The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"Mm?"

Tiel, now wearing the half-mask, blinked up at her two brothers and Olivia.

"Kyaaa! Too cute!!!"

"W-wait, take it off for a second. I don’t think I’m emotionally prepared to handle how adorable she looks yet..."

Olivia shrieked, while Ludian clutched at his chest as if he had been struck.

Ignoring them entirely, Ferdie made sure Tiel’s bangs weren’t pressed down awkwardly by the mask, then walked past them without a second glance.

"Let’s go, Tiel."

"Hey, hey! Wait for us!"

Olivia yelled from behind, hastily chasing after Ferdie.

Ludian, flustered, also hurried after them.

"I said wait!"

"You were wasting time talking, and we’re already running late."

Ferdie walked briskly, climbed into the carriage with Tiel still in his arms, and settled into his seat. Olivia and Ludian quickly followed, scrambling up after them.

Olivia, too, was wearing a beautifully adorned wolf mask, decorated with precious stones.

"...!"

Tiel, without thinking, reached out and lightly tapped Olivia’s mask before suddenly pulling back in surprise.

Seeing her reaction, Olivia reached for the lower part of her mask, as if about to remove it, and asked,

"Tiel, do you want me to take it off?"

"N-no! You look the prettiest when you’re wearing it..."

Tiel hastily withdrew her hand, her voice shrinking into a small whisper as she tried to stop Olivia.

If not for the mask covering her face, her pale cheeks would have been visibly flushed red.

"Awww! Too cute!! Just let me know anytime, Tiel! If you want it, I’ll take it off right away!"

"Y-yes... But Sister, why are we wearing masks?"

Still nestled in Ferdie’s embrace, Tiel glanced back and forth between his mask and Olivia’s.

Her small fingers lightly tapped the white snow leopard-patterned mask covering her own face.

"You said we’re going to watch fireworks... Do we have to wear masks for that?"

"Luminarie’s fireworks festival has a long-standing tradition where people wear masks while enjoying it," Ferdie explained as he smoothed back Tiel’s hair and adjusted her slightly crooked mask.

"People watch the lights bursting in the sky, speak to others while their faces are hidden, and do and say things they wouldn’t normally be able to..."

"...Things they wouldn’t normally be able to?"

Tiel's large eyes widened even further as she stared at Ludian, Ferdie, and Olivia.

Wait—if people were doing things they normally wouldn’t do, wasn’t that dangerous?

What if someone used the opportunity to commit a crime, like murder?!

But yesterday, Papa and Grandfather told us not to wander around recklessly...

As she mulled over her thoughts, she scrunched up her face slightly beneath the mask.

...Huh?

Now that she thought about it carefully, they had only told her to be cautious—they never explicitly forbade her from going out.

"Don’t worry, we’re watching from a quiet place where no one else will be."

"Really?"

"Of course. We just wore the masks for fun. It’d be a waste not to use them after all the effort we put into preparing them."

The carriage ride didn’t last long.

Soon, the children disembarked. Ferdie easily lifted Tiel in his arms as he stepped down, holding her securely against his chest.

Since Karsus and Alpheus had specifically warned them not to stray too far from Ferdie and Ludian, she figured staying in her brother’s arms was the safest option.

The place they had arrived at was a secluded lakeside.

It seemed Ferdie had meant it when he said they’d be watching from an empty location—aside from Ferdie, Ludian, Tiel, and Olivia, the only others present were a large number of Asterian knights.

...Huh?

Something felt odd.

Tiel looked around.

The number of knights surrounding them was almost the same as when they had gathered in the plaza.

Eek.

Tiel’s eyes widened in alarm.

Why did so many people come?!

After hearing about what Tiel had seen yesterday, Alpheus and Karsus had assigned nearly all the knights to guard the children, keeping only the bare minimum stationed elsewhere.

Realizing this, Tiel let out a soft smile, reassured by the overwhelming care (or rather, overprotection) of her father and grandfather.

Maidservants laid down thin, soft blankets on the grass near the lake, helping the children sit comfortably.

On the opposite side of the lake, masked festival-goers could be heard laughing and chatting merrily.

By contrast, the area where the children sat was utterly silent.

To avoid letting Tiel be in a crowded place, they had deliberately chosen a spot away from others.

"Sit here, Tiel."

Ferdie gently placed Tiel down and took a seat beside her.

Olivia and Ludian plopped down one after the other.

Tiel stared blankly at the calm waters of the lake.

"Um, I’ve never seen fireworks before. Do they explode over this lake?"

The small girl, her delicate snow leopard-patterned half-mask perfectly complementing her petite frame, spoke hesitantly. The sight of her mumbling with such an innocent expression was beyond endearing.

Ferdie chuckled softly, ruffling Tiel’s hair before replying.

"Just wait. You’ll see soon enough."

"When do they start?"

"Go ask and find out."

At Ludian’s remark, Olivia tilted her head in confusion.

"Wait, is Ian in charge of this?"

"Why would he be?"

"Then who am I supposed to ask?!"

"Go inquire with His Holiness the Pope."

At Ludian’s absurdly confident statement, Olivia clenched her fist and raised it high.

Startled, Tiel quickly grabbed onto her arm, hugging it to her chest.

"S-Sister!"

"Ah, Tiel! Sorry, sorry. I won’t do it again. I just lost myself for a moment~"

Seeing how flustered Tiel was, Olivia immediately lowered her fist and began petting the little girl’s head, pressing a kiss onto her soft, round crown.

And then—

Boom!

A sudden explosion sounded from somewhere in the distance. Tiel flinched, curling into herself as her golden eyes darted toward the dark lake.

W-what was that?

"Look up, Tiel."

Ferdie gently tapped her shoulder and pointed to the sky.

Tiel lifted her head.

"...Oh."

Her small mouth parted in awe as she gasped softly.

The pitch-black sky was adorned with waves of golden fireworks, rippling across the vast expanse like shimmering tides.

Like petals scattering in the wind, brilliant bursts surged upward before fading just as quickly, leaving behind mesmerizing trails of light.

The stunning sight caused the golden eyes beneath Tiel’s mask to sparkle endlessly.

"So this is... fireworks."

"The Luminarie fireworks are hosted by the temple. They spend three whole years preparing for this single night, to paint the sky with flames," Ferdie explained gently, making sure Tiel could understand.

Tiel nodded slowly.

"It’s really, really beautiful..."

And then—

Soft, tiny lights began to flicker to life around Tiel, popping up one by one like delicate fireflies.

Yet no one scolded her, nor did anyone tell her to suppress her ability.

They simply watched.

The tiny lights that had emerged from Tiel’s body gathered together, floating like fireflies before gracefully soaring toward the lake.

Across the vast water’s surface,

Countless small lights split apart, scattering like twinkling stars over the gentle ripples.

They resembled stardust, embers, or perhaps... remnants of something long extinguished.

But at the same time,

They felt like the beginning of something new.

Tiel carefully clasped her hands together and lowered her gaze.

Within her small palms, two luminous white fish flicked their fins gracefully before slipping free.

"Tiel."

Olivia whispered her name in an excited voice.

Though Tiel’s expression was hidden beneath her mask, Olivia’s own face—if visible—was undoubtedly brimming with joy.

In response to her sister’s call, Tiel gently released the glowing fish.

The creatures swam around the children and Asterian knights, circling them as if bestowing a quiet blessing.

And then—

"Hehe."

Unlike the temple’s fireworks, which soared high into the night,

Tiel’s little fish burst right before their eyes.

As they exploded, countless fragments of radiant light cascaded down like falling stars, showering over the children.

It was an astonishingly beautiful sight.

Tiel, her soft, plump cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink, gazed up at the raining lights with wide, wonder-filled eyes.

Her first festival.

Her first fireworks.

The loving siblings by her side...

Tiel had a feeling she would remember this moment for a very, very long time.