Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Tiel murmured Ian's name softly, repeating it a few times as if to savor the sound. Then, her face lit up with a radiant smile.

Ian, watching her with an awkward expression, turned his head and motioned with his hand.

"Alright, transform into your beast form."

Crossing his arms, Ian spoke matter-of-factly. Tiel hesitated, glancing at him nervously. With a small nod of encouragement, Ian tilted his chin as if saying, Hurry up.@@novelbin@@

At his prompting, Tiel spun in place once.

In an instant, the small girl disappeared, leaving behind only a snow leopard.

In her leopard form, Tiel darted toward the bed, gripping the blanket she had brought with her in her mouth. She dragged it to Ian’s feet and set it down.

"You really want to bring this with you?" Ian asked, his tone skeptical, as if questioning the necessity of it.

Tiel nodded firmly. Because Mom’s locket is in there.

Seeing the determination on her face, Ian let out a sigh and picked up the bundle of blankets. Only then did Tiel’s expression relax slightly.

Then, Ian extended his hand toward the air.

Paaaat!

A burst of light illuminated the room. Tiel instinctively shut her eyes tight before cautiously opening them again.

Wow…

Her small mouth hung open in amazement as she saw what Ian had conjured. Hovering in midair was a white, glowing hole.

Startled by the unfamiliar sight, Tiel took a step back. She had never seen a power like this before, so her reaction was natural.

Without hesitation, Ian tossed the bundle of blankets into the glowing hole.

"…!!"

Tiel’s eyes widened in shock.

The blanket disappeared!

She had seen with her own eyes how Ian had been holding it. But as soon as he threw it into the hole, it vanished completely.

Panicking, Tiel circled the hole, looking around as if hoping the blanket would reappear somewhere.

Amused by her reaction, Ian reached his hand into the hole and pulled the blanket out.

"Here, see?" He held up the tattered bundle, showing her it was still intact.

"Everything’s perfectly fine, isn’t it?"

"…Kiiiing?" Tiel let out a curious, questioning sound.

"This is my ability," Ian explained, gesturing to the white hole in the air. "I can create subspaces that only I can access."

Subspace Creation.

It was an ability that allowed its user to create a space at will, one that could store items or even transport people. Very little was known about it, as it was an extremely rare power.

In fact, the last recorded instance of someone possessing it was an imperial princess centuries ago, who died young. Since then, the ability had only reappeared with Ian Dross Crasion.

Ian’s reluctance to reveal his ability had kept it shrouded in mystery, but it was far more versatile than most could imagine. It could store objects, and, if needed, even people. However, Tiel knew none of this. She could only stare at the glowing hole with a mix of awe and fear.

Sensing her hesitation, Ian created another, smaller subspace nearby.

"See? I can open and close it anytime I want. As long as I’m alive, you won’t get lost in there. So don’t worry."

Reassured by his calm explanation, Tiel cautiously stepped closer.

She bit her lip as she thought. There’s no other option anyway.

Even if she ended up trapped inside that subspace forever, she had to try. If she delayed any longer, the servants might come looking for Ian and discover her. If they did, she would be dragged back to that attic.

With newfound resolve, Tiel looked up at Ian, her eyes shining.

She extended her small paw toward him.

Seeing her gesture, Ian’s lips curved into a faint smile. He scooped her up gently.

"Don’t be too scared. I’ll bring you out right away," he said softly as he placed her into the subspace.

Tiel instinctively closed her eyes tight.

Then, she felt Ian’s warm hand disappear from her side, and the subspace began to close slowly.

"…Huh?" she murmured as she opened her eyes and took a hesitant breath.

"…This is…"

Tiel found herself inside Ian’s subspace.

The interior was a chaotic mess, completely at odds with Ian’s composed demeanor. It resembled the ruins of an abandoned house.

Tattered dolls lay scattered across the floor, torn books were strewn about, and broken toys were piled in corners. Tiel’s eyes landed on one of the worn dolls, and she reached out a paw toward it.

The moment her paw touched it—

Poof.

The doll vanished without a trace.

Startled, Tiel pulled her paw back, thinking to herself, I can’t touch anything here.

It seemed that anything she touched would disappear. Carefully, she moved to a corner of the room. There, surprisingly, she found a soft and clean cushion, completely out of place in the wrecked space.

Tentatively, Tiel prodded the cushion with her paw.

This one doesn’t disappear.

Relieved, she climbed onto the cushion, curled up, and blinked slowly. It was the only spot in the chaotic subspace that felt safe.

***

“Were you comfortable during your stay?”

Chender, seated across from his guest, let out a hollow laugh and slowly brought his teacup to his lips.

Though he wore a genial smile, inwardly he was seething.

Damn it, damn it!

Grinding his teeth, Chender thought of his small and insignificant granddaughter, Tiel.

That useless, half-blood brat.

He had kept her alive out of consideration for his daughter, Lena, even though he should have abandoned her long ago. And now, she had caused trouble.

Last night, she had escaped her room and caused chaos throughout the estate.

And on such an important day, no less!

Several servants had witnessed Tiel entering the annex where the imperial guests were staying, and the scandal had quickly spread.

Though Chender had given orders to thoroughly search the annex with the guests’ permission, Tiel was not found.

That little pest is probably still hiding somewhere in the estate like a rat, Chender thought, gripping the handle of his teacup so tightly it seemed about to break.

If I catch her…

He cursed his earlier negligence. Tiel had never once left her room on her own until she was seven, and he had let his guard down.

Glancing at the man seated before him, Chender hoped last night’s disturbance had not irritated him too much.

The man was Cedric Yovino, the Emperor’s aide, who had come to the Nestian estate to evaluate Chender’s granddaughter, Rowen, as a candidate for the Crown Princess.

For the past month, Chender had gone to great lengths to host Cedric with utmost care, but Tiel had ruined everything.

Unaware of Chender’s inner turmoil, Cedric took a leisurely sip of tea and spoke.

“Thanks to your hospitality, I was able to stay comfortably. Please convey my gratitude to the head of the Nestian family.”

Chender’s face brightened at Cedric’s words.

“I’m relieved to hear that. Before you leave, perhaps you’d like to see Rowen one more time—”

Clink.

Cedric abruptly set his teacup down with a loud clatter.

“Miss Rowen is fine as she is. I believe it’s time for me to take my leave. I hope to meet again in the future. When you visit the capital, I will host you then.”

Cedric’s tone left no room for negotiation as he rose to his feet.

At that moment, the parlor door suddenly swung open.

“Grandfather!”

It was Rowen, Chender’s beloved granddaughter, who entered unannounced.

The charming girl with shimmering silver hair practically floated into the room.

“Oh, Rowen, dear. Please—”

Chender attempted to stop her, but it was futile.

Rowen’s blatant lack of manners—bursting into the room without knocking—made Cedric frown.

Noticing Cedric’s displeasure, Chender tried to usher Rowen out, but dealing with his willful granddaughter was no easy task.

Chender glanced at the maid standing behind Rowen, silently asking, Where is Cornelia? But the maid didn’t seem to understand.

“Grandfather, is the guest leaving already? Did he find Rowen charming?” Rowen asked brightly, clasping Chender’s hand tightly.

Her impudence made the young servant standing beside Cedric knit his brows, though no one seemed to notice.

Cedric let out a sigh, trying to smooth over the situation.

“Yes, Miss Rowen. It was a pleasure meeting you. May the blessings of Crasion be with you.”

His words were a polite dismissal, implying there would be no future meetings.

But Rowen, too young to grasp his meaning, beamed.

“Really? When will we meet again? When will you visit Rowen’s home again?”

“Rowen, enough—”

Understanding Cedric’s intent, Chender, his face pale, tried to intervene, but it was in vain.

“Grandfather, I want to visit the capital, too! Can’t I go with the guest to the capital?”

Rowen’s dress fluttered as she spun excitedly. Cedric offered no further response, remaining silent.

A tense silence settled over the room. Cedric was the one to break it.

“I’ll be on my way now.”

As Cedric spoke, Chender, still pale, scrambled to escort him out.

Rowen, oblivious to the situation, followed closely, pestering her grandfather with questions.

The young servant standing beside Cedric glanced at Rowen with disdain. As the servant adjusted his hat, a flash of golden hair was briefly visible before it disappeared again.

The Nestian estate staff lined up in neat rows, bowing deeply to bid farewell to the imperial guests.

Cedric, the young servant, and the rest of the imperial delegation climbed into their carriage under the staff’s watchful eyes.

Chender, sweating profusely, struggled to keep Rowen from climbing into the imperial carriage.

“May the blessings of Crasion be with the Nestian family,” Chender said, his voice trembling.

“Crasion’s… blessings,” Rowen echoed.

Bang!

Before Chender could finish, the young servant slammed the carriage door shut.

It was a brazen act, but Chender, too stunned by everything that had transpired, didn’t even react.

The carriage departed in haste.

Once the Nestian estate was far behind, the young servant pulled off his hat, revealing Ian’s face.

“Damn it, why do they talk so much?” Ian muttered.

“You shouldn’t speak that way about the head of the Nestian family,” Cedric chided gently.

Ian, unfazed, ran a hand through his hair.

“Ugh, this is why I hate arranged marriages…”

Ian Dross Crasion needed a partner with whom he could form a bond—a companion who could stabilize his immense power.

Without one, his abilities were too great for his body to handle, and he risked losing control.

However, the various noble families sought to use this situation for their own gain, hoping to marry their daughters to Ian for political leverage.

Chender was no exception, and Ian was growing increasingly weary of the constant schemes.

Sensing Ian’s frustration, Cedric quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, the head of the Nestian family seemed quite uneasy. Do you think it has anything to do with the incident from last night?”

Ian’s expression shifted as if he had just remembered something.

“Oh, right.”

Placing a finger on his lips, Ian extended his hand toward the air.

Paaaat!

A white subspace flickered to life, unstable and shimmering. Cedric watched silently as Ian reached into the subspace with both hands.

Then…

“……?”

“……Kiiiing.”

Ian pulled out a small, trembling baby snow leopard.

“Y-Your Highness?” Cedric’s eyes widened in shock.