The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Time flew by in an instant.

After the fireworks display, Ferdie, Ludian, Olivia, and Tiel decided they had enjoyed everything Luminarie had to offer and chose not to go out again.

It was a wise decision.

"...Seriously?"

Thanks to Alpheus and Karsus, the children couldn’t go anywhere without being accompanied by a staggering number of knights.

It wasn’t as if they were heading into a battlefield, and yet they had an entire unit of guards escorting them even within the capital. The fact that such a large force was permitted to move as a personal escort was remarkable in itself, but the fact that all of them had been assigned solely to the children was even more astounding.

To be more precise—it was Tiel they had been assigned to protect.

When Ludian tried to step out alone for a short errand, not even a fraction of the knights moved from their positions.

Ludian had no intention of dragging an entourage of knights with him, but when they didn’t follow him at all, he felt slighted and sulkily flopped back onto the couch, declaring that he wouldn’t go out anymore.

And so, the children truly remained within the estate until the festival came to an end.

Finally, on the last day of the festival—

"Are we going home today?"

Tiel asked as she looked at Ria, who was carefully tying her hair into a neat braid.

Meeting Tiel’s gaze through the mirror, Ria smiled warmly and replied,

"Yes, you’ll be returning today. The attendants have already packed all your belongings. Once the closing ceremony ends, you’ll be able to leave right away. Are you feeling sad about it?"

"Mm..."

Tiel hesitated for a moment.

During Luminarie, she had made many wonderful memories with her brothers and sister.

So, of course, there was a bit of sadness.

But—

"No."

The little girl pressed her lips together and shook her head firmly.

"Really? I thought you liked the capital, young lady!"

"Of course, I do. The capital is a wonderful place. But..."

Tiel trailed off, her mind drifting to the Asterian estate back in their territory.

The grand and imposing mansion, the beautiful gardens, the long hallways she had grown attached to, and most of all—her own cozy room.

The capital was undoubtedly fascinating, but there was no place in the world that could compare to the Asterian estate.

To Tiel, it was the best place in existence, the one she longed to return to the most, and the place she knew she would always come back to, no matter where she went.

Understanding her young mistress’s feelings, Ria chuckled softly and finished styling her hair.

She neatly braided Tiel’s hair into two sections and tied them with two large yellow ribbons, making the little girl look even more adorable.

"All done, young lady."

At Ria’s words, Tiel, who had been sitting quietly on the bed, immediately stood up.

"Do you like it?"

Ria held up a small hand mirror to her. Without hesitation, Tiel nodded.

"I always love it! Ria, you’re the best!"

"Oh my, really? That makes me very happy."

Today, Tiel was wearing a different dress from the one she had worn on the first day.

It was a gift from Ian—another Estella dress.

Made of soft yellow fabric, it was adorned with ruffles and ribbons, emphasizing her sweet and innocent charm.

With her hair neatly braided and decorated with ribbons that matched her dress perfectly, she truly looked like a little doll.

Tiel held Ria’s hand tightly as they descended the grand staircase.

"Tiel!"

Waiting at the bottom, Ludian instinctively moved to scoop her up, but then he suddenly paused.

"...Tiel."

"Yes?"

"Aren’t you too cute today? This is dangerous. Maybe I should at least take off these ribbons..."

"Stop spouting nonsense and move aside, Ludian."

Ferdie swiftly pushed Ludian aside with a quiet but sharp remark.

Then, he gently flicked one of the ribbons tied in Tiel’s hair.

"Tiel, you look adorable."

"Thank you! And you look very handsome, Brother!"

At first, receiving compliments had embarrassed Tiel to no end, but now, she was used to not only receiving them but also giving them in return—almost effortlessly.

Living at the Asterian estate, surrounded by love and praise, she had learned how to accept affection and give it back in kind.

This small change only made the household staff adore their little lady even more.

Since today was the final day of Luminarie, Olivia had already left for the Wolfgang estate to attend the closing ceremony.

As a result, the children had no reason to wait and promptly boarded the carriage.

Karsus and Alpheus were traveling in a separate carriage, so the three children only needed to board and depart on their own.

As soon as they were seated, the coachman wasted no time in setting off.

Since Karsus and Alpheus had already left ahead of them, they had to hurry to avoid arriving late.

Tiel sat quietly, holding onto the hem of her dress, gazing out the window at the passing scenery.

Today would be her last farewell to the capital.

***

The citizens of Crassion, the five great families, and their vassal houses gathered once again in the plaza.

Standing on the platform designated for the Asterian family, Tiel looked in the direction of the emperor.

It’s Ian!

She hadn’t heard any news after he went in that day, so she had been worried. Fortunately, his expression seemed fine—

Huh?

Tiel narrowed her eyes.

Something was off about Ian.

Ferdie and Ludian, noticing Tiel’s reaction, leaned in close and whispered near her ear.

"Tiel, what’s wrong?"

"Huh? No, it’s just... Lord Ian seems a bit strange today..."

At her words, both Ferdie and Ludian followed her gaze toward Ian Dross Crassion, who stood at a distance.

His attire was the same as usual, but today, his expression was unfocused and vacant.

"You’re right," Ferdie murmured.

"He’ll handle it himself, right? I mean, he is the crown prince," Ludian remarked nonchalantly.

Ferdie shot him a sharp look, silencing him.

Regardless of her brothers’ conversation, Tiel continued observing Ian’s expression. His face was so shadowed with gloom that it seemed as if the area around him was unnaturally dim.

Everywhere else was bathed in bright sunlight, yet for some reason, only Ian’s surroundings appeared strangely dark and heavy.

As if... the darkness was devouring him.

Noticing Tiel’s deep concern, Ferdie placed a gentle hand on her small shoulder and spoke kindly.

"If you’re that worried, we can check on him after the ceremony. We can’t go now anyway."

At his reassurance, Tiel nodded.

Ian was standing beside the emperor, in his rightful place as the crown prince. There was no way she could just approach him casually right now.

Yes, I’ll ask him afterward.

For now, she had to be patient.

With that thought, Tiel turned her gaze toward the heads of the noble families.

The closing ceremony was much shorter than the opening.

Whereas the opening ceremony had been grand, loud, and full of fanfare, the closing ceremony was calmer, meant to settle the excitement of the festival and bring a sense of closure.

And though Tiel didn’t know what exactly Alpheus had said to the emperor, the result was clear—the emperor did not call her forward this time.

Thanks to that, Tiel was able to relax and simply observe the ceremony in peace.

Then—

"...!"

Her eyes met those of Chender, Cornelia, and Rowen Nestian.

For some reason, Rowen’s eyes were red and swollen, as if he had been crying. His face looked so puffy and pitiful that Tiel couldn’t help but widen her eyes.

Huh...? 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Rowen never cried in the Nestian estate.

That was because, before he ever needed to, Chender and Cornelia would grant him whatever he wanted.

But he cried...?

A small part of Tiel couldn’t help but feel just the slightest bit... satisfied by the sight of his swollen eyes.

Of course, she immediately scolded herself for having such a terrible thought and inwardly apologized to Rowen.

Still—

After a brief glance at the Nestians, she turned her eyes away.

She still didn’t want to look at them for too long.

And so, her gaze naturally fell back to Ian’s face—

At that moment—

Kuuuuung—!!!

A deafening explosion and a massive shockwave tore through the vast plaza in an instant.