The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 90

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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 90
Alpheus and Cassius brought Tiel back from the Imperial Palace first. Staying there any longer would have been pointless.
The carriage arrived before the Asterian Family’s townhouse in the capital, and Ferdi and Ludian, who had come out to greet them beforehand, helped Tiel descend from the carriage with ease.
“Tiel, welcome home. Did you have a good time?”
“Brother!”
“Looks like you did. Your expression seems so bright—”
“…….”
“……?”
Ferdi and Ludian glanced at the faces of Alpheus and Cassius, who remained in the carriage behind Tiel.
Their expressions had grown so grimly dark that it was clear the conversation had not ended well.
‘But why is Tiel in such good spirits?’
Well, as long as Tiel was happy, that was enough.
After all, Ferdi was neither a son nor a grandson who concerned himself with the moods of Cassius and Alpheus, so the two of them were simply ignored.
And Ludian felt much the same way.
Ludian took a brief glance at his father and grandfather, who appeared to be in poor spirits, and then quietly slipped away, hoping to avoid any inconvenient questions.
“…….”
Alpheus, observing the scene quietly, wore an expression that seemed to say, ‘It looks like I’ve raised the children poorly.’
Whether Ferdi cared or not, he completely ignored the gloomy Alpheus and Cassius, lifting Tiel into his arms and sweeping her bangs back so they wouldn’t fall across her eyes as he asked:
“Why are you in such a good mood, Tiel? Did something wonderful happen?”
“Right? Father and Grandfather look absolutely miserable, but you alone—oof!”
Ludian, who had finally earned a smack to the back of his head from Alpheus, pouted his lips and moved away from him.
Upon hearing Ferdi’s words, Tiel answered without hesitation, laughing cheerfully.
“It’s because Ian has awakened, isn’t it? I was so worried he might take longer to wake up…….”
……Ah, that one.
At the news of Ian’s awakening, Ferdi had to suppress the urge to set Tiel down immediately and rush toward him to hurl curses directly in his face.
Just then, Cassius turned to Ferdi and Ludian and spoke.
“Come with me, Ferdi, Ludian. I have something to tell you both.”
“Yes, Father.”
Ferdi followed Cassius while still holding Tiel, with Ludian trailing behind them cheerfully, gripping Tiel’s small hand firmly.
“Tiel, Ian didn’t say anything strange to you, did he? Tell your brother. I’ll give him a piece of my mind, I promise…….”
“No! Ian actually helped me.”
“He helped you? How could he have helped when he’s been unconscious all this time and only just woke up?”
Ferdi asked as he entered the room behind Cassius. Tiel pondered for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. It seemed Cassius was about to explain everything to Ferdi and Ludian anyway.
Ferdi, Ludian, and Tiel sat in a row on the long sofa. Across from them sat Cassius, and in the central sofa placed between the two couches sat Alpheus.
“Ferdi, Ludian.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Yes.”
Cassius gave his sons a brief explanation of what had transpired at the Imperial Palace.
How Chender Nestian had interfered and demanded that Tiel “prove her ability,” which led to her being sent to the Land Where Morning Never Comes.
How Ian had come to accompany her, and what Ian had told Tiel…….
After laying it out plainly, Cassius looked at Ferdi and Ludian.
“So you two will be going with her as well.”
It was a pure notification. Ferdi and Ludian, who had been listening quietly to Cassius’s words, wore expressions of bewilderment.
“Isn’t this just a notification, Father? No discussion?”
“What? You’re not even asking for our opinion?”
“Then should I send your sister alone with the Crown Prince? You two would have raised hell, demanding to go if I’d said you were staying behind.”
“Of course not.”
“It certainly isn’t!”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Well, you didn’t have to present it quite so starkly. I would have agreed to go anyway, naturally, but being informed like this without any prior consultation stung a little. Though now that I think about it, it’s not really worth getting upset over.”
Ferdi shrugged his shoulders.
“Right, you speak well.”
“Then next time, please don’t simply notify us. At the very least, make the pretense of asking for our opinion, Father.”
Ferdi shot this at Cassius, then crossed his arms and looked at Tiel.
Cassius had been right.
If Cassius and Alpheus had forbidden it, they would have slipped out of the mansion in the dead of night and followed Tiel anyway.
‘How could they send the girl to a place like that with just him?’
The Land Where Morning Never Comes.
It was a land located at the northernmost edge of the Crasion Empire—a Forbidden Beast Zone where the entry of adult Beasts was prohibited.
Because of this, Alpheus and Cassius could not accompany them. The knight order, too, had to be provided by the Imperial Palace. The knights of the Asterian Family were all leopard Beastkin.
The only saving grace was that Beasts who had not yet reached adulthood could still set foot in that land.
Why the entry of adult Beasts was forbidden, no one could say, but it was an ancient decree of the Crasion Empire, and no one could break it.
The same held true for Alpheus and Cassius of the Asterian Family. They could not set foot in that land.
That’s why Ferdi and Ludian had to be sent. Without Alpheus and Cassius present, Ferdi and Ludian would have to serve as Tiel’s guardians.
“When do we depart?”
“Once the Crown Prince’s body has recovered and preparations are complete. We need to assemble a knight order and prepare various other things, so we won’t leave immediately.”
“Wow, we’d better keep this hidden from Olivia. If she finds out, she’ll flip and demand to come along.”
Ludian spoke in a deadpan tone. In that instant, a flicker of interest passed through the eyes of both Alpheus and Cassius.
“……Olivia? Not a bad idea.”
“Olivia won’t have anything else to do anyway. We should mention it to Stefano beforehand.”
Ludian, hearing the exchange between Alpheus and Cassius, tilted his head in disbelief.
“Huh? Mention what? Who are you bringing along? Grandfather, just because we need guardians doesn’t mean you can just drag anyone along and call them part of our group. We should be selective…… Oof!”
“Be quiet.”
Ferdi silenced Ludian’s sarcasm in one swift motion, then spun around to face Alpheus directly.
“I understand your concern about not being able to accompany us directly, Grandfather.”
“……That’s right.”
“But Grandfather, some people are helpful, and some are not. Your granddaughter Olivia is unmistakably the latter. If she comes along, it’s obvious we’ll just have more trouble on our hands. So please, absolutely do not mention this to her.”
Ludian stared at Ferdi with aggrieved eyes, his mouth still clamped shut in Ferdi’s grip.
‘He stopped my mouth for speaking too harshly, but look at him—he’s being even more blunt.’
Ferdi released Ludian’s mouth with a light pat, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his hand, and looked at Tiel.
“Tiel.”
“Mm?”
“It’s better for you to go with trustworthy brothers than to drag along all sorts of riffraff, right?”
“But Olivia isn’t riffraff…….”
“Huh? You think that’s good? Our Tiel really does understand her brothers’ hearts well.”
Tiel said nothing more and closed her lips. She could feel the desperate effort to keep Olivia out of this group at any cost.
Regardless, Ferdi and Ludian wore smiles that said, ‘If you tell Olivia, we won’t let it rest.’
Cassius and Alpheus pretended not to see the twins’ expressions.
It seemed unlikely that things would go the way Ferdi and Ludian wanted.
***
Ian stood before the mirror, examining the area around his neck.
As his hand drew near, the hidden Seal mark, like dawn breaking, began to gleam softly into view.
A small fish-shaped mark.
‘It resembles Tiel’s Ability.’
Tiel shapes light into small fish and handles them with perfect freedom. The sight of tiny fish swimming gracefully from her small palms is beautiful beyond words.
Iandr—Ian had loved Tiel’s fish……. But.
“Sigh…….”
This was never what he’d wanted inscribed.
Ian exhaled sharply. If he had been himself, he would never have allowed a Seal to form with Tiel. He would have stopped her from forming it.
‘But that doesn’t quite make sense either.’
He didn’t know why only he bore the Seal and Tiel did not, but a Seal required the conscious will of both parties to form in the first place.
So, either Ian had unconsciously desired a Seal with Tiel, or…….
The boy, frustrated at the thought, crumpled his face and splashed cold water on himself.
Whoever he formed a Seal with, he prayed it was anyone but Tiel Asterian.
Because he knew what fate his Seal partner would have to bear.
I don’t want to bind you to such a fate.
Tiel,
you are the most precious thing I know, and I wanted to cherish you with all my heart.
I wanted to care for you with my whole being, and protect you so that you could always smile.
But…….
What if I ruin you?
Ian leaned against the wall and gazed out the window with vacant eyes.
The sunlight was dazzlingly bright.

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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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