That evening.
For the first time in a long while, the entire Valerion family gathered in the manor.
To be precise, it was the first dinner since I had come to this house where all the family members were present together.
Duke Leopold and Duchess Isolde already knew me.
When Elysia brought me here on that rainy day, the two of them had seen me in person, and they had been there when my name was chosen.
Haku.
I still vaguely remembered the atmosphere when that name was first spoken.
A small, drenched, silver-pink baby fox.
Elysia, holding me in her arms.
Leopold, examining me with stern eyes.
And Isolde, quietly smiling as she said, “This child will need a name as well.”
So today’s meal was not our first meeting.
But that did not mean it was a casual occasion, either.
Today came after Lucius, Camilla, and even Gradeon had all seen me.
And the fact that I was not merely an ordinary familiar—
at least, the people of this household had begun to notice as much to some extent.
On the long dining table, warm soup, roasted meat, freshly baked bread,
tenderly cooked vegetables, and fish dishes faintly infused with spices were laid out one after another.
The flames atop the silver candlesticks swayed gently, and the silverware was arranged without the slightest gap.
It was a table befitting a ducal house.
And on one side of that table, beside Elysia’s seat, a place had been prepared separately for me.
A low auxiliary chair.
A soft cushion.
A small plate and a shallow bowl placed in front of it.
On the plate was a little finely shredded chicken and gently boiled vegetables,
and in the bowl was a thin soup cooled so it would not be too hot.
‘……So I really have my own place now.’
I stared down at that spot for a moment, then looked up at Elysia.
Elysia noticed my gaze and smiled faintly.
“I think Mother prepared it.”
Of course.
I looked toward Isolde.
Isolde wore a calm smile.
“Your fur looks much better than when you first arrived, Haku.”
At those words, my ears twitched slightly.
When I first arrived.
Did she mean when I was soaked by the rain, completely drained, and could barely walk properly?
Certainly, compared to then, I was in fairly good shape now.
My fur was fluffy, I ate well, and I had even gained a strange sort of popularity at the academy.
It was true that I had improved.
If there was a problem, it was that I had improved too much.
“It really does.”
Camilla crossed her arms and looked at me.
“I thought so when I saw him earlier too, but for just a familiar, his fur is far too well cared for.”
‘Is that supposed to be a compliment?’
Elysia pressed her lips together as if holding back a laugh.
It seemed a bit of my thought had gotten through to her.
Lucius was watching us quietly.
Just as when he had formally greeted me earlier that day, his gaze remained cautious.
Gradeon sat near the fireplace, leisurely lifting his soup.
But unlike his relaxed appearance, his gaze often went back and forth between Elysia and me.
Leopold set down the glass on the table.
“Let us begin.”
His voice was low and firm.
Everyone took their seats, and after a brief word of thanks, the meal began.
I sat on the cushion beside Elysia and carefully ate the chicken on the small plate.
It was not strongly seasoned, and the meat was tender.
Even eating in a fox’s body, it was not burdensome.
In just a few days, the kitchen of this house seemed to have grasped quite accurately what I could and could not eat.
I nodded faintly.
It was delicious.
Isolde saw that and smiled gently.
“It seems to suit your taste.”
“Haku nods when something tastes good.”
Elysia explained naturally.
Camilla reacted at once.
“See? I told you he really understands. He definitely answered earlier too.”
“Camilla.”
Lucius called her name as if to restrain her slightly, but Camilla did not back down.
“It’s not as though I’m wrong. He nodded at Grandfather’s words,
and he reacted to Older Brother’s greeting too. He reacted to me as well.”
I stopped lapping at my soup.
She was bringing this up again at the dinner table?
Camilla looked at me and smiled faintly.
“Right, Haku?”
I decided not to answer.
If I reacted to questions like this, things would only get more troublesome.
I pretended not to know and went back to eating the chicken.
Then Camilla narrowed her eyes.
“I think he just deliberately pretended not to understand.”
Accurate.
But I kept pretending not to know to the very end.
Isolde watched the scene and smiled quietly.
“When I first saw this child, I thought he did not seem like an ordinary fox either.”
At those words, the atmosphere around the table shifted naturally.
Leopold looked at Isolde.
Isolde continued calmly.
“When we were speaking, he was in Elysia’s arms, and his eyes were strangely as if he understood human speech.”
‘So it was from back then.’
For no reason, I lowered my gaze toward my plate.
My memories of that rainy day were clear.
I remembered Elysia holding me in her arms and carefully wrapping me in her cloak.
Leopold also spoke in a low voice.
“It was the same when we decided on his name.”
My ears twitched.
“When he heard the name Haku, the child reacted.”
Elysia quietly looked at me.
It seemed she had recalled that moment as well.
Haku.
That name was the first name I had received after coming to this world.
When I heard that name, I had reacted.
Leopold looked at me and continued.
“At the time, I thought it might have been a coincidence.
But after hearing what Lucius, Camilla, and Father saw today, it is difficult to dismiss it as mere chance.”
The table fell silent.
Elysia’s hand moved a little closer to me.
It was a gesture as though she would shield me at any moment if I felt uneasy.
I looked at her fingertips and moved my tail slightly.
It was all right.
Leopold’s words were less an interrogation than a confirmation.
Lucius spoke calmly.
“Haku is not merely showing the reactions of a trained familiar.
It seemed as though he understood meaning and adjusted his responses according to the situation.”
Camilla immediately added,
“And he deliberately pretends not to know, too.”
‘Let’s leave that part aside.’
I stared fixedly at Camilla.
Receiving my gaze, Camilla wore a strangely amused expression.
“See? He reacted again.”
Lucius let out a short sigh.
“Do not provoke him on purpose.”
“All right.”
But Camilla’s face did not look as though she understood at all.
Gradeon laughed softly.
“Clever beasts dislike being teased, Camilla.”
“He seems far too human to call a beast, though.”
“That is precisely why you must be all the more careful.”
At those words, Camilla closed her mouth.
Leopold now looked at Elysia.
“Elysia.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I heard from Lucius earlier. That Haku is influencing the flow of your aura.”
Elysia slowly nodded.
“Yes. I do not know for certain yet, but it seems Haku is gradually loosening the flow of my aura.”
Leopold’s expression did not change much.
But the air grew a little heavier.
In Valerion, aura and the sword were not merely individual abilities.
They were the foundation of the family.
An external being was touching such a thing, and a small familiar at that.
It was not something that could be treated lightly.
“Have you told the professor of the Special Familiar Studies Department?”
“Yes. I told Professor Bern.”
“And his judgment?”
“He said an ordinary familiar contract could be dangerous, so we should postpone a formal contract and first confirm the stabilization of our resonance.”
Leopold gave a brief nod.
“A correct judgment.”
At those words, Elysia’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.
It seemed she had been tense, perhaps afraid her father would oppose it outright.
Isolde did not miss that change.
“Elysia.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Do you want to make a formal contract with Haku?”
The question was gentle, but it made the table quiet once more.
A formal contract.
When those words appeared, I too raised my head without thinking.
Elysia could not answer right away.
She looked down at me.
Hesitation lingered in her blue-gold eyes.
“For now…… I do not know.”
It was an honest answer.
“It is not that I dislike being more deeply connected to Haku.
But if the contract would burden Haku, then I do not want to do it.”
Isolde’s gaze softened.
“I see.”
Elysia spoke with a little more force.
“If it is a contract meant to bind Haku, I will not do it.
If Haku wants it, and if it is confirmed to be safe, then I would like to think about it then.”
I pretended to look at my plate.
For some reason, it felt as though my face had grown hot.
I did not know whether it showed because I was a fox.
Camilla, surprisingly, did not tease her and simply looked at Elysia.
Lucius also quietly nodded.
“That much judgment is sufficient.”
Leopold likewise spoke briefly.
“There is no need to hurry. Whether it is a sword or a contract, if you bind it in haste, it will break.”
Gradeon smiled in satisfaction.
“Sometimes you do say the right thing, Leopold.”
“Father.”
Leopold’s eyebrow moved ever so slightly.
The atmosphere at the table loosened a little.
Isolde looked at me again.
“Haku.”
I looked at her.
“Are you all right with being together with Elysia?”
I felt as though I had been asked a similar question earlier in the day.
But this time, she was asking in front of Elysia’s parents, before the eyes of the entire family.
I looked up at Elysia for a moment.
Elysia did not urge me.
She only waited quietly.
The person who had first lifted me into her arms.
The person who had called my name.
The person who had treated me not as a familiar, but as a small life.
The person who, even knowing I was not ordinary, did not try to forcefully bind me.
I slowly nodded.
It was all right.
I did not dislike being here.
Elysia’s expression softened visibly.