The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

“Brother!”

Tiel ran toward Ferdi and threw herself into his arms. Ferdi caught her with practiced ease, lifting her up effortlessly.

“Tiel, why are you running like that? I told you it’s dangerous!”

“I missed you, Oraboni! Didn’t you miss me too?”

“Of course, I missed you very much.”

Ferdi smiled gently and patted his beloved little sister’s head.

“Oraboni, I heard from Grandfather. That...”

“Already? That was fast.”

“Uh, I...”

“Tiel, there’s something I want to say in advance. If you’re feeling any sort of guilt about this, don’t.”

“...Mmh.”

“Grandfather and Father gave me a choice, and I made my own decision. If you respect my decision, you shouldn’t feel guilty, my little sister.”

Ferdi’s voice carried a sense of maturity beyond his eleven years.

So Tiel said nothing more and simply nodded.

“Anyway, we need to return to Asterian soon, right?”

“Yes, originally, we should have been back by now...”

Even though all the other noble families had returned to their respective territories, Alpheus, Karsus, Ferdi, Ludian, and Tiel were still in the capital.

Initially, they had to stay because Tiel had been caught up in Ian’s rampage.

Now, they had mountains of work to handle in the capital to formally establish Tiel as the heir of the Asterian family.

If they returned to Asterian, just exchanging letters with the emperor would take a long time. So Karsus and Alpheus decided it would be better to take care of as much as possible while they were still in the capital.

Because of this, the children had yet to return to Asterian and were staying at the estate’s villa in the capital.

“Tiel!”

Ludian, spotting Tiel from a distance, called out excitedly and ran toward her, playfully poking her cheek.

“Tiel! How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m completely fine! I was fine even when I was inside there.”

“Still, don’t ever do that again! That bastard Ian... Ugh. Tiel, you’re two hundred times more important to me than him, got it?”

“Yes, yes, I understand, Oraboni. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Hmph, as long as you know. Honestly, the one who should really be apologizing is that bastard Ian! The moment he wakes up, I swear I’ll curse him out with words he’s never heard in his life as the crown prince!”

“Some fool is about to get caught by Grandfather and punished.”

“Oh, and who was the one who wanted to kill the crown prince the moment he found out about the imprint?”

At Ludian’s words, Tiel’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-Who wanted to kill who?”

“You should watch your words in front of Tiel, Ludian.”

Ferdi gave a soft yet chilling smile as he warned him. But Ludian just stuck out his tongue, unfazed.

“Did I say anything untrue?”

“Ferdi Oraboni... s-said that? Not you, Ludian Oraboni?”

“...Tiel?”

Ludian looked at Tiel as if he were a wounded kitten. Alarmed, Tiel waved her hands in a panic.

“N-No! I didn’t mean that you speak roughly, Oraboni...”

“Why are you so flustered? You’re right, Tiel. Ludian does have a foul mouth.”

“...”

“I never said anything of the sort, so I’d appreciate it if you were more careful with your words, Ludian. Are you planning to commit treason by making statements about assassinating the crown prince?”

“...Ugh, forget it. Why do I even bother talking to you?”

Ludian narrowed his eyes at Ferdi.

“Tiel, I know you love your brothers very much, but try to stay away from this one. I’m worried you’ll pick up his bad habits.”

“The one who should be staying away from Tiel the most right now is you, Ludian. Since you seem unaware, let me remind you again.”

“Oh, you little—”

Ferdi and Ludian began bickering. But Tiel made no effort to stop them.

After all, she had seen it many times before—Ferdi, Ludian, and even Olivia constantly arguing.

In fact, at this level, it could hardly be called a fight. It was more like... a sibling conversation filled with love.

After waiting a little while, their argument came to an end. As usual, Ferdi was the victor.

“Tiel, let’s leave this fool behind and head inside. We have to go to the imperial palace tomorrow, don’t we? Before that, Oraboni will read you a bedtime story...”

“Yes.”

Tiel nodded.

Tomorrow, she was scheduled to visit the imperial palace with Alpheus and Karsus.

The emperor’s approval wasn’t necessary for her to officially become the head of Asterian, but the consent of the other noble family heads was required.

Since Asterian wasn’t just an ordinary noble house but the ruling family of all beastkin clans, it was crucial that the other houses recognized its leadership.

However, Tiel didn’t fully understand the significance of that.

All she knew was that she had to go to the palace tomorrow with her grandfather and father.

‘Will Ian wake up tomorrow?’

Once they returned to Asterian, there wouldn’t be another chance to visit the capital for a long time.

Tiel hoped Ian would wake up before then.

As she thought about the sleeping Ian, she quietly prayed to Ruisette for his quick recovery.

The fish-shaped imprint on Ian’s neck kept lingering in her mind.

***

"...What did you say?"

Cloud Warren Iker, the head of the Iker family, finally spoke.

His aide, Linart, lowered his head slightly and repeated his report.

"Asterian is preparing to appoint Tiel Asterian as their head."

"...What? No, why in the world—?"

Cloud blinked in disbelief.

Tiel Asterian was only seven years old. On top of that, as far as he knew, she had barely even spent a year in Asterian.

And yet, what were they planning to do with a child like that? Had they all gone mad?

"Have they lost their minds?"

"...Perhaps they are making it clear to the other noble families that they have no intention of handing over the Light Ability. Since other houses are constantly wary of it, this could be their way of shutting down any attempts to claim her."

"But still, appointing a seven-year-old as head? Did all the other heirs die or something?"

Asterian already had an established line of succession—Karsus Celeste Asterian, who was not only the heir but had already inherited a marquisate, and his eldest son, Ferdi Asterian, stood in line after him.

The order was supposed to be Alpheus first, then Karsus, and then Ferdi.

But now, all of a sudden...

The dream Cloud had of strengthening the Iker family's power by marrying off Tiel Asterian to his son, Sterling Iker, had shattered into dust.

Not that Asterian had ever planned to give her to him in the first place, but Cloud had already envisioned the entire wedding in his mind.

"And on top of that..."

"What else?"

What now? At this point, Cloud thought there was nothing left that could truly shock him.

What could be more unbelievable than passing over a fully grown heir and his son to hand the family headship to a seven-year-old girl?

Linart gave a small bow before continuing.

"Our informant inside the imperial palace reports that His Highness, the Crown Prince, appears to have formed an imprint with Tiel Asterian on that day."

"...?"

"Yes, according to our source—"

"WHAT did you say?"

Cloud dumbly repeated the question.

Linart adjusted his glasses. He had a strong sense of déjà vu—he had gone through this exact situation just moments ago.

"An imprint..."

"Who?"

"Between Tiel Asterian and His Highness, Ian Dross Crassion, the Crown Prince..."

"What?"

Cloud already knew that Tiel Asterian had jumped into the subspace along with Ian Dross and had stopped his rampage.

Many other noble houses had been unsettled by her actions, fearing both the extent of her Light Ability and the growing influence of Asterian.

But Cloud had actually welcomed the news.

If she was capable of such feats, then she was more than suitable to be Sterling's bride. A flawless match.

"Wait, but what did you say she did?"

"An imprint..."

"You... Do you think imprints are some child's play? That these kids just went, 'Let's imprint, dear!' and it happened?! Where did you even get this nonsense?!"

Cloud’s voice boomed through the room.

Linart, flustered, quickly bowed again.

"But, my lord, our source confirms that an imprint mark has appeared near the Crown Prince’s neck. Please, just think about it, Marquis!"

"Think about what?"

"Why else would Asterian suddenly decide to make a seven-year-old their head? Since she imprinted with the Crown Prince, she should rightfully enter the palace as his Crown Princess. But they don't want to let her go, so they’re pulling this move!"

Cloud’s eyes narrowed.

‘If that girl enters the imperial palace, she’ll be easier to approach than she is now.’

Normally, one would think that entering the imperial palace would make someone harder to reach.

But Asterian was different.

Their security was impenetrable. No one had ever successfully planted a spy inside. Every single attempt had failed.

However, if Tiel were to enter the palace...

‘She’d be separated from her family’s protection...’

A child, left alone in the imperial palace—he didn’t even have to imagine what would happen to her. The outcome was obvious.

"If she’s already imprinted with the Crown Prince, then we can’t take her."

They couldn't forcibly marry off someone who had already formed an imprint.

In that case...

"We’ll just have to make sure they don’t get to keep her either."

Cloud declared.