The Breath of the Tundra.
A treasured relic of Nestian, one that was now in dangerously short supplyâ
And yetâ¦
"I shall grant your wish."
At the Emperorâs 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 winnerâs 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 Nestianâs legacyâ¦
âDamn it! We barely have any left!â
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 herâ
A brooch made from the Breath of the Tundra.
âItâs still spring, so itâs fine for nowâ¦â
âBut soon, itâll get even hotter.â
Once summer arrived, the heat would become far worseâ
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 possibleâ
Enough to fill Tielâs 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 waitedâ
Then, lifted her into his arms.
"Tiel, you wonât be hot anymore now, will you?"@@novelbin@@
"Oraboni!"
Tiel immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her soft cheek against his, rubbing affectionatelyâ
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.
Ferdieâs 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 clearâ
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.
"â¦â¦."
"â¦â¦."
The heads of the other great families, watching the scene unfold, had all witnessed it firsthandâ
The sheer magnitude of Ferdie Asterianâs 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 thenâ
"Tielâ!!"
A blur rushed toward them at high speed.
Olivier.
She charged straight at Ferdie, attempting to snatch Tiel from his arms.
Butâ
"Where do you think youâre going?"
Ferdie was Ferdie.
With a fluid motion, he spun on his heel, keeping Tiel in his armsâ
And let Olivier barrel past him, unable to stop herself in time.
"Hey!!"
"Don't touch my little sister."
Ferdieâs firm declaration made Olivier narrow her eyes in a glare.
"Are you seriously doing this again? You already wouldnât let me stay with Tiel yesterday!"
"That was because you were being unreasonable. If youâd made a rational argument, I might have considered it."
As Ferdie and Olivier bickered once again, Tielânow quite used to their anticsâsimply reached out and held Olivierâs hand.
"Unni, I missed youâ¦!"
She soothed Olivier effortlessly.
"Right?! Right?! I knew it! Tiel, youâre the only one who truly understands me! Wasnât I cool out there?!"
"Like youâre one to talk," Ludian scoffed.
Olivierâs reaction was instant.
Like a bolt of lightning, she grabbed Ludianâs 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 armâs 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 donât 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 Olivier and Ludianâs collars with a sharp flick of his wrist.
Without another word, he turned and walked toward Alpheus, leaving the two troublemakers behind.
Olivier 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.
"Thatâs weird," Ludian added, glancing toward the Emperorâs seating area.
"Normally, he should be sitting right there."
But Ian Drossâs seat was empty.
Tiel, overhearing the conversation, tilted her head worriedly.
"Could it be⦠that Sir Ian is sick?"
"Sick? Him?"
"Iâve never seen him get sick before. Have you?"
"No."
Olivier, Ludian, and Ferdie thought about it for a momentâ
Then promptly dismissed the idea.
Ian Dross being sick? Unlikely.
It was probably just that he didnât feel like coming.
They quickly moved on, as Ian Dross wasnât important enough for them to dwell on.
Of course, Tiel felt differentlyâhis absence was a big deal to herâ
But since her older siblings brushed it off, she had no choice but to do the same.
"So, what should we do now?" Olivier asked.
"We already bought and ate everything worth trying yesterday."
"Doesnât matter, letâs 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 connectionsâ
So their plan was simple.
"Letâs go before they approach us."
Just as Ferdie, Ludian, Olivier, and Tiel were about to board the Asterian carriageâ
Tap.
Someone grabbed Ferdieâs shoulder.
Instinctively, Ferdie spun around, shifting Tiel into one arm while flames ignited in his free hand.
"Whoâ"
But the moment he saw the personâs 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 hadnât lifted his head, no one would have recognized him.
It suddenly made sense why the Asterian knights hadnât stopped himâ
They hadnât realized who he was.
Olivier, eyeing Ian Drossâs odd attire, tilted her head.
"Why the hell are you dressed like that? And why didnât you show up at the tournament?"
"I had my reasons," Ian replied curtly.
Then, without further explanation, he extended his hand toward Tiel.
Tielâs face lit up with delight.
"Ian-nim! I was worried about you!"
Ian didnât respond.
"Just get in the carriage," he said. "We canât be seen."
"Canât be seen? By who?"
Ian didnât answer.
Instead, he hopped onto the carriage first, settling in without waiting for permission.
The others exchanged glances, bemusedâ
But in the end, none of them stopped him and simply followed him inside.
The Asterian carriage was spaciousâeven 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 messâ
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 mouthâ
Then, leaned back, resting his head against the carriage seat.
With a bored expression, he finally muttered:
"Grandfather wonât let me leave."
"He said Iâm not allowed to even set foot at the festival."