Valerie's judgement was purely based on a single measure, the strength of the party being judged. If it was someone stronger than her, Valerie would be obedient and worshipful but if it was someone weaker, then Valerie would act as if she had seen something distasteful and not worthy of her time.
This made her seem like a materialistic and mean woman whose opinion was biased towards the strong but even that didn't deter her from acting all high and mighty all the time like some goddess that had descended from above the clouds. This pride was not at all undue since Valerie had the goods to show for it.
She was an extremely beautiful woman with jet black hair that she usually tied up into a ponytail. Her figure was so exaggerated that she always looked enchanting no matter what she wore. Even several layers of clothes were unable to hide her bursting figure.
Unlike Nadia who was friendly and was very close to Zavier, and Kacie who was at least hopeful that Zavier might not turn out to be a loser, Valerie was not at all concerned with Zavier. She had already labelled him as a weak loser and did not want anything to do with him even if he was a relative.
Other than these three relatives, there was another girl in the living room who was busy serving all of them with breakfast, the maid Rainbo.
To Zavier, the maid seemed to be very timid; the same was true even in his memories. She seemed to have some lingering fear that she was unable to get over.
Looking her over, Zavier had the feeling that this girl was quite the beauty with slender and long legs, a thin but shapely figure, blue hair that had been tied up into a bun and an aura that made her look like a damsel in distress. Even he had the urge to protect this girl that seemed so vulnerable and weak.
Zavier wanted to keep the meal more inclined towards the usual. He didn't want to give the three girls any surprise regarding the sudden increase in his strength and magical understanding.
He was not in a hurry to change his position and treatment in the family. On the other hand, Zavier knew that the more he held it back, the more the benefits he would be able to reap in the longer run.
He had to keep the prying eyes away from himself until he was able to protect his secret on his own. The way he was now, was not enough.
Therefore, surprising everyone with a "Hi I am a changed man now. I can do advanced magic now.", might not have been a very good idea.
Therefore, Zavier wanted to only gradually reveal his cards, one at a time so that his rise does not seem to be abrupt or out of turn to anyone.
For that matter, Zavier intended to release a part of the news to prepare the girls for what was coming.
"I have something that I want to tell you all."
This was maybe the first time he had ever made an announcement like this, in his memories. Zavier wasn't nervous at all because their reaction didn't matter to him at all. He wasn't worried about how they would take it. This helped him stay clear headed.
The girls were obviously a little surprised. It was something unexpected for them. Still, it didn't take long for them to become attentive towards Zavier.
Even Valerie seemed to be interested in what he had to say.
"I have recently been working very hard at practicing magic and I have improved quite a bit. I can even successfully use basic magic skills."
Zavier made it look like he was very excited at his achievement so it wouldn't look odd to the girls.
Valerie scoffed in disdain and didn't even bother to give a reply, thinking that a tiger couldn't get rid of its spots. She had labelled him as a weak loser who would remain weak no matter what he did. Even if he did make some advancements, they wouldn't be worth her time.
She didn't believe in hard work, talent was everything to her. Only with talent could one reach the heights that she desired. Someone devoid of talent could never reach even close to her standards.
Well, Valerie aside, the other girls seemed a little excited after what he had to say.
Nadia seemed over the moon after he had announced the good news. She took the initiative to clap her hands and congratulate him over and over.
"Congratulations, big brother Zavier, I knew you could do it. When are you going to show me your new skills?"
"Thank you."
Zavier decidedly ignored the last part of her question upon which Nadia pouted so much that her lips could have been used to hang a pile of clothes.
Even Kacie seemed excited after his announcement but stopped herself from showing too much care. She only perfunctorily offered her congratulations.
"Congratulations, you need to work harder from now onwards."
Zavier nodded and started to gobble up his food. The mental exertion had taken a toll on him and he needed to supplement himself with food. He forgot all his manners and gorged himself until he was close to bursting.
Fortunately, the girls didn't pay enough attention to him to notice that his eating habits had changed.
Even when they were done eating, nobody left the table until all of them were finished. This was one of the household rules made by the Marquess Val.
Valarie waited for everyone to finish before declaring in a slightly loud tone, "Time for school. Go get your bags and be outside in five minutes."
All of them attended the same school where they learnt magic and related subjects.
Even though Zavier was a loser when it came to magic, he was still able to attend the prestigious institution because of his family background.
When he arrived outside, all the girls were already outside. Valerie was giving him a stink eye as if he had made them wait for hours.