The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Episode 74

The Breath of the Snowfield. It was a treasure of Nestrian, and now there was very little left even within Nestrian. But…

“I will grant your wish,” the Emperor said.

Zender clenched his fists secretly at the Emperor’s words.

To have to give that up?

Moreover, Asterian’s black panthers were known for being unable to withstand the cold, so the Breath of the Snowfield should be even less necessary for them!

Zender ground his teeth in frustration.

The five families had participated in the competition, so they shared the duty of fulfilling the winner’s wish.

Therefore, Nestrian had no choice but to hand over the Breath of the Snowfield if Perdi wished for it, even though it was a treasure with very little remaining in Nestrian…

‘There’s barely any left in Nestrian!’

Zender gritted his teeth and glared at Perdi. Perdi, however, stood with his back turned, not even glancing in Nestrian’s direction.

“I will ensure you receive as much of the Breath of the Snowfield as possible. A promise is a promise,” the Emperor declared.

“Thank you for your grace,” Perdi replied with a bright smile as he turned to look at Thiel.

Pinned to Thiel’s chest was a brooch gifted by Iandros, made from the Breath of the Snowfield.

‘It’s still spring, so it should be fine, but soon it will get much hotter.’

Summer would bring unbearable heat compared to now, and that single flower would not suffice.

Thus, Perdi intended to fill Thiel’s room with as many of the Breath of the Snowfield as possible.

So that his little sister wouldn’t suffer from the heat.

With the competition for the heirs concluded, the children descended from the platform and ran towards their family members.

Perdi walked leisurely towards Thiel, scooping her up in his arms.

“Thiel, you won’t be hot anymore, will you?”

“Brother!”

Thiel hugged Perdi’s neck tightly, rubbing her soft cheek against his. It was a gesture of affection typical of feline beasts.

“Brother, you were amazing!”

“Really?”

“Yes, you were the best, truly.”

Thiel nodded enthusiastically, recalling the flaming summon.

Perdi’s abilities grew stronger by the day.

Was it because Thiel was by his side? Or perhaps because Perdi never neglected his training.

One thing was certain: his abilities were becoming increasingly powerful, and when he came of age, he would possess a power unrivaled by any other family.

And this realization wasn’t lost on anyone present.

“…”

“…”

The other family heads witnessed the full extent of Perdi Asterian’s abilities.

Even now, Cassius possessed stronger abilities than Alpheus, and when Perdi took over as the head of the family, Asterian would become an even more formidable house.

This realization left a small spark of unease in the hearts of the other family heads, excluding Asterian.

At that moment,

“Thiel-!!”

From a distance, Olivia came running fast, trying to snatch Thiel from Perdi’s arms.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

But Perdi was Perdi. He turned his body with Thiel in his arms, causing Olivia to run past them.

“Hey!”

“Don’t touch my sister.”

Olivia glared at him with narrowed eyes.

“Are you going to keep doing this? You didn’t let me stay with Thiel yesterday either.”

“That was because you were being unreasonable. You should have said something sensible.”

Seeing Perdi and Olivia bickering again, Thiel, now used to it, reached out and took Olivia’s hand.

“Sister, I missed you…!”

She comforted Olivia with familiarity.

“Right? See, only Thiel understands! Sister, wasn’t I cool?”

“Arrogant.”

Lucian mocked.

Olivia quickly grabbed a handful of Lucian’s hair.

Lucian, not to be outdone, grabbed Olivia’s wrist tightly.

As the brawl erupted, Cassius, who had been watching quietly, stepped in and separated them, one in each hand.

“What is wrong with you two?”

After distancing Lucian and Olivia, Cassius looked at Perdi and Thiel.

“You can stay and enjoy for a bit longer, but don’t stay out too late.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Yes, Dad.”

Perdi and Thiel answered obediently. Cassius nodded, released Olivia and Lucian, and walked towards Alpheus.

Olivia glared at Lucian for a moment, then took Thiel from Perdi’s arms and asked,

“By the way, have you seen Iandros?”

“You should refer to him as the Crown Prince here.”

“So, have you seen him or not?”

“No, I haven’t. It’s strange. Normally, he should have been there with the Emperor.”

Lucian pointed to the empty spot where the Emperor had been seated.

Iandros’s seat was empty.

Thiel, listening to her siblings, tilted her head with a worried expression and asked,

“Could Iandros be… sick?”

“Sick? Him?”

“I’ve never seen him sick. Have you?”

“No.”

Olivia, Lucian, and Perdi pondered for a while, concluding that Iandros must have decided not to come out since he couldn’t possibly be sick.

To them, Iandros’s absence wasn’t a big issue.

But for Thiel, Iandros’s absence was significant… However, since her siblings didn’t seem concerned, Thiel also let it go.

“We’ve already bought everything we could yesterday. What should we do now?”

“I don’t know. Let’s just go somewhere. If we stay here, people will keep coming up to us.”

“Who?”

In response to Thiel’s question, Lucian nodded his head.

Behind them, other noble children were lingering, wanting to approach Lucian, Perdi, and Olivia.

They were clearly following their parents’ advice to build connections with the heirs of the five great families.

Of course, Perdi and Lucian had no desire to befriend them, so they decided to leave.

“Let’s go before they approach us.”

Just as Perdi, Lucian, Olivia, and Thiel were about to board the Asterian carriage and leave,

Tap.

Someone grabbed Perdi’s shoulder.

Perdi reflexively conjured flames with his free hand, still holding Thiel.

“Who…?”

However, when Perdi turned around and saw the face behind him, his eyes narrowed.

“Iandros?”

Iandros nodded.

He was wearing a large black robe, his head covered. If he hadn’t lifted his head, no one would have recognized him.

No wonder the Asterian knights hadn’t stopped him from approaching the children.

Olivia tilted her head, puzzled by Iandros’s odd appearance.

“Why are you dressed like this? Why didn’t you come to the competition?”

“There were circumstances.”

Iandros extended his palm to Thiel. Thiel smiled brightly and took his hand.

“Ian, I was worried about you!”

“Get in first. We shouldn’t be seen.”

“Seen by whom?”

Iandros didn’t answer and swiftly climbed into the Asterian carriage. The other children, though puzzled, followed him into the carriage without protest.

The Asterian carriage was spacious, easily accommodating all five children with room to spare.

As the carriage door closed, a knight looked through the window at Perdi and asked,

“Where to, sir?”

“For now… take us back to the mansion,” Perdi replied.

The knight nodded and moved away. Soon, the carriage began to move slowly.

Once the carriage was on its way, Iandros removed the black robe he was wearing. His golden hair, usually shining brilliantly, was now tousled from the hood.

“Now, explain why you’re dressed like that,” Perdi asked gently.

But Iandros ignored Perdi’s question, instead pulling out a bag of candy from his pocket and handing it to Thiel.

“Here, eat this. I bought it on the way.”

“Is it for me? Thank you!”

Thiel beamed as she took the bag of candy and immediately popped one into her mouth.

Iandros watched Thiel enjoy her candy before leaning back against the carriage seat and speaking nonchalantly.

“Grandfather wouldn’t let me out. He told me not to go near the festival.”

“Why wouldn’t he let you go?” Olivia asked, frowning.

Iandros sighed,

“He thinks it’s too dangerous with so many people around. He doesn’t want me to get hurt or something.”

Perdi raised an eyebrow.

“Dangerous? In the middle of the empire’s capital, during Luminari?”

Iandros shrugged, looking out the window.

“He’s just being overly cautious.”

“Does he think someone might target you?” Lucian asked, trying to piece together the reasoning.

“Probably,” Iandros replied. “But I didn’t want to miss the festival entirely, so I snuck out.”

“That’s quite daring of you, sneaking out with so many knights around.”

Perdi said, a hint of admiration in his voice.

Iandros grinned.

“Well, it’s not the first time. And I had to see you all.”

“Especially Thiel, right?” Olivia teased, nudging Thiel who blushed slightly.

“Well, of course. Thiel always makes the festival more fun,” Iandros said with a warm smile.

Thiel smiled back, feeling happy and reassured by Iandros’s presence.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Lucian asked, looking at Perdi.

“Since we’re heading back to the mansion, we can decide what to do there. Maybe we can have our own little festival,” Perdi suggested.

“That sounds fun!” Thiel exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The carriage continued its journey back to the Asterian mansion, the children chatting and planning their own celebration, making the most of their time together despite the unusual circumstances.