The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"Why?"

Ian Dross was the Crown Prince of Crassion.

There was no reason for him to be excluded from an official event like this.

So why had the Emperor prevented him from attending?

Ferdie, Ludian, and Olivia’s expressions shifted instantly, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Instead of answering immediately, Ian lifted his right hand.

It looked completely normal.

Spotless.

There was nothing to see—or so it seemed.

But then—

"...Huh?"

Tiel let out a small noise of surprise.

The others saw nothing unusual about Ian’s hand.

But Tiel alone could see it—

A thick, sticky darkness clinging all over his skin, dense and suffocating.

"Ian-nim... what is that?"

Tiel’s face twisted in discomfort as she squinted at it.

Ian met her gaze.

"You can see it, can’t you?"

"Huh? Yes... I can. Can’t you guys see it?"

"See what?"

Ludian’s expression crumpled in confusion.

Olivia even grabbed Ian’s wrist, turning his hand this way and that, searching for anything unusual.

"Did you just not wash your hands? What are we supposed to be looking at?"

"Is there something on them?"

As Ferdie, Olivia, and Ludian mumbled among themselves, Ian swatted Olivia’s hand away.

"At some point... my ability stopped working properly."

His voice was calm—

But his expression was not.

Ian Dross was never flustered.

Yet now, there was something unsettling in his eyes.

"Even when I try to use my ability," he continued, "the dimensional rift distorts. Or the entrance just won’t stay stable."

Despite his neutral tone, Tiel could hear the weight behind his words.

Without thinking, she reached out and gently grasped Ian’s hand.

The darkness wrapped around his skin—

It didn’t disappear.

Instead—

It tightened, clinging even harder.

Tiel gasped, jerking her hand away.

"This... I think I’ve seen this before..."

A feeling of unease crawled down her spine.

Where? Where had she felt this before?

It was a sensation that was deeply familiar—

Something that had left a lingering, disgusting presence on her skin—

"Ah!"

Tiel’s golden eyes widened, lips parting in shock.

The other children immediately fell silent, their gazes snapping toward her.

"Tiel?"

"Do you know something?"

"Where did you see it?"

"I mean, how are we supposed to understand when we can’t even see it?"

"Shut up, Ludian."

Olivia slapped a hand over Ludian’s mouth, cutting him off.

Tiel hesitated for a moment—then, slowly, she nodded.

"I felt this before... when we were walking through the festival streets."

"......What?"

Ferdie’s gaze sharpened.

Tiel squeezed her eyes shut for a second, retracing her memories.

She could still feel it—

That moment when she had snapped her head around, golden eyes gleaming in the dark.

The feeling of something sickly, sticky, clinging to her—

Just like stepping into a swamp and pulling your foot back out, feeling the thick mud still dragging at your skin.

Her small frame trembled.

Ian’s hand wasn’t even the worst of it.

The thing she had sensed back then had been far worse—so much worse.

"I felt it when we were out in the city. It was so quick that I didn’t even realize what I was sensing, so I never said anything, but—"

Tiel’s eyes widened further.

She grabbed Ian’s hand firmly, her small fingers pressing against his skin.

"This is the same thing!"

At those words—

Ian, Ferdie, Ludian, and Olivia’s expressions turned deadly serious.

"Then that means..." Ferdie’s voice dropped coldly.

"Someone who wants to assassinate you is at this festival."

"Wait—" Ludian scoffed. "We just thought Ian’s ability was acting up, but you’re saying it’s actually an attack?"

"This isn’t just some random issue," Olivia muttered. "We should inform His Majesty immediately."

One by one, each of them spoke—

Ian nodded grimly.

"...If that’s true, then..."

He trailed off, eyes narrowing.

Up until now, he had assumed that his ability was unstable due to its inherent volatility.

There were times when his dimensional rift acted up—

But never had it felt like this.

Never had he felt like his ability was being completely sealed off.

‘If someone really tampered with it...’

Then this situation was far worse than he thought.

But still—

He looked at Tiel.

"What exactly did you see?"

Tiel bowed her head, looking troubled.

"I... I can’t say that I actually saw anything specific. I didn’t see any suspicious person... I just had a brief moment of discomfort."

Olivia shouted immediately, snapping at Ian.

"Why are you making our baby feel bad?!"

She yanked Tiel into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Tiel, it’s not your fault, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong."

"Exactly. Let’s just make Ian handle his own problems," Ludian added.

And just like that, Ferdie, Ludian, and Olivia all gathered around Tiel, comforting her—

Leaving Ian looking like some cruel villain who had just bullied a small girl.

"...Huh?"

"Eh?! No! I-I wasn’t feeling bad at all! O-Oraboni!"

"My little sister, bullied by Ian Dross? I will ensure he is never allowed to step foot in Asterian again—"

Ludian dramatically declared, but before he could finish, Olivia smacked him upside the head.

"Cut it out!"

Ian exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.

"Look," he said flatly. "There are no eyewitnesses, no evidence, and we can’t ruin Luminarie over something uncertain."

Much as it pained him to admit it, Ian was right.

Luminarie was the greatest festival of the beastkin.

There were people who had waited three whole years just for this event.

If they put the entire celebration on hold over a vague feeling, it could become a disaster.

In the end, the best they could do was increase security around the Imperial Palace and be more cautious.

"That’s... you’re right, Ian-nim," Tiel murmured, nodding reluctantly.

Ian turned to her.

"I wasn’t blaming you, you know that, right? Just ignore your brothers."

He jerked his chin toward Olivia.

"And definitely don’t listen to her."

Ian sighed as the three older kids glared daggers at him.

They never used to be this bad.

But ever since Tiel arrived, they had completely regressed into overprotective idiots.

Tiel glanced at them, then whispered softly, as if she were defending them.

"It’s just because my orabonis and unni love me so much..."

At that—

Olivia couldn’t hold back anymore.

She snatched Tiel up and rubbed her cheek against Tiel’s soft hair, nuzzling wildly.

"AAAH!! Too cute!! Where did this adorable little thing come from?! Huh?! That’s it—you’re coming to Wolfgang with me!!"

Still blushing, Tiel giggled in her arms.

Ian watched, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Why Ian Dross Had to Sneak Out

When Ian had told the Emperor about his unstable ability, the reaction had been swift and decisive.

The Emperor immediately ordered him to stay inside the palace, forbidding him from stepping outside.

Not only that—

All the servants in his residence had been removed, leaving behind only the absolute minimum number of knights for security.

Of course, Ian’s ability was stronger than any knight, but still—

They couldn’t just leave the Crown Prince unguarded.

The problem?

Ian hated being alone.

Or rather—

He had been used to being alone before.

But ever since—

"Ian-nim!"

"What are you doing? Why are you just standing there?"

"Ugh, not you again. I see you every day."

"Hey, this isn’t even your house! Why are you acting like you own it?"

"Actually, that part’s true."

Ever since he had started hanging around these noisy people, he couldn’t stand silence anymore.

Whenever he was alone in his dark, empty palace, it felt suffocating.

A tsunami of loneliness, anxiety, and even fear would crash over him.

And now?

He couldn’t even use his ability to escape into the dimensional rift—

Which meant he couldn’t even see the relic Tiel had given him.

So Ian had defied the Emperor’s orders—

And snuck out to find his friends.

‘Well, at least it wasn’t a waste.’

Ian glanced at Tiel.

He hadn’t been expecting to find anything useful—

But he did.

In fact, every time he was with Tiel, something unexpected always seemed to happen.

From the very first moment they met—

Every moment since had been full of surprises.

Ian liked it here.

In the empty halls of the palace, surrounded by only the bare minimum of people, it felt like he was being denied his own existence.

He didn’t want to go back.

But here—

No one treated him differently.

No one cared if he was the Crown Prince or not.

And when Tiel looked at him—

Her golden eyes never wavered.

She always looked at him the same way.

And that—

That made staying here all the more worth it.

So Ian had disobeyed the Emperor’s orders.

Without knowing what would happen because of it.