Since I'd already given a rough description of Ragfrid's appearance, it was only fair to describe Valtraus as well.

His features looked like an even blend of our father and mother.

Like the body I possessed, he had naturally curly hair, though his was cut short.

If his hair became unruly, he wouldn't even be able to tie it back to manage it.

Unlike me, who lived in a dormitory, he probably never had to worry about such things, since he always had attendants available to care for him.

"..."

While I examined Valtraus's appearance and found myself contemplating his hair—

he simply stood at the entrance of the dining hall, staring at Yor and me.

According to Yohrn, he hated Karvaldr.

And indeed, the way he looked at the body I occupied was anything but friendly.

"What exactly were you thinking, seating that thing at a table used by people?"

That thing?

Did he just refer to my precious Baby Dragon as that thing?

The instant I registered that fact, my expression twisted automatically.

No matter how much he hated Karvaldr, what had a newborn Familiar ever done to deserve such treatment?

"Please don't press me, Brother. My Familiar and I merely sat in the seats assigned to us. If you have complaints, I suggest directing them toward the person who gave the order."

"Even if Father gave the order, anyone with common sense would have instructed the butler to prepare a place on the floor. Are you trying to show Father that your defect is so severe it even affects your Familiar?"

"The fact that part of my eyes is sky blue is not a defect. It is merely evidence that I inherited a different attribute instead of Poison."

"The fact that you failed to fully inherit the family's power is itself a defect."

As if that cursed Poison attribute were something special.

Compared to the ability to control the weather, it was little more than a trivial power.

And the abilities of Sky Blue Ether certainly didn't end with weather manipulation.

That was precisely why Valtraus's remark felt so absurdly ridiculous.

Still, it would be a mistake to openly claim that Sky Blue Ether is vastly superior.

Perhaps that was exactly what he wanted.

If I openly compared one of the family's core Ether attributes to another and belittled it within the ducal castle, Hárðr's wrath would be inevitable.

This was entirely different from the time I had argued that the true strength of Purple Ether lay in its enhancement abilities rather than the toxic properties of the Ether itself.

That had merely been a comparison between two characteristics of the same attribute.

More importantly...

Arguing fiercely with an older brother doesn't fit the image I want these people to see.

So, in order to maintain the position I had carefully established, I looked directly into Valtraus's eyes and asked a simple question.

"Is that why you {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} hate me, Brother? Because I was born with a 'defect'?"

Apparently, he hadn't expected such a direct question.

For a brief moment, I saw surprise flash across his face.

His body even twitched slightly.

But he quickly concealed it and forced one corner of his mouth into a crooked smile.

"...Yes. It seems you've finally learned your place."

"I don't understand."

"If I'm truly as defective as you say, shouldn't that be a reason to feel the opposite rather than hate me?"

"Since I pose no threat as a competitor, and since you wouldn't need to be wary of me, wouldn't it make more sense for you to simply love me as your younger brother?"

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting...!"

"Why is it nonsense?"

"Because you're the child who devoured our mother to be born."

I had done nothing but continue asking questions with a genuinely confused expression.

Yet Valtraus responded with words overflowing with malice.

As though he had been waiting for the opportunity.

As though he had long ago resolved to wound his younger brother whenever possible.

So what Yohrn said was true.

To think he still hated a brother seven years younger than himself, even as an adult, for such a pathetic reason.

Rationally, he probably understood that none of it had been Karvaldr's fault.

Emotionally, however, he couldn't accept it.

Especially because the child born from their mother's sacrifice had ultimately been branded a defective heir.

Perhaps he was ashamed of directing his grief toward an innocent brother.

Perhaps he didn't want to admit he was wrong.

Or perhaps hatred had simply acquired momentum.

Maybe continuing to hate his brother had become familiar.

Comfortable, even.

I could understand why Valtraus hated him.

That didn't make it right.

And...

It's hardly the attitude one would expect from a candidate for the position of family head.

He wasn't acting from reason.

He was acting entirely from emotion.

Who would willingly serve beneath a man who openly despised a brother seven years younger than himself and casually threw cruel words at him?

If this was how he treated his own family, people could only imagine how much he looked down on those beneath him.

I ended the automatically activated 【Character Analysis】 skill.

Then, fully aware of the servants and butler waiting nearby to serve dinner, I lowered my gaze and muttered quietly.

"I know Mother died giving birth to me..."

"But because of that..."

"I was grateful that I had been born through her love."

"You, who killed our mother, dare speak of her love...!"

Had I struck a nerve?

Or was he simply determined to use this opportunity to burden the mind of his amnesiac brother with guilt?

Just as Valtraus raised his voice—

"Second Child. What exactly do you think you're saying to the youngest child?"

Ragfrid's voice cut through the room at the exact moment she entered.

By reprimanding Valtraus, she could establish authority as the older sister.

At the same time, she likely had no intention of passing up an opportunity to expose a rival's fault.

It seemed all I had to do was sit back, watch the show, and collect the benefits.

"Why pretend you didn't hear everything?"

"I was giving you the chance, as your older sister, to correct your own mistake."

"It appears I was wasting my effort."

"To think you can't even recognize your own error."

"When exactly have you ever cared enough about your younger brothers to say something like that, Sister?"

Unlike me, who had already entered spectator mode while stroking Yor's head—

the maids looked visibly anxious and repeatedly glanced toward the old butler, as though silently asking whether someone should intervene.

The old butler appeared just as troubled.

They're getting awfully flustered for a quarrel that hasn't escalated very far.

According to Yohrn, Ragfrid and Valtraus weren't mortal enemies.

Judging from the reactions around us, arguments between the two must have been exceedingly rare.

If I were the type of unpredictable character who thrived on chaos, I might have shouted:

"Please stop fighting because of me!"

and transformed the entire scene into absurdity.

Unfortunately, such behavior would have completely contradicted Karvaldr's established personality.

So I remained silent.

"Since I haven't cared until now, shouldn't I begin caring from this point onward?"

"And what exactly do you intend to care about?"

"To begin with, I intend to make you apologize for what you just said to the youngest child."

"I said nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?"

"I thought you were a grown man."

"I didn't realize you were still this childish."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

As Ragfrid and Valtraus exchanged increasingly sharp words, the beasts standing beside them also began baring their teeth at one another.

If a leopard fought a cheetah, the cheetah would lose every time.

Despite his hatred for his brother, Valtraus must have treasured his Familiar deeply.

Otherwise, the white cheetah would never have dared challenge a leopard that was obviously stronger.

Yet both familiars—

the defiant cheetah and Ragfrid's leopard—

instantly became docile when a deep, powerful growl echoed through the hall.

The way they lowered their heads resembled subjects greeting their king.

Ragfrid and Valtraus weren't quite as submissive.

Still, they immediately halted their argument and adopted respectful postures.

Reluctantly, I rose from my seat as well.

A low growl vibrated through the air.

The sharp scrape of claws against stone followed.

Then the heavy sound of approaching footsteps.

And when all those sounds finally ceased—

the King of Beasts and its master revealed themselves.

"What are all of you doing out here instead of going inside?"

The moment Hárðr spoke, Valtraus hurriedly stepped aside.

"My apologies!"

But Valtraus wasn't the only one blocking the entrance.

"The Second Child was blaming the youngest child for Mother's death."

"I was just about to reprimand him."

Ragfrid reported the incident immediately while continuing to stand in Hárðr's path.

Valtraus's face filled with shock.

Even the butler and maids looked startled.

Apparently, this wasn't something Ragfrid normally did.

"...Sit down first. Then we'll discuss it."

"Yes."

Ragfrid finally stepped aside with her Familiar.

Soon the two siblings stood opposite one another.

Hárðr walked between them and took the seat at the head of the table.

His white lion settled comfortably onto the rug nearest him.

Only then did everyone else take their seats.

Ragfrid beside me.

Valtraus across from us.

The leopard on the rug beside the lion.

The cheetah beside the leopard.

The leopard and cheetah were growling at each other moments ago, so placing the lion between them makes sense.

Even the familiars' seating arrangement follows family seniority.

Now I understood why Valtraus had been displeased by Yor's seat.

Not that his feelings mattered.

If he was so offended by Yor sitting at the table with people, he was free to teach his own Familiar how to use utensils and seat it beside him.

"Only the butler will remain. Everyone else may leave."

Once the dishes and the familiars' meals had been placed before them, Hárðr dismissed the maids.

Then he instructed the butler to explain what had happened.

"Upon seeing the Young Master's Familiar seated at the table, the Eldest Young Master..."

The butler reported only facts.

Not a single personal opinion entered his account.

Throughout the report, Hárðr quietly drank from the champagne served as an aperitif.

When the explanation ended, he fixed Valtraus with a cold stare.

"How could you say something so foolish in front of the servants?"

The words were unmistakably a reprimand directed at his eldest son.

At the same time, however, they contained not even the slightest concern for the younger son who might have been wounded by those "foolish words."

I wasn't the real Karvaldr.

Valtraus's words hadn't hurt me.

And if the original Karvaldr had been sitting here, he probably would have been moved to tears simply by hearing Hárðr take his side.

Even so—

the entire thing still left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

Keeping my expression perfectly neutral, I raised my glass and quietly took a sip of water.