"A carriage from Nestian?"
Alpheus rose from his seat, Karsus following suit. The maid bowed slightly before responding.
"Yes, my lord. The carriage was sent specifically for Young Master Ferdie."
"...For Ferdie?"
What business would Nestian have in sending something to him? Surely, Chender wasn’t suddenly deciding to play the role of a doting grandfather.
With a silent understanding, Alpheus and Karsus exchanged looks before stepping outside.
There, at the entrance of the Asterian estate, stood an imposing carriage, its doors adorned with the emblem of Nestian.
The children had already gathered around, chattering excitedly among themselves. The sight was odd enough that Alpheus turned to a nearby servant for clarification.
"What was delivered?"
"It’s ‘Breath of the Snowfield,’ my lord, sent from Nestian."
"Breath of the Snowfield? ...Ah!"
Only then did Alpheus recall Ferdie’s request after winning the tournament—to obtain as much of the rare ice flower as possible.
"So they sent it the moment they returned to Nestian."
Since it had been an imperial order, Nestian likely had no choice but to comply—though Chender must have been seething while doing so. Just picturing it made Alpheus feel remarkably refreshed.
"Tiel, does it feel cool?"
"Yes! So cool!"
Tiel giggled as she held one of the delicate white flowers in her hands, its icy petals glistening in the moonlight.
Olivier, eyeing the stack of Breath of the Snowfield inside the carriage, crossed her arms.
"Wait, why is there so little? Did they hoard some for themselves?"
"They probably kept a few. Nestian wouldn't just give up all their treasures," Ferdie replied, glancing at the metal chest filled with the shimmering flowers.
Even at a glance, it was a significant amount. The chest was nearly full—there had to be at least thirty of them.
"They lied about not having any, huh?"
"But the real problem is, why did they send this little? Grandpa, should I go dig through Nestian myself?"
Olivier, heir to the Marquisate of Wolfgang, didn't seem to care that Nestian was a Duke’s household.
To her, Chender Nestian was apparently nothing more than the grumpy old man next door.
Hearing his granddaughter’s bold proposal, Alpheus chuckled and shook his head.
"Olivier, behave. Please behave."
"But just thinking about how much that miserly old man must have resented sending these is making me itch!"
Had Chender overheard her, he might have collapsed on the spot. But Olivier stood firm, unbothered.
"Didn’t His Majesty say he would send some as well?"
"He promised to gather whatever was left in the palace," Ludian answered.
"That better be a lot. This isn’t enough."
Olivier frowned in disappointment. Tiel tilted her head in curiosity.
"Enough for what?"
"For your ice room! I was going to fill it with Breath of the Snowfield and line the walls with sapphire to make the coolest room ever!"
Olivier spread her arms dramatically as she explained.
Tiel’s golden eyes widened.
"An ice room?"
"Of course! So you wouldn’t get hot… but now my whole plan is ruined because of that stingy old man Chender!"
"Why? Isn’t this enough to make one?"
"You think that’s enough? Breath of the Snowfield is a legendary treasure for a reason! Honestly, you’re so greedy…"
Ludian clicked his tongue before signaling the servants to carry the chest inside.
"Let’s go! We’ll put it in your room."
"Huh? Okay!"
Tiel quickly followed after him as the children rushed to her room. Olivier, as always, wasted no time—she scooped Tiel up and plopped her onto the bed.
"We should keep them around the bed so it stays cool while you sleep!"
"Hmm… but what if she steps on them by accident? She could hurt her feet."
"That would be a problem."
Ferdie frowned, arms crossed.
The Breath of the Snowfield might have been treated as a sacred treasure in Nestian, but to the Asterian children, they were no more valuable than fragile glass ornaments.
If Chender Nestian could hear them, he’d probably lose his mind.
"Then where should we put them?"
"How about the window?"
"If we put them there, the wind will carry their cold air through the room!"
"For once, you actually have a good idea."
Ferdie agreed, much to Olivier’s satisfaction. Without hesitation, she hoisted the chest up.
Despite the heavy metal frame and the weight of thirty enchanted flowers inside, she carried it effortlessly.
"Alright! Let’s put them by the window!"
Olivier and Ludian grabbed handfuls of the shimmering blossoms, carefully placing them along the windowsill.
And, of course—
CRACK!
One shattered.
In the end, they did break one Breath of the Snowfield.
“Oh? It broke.”
“Eh, leave it. We’ve got plenty more.”
Olivier, who had just been complaining about how little they received, was suddenly indifferent to the loss.
The shattered Breath of the Snowfield melted away instantly, leaving no need to clean up the pieces.
A treasure revered in Nestian as a sacred relic, reserved only for their most honored guests, was nothing more than a toy block in the hands of the Asterian children.
Tiel watched as her siblings and Olivier carefully placed the remaining flowers along the windowsill, blinking slowly.
So cool…
A crisp chill was already filling the room. At this rate, she might even be able to stay in her beast form inside.
She had barely transformed in Asterian—the estate was always too warm for her to comfortably take on her snow leopard form.
But now… I might actually be able to roll around in beast form inside my room…
Just the thought made her happy. If she had been transformed right now, her tail would have been flicking excitedly.
“All done!”
Olivier beamed and immediately jumped onto Tiel’s bed, only to be yanked back by Ferdie and Ludian.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
"You’ll get dust everywhere. Don’t just throw yourself onto her bed."
"But Tiel likes rolling around with me, right~? Right, Tiel?"
"Of course!"
Tiel giggled, throwing her arms around Olivier. The older girl squealed happily, hugging her back and rubbing their cheeks together.
"Ohhh, you’re just too cute! How can someone this adorable exist!?"
"You’ve already said that four times today…"
"And even if I say it a hundred times, it wouldn’t be enough! You are the cutest, most precious thing I’ve ever seen! Speaking of which, have you ever thought about meeting my friends?"
"…Huh?"
Tiel blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.
"One of my friends is hosting a tea party soon! You should come! They’re all going to love you!"
"Tiel isn’t old enough for parties. She’s seven." Ferdie cut in flatly.
"I started attending parties when I was eight."
"Then wait until she’s eight. We all know what kind of friends you have. There’s no way she’s going to that."
"Oh, come on! Wouldn’t a tea party with my friends be way better than one of those boring balls full of creepy noble brats?"
Olivier stuck her tongue out at Ferdie.
Tiel, after thinking for a moment, hesitantly nodded.
"If it’s after we return from the north…"
"Really!? You really mean it!?"
"Yes… If they’re your friends, then they must all be kind people."
Tiel smiled warmly. Her soft, pale cheeks flushed with a rosy glow.
Ferdie and Ludian exchanged weary glances. They loved their little sister, but they also did not trust the wolf next to her.
"Tiel, not everyone around kind people is kind."
"And you know… your surroundings aren’t exactly filled with kind people either. If you really want a tea party, we can—"
"Shush! This is girl time! Stop butting in!"
Olivier glared at them, effectively cutting them off.
Even so, Ferdie and Ludian remained unconvinced.
They would personally ensure that every single party invitation sent to Tiel in the near future became kindling for the fireplace.
***
Arne Territory – House of Verdant Growth.
"Olivier Wolfgang is your friend, isn’t she?"
Iris Hilde Arne’s voice was like a soft melody—light and gentle, as she turned to her daughter.