Chapter 84: Chapter 84

“…What did you just say?”

Ferdie’s face twisted as if he had misheard something utterly ridiculous.

“What do you mean? Tiel and Ian Dross… what?”

“…What did I just hear?”

Ferdie and Ludian exchanged looks. The identical brothers stared at each other in blank disbelief before one of them finally stammered out,

“S-So, um…”

“……”

“Tiel… imprinted with Ian…”

Ludian struggled to finish the sentence, but in the end, he simply clutched his head with both hands, looking as if the world had just ended.

Ferdie, who had been sitting quietly, calmly undid the tie binding his hair, smoothed it back, and re-secured it neatly before standing up with a bright smile.

“…Ferdie, where are you going?”

Alpheus eyed him warily.

“Give the heir position to Ludian. I have some business to take care of at the imperial palace.”

Ferdie’s smile was razor-sharp.

“…Stop him.”

The moment Alpheus issued the command, Karsus, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Ferdie’s shoulder.

“Sit down.”

“……”

“You’re not the only one holding back right now. Do not act recklessly.”

Karsus’s voice was lethal, making Ferdie hesitate before, begrudgingly, settling back into his seat.

“…So, what happens now?”

Ludian looked at Alpheus with a troubled expression. He was just relieved that Tiel wasn’t present for this conversation.

If she were here, kind and gentle Ferdie—who had never once been anything but affectionate toward her—would have lost his mind, demanding to know exactly what that scoundrel Ian Dross had done to his little sister.

“The imprint cannot be broken.”

Karsus’s voice was calm, but his words were final.

“There has to be a way—”

“There is not. There’s a reason beastmen avoid imprinting.”

The risks were too high.

Even if they somehow discovered a method, there was no guarantee that attempting to sever the imprint wouldn’t endanger Tiel in the process.

The atmosphere turned deathly cold. Alpheus and Karsus both let out quiet sighs.

“…I don’t understand how the imprint even happened. From what I’ve heard, the Crown Prince was unconscious the entire time.”

“…Are you suggesting that Tiel imprinted alone?”

“Imprinting can’t be done alone. There must have been some form of interaction. The real question is how—what in the world happened to cause this?”

Alpheus muttered darkly.

“Grandfather.”

Ferdie spoke in a low voice.

“What is it?”

“If Tiel has imprinted with Ian Dross… does that mean she has to become the Crown Princess?”

“…Yes.”

“So she’ll have to live in the Imperial Palace?”

“…Most likely.”

“…Ahaha.”

Ferdie let out a dry, humorless laugh.

“I’ll just kill—”

“HEY—HEY!”

Before he could cross the line completely, Ludian quickly reached over and clamped a hand over Ferdie’s mouth.

“But Ludian, think about it,” Ferdie said, muffled through his brother’s palm. “My sister is seven years old. We just found her, and now we’re supposed to send her to the Imperial Palace?”

“……”

“Obviously, the best course of action is to eliminate—”

“Enough.”

Karsus interrupted him firmly.

Ferdie fell silent but made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction.

For a moment, the room was filled with thick, tense silence as Alpheus and Karsus locked eyes.

Then—

“Karsus.”

“Yes.”

Karsus nodded.

Ferdie and Ludian glanced between the two older men, sensing something unspoken passing between them.

They had come to a decision.

“There is one way to keep Tiel from being sent to the Imperial Palace.”

“What is it?”

“If that’s the case, you should have said something sooner!”

Ludian’s frustration bubbled over, but neither Alpheus nor Karsus scolded him for his outburst.

Instead, after a moment of deliberation, Karsus spoke again.

“Ferdie, your opinion is the most important here.”

“…Tell me.”

Ferdie’s voice was level, but his eyes were sharp.

“If Tiel inherits the title of Asterian Family Head, we can delay sending her to the palace—at least for now.”

“……”

Karsus hesitated for a moment before closing his mouth.

For the past eleven years, Ferdie had grown up as the heir of Asterian—the child destined to succeed Karsus as the next head of the family.

He knew exactly how cruel it was to say these words to Ferdie.

That’s why I hadn’t wanted to bring it up at all.

Ever since it became clear that the other noble houses were wary of Tiel—and by extension, of Asterian—he and Alpheus had occasionally discussed this possibility.

But he had hoped they wouldn’t have to go this far.

“Tiel entering the Imperial Palace is dangerous. I assume you all understand why.”

Tiel had manifested the Light ability.

And rumors had already spread—whispers that this power could amplify the abilities of both Asterian and Nestian.

At the same time, absurd claims had begun circulating: that keeping Tiel close meant being able to use even stronger abilities.

In such circumstances, sending her to the palace would be akin to abandoning her in a den of predators.

Even if His Majesty and the Crown Prince promise to protect her…

The Imperial Palace was vast.

And that meant that anyone, at any time, from anywhere, could attempt to harm Tiel.

The only truly safe place for her was the Asterian estate, deep within their own territory.

To ensure that no one could take her away, they needed something definitive.

And…

That definitive thing was the title of Family Head.

If Tiel were named the head of Asterian, Alpheus could handle the administration while she grew up. There would be no issue managing the family's affairs.

More importantly, an Asterian Family Head could not simply move into the Imperial Palace.

They wouldn’t be able to stop her from becoming Crown Princess forever—but they could buy time.

At least until Tiel grows up.

She was far too young.

She had just turned seven. And because of the malnourishment she suffered in Nestian, she was much smaller than children her age.

She barely had the strength to protect herself.

Protecting and safeguarding her was the duty of the adults in her life. The duty of her family.

But that was his belief.

Karsus had no intention of forcing this burden onto Ferdie.

If Ferdie refused, then he and Alpheus would find another solution.

As he gazed down at his son—who had grown taller before he even realized it—he reached out and placed a large, firm hand on his head.

“Ferdie, no one is forcing this on you. You are free to make your own choice. No one will pressure you.”

“…You said it’s my choice?”

Ferdie met Karsus’s gaze.

The son, now grown, looked up at his father.@@novelbin@@

The father simply looked back, saying nothing.

“Then pass the title of Family Head to Tiel.”

“……Ferdie. Your opinion matters the most in this decision. Are you—”

“My opinion isn’t the only thing that matters, is it?”

Ferdie cut him off, speaking with quiet certainty. His golden eyes were steady and unwavering as they met his father’s.

“The person who was originally supposed to inherit the title wasn’t even me, it was you, Father.”

He continued, his voice clear and resolute.

Everyone in the room fell silent, watching Ferdie in stunned silence.

“But since you’re asking me, that means you’ve already made your decision to give up the position, haven’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Karsus could give up the Family Head title for Tiel. He could give up far more than that.

Even his own life, if necessary.

That was how much Tiel meant to Asterian.

She was an irreplaceable presence. A soul they had lost once, and could not lose again.

She was the bleeding wound of the Asterian black leopards.

Ferdie simply nodded as if he had expected that answer.

“Then why ask me at all?”

His lips curled slightly in amusement, but his voice held no warmth.

“You, who spent your entire life preparing to become Family Head, are willing to give it up for Tiel.

So what reason would I have to refuse?”

“……”

“I don’t care about the Asterian Family Head position. If giving it up means saving Tiel, I’d throw it away like trash.”

“……That’s going too far. Don’t say such nonsense.”

Alpheus, the actual head of Asterian, let out a long sigh.

“I was exaggerating,” Ferdie said flatly. “But my point stands. There’s no need to consider my feelings. Do whatever you need to do.”

“…Ferdie.”

“I will follow this decision.

If it means protecting Tiel—then whatever it takes.”

Ferdie’s golden eyes burned with fierce determination.

The same way the sky had been blazing with light when Tiel held him tightly in her arms after his rage had consumed him in the dueling grounds.