The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 86

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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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Chapter 86
“Brother!”
Tiel rushed to Ferdi and threw her arms around him. Ferdi caught her with practiced ease, lifting her effortlessly into the air.
“Tiel, why did you run over like that? I told you not to run because it’s dangerous.”
“Because I missed you, brother! Didn’t you miss me?”
“Of course I missed you terribly.”
Ferdi smiled gently and stroked his beloved younger sister’s head.
“Brother, I heard what Grandfather said. That is… um….”
“Already? That was fast.”
“Well, I… um….”
“Tiel, there’s something I want to tell you beforehand. If you’re harboring any guilt about this, I’d rather you didn’t.”
“…Oh.”
“Grandfather and Father gave me the chance to choose, and that choice is mine. If you respect my decision, then you shouldn’t feel guilty about it, my sister.”
Ferdi’s voice carried a maturity that seemed impossible for an eleven-year-old boy.
So Tiel simply nodded lightly and said nothing more.
“Anyway, we need to get back to Asterian soon, don’t we?”
“Yes, normally we should be in Asterian by now….”
Alpheus, Cassius, Ferdi, Ludian, and Tiel had remained in the Capital even after all the other houses had returned to their domains.
The initial reason for staying had been Tiel’s involvement in Ian’s Rampage,
and now there was a mountain of matters to handle in the Capital in order to establish Tiel as the new Head of Household of Asterian.
Once they returned to Asterian, simply exchanging correspondence with the Emperor would take considerable time, so Cassius and Alpheus decided it was better to remain in the Capital and handle everything they could quickly.
So the children remained at the Villa in the Capital, unable yet to return to Asterian.
“Tiel!”
Ludian spotted Tiel from afar and rushed over with a joyful shout, bopping her cheek playfully.
“Tiel! How are you feeling? Are you all right?”
“Yes! I was fine when I went in there too!”
“Don’t you dare do that again! Ian, that scoundrel—but Tiel, you’re a hundred times more important to me than he is, understand?”
“Yes, yes, brother. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“Hmph, that’s good then. The one who really should be sorry is that bastard Ian! Just let him wake up and I’ll curse him in ways a Crown Prince has never heard!”
“Some idiot’s about to be caught by Grandfather and punished.”
“You’re one to talk—weren’t you the one saying you’d kill the Crown Prince the moment you found out Tiel had done the Imprinting?”
At Ludian’s words, Tiel’s eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.
“K-kill who?”
“Ludian, watch your tongue—Tiel is listening.”
Ferdi smiled dangerously and spoke in a soft, measured tone. But Ludian was unbothered and stuck out his tongue.
“Did I say anything wrong?”
“Brother… did you really say such harsh things? It wasn’t Ludian who said it, was it?”
“…Tiel?”
Ludian looked at her like a wounded kitten. Tiel was startled and waved her hands frantically.
“No, no! I didn’t mean you spoke so harshly….”
“Why are you denying it? You’re right, Tiel. Ludian does have a foul mouth.”
“…”
“I didn’t say any such thing, Ludian. I’d appreciate it if you’d mind your words. Murder of the Crown Prince? Are you plotting treason?”
“…Ugh, fine, fine. What’s the point in talking to you?”
Ludian narrowed his eyes and glared at Ferdi.
“Tiel, I know you’re fond of these brothers of yours, but please keep your distance from this one. I’m terrified he’ll be a bad influence on you.”
“The one Tiel should distance herself from most is you, Ludian. Since you don’t seem to understand, let me make it clear once more.”
“Is this serious?”
Ferdi and Ludian fell into their usual bickering. But Tiel made no move to stop them.
She had witnessed Ferdi, Ludian, and Olivier squabbling constantly more than anyone else had.
In truth, this barely qualified as fighting—it was more like a conversation brimming with brotherly affection.
A moment passed, and their verbal sparring ended. Once again, Ferdi emerged victorious.
“Tiel, let’s leave this fool here and go inside. We have to go to the Imperial Palace tomorrow, and before we do, I’ll read you a fairy tale….”
“Yes.”
Tiel nodded obediently.
Tomorrow, Tiel was to go to the Imperial Palace with Alpheus and Cassius.
While Tiel would inherit the position of Head of Household of Asterian, the Emperor’s permission was not strictly necessary—but the consent of the other Heads of Household was.
Asterian was no ordinary house; it was the supreme house of all Bestial Clans, and without the agreement of the other houses, Asterian could not remain their leader.
But Tiel understood none of this. She had only been told that tomorrow she would go to the Imperial Palace with Grandfather and Father.
‘Will Ian wake up tomorrow?’
Once this visit to the Imperial Palace was over, there would be no reason to come to the Capital for some time. She hoped Ian would wake up tomorrow….
Tiel thought of the sleeping Ian and quietly prayed to Lucette that he would wake soon.
The Fish-Shaped Mark carved on Ian’s neck kept returning to her mind.
***
“…What do you mean?”
Claude Warren Iker, Head of Household of Iker House, opened his mouth.
His aide, Linert, bowed his head and reported again.
“Asterian is preparing to elevate Tiel Asterian to Head of Household.”
“…What? No, why on earth?”
Iker blinked in disbelief.
Tiel Asterian was only seven years old. Moreover, he’d heard she’d been in Asterian for less than a year.
What were they planning to do with such a child? Had they truly gone mad?
“Have they truly gone mad?”
“…Possibly they’re doing this to show they have no intention of giving the Light Ability to another house, since other houses keep trying to restrain it.”
“But even so, putting a seven-year-old child into the position of Head of Household? Are all their heirs dead?”
Asterian’s heir was Cassius Celestus Asterian, who had grown to adulthood and held even the rank of Marquis, and below him was the eldest son, Ferdi Asterian.
The succession of Asterian’s headship was to proceed as: Alpheus, then Cassius, then Ferdi.
But suddenly….
Claude’s dream of taking Tiel Asterian as a bride for his son Sterling and strengthening Iker House’s power shattered cleanly.
He had never actually intended to part with Sterling in the first place, yet Claude had already mentally completed the wedding ceremony between Sterling and Tiel.
“Moreover….”
“Moreover what?”
What else could there be? Claude was confident he could hear most things without surprise now.
Could there be news more shocking than skipping over an adult heir and his son to hand the headship to a seven-year-old youngest daughter?
Linert bowed slightly to Claude before continuing.
“According to information from our source inside the Imperial Palace, it seems the Crown Prince performed Imprinting with Tiel Asterian that day.”
“…?”
“Yes, according to our intelligence—”
“What do you mean?”
Claude asked again, dumbfounded.
Linert pushed his glasses up and thought that he seemed to be experiencing this exact same situation all over again.
“Imprinting…”
“With whom?”
“Tiel Asterian and Crown Prince Ian Andros Crassion, your Highness…?”
“What?”
He had heard that Tiel Asterian had jumped into the subspace after Ian as he raged, stopping his Rampage.
Some had grown fearful of the courage and ability that could even stop Ian’s Rampage, restraining the “Light Ability” and Asterian itself.
But Iker had rejoiced instead. Someone of that caliber would be perfectly suitable as Sterling’s match. A perfect partner for Sterling, he had thought….
“But what did they do?”
“Imprinting…”
“You… do you think Imprinting is child’s play? Do you think seven and eleven-year-old children can just say ‘let’s imprint with each other, honey’ and it happens? Where did you get this sloppy information?”
At Claude’s harsh words, a flustered Linert bowed his head.
“But according to our source, a mark of Imprinting appeared on the Crown Prince’s neck. Think about it, Marquis!”
“What?”
“Why would they suddenly raise a seven-year-old child to Head of Household? Because she’s Imprinted with the Crown Prince—they don’t want to send the youngest lady to the Imperial Palace to become Crown Princess, so they’re making excuses!”
At Linert’s words, Claude’s eyes narrowed.
‘If that child enters the Imperial Palace, it would certainly be easier to approach her than now.’
One might normally say the Imperial Palace is harder to access, but with Asterian as the target, the situation was different.
Asterian’s security was impenetrable; nothing could breach it. All attempts to plant spies in Asterian had failed.
But if Tiel entered the Imperial Palace….
‘Separated from her protective family….’
What would become of a small child left alone in the Imperial Palace was as obvious as fire in daylight.
“If she’s already Imprinted with the Crown Prince, we can’t take her for ourselves anyway.”
It wouldn’t do to forcibly marry a child who had already Imprinted to Sterling. So then….
“We’ll make sure they can’t have her either.”
Claude spoke.

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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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