The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 262

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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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Special Side Story: Episode 12
Raven was a seven-year-old raven Beast-kin this year.
With glossy black feathers and eyes that gleamed with sharp, boundless brilliance—a raven Beast-kin!
Yet Raven did not care much for the color of her hair or eyes.
Among the bird-kin clans, a stigma still lingered that ravens were harbingers of ill fortune.
Of course, it was a relic of antiquity and largely forgotten now, but some bird-kin still found ravens distasteful.
‘Mother, mother, moooother!’
What was worse, Raven had lost both parents in a terrible fire when young.
Left alone without relatives or parents, Raven had drifted from one relative’s house to another before eventually being sent to an orphanage.
And after being cast out from that orphanage too, it was Ludian who had taken in the street child and made her a young servant.
The head household of the leopard clan—the Black Leopard of Asterian.
Their black fur was not treated as unlucky at all; instead, it became the envy and admiration of countless Beast-kin. Raven found this fact utterly fascinating.
That they didn’t dislike black fur—that they actually envied it.
And because Ludian had brought her personally, the other knights treated Raven wonderfully too.
They never rebuked her for her fur, never told her its color was unpleasant and she should keep out of sight.
Raven loved the leopard clan. Though they were Beast-kin different from her, they showed her kindness. They did not judge her by her hair color alone.
That was why she wanted to be useful.
Useful to Ludian, who had saved her. Useful to the leopard clan’s knights, who had treated her kindly.
“Ah, well….”
Raven smiled bitterly.
They say that even among small children, those with the talent to grow into exceptional knights show promise from a very early age.
But the best Raven could do was polish swords until they shined.
This made the boy deeply sad.
Or perhaps, very sad indeed.
‘I wanted to be of use.’
But she couldn’t say it aloud.
‘It wouldn’t be proper to tell the princess such things.’
Luna was a princess of noble Crasion, a being whose birth was worlds apart from Raven’s.
As one of the imperial family, she likely possessed powerful Abilities like her father Iandros and her mother Tiel.
Even if that weren’t the case, those luminous golden locks and emerald eyes would win anyone’s affection.
As Raven hesitated and couldn’t find the words, Luna—who had been thinking for a moment—set Salamander down on the floor.
Then, fidgeting with her fingers, she spoke.
“You’re like me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’re like me—I don’t have talent either….”
Strictly speaking, what Luna lacked wasn’t talent but an Ability; still, she felt their situations were similar.
“!”
Raven’s eyes widened in shock at Luna’s words.
She didn’t understand exactly what Luna meant, but she had the distinct feeling she’d just heard something she shouldn’t have.
The shortcomings of a princess—the Imperial Palace would surely go to great lengths to keep such a thing hidden.
Raven’s bewildered gaze darted about, realizing she’d just heard such a grave secret from Luna’s own lips.
Then Luna spoke again.
“I mean, abilities are really important things, right?”
“….”
“So that’s why Raven looks so sad?”
Luna was still young; though she felt sadness about not having an Ability, she’d never truly reflected on it deeply.
She was simply sad. Sad that she couldn’t use amazing powers.
Luna caught sight of the dejected Raven and held a finger to her lips.
“This is a secret, okay? Mother told me not to tell anyone.”
“Yes. I’ll keep it secret, Your Highness.”
“Right, I’m telling you because you seem like me.”
Luna spoke with her plump cheeks resting between her knees. Then Salamander crept near and gave Luna’s finger a gentle nudge with its snout.
“But you know, Mother said—there’s no child in the world who has ‘no ability’ at all.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah. So she says I must have some special ability of my own too.”
But doubt lingered in Luna’s voice.
It wasn’t that she doubted her mother’s words—only that, having been raised between a mother with the legendary Light Ability and a father with the vast power of Subspace Creation, Luna found little comfort in such reassurances.
Raven watched Luna play with Salamander quietly, then asked.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“Are you trying to comfort me?”
“Yes.”
Luna answered without hesitation.
If she had no intention of comforting Raven, she wouldn’t have brought up such a thing at all.
What pride was there in being a princess without an Ability, to speak of it so openly?
Normally, she would never have mentioned it. Even children know shame.
But if she could bare even a small measure of her own shame and thereby comfort another’s heart, that seemed like something worthwhile.
“So cheer up, Raven.”
Raven nodded and spoke.
“Thank you, Your Highness. And….”
She carefully gestured toward Luna’s ears and said.
“Your Highness should cheer up too—your ears are drooping.”
“My ears always droop a little.”
“But they were standing straight just a moment ago.”
“Hmm….”
Luna touched her drooping ears with her fingers. Normally, children Luna’s age hide their ears and tails.
But Luna and Ain, who lived in the safe Imperial Palace where no Beast-kin threatened them, continued to keep their ears and tails out even as they grew.
Until now, it hadn’t felt inconvenient—but Luna fidgeted with her ears.
‘I should hide them when I’m out.’
Emotions showing right away on your face—it’s rather bothersome.
Luna and Raven sat dumbly, watching Salamander blaze and flare.
The adults probably thought the children were off having a grand time playing.
But Luna and Raven sat side by side with a composure far too serene for children, their spirits noticeably dampened.
It was a far cry from how energetically they’d slipped away from the adults.
After a moment of silence, Raven, who had been turning something over in her mind, spoke.
“Your Majesty’s words are rather difficult for me to understand, being a child.”
“I agree with that.”
Luna nodded.
“But I’m sure they’re wise words. So when the day comes that I finally understand what they mean….”
Raven paused, thinking.
Normally, between friends, the next words would be ‘I’ll tell you!’
But Raven was a commoner, and Luna was the most noble child in the empire—the princess of Crasion.
Could she really say such a thing?
It seemed too presumptuous.
As Raven trailed off, unable to finish, Luna’s eyes brightened and she asked.
“Will you tell me?”
“I… yes….”
“Great! So whoever figures it out first tells the other, okay?”
Luna’s ears perked up straight again. Her round eyes sparkled like precious jewels.
For a moment, Raven was captivated by Luna’s gaze. It was the most precious thing Raven had ever seen.
Was it the raven’s natural instinct to be drawn to shiny things? Or some other reason? The commoner boy Raven found himself unable to look away from this radiant princess.
“Do you hate it?”
The boy finally opened his mouth only after Luna, unable to wait for an answer, tilted her head in confusion.
“…I think that would be wonderful, Your Highness.”
A mature way of speaking that seemed at odds with his young voice.
At Raven’s reply, Luna laughed brightly and clapped her hands.
“Great, let’s do that!”
***
“Where did Salamander go?”
Cassius muttered, looking puzzled.
That Salamander no longer responded to Cassius’s commands, nor could he view the world through its eyes.
It had become a fully independent being.
Save for the fact that its power stemmed from Cassius’s own, there was no longer any connection between them.
That was why Cassius couldn’t sense where Salamander had gone at all.
But just then.
“Salamander?”
Ferdi, who had been listening quietly, looked up and spoke.
“That one’s been next to Luna.”

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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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