The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"We're already taking a break?"

"Already? We've been traveling for half a day."

"Oraboni, does this mean we’re... camping here for the night?"

Tiel recalled the conversation Olivia and Ferdie had been having inside the carriage earlier.

‘At this rate, won’t we end up camping?’

"We have the supplies for it, at least."

Ferdie shook his head.

"No, we’ll probably stay in a nearby village. The sun hasn’t set yet, so there’s no reason to unpack here."

The knights were used to sleeping outdoors—they could simply spread a waterproof tarp on the grass and rest. But the same couldn’t be said for the children.

So, the plan was to stay in an inn whenever possible. It was unfortunate news for Ludian, who preferred camping over sleeping indoors.

"I see."

"Tiel, look at this!"

Olivia excitedly pulled a basket from the corner of the carriage. Tiel’s gaze naturally landed on it.

"What is that?"

"Your maid packed it for you! Ria sent you a ton of food for the trip!"

Olivia lifted the cloth covering the basket, revealing an assortment of cookies and muffins.

"Aren’t you hungry? Have one!"

She grabbed a chocolate chip muffin and eagerly held it out to Tiel. Tiel hesitated, taking it reluctantly.

"Um... There are so many people here. Is it okay for me to eat alone...?"

Her eyes flickered toward the knights standing guard nearby. They had taken up positions around the children, maintaining their vigilant watch.

It felt wrong to sit here eating a muffin while they worked so hard. Somehow, the thought made the food seem less appetizing.

When Tiel blinked and asked hesitantly, Olivia let out a dramatic sigh and pinched her cheek—gently, but enough to make her point.

"Tiel! How are you so angelic? Are you sure you’re a snow leopard and not some celestial being?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Hey! Don’t pinch Tiel’s cheeks!"

Ludian immediately lunged forward and swatted Olivia’s hand away. Olivia a grinned mischievously and pointed toward the knights.

"Knights are trained to endure long journeys without food or water, but you’re not! You’re only seven, and this is your first trip this far!"

"That’s... true."

"Exactly! So don’t compare yourself to them. They’ve been trained for this."

Olivia popped a cookie into her mouth with a loud crunch! as she spoke.

"But wow, Ria really knows you well, doesn’t she? She even packed enough snacks to feed all the knights..."

Even though Olivia had only pulled out one basket, the carriage actually held three more.

Ria must have worried that Tiel would get really hungry on the trip. The Asterian chefs had clearly worked hard to bake such an enormous batch of cookies and muffins.

"If you want to share, go ahead! Just make sure to ask for permission first."

Olivia gestured toward Ian, who was sitting under a tree some distance away, idly watching the group.

"Okay! I’ll go ask him!"

"Leave the muffin here!"

"I’ll give it to Ian-nim!"

"That’s exactly why I told you to leave it behind..."

But Olivia’s last words didn’t reach Tiel.

Tiel ran over to Ian, crouching down in front of him.

Then, she held out the muffin in her hands.

"Ian-nim, please have this!"

"Where did this muffin suddenly come from?"

"Ria packed a bunch for me. Um, since we have so many, is it okay if I share some with the knights?"

"Hmm..."

Ian glanced between the muffin and Tiel. Her wide golden eyes sparkled with anticipation.

'This really does feel like a picnic.'

From the moment it was decided they would be traveling without proper guardians, this journey had already felt more like a picnic for the children. But now, it truly seemed like an outing.

Still, Ian had never been the type to refuse Tiel’s requests... so, with a sigh, he accepted the muffin, took a bite, and nodded.

"Do as you like. But remember, they are not ‘knight-nims,’ they are knights. You are the princess of Asterian, so you should use the correct terms."

"Yes! I’ll be careful from now on! Thank you!"

Beaming, Tiel dashed back to Olivia to share the news that Ian had given permission.

Ian watched her go with a small smile. Since this was Tiel’s first journey, perhaps it was okay if it felt a little like a picnic.

A short while later, the baskets Ria had packed were opened and distributed among the knights. One by one, they each took a muffin or a cookie.

"Thank you, young lady."

"Thank you, Princess."

"We appreciate it."

The knights chatted casually as they ate, enjoying the unexpected treat.

It was a testament to how much Ria had packed—every knight took at least one, yet there were still five muffins left.

At this point, they might as well have been supplying an entire bakery’s worth of pastries for a day.

In the large, rough hands of the knights, the soft, delicate muffins looked almost comically small.

The usual scent of sweat and steel that surrounded them had been replaced by the sweet aroma of chocolate, butter, and baked goods.

For some reason, the sight made Tiel feel inexplicably happy. Tiny, glowing fragments of light floated up around her.

Finally, she took a bite of her muffin.

As expected, the Asterian chefs’ baking was unparalleled.

***

"Did we take the wrong path?"

Ian, who had been leading the group for a while, turned to the knight captain. The knight captain lowered his head apologetically.

"I believe the map does not fully match the terrain. According to the markings, there should have been a large road cutting through the middle of these two paths."

He trailed off, glancing ahead.

There was no central road as indicated on the map. Instead, only two diverging paths stretched out before them.

"Unfold the map again."

At Ian’s command, one of the knights riding behind the captain quickly dismounted.

He pulled the map from his coat and unfolded it in front of Ian.

Ian studied it carefully. There were slight discrepancies between the route marked by the emperor and Alpheus and the road they currently stood on.

"You’re right. There should have been a major road running through here."

But there wasn’t.

Ian narrowed his eyes at the map. Fortunately, the two narrow roads branching off were at least still recorded on the map—they weren’t new paths.

However, taking those roads meant circling around the mountain and making a long detour before reaching the village, which would significantly delay them.

"If we keep this pace, the sun will set before we even get over the mountain."

"As you are aware, Your Highness, once the sun sets in terrain like this, traveling will become difficult. It would be best to consider camping for the night."

"I don’t mind. The issue is the children."

Ludian and Olivia wouldn’t care—so long as they had a pillow, they could fall asleep anywhere, even on a patch of grass.

Ferdie would complain, but that was nothing Ian couldn’t ignore.

The real problem was Tiel.

"She’s never camped before."

"Do not worry, Your Highness. We have come fully prepared for camping. She will be able to rest comfortably inside the tent."

Ian nodded at the knight captain’s reassurance. He still preferred not to have them sleep in the wilderness, but...

"If there’s no other choice, then so be it. Fold the map. We’ll move quickly for now. If we reach the village, good. If not, we camp where we stop."

At Ian’s order, the knight holding the map folded it and returned to his position.

The knights began tending to their horses, preparing to depart once more. Ian gently tapped the side of his black horse and gazed at the narrow path ahead.

'This is strange...'

It was an imperial map. It shouldn’t be wrong.

So where had the road gone?

The map couldn’t have been drawn incorrectly. That meant the road must have disappeared after the map was made.

Ian’s pupils slightly contracted.

But he had no time to dwell on it.

They had already been delayed enough. They needed to move as quickly as possible while there was still daylight.