The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Ferdi Asterian and Ludian Asterian were admired by all the children of their generation.

Their powerful flame abilities, combined with their striking appearances—so dazzling that even calling them handsome would be an understatement—made them the objects of fascination.

Because of this, not only the young noblewomen of various aristocratic families but also the common imperial citizens eagerly awaited the festival, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Asterian twins.

What they expected to see, of course, was fiery intensity—flames so fierce they could melt anything in their path, and a display of overwhelming flame-based abilities!

...However.

"Tiel, give it to me."

Ferdi took the large marshmallow from Tiel's hands. Then—

Fwoosh!

A small flame ignited in his palm, and he carefully roasted the marshmallow, making sure it was golden and perfectly melted on all sides.

"There you go. You can eat it now. Be careful—it might still be hot, so blow on it first."

With a bright smile, the boy handed the well-roasted marshmallow to his little sister. Tiel's face lit up as she nodded eagerly.

As soon as she took a bite, her round eyes widened even further, filled with delight as the fluffy sweetness spread through her mouth.

The imperial citizens who had been silently observing the scene suddenly realized that something felt off.

What they had expected from the Asterians was, naturally... immense power! Blazing infernos! A spectacle of overwhelming fire abilities!

Yet—

Fwoosh.

Right beside Ferdi, Ludian was carefully roasting another marshmallow.

The small, delicate flame flickering in his palm was far from the fiery intensity they had envisioned.

And to make matters worse—

"Tiel, is it too hot?"

Olivia Wolfgang waved her hand, creating a gust of wind to cool Tiel down. The sudden breeze was so strong that nearby festival-goers had to hold onto their hats to keep them from flying away.

‘Wait... isn’t she the Wolfgang heir?’

Then why was she standing next to them... acting like a glorified hand fan?

Unable to comprehend what they were witnessing, the imperial citizens gave up trying to understand altogether.

Instead—

"Miss, please try this." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Moved by affection for the young lady, the citizens began offering her gifts.

The owner of a candy stall carefully selected the best sweets from his shop and handed them to Tiel.

A vendor selling caramel apples chose the roundest, most delicious-looking apples and presented them to her.

Without hesitation, Ferdi and Ludian accepted the gifts on Tiel’s behalf, holding them for her.

As they continued walking, more and more people joined in, offering presents—so much so that by the time they had covered some distance, not only the Asterian knights but also Ferdi, Ludian, and even the Wolfgang knights were standing there, arms full of gifts.

Tiel, overwhelmed and grateful for the unexpected sight, asked hesitantly.

"Um... do people normally give each other gifts during Luminarie?"

"Of course not. They're giving them to you because you’re cute."

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

Tiel was a child who had awakened the legendary Light Ability. And in Crassion, light held an incredibly important meaning.

Because of that, the imperial citizens, wishing to express their gratitude, were offering the most precious things they had to the child of light.

Ferdi and Ludian understood their sentiment well, which was why they did not reject the gifts and accepted them on Tiel’s behalf.

"So just enjoy it," Ludian said, smiling. "Olivia wasn’t wrong—today is your day."

No one disagreed with that statement.

Blushing slightly, Tiel nodded.

Denying that fact felt like rejecting the overwhelming love and kindness that had been showered upon her.

But at that moment—

"......?"

Tiel suddenly turned her head sharply. Her large golden eyes glowed in the darkness.

‘Just now... what was that?’

She had sensed something strange.

A disturbing presence, like stepping into a swamp and pulling her foot out—leaving behind a sticky, clinging sensation that still lingered around her ankles.

"Tiel? What's wrong?"

Ferdi asked cautiously.

Tiel looked up at her brother.

‘Did he not feel it?’

Tilting her head in confusion, she turned her gaze back toward the spot where she had sensed that unnerving presence.

But...

There was nothing there.

‘...Maybe I imagined it.’

With so many people around, she might have just been on edge.

Not wanting to dwell on the unsettling feeling any longer, Tiel dismissed the thought and grabbed Ferdi’s hand.

"It’s nothing."

"If you're tired, we should head back. You’ve had enough fun for today."

"Yeah, I’ve had plenty of fun."

Tiel nodded.

Ferdi, Ludian, and Olivia escorted their tiny, precious little sister away from the crowd and toward the waiting carriage.

Or rather, they tried to board the carriage—

"Hold on."

Ferdi suddenly blocked Olivia’s path with a firm stance.

"Why?"

"Why are you getting in? You should be heading back to your own house."

"What? Who says? I’m staying with Tiel tonight!"

Ignoring Ferdi's words completely, Olivia climbed into the carriage without hesitation and sat down.

Then, she grabbed Tiel’s hand tightly.

"Tiel, you want to stay with your big sister, don’t you? You were soooo sad while we were apart, right?"

"Yes! I missed you so much!"

"See? She said it herself!"

Olivia shouted triumphantly. Ferdi, now beyond the point of arguing, just shook his head in frustration.

At that moment, Ludian spoke up.

"Hey, do you even hear yourself? At the very least, you should wait until the tournament is over tomorrow before coming back!"

"Tournament? Oh, come on! That’s no big deal!"

Olivia clicked her tongue and turned her head away in annoyance.

The tournament.

Every three years, during Luminarie, the five great families of the Crassion Empire held a competition against one another.

Through this, the ranking and hierarchy of the noble families were reaffirmed.

Losing in this tournament meant more than just a loss of prestige—it could result in complete expulsion from the Five Great Families.

The family with the strongest abilities set the new rankings, and the imperial family never interfered with these battles for dominance.

This was a world ruled by beastkin, after all. A place where only the strong survived, governed by the laws of absolute strength.

Of course, in reality, the tournament had long since lost its meaning.

The ranking of the great families hadn’t changed in over two hundred years.

Each family’s standing was determined by the innate strength of their abilities, and just like any power, there existed a natural compatibility and counterbalance between them.

Unless a true prodigy appeared—someone capable of overturning all established rankings—the hierarchy of the Five Great Families would never change.

Despite this, the Luminarie tournament continued to be held year after year.

Not because anyone expected real fights.

Challenging an established rank meant putting everything on the line, and the risks were far too high.

So, the heads of the families never challenged one another. They maintained their positions without contest and let the event pass as mere formality.

The same applied to their successors.

The heirs of the noble families, just like their leaders, participated in the tournament.

But since the hierarchy had long been set in stone, none of them ever truly fought in these competitions.

Still, despite all this, the tournament remained an important tradition in the Crassion Empire.

"So get going already. You need to compete in the tournament tomorrow, don’t you?"

"I can just sleep here and go in the morning."

"You think that’s going to work?"

Ludian shoved Olivia out of the carriage.

Fuming, she cursed Ludian under her breath before turning to Tiel with a desperate look.

"Tiel... big sis will be back tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes, big sis, see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah... ngh, be strong, okay? Even if you miss me, hold it in! I’ll be back really soon!"

Ferdi, looking utterly fed up with this, stepped into the carriage and gave the order to close the door.

The carriage doors shut with a firm click.

Tiel gazed out the window as the carriage rolled forward.

The trees rushed past in a blur.

‘What exactly was that earlier...?’

She recalled the feeling she had right before saying goodbye to Olivia.

That wasn’t normal.

It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

The sensation of being slowly swallowed by an immense darkness.

And Tiel... had never felt anything like that before.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell Ferdi and Ludian about it.

But in the end, she held back.

From what she had just overheard, the tournament was a big deal for the two of them. She didn’t want to bring up something uncertain and make them anxious.

Instead, she made a decision.

She would stay close to them for now.

‘It might be dangerous.’

Just in case.

At that moment, Ferdi took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

Seeing this, Ludian, not wanting to be outdone, also grabbed Tiel’s other hand.

"What’s wrong, Tiel?"

Ferdi asked gently, brushing her bangs aside with a tender touch.

Feeling the warmth of her brothers' hands, Tiel squeezed back even harder.

"It’s nothing."

And with that, she pushed aside the unsettling feeling she had experienced just moments before.