The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 67

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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 67
Alpheus stepped out of the carriage.
Cassius, Ferdi, and Ludian followed in turn.
And finally…….
“Tiel, be careful.”
Tiel took Ferdi’s hand and descended from the carriage with cautious steps.
Every eye in the plaza turned toward her. The girl lifted her head, trying her best not to tremble.
The first thing that caught Tiel’s attention was a peculiar platform standing at the center of the vast plaza.
‘What is that?’
There were six platforms in total—five of them adorned with ornaments symbolizing each Ability, while one stood bare.
The remaining four platforms held the Heads of Households from each family, with their relatives standing in line behind them.
Then.
‘Gasp!’
Tiel spotted Chender standing upright on the Nestian platform.
‘G-grandfather.’
Tiel’s lips pressed tight, and her shoulders curled inward as her body contracted.
It was……. an involuntary reflex. A reaction beyond her will.
The abuse masqueraded as discipline in Nestian, their neglect and cruelty—it had made the child this way.
Of course, during her time with the Asterian Family, Tiel had changed remarkably, but that transformation was not yet enough to shake off the terrible memories of Nestian.
Of course it wasn’t.
Tiel had died once in Nestian and come back to life.
That the wounds of two lifetimes could be perfectly healed in such a brief span at the Asterian estate seemed far stranger.
Chender looked at Tiel with eyes as cold as ice, then turned his head sharply away.
Behind him stood Cornelia and Rowen, both of whom were also staring directly at Tiel.
Three pairs of eyes were filled with unmistakable hostility. Tiel made an effort not to look toward where Nestian stood.
Then.
“Tiel!”
Wolfgang.
Olivier, standing behind that platform, spotted Tiel and waved her hand.
Half of the gazes fixed on Tiel shifted to Olivier at her call, but the girl seemed not to care.
“Olivier.”
Etienne gave a low warning. Olivier pouted her lips and straightened properly.
‘Olivier.’
Tiel broke into a bright smile.
Just moments before, her entire body had been rigid as ice shards from Nestian’s presence.
But Olivier’s voice, the warmth of Etienne’s gaze upon her, and the heat she felt through Ferdi’s hand—all of it melted her tension away.
Alpheus stood tall upon his platform.
Cassius, Ferdi, Ludian, and Tiel positioned themselves carefully behind him.
Of the six platforms, only one remained empty; the other five were now occupied.
Everything was ready.
At that moment, the knights from each family turned their heads in unison.
From the distance, a carriage far larger, grander, and more magnificent than the Asterian conveyance approached slowly.
The imperial citizens held their breath in absolute silence, watching the approach of that enormous carriage.
The carriage bore the lion insignia of the Crasion Imperial House emblazoned in gold.
‘The imperial crest!’
It was the carriage carrying the Emperor of Crasion and Crown Prince Iandros.
Shortly after, the carriage door opened, and Emperor Wilhelm and Crown Prince Iandros descended side by side.
All who had gathered regarded the Emperor and Crown Prince with awe, reverence, and fear.
The Emperor walked slowly and took his place upon the golden platform at the center of the six.
Iandros stationed himself directly behind him.
‘It’s Iandros. It’s truly him!’
‘Heavens, he’s so beautiful…….’
Praise for Iandros’s beauty poured forth from every corner like a dam breaking. That praise reached the ears of Tiel, Ferdi, and Ludian.
“Am I not handsome?”
Ludian asked, shrugging his shoulders.
Tiel gripped Ludian’s hand firmly and spoke with conviction.
“You are very handsome, brother.”
“Hm? Yes! Thank you, Tiel!”
“But not quite like Iandros.”
Tiel was resolute.
Having inherited the outstanding beauty of Cassius and Rena, Ferdi and Ludian possessed looks that were easily worthy of being called the most beautiful young men in the empire.
‘But Iandros……, he’s different!’
At least in Tiel’s eyes, he was.
Her gaze turned toward Iandros.
There was an air about him that seemed impossible to approach casually.
An aura her two brothers didn’t possess……, or to be precise, something Ferdi had but Ludian did not.
Ludian, too, was often called a beauty impossible to approach when he ventured outside, but because he never displayed that demeanor even a little before Tiel, her evaluation of him was bound to be harsh.
Iandros, who had been standing with an air of weary indifference, turned his gaze toward where the Asterian Family stood.
‘Tiel.’
Iandros’s lips moved slightly. Tiel understood from the shape of his mouth alone that he had called her name.
‘Iandros!’
Tiel held back the urge to rush over and greet him immediately.
But then.
“Is he insane?”
Ferdi’s expression had stiffened unnaturally. Ludian’s eyes had taken on the same quality.
“Huh?”
Tiel tried to check on her brothers’ condition, but the moment the Emperor opened his mouth, she lost the chance to assess them.
“The Luminarie is,”
At the Emperor’s grand voice, everyone fell silent.
Thanks to the sacred object the Emperor carried that amplified his voice, all the imperial citizens and knights gathered in the plaza could hear him clearly.
“a festival for Lysette God.”
For those born and raised in the Crasion Empire, this was knowledge so obvious it need not be stated.
Thus many were puzzled as to why the Emperor would bring up such a matter now.
The Emperor, regardless, continued his words.
“Therefore, there is someone I must call to this place.”
At the Emperor’s words, Alpheus’s face stiffened instantly. Cassius, Ferdi, and Ludian were no different. Ferdi instinctively sensed something amiss and gripped Tiel’s hand tightly.
Only Tiel failed to grasp the situation.
‘Why is this happening?’
Tiel looked up at Ferdi, who appeared anxious. Ferdi was glaring at Iandros.
“Tiel Asterian.”
That was when the Emperor called her name.
“……Me?”
Tiel’s eyes widened in shock. The gaze of every person in the plaza pierced toward her.
The girl, flustered, released Ferdi’s hand. Ferdi, too, seemed to sense that she needed to go and let her hand slip away.
“Me, myself?”
“Come here.”
The Emperor spoke gently.
Tiel looked to Cassius and Alpheus for direction.
When she had heard of this before, there had been no mention of such a thing…….
Cassius’s large, warm hand touched Tiel’s back. He whispered softly so as not to startle her.
“He calls you. Go ahead.”
“Yes? Yes.”
Tiel nodded and walked forward with hurried steps toward the Emperor, one foot after another.
She could feel every eye in the plaza concentrated on her movements.
Her anxiety was so great that she feared her pounding heart would burst from her mouth if she opened it. Tiel did her best to calm herself as she came to stand before the Emperor.
“You have manifested the Light Ability, I hear.”
The Emperor looked at Tiel. She tilted her head back to meet his eyes and nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I……. possess the Light Ability.”
At Tiel’s words, the plaza fell quiet for a moment.
Everyone knew roughly that a child who manifested the Light Ability had appeared from the Asterian Family.
Had not rumors about “another legend concerning the Light Ability” circulated only recently?
Yet despite this, there were still those who regarded the matter of the Light Ability as mere rumor, so Tiel’s confirmation struck them as no small shock.
“Then you must surely be present at the opening ceremony of the Luminarie. Little Snow Leopard of the Asterian line.”
At the words “Little Snow Leopard,” Chender of Nestian and the Nestian knights flinched.
A small Snow Leopard born from the Black Leopard house. How much meaning that fact held among the feline clans…….
Meanwhile, the Asterian knights stood with confidence, and those bearing the Asterian name remained calm and composed.
A Snow Leopard born among Black Leopards. Even an imperfect hybrid—that fact meant no blemish to them whatsoever.
Tiel lifted her head and gazed up at the Emperor, Wilhelm.
“Show me, show us, show them your Ability. Let all know that light has returned to Crasion.”
The Emperor’s voice echoed across the plaza. He spoke with decisive clarity, driving home his point.
“The Luminarie shall bloom, beginning with the light you bear.”

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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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