The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 177

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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 177
Rowen Nestian was coming?
Everyone had reason to be astonished. The Asterian Family would be equally shocked to hear this news. Olivier lifted his head sharply and asked.
“Has the Asterian Family been informed?”
“Not yet. I haven’t told the Asterian Family.”
“Then I’ll tell them.”
Rowen nodded and spoke. The news that Rowen Nestian was coming had to reach the Asterian Family as well. And the person who should tell them first was naturally enough——
‘Tiel.’
Tiel needed to know. Rowen bit her lip slightly, her worry evident. Would Tiel be all right?
The unhappy memories connected to Nestian seemed to have been overcome during her time at the Asterian Mansion, but the world was not always as it appeared on the surface.
Perhaps she would still find talk of Nestian uncomfortable and distressing. Olivier felt swept up in an impulse to destroy the roads leading here, to prevent Rowen Nestian from arriving at all.
Yet he knew such thoughts were absurd. Olivier Wolfgang was no longer a child.
But when he thought of those he loved, he could not help but wish to behave as childishly as possible—and that was because Olivier loved and cherished them with all sincerity.
At Olivier’s words, Karl nodded in agreement. Clemens still wore an anxious expression.
“That man who tried to harm Tiel before and failed—didn’t you say he seems to have gone into hiding in Nestian……?”
“Yes.”
Olivier nodded.
“Someone tried to harm Tiel?”
Karl’s eyes widened as he asked.
Clemens and Olivier turned to look at Karl simultaneously, their expressions suggesting ‘You mean you’re hearing this for the first time?’
Karl stared at Clemens with wide eyes and asked.
“Someone tried to harm Tiel? What do you mean? I’ve heard nothing of this. Everard receives news slowly.”
“Ten years ago, when Tiel was twelve, there was someone who tried to harm her. We couldn’t apprehend him at the time, and we only detected signs that he fled into Nestian territory.”
Olivier continued speaking.
“But because Nestian refused to cooperate, we haven’t been able to investigate since then.”
“Why not? Is the Asterian Family not the head house of the Leopard Clan? Couldn’t you simply break down the locked doors of Nestian and investigate?”
Karl demanded, sounding overly agitated at the mention of someone having tried to harm Tiel.
Olivier made no attempt to calm him and simply spoke.
“The Asterian Family may be the head house of the Leopard Clan, but we cannot violate Nestian’s rights. If we did, it would spark an irreversible war between the two families.”
“That makes no sense. Then——shouldn’t we prevent Nestian from approaching Tiel? You said the criminal who tried to harm Tiel seems to have fled into Nestian. Doesn’t that mean Nestian is already in league with him?”
“I think the same way. But without concrete evidence, we can’t interrogate Nestian. That’s why the Asterian Family has left them alone. However, if Rowen Nestian comes to this Festival, things will be different……I need to inform my grandfather and Tiel.”
“I’ve made the entire northern section of the Mansion available so that Duke Ebalte and the members of the Asterian Family can stay comfortably. You should be able to meet them there.”
Karl replied. Olivier and Clemens bowed lightly and stood.
“Thank you, Karl. We’ll be going then.”
“I’ll be going as well……thank you for giving us a place to stay.”
“There’s no need for such courtesy. If there’s anything uncomfortable during your stay, please feel free to speak of it anytime.”
Karl replied. Olivier and Clemens left the room and made their way toward the northern Mansion where the members of the Asterian Family were staying.
From the corridor onward, the maids and knights of the Leopard Clan were moving about. It seemed they had also been given space for the Asterian servants to stay.
Olivier stopped a random maid and asked.
“Where is my grandfather? And my uncle?”
The maid, who recognized Olivier’s face—and truly could not have failed to recognize it, having seen him visit the Asterian Mansion tens of thousands of times—bowed respectfully and guided Olivier and Clemens to Alpheus’s room.
“The Duke is here.”
“Thank you!”
Olivier greeted her cheerfully. The maid departed to return to her duties.
Before opening the door by its handle, Olivier paused for a moment and turned to Clemens to speak.
“You don’t need to come in, Clemens. I forgot to mention that earlier. You must be tired—go rest.”
“Ah, perhaps you’re right.”
Clemens smiled as she spoke.
“This is a time for family conversation. I’ve been unconsciously following along all this way……I’ll rest in my room, so call me when you’re finished talking, Olivier.”
Clemens turned and made her way back to her room. Olivier watched her go and yanked the door open.
“Grandfather!”
“Agh!”
Alpheus, who had been writing on documents with ink-dipped pen, lifted his head with a strange sound.
The force he exerted caused the pen in his grip to snap at the nib.
Looking up with an expression asking ‘Who on earth calls me like this?’, Alpheus saw Olivier standing confidently before him and wore an expression that said ‘I should have known.’
“Olivier……you’ve come? If you were coming, you should have sent word before arriving. What kind of way is it to show up so suddenly?”
Alpheus spoke.
“And I’ve told you so many times to knock before entering. How is it that at your age you still——”
Sensing that Alpheus’s lecturing would grow longer, Olivier quickly sat down on the sofa and spoke.
“That’s not what matters. Have you heard that Rowen Nestian might come to this Festival?”
“……Nestian is coming?”
“Yes, it seems they informed Everard of this. But it’s still uncertain whether she’ll actually come.”
“The entire Empire must know by now that Tiel is coming. Would Nestian really come here?”
Alpheus’s voice gradually shifted to one of rising anger.
He had thought it fortunate that he came along as well.
Nestian might have joined hands with the criminal who had tried to murder Tiel. In such a situation, had he simply sent the children to Arcadia, Alpheus would have spent the entire day in Asterian territory pulling his hair out with anxiety.
“Yes, I thought you should know, so I came to tell you. I think Tiel should know as well. Where is Tiel?”
“Tiel is resting in her room. I’m not sure it’s wise to tell her this—as you know, she’s been struggling lately. Tiel doesn’t have the strength to worry about Nestian as well.”
“I’m worried about that too. But if we don’t tell her and she sees Rowen arrive that day and gets a shock, what then? I think it’s better to tell her beforehand……oh my?”
Olivier discovered something tickling the back of her hand and opened her eyes wide.
What was tickling the back of Olivier’s hand was Tiel’s fish.
Both of Olivier’s cheeks flushed pink in an instant. She touched the fish lightly, her expression one of helpless adoration.
“It’s Tiel’s fish! Grandfather, it seems like Tiel is calling me? How does our Tiel always know when I’ve arrived?”
“Because you usually move about so noisily that not only Tiel but everyone in this place would have noticed your arrival. Everyone, that is, except me—I was busy working until you came.”
“It seems like Tiel is calling, so I should go see her. I’ll say nothing about Nestian for now. You should be the one to tell her about that. Understood?”
“You don’t listen to a word I say……”
Alpheus muttered. Olivier closed the door with a bang and followed the fish down the corridor.
Then.
……
A maid standing in a corner of the hallway stared intently after Olivier.
The maid had blonde hair and……emerald-colored eyes.
“My, you. What are you doing here? Go back to work.”
Another maid passed by and tapped her. The woman with blonde hair and emerald eyes didn’t even turn to look at the maid who had touched her and moved forward.
“……Why is she like that?”
The maid who had just tapped her tilted her head and murmured.
And thought.
‘Her movements were just like a puppet on strings……’

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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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