Chapter Twelve
He Belongs to House Valcrest
"I have never once seen Seraphina Valcrest raise her voice. I have also never once doubted that she could level a building."
It happened in the library.
Of all places.
Kaito was there alone, the kind of alone he rarely got anymore, no peerage, no training schedule, working through Elias's mandatory reading list on Rating Game strategy. Three books deep, marginally understanding half of it.
The girl sat down across from him without asking.
He looked up.
Second year. Dark red hair in a high ponytail. Eyes the bright amber of someone whose devil lineage had been doing interesting things to their features. She was objectively, demonstrably, extremely attractive, and she was looking at him with the specific focus of someone who has decided something and is acting on it.
"Ryusei Kaito," she said.
"That's me."
"Reina Ashford. House Ashford. My father is on the western rating committee." She smiled, practiced, warm, strategic. "I wanted to introduce myself. You've made quite an impression on the board."
"I've been a devil for three weeks," Kaito said.
"Exactly." She leaned forward slightly. The smile gaining specificity. "An unclassified Sacred Gear. A King Piece from one of the Seven Great Houses. You're the most interesting person in the school right now." She tilted her head. "I thought it would be worth knowing each other."
The Void Sovereign stirred. Not threat response.
Just: paying attention.
"I'm flattered," Kaito said carefully.
"You should be." Her smile widened. "I'm very selective." She reached across the table and set a small card on top of his book. "My contact sigil. If you ever want to talk about strategy. Rating Games. The political landscape." A pause, weighted. "Whatever you need."
Kaito looked at the card.
Then at her.
Then at the space directly behind her.
Seraphina was standing at the end of the reference aisle.
She had a book in her hand. She had presumably come to return it or retrieve another. She had arrived at exactly the wrong, or right, moment.
She was looking at the card on the table.
Then at Reina.
Her expression had not changed by a single degree.
That was how Kaito knew something had changed entirely.
Reina became aware of Seraphina at approximately the same moment. She turned. The practiced warmth of her expression underwent a rapid recalibration.
"Valcrest," she said. Neutral. Careful.
Seraphina walked to the table.
Set her book down.
Picked up Reina's card.
Looked at it for exactly two seconds.
"Reina Ashford," she said. Her voice was precisely the same temperature it always was. "House Ashford. Western committee." She set the card back down on the table, not toward Kaito. Toward Reina. "He won't be needing this."
A beat.
"He belongs to House Valcrest."
The library was very quiet.
Reina looked at Seraphina for a moment.
Then she picked up the card. Stood. Smoothed her uniform.
"Of course," she said pleasantly. "My mistake."
She left.
Seraphina sat down in the chair Reina had vacated, opened the book she'd brought, and began to read.
Like nothing had happened.
Like she had simply come to study.
Kaito looked at her. The perfect composure. The book held exactly right. The line of her jaw giving nothing.
"He belongs to House Valcrest," he said.
She turned a page. "That is a factual statement."
"It sounded like something else."
Four seconds of silence.
"Read your book, Kaito."
He read his book.
The bond ran warm and complex between them, and neither of them said anything about it, and the library was very quiet, and her shoulder was approximately six inches from his arm, and she did not move it.
Neither did he.
Later, much later, walking back to the estate, Mira fell into step beside him and leaned in close.
"She told Reina Ashford that you belong to her."
"To the house," Kaito said.
"Kaito."
"To the house."
Mira looked at him for a long moment.
"Sure," she said.
End of Chapter Twelve