The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to that either."

Ria smiled warmly. Tiel blinked and nodded.

"What happened to Arcadia was far too long ago. In truth, there aren't even many records about it."

"But I've heard that there are still beastfolk living there..."

"Hmm... yes, but they refuse to communicate with those outside. As you know, predators can’t enter that land, which means Asterian has even less information about it. From what I’ve heard, Arne knows the most about that place."

"Arne... that’s the family with the Verdant Ability, right?"

Tiel recalled the beautiful green-haired women she had seen at the Luminarie festival.

The Arne family had been noticeably lacking in men. Both the head of the house and the heir were women. Aside from the knights, there had only been a single man among those who seemed to be of direct lineage.

It had been such an odd sight that Tiel had remembered it well. Ria chuckled and nodded.

"That’s right. Arne's territory borders the land where morning never comes. So if anyone has the most knowledge about it, it’s them."

"I see..."

Tiel listened intently as she finished her meal, popping a cherry from her pudding into her mouth and rolling it around.

"Do you have any more questions, my lady?"

"No, I think that’s all for now..."

"In that case, I’ll clear the table. If you’d like anything else, just let me know!"

Ria gathered the plates and remaining food onto a tray and carried them out of the room.

Tiel flopped onto her bed, blinking slowly.

Arcadia...

It was a beautiful name.

Back when it was still called Arcadia, it must have truly been a paradise.

Tiel had never been to the land where morning never comes, but thanks to Ferdie and Ludian's explanations, she knew it was practically a dead land now.

A place where the sun never rises—how could anything survive there?

And yet, there are still people living there... but why?

If nothing could grow, then there shouldn't be any food. What could they possibly be surviving on?

For some reason, Tiel found herself thinking that the beastfolk living in that forsaken land must be terribly lonely.

***

The Next Day.

"First, we’ll need to seek Arne’s help."

Alpheus looked at Karsus as he spoke. Between them, two teacups still steaming with warmth sat on the table.

After taking a slow sip, Alpheus continued.

"It would be ideal if we could borrow Arne’s knights."

"Can we trust Arne?" Karsus asked.

"Do we have another choice? We can’t go there ourselves. And besides, they know that land better than anyone. We have no other option."

"We may need to request a guide from them, but I refuse to let the children stay in their territory. We have no way of knowing what could happen to them there."

"Between Arne’s estate and the open roads, which do you think is more dangerous? Don’t be a fool, Karsus. Arne won’t act carelessly. This isn’t just Asterian moving—the imperial family is involved. Arne has no place to interfere."

Alpheus’s tone was firm. Karsus remained silent for a moment before finally speaking again.

"If the children end up in danger..."

"Who would dare challenge Asterian?"

Of course, idiots like Iker or Nestian might try something reckless.

But Asterian’s power was enough to make even them think twice before acting.

"To be honest... I don’t believe Tiel will succeed."

Karsus's voice was quiet, but certain. This time, Alpheus listened carefully.

"Tiel is still too young. She hasn’t even had her ability for a full year. Yes, she’s shown impressive progress in a short time, but that’s all."

His voice was steady.

"She is only seven years old."

"That’s true..."

"Which is why I believe we should stop her, Father."

Karsus had always respected Tiel’s decisions. Her wishes came first, no matter what they were, and he was always ready to give her anything she desired.

However... if what she wanted was to go somewhere dangerous...

"I think the same, Karsus."

"......."

"Tiel is too young... and this is far too dangerous... and there’s no real reason why it has to be done right now."

If Asterian truly wanted to, they could easily crush Nestian, Iker, Wolfgang, and Arne with sheer force and declare Tiel as the head of the family.

And who would dare stop them?

But they didn’t.

Because if they forced their way through, Tiel’s ability—her Light—would be buried beneath Asterian’s power.

Alpheus met Karsus’s gaze.

"But if my granddaughter wants to do this... If she wishes to try, even knowing she may fail... Then I believe it is our role—as her family, as her grandfather and father—to trust her and support her."

"......."

"I understand your feelings. After all, she is your daughter—how hard you fought to bring her back. Of course, you don’t want to send her into danger again."

"Yes."

"And that’s not all, is it? You want to keep her by your side until she grows up and leaves on her own... but Karsus."

Alpheus’s golden eyes—calm and resolute—locked onto his son’s.

"She was never meant to live that kind of life. You know that, don’t you?"

"...Yes, Father."

"The moment she awakened her Light, she became a target. Countless people will try to break her down, to pull her from where she stands. And no matter how much we protect her, there will always be limits to what we can do."

Alpheus lifted his teacup to his lips, now slightly cooled.

"And, just like this time, there will be moments when only she can do what needs to be done. I believe this journey is necessary for her growth."

"Yes, Father. You’re not wrong. But..."

Alpheus gave a slight tilt of his head, gesturing for him to speak.

"Not even half a day ago, you were anxious enough to be bouncing your leg."

"......."

"And before that, you insisted that sending only Ferdie and Ludian was too risky, so we had to add Olivia."

"......"

"So... what changed in just a few hours?"

Karsus studied him with a pointed look. Alpheus cleared his throat with a sharp ahem and turned his gaze away.

"Don’t question your head of house!"

"...I wasn’t questioning you. I was simply curious. But fine, I’ll leave it be."

As Karsus spoke, Alpheus had a sudden, almost painful realization—so this is where Ferdie and Ludian got their way of speaking.

"This is my fault..."

"Sorry, what was that, Father?"

"Nothing, forget it. In any case, we need to send a letter to Arne. A formal request for cooperation. And we need to inform His Majesty as well."

"To discuss when the children will leave for the north?"

"Yes. We need to send them before winter sets in. Once the cold intensifies, the journey will be even more grueling. Tiel will be fine, since she was raised in the cold, but the others won’t."

If they delayed any longer, traveling north would become exponentially harder. If they were caught in a snowstorm, the children would suffer twice as much.

They had to move quickly, assembling a proper escort before the worst of the weather set in. Just as Alpheus was about to say he would write the letter to the emperor himself—

A commotion stirred outside.

Both Alpheus and Karsus raised their eyebrows simultaneously.

"Who’s here?" Karsus murmured, glancing toward the window.

But the view only showed the silent gardens, giving them no insight into what was causing the noise.

Knock, knock.

A soft but firm knock on the door. A moment later, it swung open.

A maid entered, bowing politely.

"My lord, a carriage from Nestian has arrived outside."