The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"...Did he eat something strange?"

The first to speak was Olivia.

Ferdi snapped his head toward her and scolded in a low voice.

"Olivia!"

"But I’m right, aren’t I?" Olivia huffed. Then, she turned her head toward the Marquis of Iker with a look of mock concern.

"Sir, do you ever experience memory loss? Or perhaps you struggle to form coherent sentences these days—"

But before she could finish, Ferdi and Ludian were already wincing in embarrassment.

It wasn’t the first time Olivia had spoken like this.

She had never shown proper decorum, not even in front of Chender Nestian, the Duke of Nestian.

So there was no way she would bow down before Iker, who was merely equal in standing with Wolfgang.

Thus, as her cousins, Ferdi and Ludian were left to suffer the shame on her behalf.

However—

Neither of them actually disagreed with her.

Only her approach was wrong.

Ludian cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and spoke in an elegant, polite tone.

"Marquis, forgive me for asking such an odd question, but—"

"...?"

"What did you have for breakfast today—?"

"Hey."

Before he could finish, Ferdi reached out and pinched the back of Ludian’s hand.

The skin immediately turned red.

Ludian yelped, tearing up slightly as he stepped back in defeat.

"I apologize for their rudeness, Marquis."

Ferdi smiled, his expression composed.

The Marquis of Iker raised an eyebrow.

"Did he just say ‘forgive their rudeness’?"

Normally, one would say ‘I apologize for our rudeness.’

The difference was subtle—but also undeniably arrogant.

It seemed his son wasn’t the only one lacking discipline.

Still, the Marquis held his temper. He was an adult, after all.

"It’s fine. My son was the one at fault first."

"Yes, that’s something you should be more mindful of."

Ferdi spoke calmly—but with absolute authority.

He continued in a measured, deliberate tone.

"My younger sister is the child who has awakened the Light Ability—the only princess of the Duchy of Asterian. She is not someone who should be disregarded by some common street ruffians."

His words were clear.

And then—Ferdi smiled.

Casually, as if completely unaware of how his words would be received, he took Tiel’s hand in his own.

The Marquis of Iker felt his stomach turn.

"What an arrogant little brat!"

This boy—the heir to Asterian—had just called his son, the rightful heir to Iker, nothing more than a common thug.

It was a direct insult.

And an unforgivable one.

Ferdi Asterian.

He was still just a boy.

So the Marquis would have tolerated some arrogance.

Asterian’s name alone was enough to justify some degree of insolence.

But not here.

Not in front of him.

Even if there was a difference in their titles, in Crassion, titles meant little.

This was a nation where power ruled.

Here, titles shifted depending on who was stronger.

In the upcoming tournament, if the Marquis of Iker managed to defeat the Duke of Asterian, then his house would ascend to ducal status.

Of course, the gap in power made that impossible—but that wasn’t the point.

What mattered was that he was still the head of a noble house, and this mere heir had spoken far too freely.

The Marquis shot a glare toward his son.

"That fool ruined everything."

The reason he had come to the festival in the first place was simple—he wanted to see Tiel Asterian for himself.

There had been rumors circulating recently.

A new legend regarding the Light Ability.

The story was that the child who possessed Light could strengthen the abilities of others.

Though the details had been warped by Nestian, the other noble houses had taken it seriously.

And so, he had come to see her for himself.

"That child is a girl."

Someday, she would have to leave Asterian.

She would have to marry into another family.

And if that family was Iker—it would be perfect.

His son and Asterian’s heirs were of similar age.

It was ideal.

But now?

The situation had spiraled beyond control.

The Marquis opened his mouth as if he wanted to argue back—but then hesitated.

No matter how young Ferdi was, he was still the heir of Asterian.

A Marquis could not discipline the heir of a ducal house.

With gritted teeth, the Marquis forced himself to swallow his anger.

"Fine. I will be more cautious next time."

Then, he turned his gaze to the small girl nestled in her brothers’ arms.

"Tiel, was it?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I will see you again."

"Why would you?"

Olivia cut in immediately.

The Marquis clenched his jaw, forcing himself to ignore her words.

"Let’s go."

And with that—

The Marquis of Iker turned and left.

As soon as the Marquis of Iker finished speaking, his knights immediately turned and began marching away.

"W-Wait! I'm coming too!"

Having been frozen in place, Sterling scrambled after his father, tripping over his own feet as he hurriedly followed.

Once the overwhelming presence of the Iker knights had vanished, the crowd cautiously re-emerged.

"They're gone!"

"Why was he walking around with so many knights on a festival day?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Shh! Keep your voice down, idiot!"

The plaza bustled again, people muttering among themselves.

During Luminarie, nobles typically brought only a few guards.

It was meant to be a time of joy, a chance to blend in with the common folk.

But the Marquis of Iker had paraded through the streets as if he were marching into battle.

Many had already started to whisper—perhaps the true arrogance had not come from Asterian, but from Iker himself.

"Tiel, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

Tiel nodded brightly.

"He said he turned his head and didn't see it, so it couldn’t be helped, right?"

Her innocent reasoning stilled the air for a moment.

Technically, she wasn’t wrong.

If someone claimed they hadn't seen something because they had looked away, what could anyone do?

So instead of blaming him—

"Next time we meet, I should show him my ability! Since he said he didn’t see it!"

Tiel beamed as she spoke.

For a brief moment, Olivia, Ferdi, and Ludian simply stared at her.

Then—

They burst into laughter, ruffling her hair affectionately.

"Aigoo, our little Tiel! When did you grow up so well?"

"That's right! Next time, show it right in his face!"

"If you had used your ability just now, the Marquis might have collapsed on the spot."

The Asterian and Wolfgang knights, who had been silently observing, exchanged glances.

There was no doubt about it now.

This adorable child—

She was Asterian blood through and through.

A beast's cub was still a beast.

It was simply the law of nature.

Somewhere in their hearts, a tiny bit of sympathy welled up for the Marquis of Iker, who had stormed off in a rage.

But only a little.

After all, they were knights of Asterian and Wolfgang.

"Alright, Tiel. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Your oraeboni will buy it for you."

Ferdi smiled as he gently guided her forward.

Tiel, holding onto his hand, looked around curiously.

"What should I eat? I've never been to a place like this before, so I don't really know what's here...."

"Then first—!"

Olivia bolted toward the nearest stall, snatching up two lollipops.

The candies sparkled with tiny sugar crystals, their surfaces dusted with white powdered sugar, resembling snowflakes.

"Here, Tiel!"

Olivia grinned as she held out the candy.

A Wolfgang knight, having long accepted his fate, silently reached into his pouch and handed over a coin, paying for the stolen sweets.

"Lollipop?"

"Yes! Hurry and try it! You won't get to eat these back at the estate!"

Tiel paused, hesitating.

If Ria saw this...

She would definitely say, "It's bad for your health," and not let me eat it.

But—

It looked so pretty.

And so delicious.

So, slowly, she stuck out her tongue and gave the lollipop a tentative lick.

"...!"

"Well? Well? It’s good, right?"

Olivia practically bounced in excitement.

Tiel’s eyes widened, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"It's delicious!"

"See? You never know when you'll get another chance like this!"

"You eat these all the time outside."

"Shut up, Ludian."

Olivia shot back instantly.

Ferdi watched Tiel happily nibbling on the lollipop for a moment before turning to Olivia.

"But why did you grab two?"

"Huh?"

"You think you're the only one with a mouth? What about me and Ludian?"

"You're rich, aren't you?"

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him.

Yet, without hesitation, she rushed back to the stall and grabbed two more lollipops, tossing them into their hands.

"Here, pigs."

"You're the pig, not me."

A rare sight—a black leopard and a wolf calling each other pigs.

The same knight who had paid earlier, wordlessly pulled out another coin.

For some reason, his expression looked strangely enlightened—as if he had simply accepted his fate.