The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

The carriage sped through the roads, swiftly arriving at the capital.

The horses pulling the Asterian carriage had been gifted from Wolfgang and carried the blessing of the Wind Ability, making them significantly faster than ordinary horses.

"We’ve arrived, Tiel."

"Already...?"

Tiel drowsily lifted her head. It felt like they had only just departed, yet they had already arrived!

‘Wolfgang’s abilities are really amazing...’

Blinking sleepily, Tiel pushed herself up from her seat.

Seeing her still half-asleep, Ludian scooped her up into his arms and stepped down from the carriage.

"If you’re tired, you can sleep more inside. You can nap as soon as we get settled."

Tiel yawned in Ludian’s embrace, revealing her tiny, sharp fangs.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and took in her surroundings.

The Asterian knights stood in two straight lines on either side, and the estate’s servants were lined up in neat rows in front of the villa.

It was the same formation she had seen when they had departed from the Asterian estate... The similarity surprised her.

At the very front of the line, a man took a step forward and bowed.

"Welcome, Lord Karsus, Young Master Ferdi, Young Master Ludian, and..."

His gaze fell on Tiel.

"Lady Tiel."

Tiel quietly observed the man. His attire was similar to the one Parthen wore.

"I am Rozer, the butler in charge of managing the villa. It is an honor to serve you, my lady."

Rozer gave a warm smile as he greeted her.

Everyone else was already familiar with him—naturally so.

Karsus, Ferdi, and Ludian often stayed at the villa whenever they had business in the capital.

Tiel, however, had never met him before. She nodded at him from Ludian’s arms.

"Nice to meet you, Rozer!"

Rozer’s smile deepened. He bowed low before gesturing toward the estate.

"Please, come inside. As requested, everything has been prepared for your stay."

"Good work," Karsus acknowledged with a nod.

Maintaining his polite smile, Rozer then asked,

"When will the Lord Patriarch be arriving?"

"Father will finish his work and arrive later this evening."

Rozer nodded in understanding and stepped aside.

Karsus turned toward Tiel.

"I had a room prepared for you. Go check it out."

"My room?"

"Yes, the room you’ll be staying in while we’re here. If anything is uncomfortable, let me know."

"Okay!"

Tiel nodded eagerly.

Karsus, seemingly needing to attend to other matters, quickly disappeared into the estate.

Familiar with the villa’s layout, Ludian and Ferdi carried Tiel up the staircase landing.

"Where’s Tiel’s room?"

"Right next to the young masters’ rooms," a maid replied.

The twins’ expressions instantly brightened. Ludian muttered under his breath, "Now that’s a room placement I like."

Without wasting time stopping by their own rooms, the twins immediately headed straight for Tiel’s.

They didn’t even wait for the maids to guide them. Instead, they flung the doors open themselves.

"Wow...!"

Tiel’s eyes widened in amazement at the sight before her.

The room was slightly smaller and simpler than her bedroom back at the Asterian estate, but it was clear the villa’s staff had put immense effort into decorating it.

The walls had been painted in soft pastel shades to suit her taste, and the wide-open windows were adorned with layers of sun catchers, scattering light beautifully across the room.

Adorable furniture filled the space, including—

"A tiny sofa!"

Right in the middle of the room was a little sofa that was perfectly sized for her.

Excited, Tiel wiggled out of Ludian’s hold and hopped around the room, inspecting every corner.

Attached to her bedroom was a smaller side room, and when she peeked inside—

It was piled high with brand-new toys.

"This must be your playroom!"

"Not bad. It’s just right for you, Tiel."

Ludian made the first comment, while Ferdi followed up with a more composed observation.

Tiel’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she stared at the mountain of toys.

"Look at this, Oraeboni! There are so many cute dolls here!"

"There’s even an ugly one that looks exactly like Ferdi."

"And this dumb-looking leopard plush looks just like you, Ludian."

Each twin grabbed the ugliest plush they could find and growled at each other.

Having completely adjusted to their antics by now, Tiel simply hugged her dolls close and ignored them.

And then—

Paah—!

A sudden flash of light filled the room.

Suddenly, light began to shimmer in Tiel’s palm.

Ferdi and Ludian immediately stopped bickering, their eyes locked on her hand.

"Tiel, what’s going on?"

Ferdi raised an eyebrow. Tiel, flustered, shook her head.

"I-I didn’t do this!"

She hadn’t activated her ability—it was moving on its own.

"That’s strange..."

Tilting her head, Tiel opened and closed her hand, but instead of fading, the glow only intensified.

‘This is weird.’

She had spent hours practicing control with Ferdi and Ludian.

While she still wasn’t perfect, she had learned how to summon and dismiss her ability at will.

‘But right now...’

It felt like her ability was reacting without her command.

Just like when it had resonated with the power of Luset, the deity of light, in the temple.

The flickering specks of light floating in her palm suddenly shifted, transforming into a tiny school of glowing fish. They swam in the air, circling around Tiel.

"Why is this happening...?"

Tiel blinked at the little fish as they continued to swirl around her, utterly unfazed by her confusion.

"Maybe the Pope showed up?"

Ludian blurted out a ridiculous thought.

"Why would the Pope be here? Don’t say nonsense."

"Well, how else do you explain Tiel’s ability reacting like this?"

Ferdi narrowed his eyes at Ludian’s words before turning his gaze back to Tiel.

Her light wasn’t just glowing randomly—it was moving with intent.

...Almost as if it were trying to protect her.

‘Protect me...?’

At that moment, the tiny fish that had been illuminating the room suddenly rushed back toward Tiel’s palm.

"Oh! It’s stopping!"

Tiel nodded as she watched the flickering fragments of light dive back into her hands.

The fish-like light shards vanished inside her body as if they had never been there.

"It’s gone now! But why did it happen in the first place...?"

Tiel’s ability was different from that of others.

For most people, their abilities were simply tools, but Tiel could communicate with the light-born creatures she created.

It was an extraordinary power, but since she had never spoken about it, neither Ferdi nor Ludian knew that she could interact with her conjured fish.

Cautiously, Tiel tried using her ability again.

A single, tiny fish popped into existence, swimming playfully in front of her nose.

‘Why did you suddenly appear?’

She hesitantly reached out her index finger, and the fish responded by nuzzling against it, as if greeting her.

[Strength...]

A faint voice echoed in her mind.

Tiel quickly closed her eyes, focusing on the sound.

But the voice didn’t continue.

Opening her eyes again, she quietly willed the fish to return, sending it back into her body.

"Tiel, what did you just do?"

"I was trying to figure out why my ability activated on its own..."

Tiel furrowed her brows. The voice she had heard was too faint, too unclear to explain to Ferdi and Ludian.

"But I couldn’t figure it out. Maybe it’s because I still don’t fully control my ability?"

"I don’t think this is your fault," Ferdi said. "Something in the capital is making your power react. Maybe Ludian’s nonsense about the Pope isn’t so ridiculous after all..."

Just then—

Knock, knock.

Someone lightly rapped on the door.

"Come in."

At Ludian’s response, the door swung open, and the three siblings turned to look.

A maid entered, bowing before speaking clearly.

"His Highness, Crown Prince Ian, has arrived. Shall I escort him to your room?"

"Ian Dross?"

Ferdi repeated, raising an eyebrow. The maid nodded.

Ferdi let out a dry chuckle, tilting his head slightly.

‘We’re going to see him tomorrow anyway. He really has no patience, does he?’

His gaze shifted to Tiel.

At the mere mention of "Ian Dross," she was already reacting, practically bouncing on her heels as if she were about to run out the door.

Something about that irritated him... but—

"We’ll go down. He’s in the parlor, right? Let’s go, Tiel. Looks like Ian couldn’t wait to see you."

With a small smirk, Ferdi extended his hand toward her.

Beaming, Tiel eagerly grabbed his hand.

"Yes! Let’s go quickly!"

Her golden eyes sparkled like jewels, filled with excitement.