her body, soothing the stifling warmth that had been clinging to her.

Tiel’s tense shoulders relaxed almost instantly.

“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”

“Yes... It’s really nice.”

Tiel nodded earnestly.

“Then that’s all that matters.”

Ian spoke as if it were nothing special.

The other children, however, still looked utterly dumbfounded.

Ferdi, in particular, seemed to be struggling the most.

“Uh... Uh...”

“...”

“How... how did I not think of this?”

Ludian muttered to himself.

The Breath of the Snowfield!

With this, their precious little Tiel could stay comfortable and cool at all times!

The fact that he, her own brother, had failed to think of this before Ian Dross did...

It was a disgrace to the Asterian family!

Olivia, watching Ludian nod to himself in agreement, patted him sympathetically on the back.

“Don’t worry. You’re an idiot, so you wouldn’t have thought of it anyway.”

It was understanding, but it certainly wasn’t comforting.

Ludian and Olivia immediately turned on each other, looking ready to grab each other by the hair.

Meanwhile, Tiel, who had been gently fiddling with the flower pinned to her chest, looked up at Ian with a bright smile.

“Let’s eat now! I also prepared a gift for you, Ian-nim!”

She beamed as she thought of the present she had prepared in advance.

Her round, white cheeks flushed a soft pink.