The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 107
“I’ve prepared it with care. Please, help yourselves.”
Iris urged the food upon them with a smile. Her tone was gentle and warm, so Tiel lowered her guard and picked up her fork with a nod.
“Yes!”
The dishes on the table in Arne were mostly fresh vegetables and fruits—quite different from the meat-centered fare of Asterian.
Tiel stabbed a nearby salad with her fork and took a crisp, crunching bite.
The fresh flavor spread through her mouth at once. The vegetables and fruits that Arne cultivated directly were renowned enough to export to other regions, so there was no question about the quality of what was being served at the Head of Household’s table.
‘This is so delicious!’
Tiel quickly devoured the cherry tomatoes and celery stalks from the bowl before her. Seeing her eat with such enthusiasm, Ludian spooned some of his salad onto her plate.
“Good, isn’t it? You’re really digging in!”
“Yes, it’s wonderful. You should try some too.”
“Well, Tiel, you see, the thing about me is… I actually prefer meat to veget— oof!”
“No excuses. Eat.”
Olivier popped a piece of sweet potato glazed with honey straight into Ludian’s mouth. Ludian glared at him while chewing the morsel thoughtfully.
“I can make my own choices, but… wait, this is actually good?”
“Good, isn’t it? Do you think opportunities like this to taste Arne’s fresh produce are common? Be grateful for it!”
Olivier said this with satisfaction. After chewing and swallowing the sweet potato, Ludian added another helping of food to his plate. Arne’s cooking was proving quite agreeable to his palate.
“Ludian, chew slowly and carefully.”
“Ferdi! You think I’m still seven years old?”
Ludian and Ferdi carried on their easy conversation as they continued their meal. Iandros ate his portion in silence, while Clemens and Olivier exchanged light remarks from time to time.
In the midst of it all, Tiel received morsels from her older siblings like a nestling, and soon her stomach was pleasantly full.
‘Oh, I’m so stuffed….’
Tiel patted her round belly and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. Ludian, who had been watching her quietly, reached for the napkin.
“Come here. Let me do it for you.”
“Hmm?”
Ludian took the napkin from her hands and gently wiped her mouth. Though his touch was clumsy, she could feel how carefully he was trying to be.
Tiel surrendered to his ministrations, blinking softly.
“There, all done.”
“?”
When he lowered the napkin, Tiel’s lips were slightly puffed from his clumsy wiping.
Until now, Ferdi or Olivier had always tended to her mouth—Ludian had never had the task.
‘He was kind enough, but… I should ask Ferdi next time.’
Tiel made a quiet resolution. Ludian was certainly a kind and gentle brother, but he wasn’t a particularly careful one….
“Did Arne’s food suit your taste?” Iris asked, looking at Tiel. Her eyes were warm and affectionate—the kind of gaze that suggested she wanted nothing more than to scoop the girl into her arms right then. Tiel nodded and answered.
“Yes, it was delicious. Truly the best. Thank you so much for such wonderful food.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. Tomorrow there will be even grander dishes. I’ve ordered them to prepare a magnificent banquet. I hear you’ve begun your Fur-shedding?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You’ve started quite early. Most children begin their Fur-shedding between eight and nine, or at the latest around ten…. I wouldn’t know about Asterian, but in Arne we have a saying that children who begin their Fur-shedding early grow into wise and wonderful adults. You’ll surely become a splendid woman….”
‘An adult.’
Tiel turned the words she’d just heard over carefully in her mind. The word “adult” somehow carried a faint bitterness to it.
‘…I did want to become an adult.’
When she was locked in the attic of the Nestian mansion, Tiel’s dream was to grow up. To survive until adulthood, to escape that place and step beyond the walls of the Nestian residence.
It had seemed such an enormous dream then that she hadn’t dared speak it aloud, keeping it buried deep in her heart.
Now that dream felt as though it were coming true—and yet something about it tasted strange.
“I’m already looking forward to the day you become a woman,” Iris said.
Tiel smiled brightly at her words—a smile as pure and bright as afternoon sunlight, unmarred by a single shadow.
“Thank you so much, Head of Household!”
“Not at all. My little ray of sunshine.”
Iris answered warmly with a smile of her own. Tiel’s heart filled with something soft and sweet. It was a feeling of comfort and contentment.
***
“We must depart at once? I don’t follow you clearly. Speak again, more plainly.”
Iris asked sharply. Arne’s captain of the guard knelt on one knee before her, head bowed, as he answered.
“The weather is deteriorating rapidly. Soon the river passage will close. We won’t be able to launch a boat. You must depart before conditions worsen further.”
There is only one way to reach the Land Without Morning. Cross the Osian River.
“What of waiting until the river freezes?”
“Head of Household….”
The captain lifted his head. To wait for the river to freeze meant keeping the children in Arne until it did.
It would be more than two months before the Osian River froze solid.
“We cannot afford such a delay. These are the Crown Prince himself and the direct heirs of Asterian and Wolfgang. If they remain in Arne for more than two months, it may cause complications.”
Iris, dimly aware that her own words made little sense, exhaled sharply through her nose and turned away.
“So you’re saying we must have them depart tonight and set sail tomorrow?”
“Yes, otherwise the boat cannot be launched. As you know, the current of the Osian River is temperamental and unpredictable. If we delay much longer, return may become impossible.”
“Hmm….”
Iris murmured quietly to herself. How curious, after all.
The Osian River could only be crossed twice a year.
Once when its waters grew calm, and once when it froze solid enough to walk upon.
The latter could be anticipated by judging when the cold would arrive, but the former could not be predicted. The river’s cycle of calm differed each time.
And yet, this time, the waters had grown calm precisely as though guided by the arrival of these children. Iris felt genuine wonder. Was it truly Lucette watching over their path?
After a moment’s consideration, eyes closed in thought, Iris quietly asked the captain:
“Is everything prepared? I need only send them off?”
“Yes. We have a large, sturdy vessel ready. There should be no difficulty in crossing the Osian River….”
“Then we’ll do as you say. What a pity—they’ve only just arrived.”
As Iris rose from her seat, the veils surrounding her swirled and rippled. The captain bowed in acknowledgment.
“Prepare everything at the river. I’m going now to explain the situation to the children and ready them….”
“I obey.”
The captain bowed deeply.
***
“Now?” Olivier’s eyes widened at the news. Clemens reacted similarly. She searched her memory and spoke to Iris.
“Surely you said we’d have time before…? It’s only been a week since the waters calmed. We had two more weeks to prepare….”
“That’s true. But the captain says this time the river is being especially unpredictable, and the passage may close earlier than expected. So if we’re to go, we must leave now. We have to think of the return journey as well….”
Iris spoke to Clemens gently, soothing her concerns.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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