Looking at the little girl with fox ears and a tail who had entered uninvited, Aziz thought she was cute.
"Cute," he said unconsciously.
Hearing the boy speak to her, the little girl asked,
"Am I cute?"
"Yes, you are. What's your name, little girl?" Aziz asked as she stood by the door.
"My name is Sofia. And yours?"
"Mine is Aziz, and these two beside me are my mother, Astrid, and my maid, Isis," he said, introducing his family.
"Now come sit with us and tell me why you entered this room."
Seeing her son interact with someone outside their family for the first time, Astrid and Isis felt a twinge of jealousy—but they didn't oppose it. After all, it was good for him to make friends.
Looking into his eyes and finding no malice, Sofia went to sit beside them.
"So, why are you in my private room that I reserved?" Sofia asked, clearly uncomfortable.
The trio exchanged glances at her question.
Knock knock.
But before they could answer, a knock came at the door.
"I think that's the food we ordered," Aziz said, feeling strange about the whole situation.
Seeing the conflict in his eyes, Sofia offered to speak.
"Come in, the door's not locked," she said, pressing a magic button on the table that transmitted her voice to the hallway.
The person who entered was a young woman with blond hair, but what caught Aziz's attention the most were her large, pointed ears—an elf, no doubt.
"Young miss, why did you order so much fo—" she began, but stopped mid-sentence when she saw people she had never seen before, especially near Sofia, who always dined alone.
"Young miss, who are these people? I've never seen them here."
"Well... I just met them, actually," Sofia replied, knowing how unusual it was for her to approach strangers.
Hearing that, the young elf widened her eyes in disbelief.
"But young miss, your mother won't be happy to hear that you're talking to strangers," she said, reminding Sofia that her mother didn't like her talking to people she hadn't approved.
"Humph, mom never has time for me, so it doesn't matter," Sofia muttered, puffing her cheeks in frustration.
Seeing her upset, Aziz found her amusing.
'She looks like a squirrel', he thought with amusement.
Astrid, who had been silently observing, finally spoke, taking control of the situation.
"So, young elf, what is your name? And who is Sofia's mother?"
Realizing the question was directed at her, the young elf raised her guard even more. Ever since she'd entered, she could feel the two women before her were extremely dangerous—especially the white-haired one, who was clearly the mother of the boy at the table.
"My name is Sylvia, and the young miss's mother is the governor of this city, Lady Stella," she answered, managing to stay composed.
Looking at Sofia, Aziz spoke:
"She's right. As the daughter of the most important person in the city, it's not wise for you to go around talking to strangers, Sofia."
Hearing that, Sofia grew even more annoyed.
"Why are you scolding me? Don't act like you're an adult."
"Alright, alright, calm down. I'm not scolding you, but it can be dangerous to talk to strangers," Aziz said, trying to calm the fox girl.
"Humph, I know. It's just that… I don't have any friends, and most of the time I'm alone. When I saw you, I just wanted to talk… maybe make my first friend," she explained, whispering the last part.
"And this is the first time I've ever spoken to strangers. I'm not an idiot, okay? I just thought it was fate. This room is always empty and reserved for me."
Understanding the situation better, Sylvia found it even stranger.
'My lady, there are strangers in the young miss's reserved room—a boy and two women. While they show no ill will toward Miss Sofia, I still sense they are extremely dangerous. How should I proceed?' Sylvia reported everything through a magical device.
The response came almost immediately.
'I'll go there myself. Stay calm and don't let anything happen to Sofia'.
'Understood, Lady Stella', Sylvia replied, ending the transmission.
However, she didn't know that neither the use of the device nor the conversation had gone unnoticed by Astrid and Isis.
'Interesting', the two women thought in unison.
Flash.
Turning their heads toward a flash of light in the right corner of the room, everyone saw a strange magic circle glowing in a gray hue.
In the blink of an eye, a stunning woman appeared, with fox ears and six swaying tails behind her. She looked directly at them—more precisely, at the unfamiliar trio.
"I presume you're Sofia's mother, Lady Stella, correct?" Astrid asked, gazing at the newcomer.
Focusing her gaze on the white-haired woman, she replied,
"Yes. And who might you be?".
"Hoho, where are my manners? On my left is my maid and friend, Isis, and on my right is my beloved son, Aziz," Astrid said, introducing them.
Hearing his name, Aziz snapped out of the small daze caused by the fox woman's dazzling appearance.
But that slip didn't go unnoticed by Astrid, who didn't like the idea of her son getting lost in another woman's beauty.
'I'm more important to him', she told herself mentally.
"So, why don't we continue this conversation over dinner?" Stella offered, noticing the hunger in Aziz expression.
Turning her attention to her son, Astrid didn't need a second to confirm he was indeed hungry after waiting so long.
"I see no problem with that", Astrid replied, more concerned about her son's empty stomach than anything else.
"Sylvia, please bring the same dishes they ordered. One for me, Sofia, and for yourself as well".
"Yes, my lady. I'll be right back", Sylvia replied without question.
And thus began a dinner shared by an immortal boy, a fox girl, a young elf, and three powerful women.