The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family-Chapter 74

The Breath of the Tundra.

A treasured relic of Nestian, one that was now in dangerously short supply—

And yet...

"I shall grant your wish."

At the Emperor’s decree, Chender clenched his fists tightly.

They had to hand it over?

And to Asterian, of all families?

Black leopards despised the cold!

The Breath of the Tundra should be completely useless to them!

Chender grit his teeth in fury.

The five great families had agreed to participate in the tournament, which meant they were equally responsible for granting the winner’s wish.

That meant Nestian had no choice but to hand over the Breath of the Tundra, if that was what Ferdie desired.

Even if it was one of the last remnants of Nestian’s legacy...

‘Damn it! We barely have any left!’

Chender ground his teeth so hard it felt like they might break, his gaze burning with hostility as he stared at Ferdie.

Yet Ferdie did not even spare him a glance, standing firmly with his back turned toward the Nestians.

"I will make sure to procure as much as possible for you," the Emperor declared. "A promise is a promise."

"Thank you for your generosity," Ferdie replied with a bright smile.

Then, he turned his gaze toward Tiel.

Pinned to her chest was the brooch Ian Dross had gifted her—

A brooch made from the Breath of the Tundra.

‘It’s still spring, so it’s fine for now...’

‘But soon, it’ll get even hotter.’

Once summer arrived, the heat would become far worse—

And there was no way that a single flower of the Breath of the Tundra would be enough.

So Ferdie was determined to gather as much as possible—

Enough to fill Tiel’s entire room with it.

So that his little sister would never have to suffer the heat.

With the tournament concluded, the heirs descended from the platforms and hurried back toward their families.

Ferdie, moving at his own relaxed pace, approached the spot where Tiel waited—

Then, lifted her into his arms.

"Tiel, you won’t be hot anymore now, will you?"

"Oraboni!"

Tiel immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her soft cheek against his, rubbing affectionately—

A feline display of love.

"Oraboni, you were amazing!"

"Really?"

"Yes! You were the best! Absolutely the best!"

She nodded vigorously, recalling the majestic blaze of his summoned beast.

Ferdie’s ability was growing stronger by the day.

Was it because she was by his side?

Or because Ferdie never neglected his training?

Regardless, one thing was clear—

His power was only going to continue increasing.

By the time he inherited the position of family head, he would possess an ability far beyond comparison.

And everyone else knew it too.

"......."

"......."

The heads of the other great families, watching the scene unfold, had all witnessed it firsthand—

The sheer magnitude of Ferdie Asterian’s power.

Even Karsus was stronger than Alpheus had been at his age.

By the time Ferdie became patriarch, Asterian would have become even more powerful.

A realization that sparked a quiet unease in the hearts of the other family leaders.

But then—

"Tiel—!!"

A blur rushed toward them at high speed.

Olivia.

She charged straight at Ferdie, attempting to snatch Tiel from his arms.

But—

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Ferdie was Ferdie.

With a fluid motion, he spun on his heel, keeping Tiel in his arms—

And let Olivia barrel past him, unable to stop herself in time.

"Hey!!"

"Don't touch my little sister."

Ferdie’s firm declaration made Olivia narrow her eyes in a glare.

"Are you seriously doing this again? You already wouldn’t let me stay with Tiel yesterday!"

"That was because you were being unreasonable. If you’d made a rational argument, I might have considered it."

As Ferdie and Olivia bickered once again, Tiel—now quite used to their antics—simply reached out and held Olivia’s hand.

"Unni, I missed you...!"

She soothed Olivia effortlessly.

"Right?! Right?! I knew it! Tiel, you’re the only one who truly understands me! Wasn’t I cool out there?!"

"Like you’re one to talk," Ludian scoffed.

Olivia’s reaction was instant.

Like a bolt of lightning, she grabbed Ludian’s hair.

Ludian, not about to lose, clamped down on her wrist in retaliation.

A full-blown scuffle broke out immediately.

Karsus, who had been watching them silently, stepped forward.

With a single motion, he separated his son and niece, holding each of them at arm’s length.

"Just what is wrong with you two?"

After forcing them apart, Karsus turned to Ferdie and Tiel.

"You can stay and enjoy the festival a little longer, but don’t stay out too late."

"Yes, Father."

"Yes, Daddy!"

Ferdie and Tiel obediently answered in unison, their voices calm and respectful.

Karsus nodded in approval, then released Olivia and Ludian’s collars with a sharp flick of his wrist.

Without another word, he turned and walked toward Alpheus, leaving the two troublemakers behind.

Olivia glared at Ludian for a moment, then, ignoring him, snatched Tiel away from Ferdie and held her in her arms.

"By the way, did you guys see Ian Dross?"

"Call him Crown Prince while we're here."

"Yeah, yeah. But did you see him?"

"No," Ferdie admitted, frowning slightly.

"That’s weird," Ludian added, glancing toward the Emperor’s seating area.

"Normally, he should be sitting right there."

But Ian Dross’s seat was empty.

Tiel, overhearing the conversation, tilted her head worriedly.

"Could it be... that Sir Ian is sick?"

"Sick? Him?"

"I’ve never seen him get sick before. Have you?"

"No."

Olivia, Ludian, and Ferdie thought about it for a moment—

Then promptly dismissed the idea.

Ian Dross being sick? Unlikely.

It was probably just that he didn’t feel like coming.

They quickly moved on, as Ian Dross wasn’t important enough for them to dwell on.

Of course, Tiel felt differently—his absence was a big deal to her—

But since her older siblings brushed it off, she had no choice but to do the same.

"So, what should we do now?" Olivia asked.

"We already bought and ate everything worth trying yesterday."

"Doesn’t matter, let’s just go somewhere. If we stay here, people are gonna start talking to us."

"Who?" Tiel blinked.

Ludian tilted his head slightly, gesturing behind them.

There, a group of young nobles from other families were hovering nearby, clearly hoping to strike up a conversation.

They were undoubtedly the children of noble parents who had told them it was wise to build relationships with the heirs of the Five Great Families.

But Ferdie and Ludian had no interest in forming pointless connections—

So their plan was simple.

"Let’s go before they approach us."

Just as Ferdie, Ludian, Olivia, and Tiel were about to board the Asterian carriage—

Tap.

Someone grabbed Ferdie’s shoulder.

Instinctively, Ferdie spun around, shifting Tiel into one arm while flames ignited in his free hand.

"Who—"

But the moment he saw the person’s face, his eyes narrowed sharply.

"Ian Dross?"

Ian Dross nodded once.

He was completely covered in a heavy black cloak, the hood pulled so low that if he hadn’t lifted his head, no one would have recognized him.

It suddenly made sense why the Asterian knights hadn’t stopped him—

They hadn’t realized who he was.

Olivia, eyeing Ian Dross’s odd attire, tilted her head.

"Why the hell are you dressed like that? And why didn’t you show up at the tournament?"

"I had my reasons," Ian replied curtly.

Then, without further explanation, he extended his hand toward Tiel.

Tiel’s face lit up with delight.

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"Ian-nim! I was worried about you!"

Ian didn’t respond.

"Just get in the carriage," he said. "We can’t be seen."

"Can’t be seen? By who?"

Ian didn’t answer.

Instead, he hopped onto the carriage first, settling in without waiting for permission.

The others exchanged glances, bemused—

But in the end, none of them stopped him and simply followed him inside.

The Asterian carriage was spacious—even with five people, there was plenty of room left over.

Once the door shut, a knight approached the carriage window and looked at Ferdie.

"Where would you like to go, Young Master?"

"For now... just head to the estate."

The knight nodded and stepped away.

Moments later, the carriage began to move.

Only once they were in motion did Ian finally lower his hood.

His golden hair, normally brilliant and neatly styled, was a complete mess—

Disheveled from being stuffed beneath his cloak.

"Alright," Ferdie said pleasantly. "Now explain. Why are you sneaking around like this?"

Ian ignored him completely.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of candy, shoving it toward Tiel.

"Here. I bought this for you."

"For me? Thank you so much!"

Tiel beamed, taking the bag happily.

Ian watched as she popped one of the candies into her mouth—

Then, leaned back, resting his head against the carriage seat.

With a bored expression, he finally muttered:

"Grandfather won’t let me leave."

"He said I’m not allowed to even set foot at the festival."