The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family-Chapter 65

Ian sat in the grand parlor, occupying the highest seat on the sofa, slowly tilting his teacup.

His expression was dark and heavy. With a deep sigh, he pressed his fingers against his temples, rubbing them slowly.

"Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?"

His adjutant, Cedric, cautiously inquired, his voice filled with concern.

Ian shook his head.

"It's nothing. Just a headache."

"I will summon the palace physician as soon as we return—"

"I said it’s nothing."

Ian snapped, irritation lacing his voice.

Cedric immediately took a step back, wisely choosing to remain silent.

Years of experience had taught him that at times like these, it was best not to speak to Ian Dross Crasion at all.

The Crown Prince was in an extremely sensitive state.

Clang!

As if to prove that point, Ian’s teaspoon slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the floor.

Instead of picking it up, he simply furrowed his brows and stared at his teacup with a sharp gaze.

Cedric, silently praying that his lord wouldn’t lose his temper here, bent down and retrieved the fallen spoon, setting it back onto the saucer.

"That damn Crown Princess matter..."

Ian muttered under his breath.

For the past month, the issue of selecting a Crown Princess had been a constant source of frustration for him.

Until now, he had managed to evade it with various excuses. However, the Emperor had put his foot down—after Luminarie, there would be no more delays.

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Ian had been ordered to choose a candidate immediately after the festival, so that an official proposal could be arranged.

As a result, the thought of being forced into a marriage with some random noblewoman had soured his mood considerably.

And on top of all that—

‘What the hell is going on with this?’

Ian stared at the black energy flickering at his fingertips.

He tried suppressing his ability, but it was no use.

His power had stopped listening to him.

Instead of wasting more energy trying to suppress it, Ian chose to test it.

As his fingers moved, the air around him twisted, and a dark void opened in midair.

His ability—Dimensional Rift Creation.

At a glance, nothing seemed wrong.

But anyone who had ever seen Ian use his power before would immediately recognize that something was very wrong.

His rifts were supposed to glow with a soft white light.

But now, the void before him was pitch black, shifting ominously as if it would consume everything in its path.

If Ian let his concentration slip for even a moment, it would surely collapse into an uncontrollable mess.

It was like staring at a fragile glass cup, moments away from shattering.

Displeased, Ian waved a hand, forcibly closing the unstable void.

The air that had been warped by his power instantly tore apart and vanished.

The boy opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.

‘What’s happening to me?’

Just a few days ago, everything had been fine.

He was certain of it. The last time he had entered his own rift space, it had been perfectly stable.

But now, his ability was acting on its own—reacting to something—and slipping out of his control.

It felt like an untamed beast was rampaging inside his body.

Ian lifted his teacup to his lips.

Unpleasant.

That sensation continued to drag him deeper into the abyss—cold, unrelenting, suffocating.

Then—

Knock, knock.

A light, cheerful knock broke the tension.

Ian sat up from where he had been leaning against the sofa.

Cedric, visibly relieved, turned his gaze toward the door.

Creak.

The door opened, revealing a small, lovely girl.

"Ian-nim?"

The one they had been waiting for—the youngest princess of Asterian—finally appeared before them.

The moment Tiel entered, it felt as if the entire room had brightened.

The little girl, who literally had the power to radiate light, also had a special ability to lift the spirits of those around her.

"Tiel, come here."

The shadows that had clouded Ian’s face instantly vanished as he held out a hand toward her.

Everything that had been weighing him down—his restless ability, the pressure of marriage, the growing unease inside him—all of it disappeared the moment she appeared.

***

"Ian-nim!"

Tiel hurried over and plopped down beside Ian, as if the spot next to him had always belonged to her.

Since the day she had celebrated his birthday at the Asterian estate, this was their first time meeting again.

She had never gone this long without seeing Ian before, which made this reunion all the more exciting.

But—

‘Something seems wrong...’

A shadow lingered over Ian’s face.

Tiel blinked her round, golden eyes as she studied him closely.

Both Ian and Ferdi were skilled at hiding their emotions. They knew how to erase any trace of their true feelings from their expressions.

But no one could fool Tiel’s eyes.

Having spent years enduring mistreatment in Nestian, she had developed a keen ability to read people’s emotions.

And right now, Ian wasn’t in a good mood.

For some reason, she felt like asking why might not be the best approach.

Instead, she chose another way.

"Ian-nim! Did you open my gift?"

Her golden eyes sparkled like gemstones, round and bright with excitement.

Tiel had been counting the days until she could see Ian again—

Because she had so many things to ask!

Did he like her gift? Or... did he not like it?

Ian must have noticed her eagerness because his lips curled slightly into a small smile.

"Of course I opened it. I liked it."

"Really? You’re not just saying that so I won’t get upset, are you?"

"Why would I do that? I don’t say things I don’t mean."

Ian’s response was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

"That’s a relief... I thought about it so much! Since Ian-nim already seems to have everything..."

Naturally, Ianandros Crasion—the Crown Prince of the Crasion Empire—lacked for nothing.

Finding something he didn’t already own was probably as difficult as finding a needle in the desert.

But after much thought, Tiel had managed to find that needle!

"What you gave me is something that can’t be compared to anything else. You infused it with your ability, didn’t you?"

Ian turned to her, studying her round, bright face.

Tiel nodded eagerly, her twin braids bouncing up and down.

"I learned how to imbue things with my ability! I thought if I put my power into it, the light might last a little longer..."

Just as Ian had suspected, Tiel had instinctively understood that light couldn’t survive inside his dimensional rift.

So she had infused the artifact with her power, hoping the glow would last longer in the void.

She had wanted to give him one of her light-born fish, but... those creatures were fragments of herself. She couldn’t give them away.

So she had settled for imbuing the sacred artifact with her ability instead.

Judging by Ian’s reaction, it seemed her attempt had succeeded!

"So? Did it make your rift a little brighter?"

Tiel asked with hopeful eyes.

Ian, feeling mischievous, made a small pinching gesture with his fingers.

"A little. Just a tiny bit."

But instead of pouting in disappointment, Tiel let out a sigh of relief.

"That’s good..."

She was genuinely happy that even a little light had remained.

Ian, seeing her reaction, chuckled helplessly.

She always managed to surprise him.

"I was just teasing, Tiel. Thanks to your gift, my rift is a lot brighter."

Giving up on teasing her further, Ian placed his hand atop her small, round head.

"Thank you. I mean it."

Tiel beamed at him.

"Ian-nim has given me so much more! So many things—both material things and... other things, too."

What Ian had given her couldn’t even be measured in value.

And it wasn’t just about gifts.

From the moment he had found her in Nestian, he had taken on the hassle of rescuing her and reuniting her with her father, despite the potential trouble it could have caused him.

Even after that, he had continued visiting her, making sure she was adjusting to life at the Asterian estate.

Compared to all that... what she had given him was barely anything.

"When I get better at using my ability, I’ll make you an artifact that shines even brighter!"

"I’ll be looking forward to it, Tiel."

Ian smiled lazily.

Tiel, filled with determination, nodded vigorously.