The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

Episode 75

“Why?”

Iandros was the Crown Prince of the Krasion Empire. It was inconceivable for him to miss such an official event. Perdi, Lucian, and Olivia’s faces turned puzzled in an instant.

Iandros silently lifted his right hand.

It appeared completely clean.

There seemed to be nothing unusual about it.

But then…

“…Oh?”

Thiel let out a small sound.

While the others saw nothing on Iandros’s hand, Thiel could clearly see something.

A sticky, pitch-black substance was clinging to Iandros’s hand, thick and pervasive.

“Ian, what is that…?”

Thiel squinted and asked, and Iandros looked at her.

“You can see it?”

“Yes? Yes. Can’t my brothers and sister see it?”

“What do you see?” Lucian frowned.

Olivia grabbed Iandros’s hand and shook it, trying to see what Thiel was talking about.

“Didn’t you wash your hands? What are we supposed to see?”

“Is there something on your hand?”

While Perdi, Olivia, and Lucian were muttering, Iandros pulled his hand away from Olivia’s grasp.

“Since a while ago, my ability hasn’t been working properly. When I try to use it, the space distorts, or the portals don’t maintain their form,” Iandros explained calmly, but his face was anything but calm.

Thiel instinctively reached out and carefully held Iandros’s hand.

But the dark substance clinging to Iandros’s hand didn’t dissipate with her touch. Instead, it seemed to solidify even more.

Startled, Thiel quickly pulled her hand back.

“I’ve seen this somewhere before…” Thiel muttered.

Where had she seen this? This unpleasant sensation was very familiar…

“Ah!”

Thiel’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth slightly. The chattering children fell silent and turned to look at her.

“Thiel? Do you know something?”

“Where did you see it?”

“I’d need to see something to understand.”

“Shut up, Lucian.”

Olivia clamped her hand over Lucian’s mouth. Thiel nodded as she looked at her muffled brother.

“I felt this when we were walking around the streets together last time…”

“What exactly did you feel?” Perdi asked, watching Thiel carefully recall the memory.

—

Thiel turned her head sharply, her large golden eyes gleaming in the darkness.

‘What was that just now?’

She had sensed something strange.

It was an extremely unpleasant sensation. Like pulling her foot out of a sticky swamp. The feeling of the swamp clinging to her ankle lingered.

—

Recalling that sensation, Thiel shivered lightly.

It was much more unpleasant than what was on Iandros’s hand…

“I encountered this on the street last time. It was so brief that I couldn’t tell what I saw, so I didn’t mention it…!”

Thiel’s eyes widened as she grabbed Iandros’s hand again.

“It’s definitely the same!”

At Thiel’s words, the faces of Iandros, Perdi, Lucian, and Olivia grew serious in an instant.

“What exactly did you feel, Thiel?” Perdi asked, his voice filled with concern.

“It was just a fleeting moment, but it felt like stepping into a sticky, dark place. It was so brief that I thought it was just my imagination,” Thiel explained, her voice trembling slightly.

“So, you’re saying whatever is affecting Iandros is the same thing you felt on the street?” Olivia clarified.

“Yes,” Thiel nodded emphatically. “It’s the same feeling.”

“This is troubling,” Lucian muttered, rubbing his chin. “If it’s something that can interfere with abilities, it’s dangerous.”

“We need to find out what this is and how to get rid of it,” Perdi said firmly, looking at Iandros.

Iandros sighed. “I thought I could handle it on my own, but it’s gotten worse. I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

“Worrying us is better than you getting hurt,” Olivia said, her voice softening. “We’ll figure this out together.”

Perdi nodded. “First, let’s get back to the mansion and inform the adults. They need to know about this.”

The children agreed, their playful demeanor replaced by determination. The carriage continued its journey, the atmosphere tense with the new revelation.

Thiel held Iandros’s hand tightly, determined to help him, just as he had always helped her.

“Does this mean someone trying to assassinate you is at this festival?”

“I thought my ability was just unstable, but could it be an assassination attempt?”

“This is serious. Shouldn’t we inform His Majesty immediately?”

The children each voiced their concerns, and Iandros nodded in agreement.

“Yes, if that’s the case…”

Iandros’s abilities had been unstable before. Sometimes, he couldn’t use them properly or they would become unpredictable. But he had never felt as if his abilities were completely blocked as they were now. He had attributed it to his own instability.

But if someone had tampered with them?

The situation was indeed grave. However…

“What exactly did you see?” Iandros asked, looking at Thiel.

Thiel bowed her head in embarrassment. “I can’t say I saw something specific. I didn’t see a suspicious person or anything; I just felt an unpleasant sensation for a moment…”

“Why are you demoralizing our girl!” Olivia shouted, hugging Thiel tightly.

“Thiel, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

“Right, let him handle his own problems.”

With Perdi and Lucian comforting the disheartened Thiel, Iandros looked like a brute bullying a young girl.

“Huh?”

“What? No, I’m not upset! Brother, no!”

“My sister’s feeling down, and you have the audacity to upset her. You’ll never step foot in the Asterian mansion again…”

Lucian began to go too far, only to be smacked on the back of the head by Olivia’s firm hand.

“But seriously, without a clear witness or evidence, we can’t ruin the festival.”

Iandros’s words made sense.

Luminari was the largest festival for the beastfolk. Many of them had been waiting for this day for three years.

Without solid evidence or witnesses, it wasn’t right to disrupt the festival.

In the end, the royal guards would have to increase their vigilance, and Iandros would need to be more cautious.

“That’s… Iandros is right,” Thiel admitted.

“It’s not about blaming you, you know that, right? Don’t listen to your brothers,” Iandros said, nodding toward Olivia.

“And don’t listen to her either.”

Every time he tried to speak, they pounced on him. Iandros sighed, looking at the two Asterian brothers and the Wolfgang heir.

It seemed their mental state had regressed slightly since Thiel’s arrival.

Thiel nodded awkwardly at Iandros’s words.

“And… it’s because my brothers and sister adore me so much…” she whispered, defending them.

Olivia, unable to resist, hugged Thiel and rubbed her cheek against Thiel’s soft head.

“Oh, you’re just too cute! How did something this adorable come about? We should take you to Wolfgang!”

Thiel blushed and giggled while being hugged by Olivia.

Iandros couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

When Iandros had mentioned his unstable abilities, the Emperor had ordered him to stay within the palace. All servants in his quarters were dismissed, leaving only the minimum number of knights for protection.

Although Iandros’s abilities were far superior to those of the knights, the Crown Prince couldn’t be left unguarded.

The problem was Iandros’s personality—he couldn’t stand being alone.

To be precise, he had grown accustomed to solitude, but…

—

‘Iandros!’

‘What are you doing there?’

‘You’re here again? Don’t you ever get tired of seeing me?’

‘Why are you complaining when this isn’t even your house? But you’re right.’

—

The noisy voices.

Since he started mingling with those noisy voices, he couldn’t stand being alone.

When he was alone in the dark palace, overwhelming loneliness, anxiety, and fear would engulf him.

Unable to use his abilities, he couldn’t hide in his subspace or look at the relic Thiel had given him.

So, Iandros had defied the Emperor’s orders to meet his friends.

‘I’ve gained something from this.’

Iandros looked at Thiel.

He hadn’t expected anything, but he had gained an unexpected insight.

In fact, every moment with Thiel was full of unexpected surprises for Iandros.

From the moment they first met, every interaction with Thiel had been unexpected.

Iandros liked being here.

The dark palace, with its minimum number of maids, servants, and knights, seemed to negate his very existence, making him not want to stay there.

But here, everyone treated him without reserve.

It didn’t matter if he was the Crown Prince or not.

Moreover, when he saw Thiel’s large golden eyes looking at him without a hint of hesitation… he liked being here even more.

That’s why Iandros had defied the Emperor’s orders and left the palace.

Unaware of what consequences that might bring.