Mystery: But the Witch's Path

Chapter 34 A Feast of Interests

the next morning.

Hahn had already left the manor and gone to the outskirts to arrange the banquet.

According to him, although there were specialists managing the event, the banquet was of great importance, and he was worried about making mistakes in the details, so he specifically went to check on them early in the morning.

.........

Altair, on the other hand, was still slowly enjoying his breakfast.

After finishing eating and getting up, as I returned to the bedroom door to change, I heard the voices of three people talking inside.

"This dress won't do; it's the wrong size."

"The size is right, but the color doesn't match."

........

"This tea party dress won't do; the color is too pale."

"This one won't do either, the color is too dark."

........

"You can try this one."

"That one won't do either; Count Altair wore it to the banquet last time."

........

"What about this one?"

"That won't work either... Keep it as a preliminary selection. What about jewelry?"

Upon opening the bedroom door, I saw it. The room was cluttered, with clothes and jewelry already arranged everywhere.

The three heard the door open and turned around to find that Altair had already entered the bedroom.

The two groups looked at each other, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Seeing what the three of them were doing, Altair asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you prepared your clothes for today's trip yet?"

Seeing the guilty looks on the faces of those around her, Eileen stepped forward and said, "Count Altair, there are very few clothes in your wardrobe that are suitable for today's banquet."

"Perhaps it's due to your recent physical development. I just noticed that some of your clothes no longer fit. In addition, today is an outdoor banquet, so we haven't picked out a suitable dress yet."

Altair, the person involved, was also helpless in the face of Eileen's words.

It has been three months since his "father" passed away, attended the public memorial service, was sent back to his territory for burial, returned to Backlund to take the potion and began to disguise himself.

Perhaps due to the magic potion, her body began to grow rapidly, from 1.65 meters to 1.74 meters now, and all her clothes were still sewn according to the same design as three months ago.

I'm usually at home, so I don't have any particular requirements for what I wear; anything I can wear is fine.

Because I haven't attended many banquets recently, I'm not aware that some of my clothes are starting to fit, let alone formal wear.

Everyone had forgotten about this issue. Altair himself didn't care much about clothing, so he hadn't paid attention to it.

Hahn, being a male butler, wouldn't interfere.

Freya and Irene, one a housekeeper and the other a personal maid, had both just joined the household and hadn't been working for long. They both assumed the Earl had plenty of clothing.

Regarding the current issue, Altair calmly said, "Find something that's passable, and don't worry about choosing light colors; dark colors are fine too. As for an evening gown, there's no need to prepare anything special."

"Once this banquet is over, we can have a clothing designer come and remake the clothes."

After saying that, Altair went into the washroom to put on her underwear herself. She hadn't reached Sequence Seven yet, and asking them for help would definitely give her away, so Altair had been putting on her underwear by herself for the time being.

After leaving the restroom, the three hurriedly stepped forward to help her put on a dark blue outfit. The outfit featured wide shoulders, a slender waist, and a voluminous skirt that created an X-shape. It had puffy mutton sleeves and bubble sleeves, paired with a corset and multiple layers of petticoats.

After adding some appropriately colored accessories and wearing a top hat, the outfit is complete.

After taking some spare clothes, the three of them followed Altair in a carriage and left the manor.

The three of them were not in a good mood throughout the journey. If this had happened in another family, the minimum punishment they would have faced would have been immediate dismissal. Some petty nobles might have even retaliated against them.

That's how it was in this era; all nobles cared about their image and had requirements for their daily attire, let alone when attending large events.

Essentially, this error occurred because of Altair, and no one else should bear the responsibility.

You're overthinking it; the nobles here are unreasonable.

..........

It was almost noon when we left the Queens estate and arrived at the suburban estate.

When the carriage stopped at the door, Altair got out and found that Hahn and Simon were already waiting for him at the door.

Altair stepped forward and asked, "Simon, is everything ready at the firing range?"

Upon hearing the question, Simon nodded immediately and said, "Count Altair, please rest assured, the firing range is ready. All weapons have been checked and are in good working order. The performance stage has also been set up."

"After the banquet ends at noon, we can conduct a test shooting demonstration in the afternoon."

After listening to Simon's words, Altair nodded in agreement. He then turned to Hahn, who also nodded, and said, "Everything for the banquet has been arranged, and the kitchen is now preparing the lunch."

"After lunch, we can go to the shooting range to watch the performance."

"After the performance, it will be afternoon tea time. Count Altair, you can use this time to discuss collaborations with other counts."

"As for the banquet, since the venue for this banquet is located in the suburbs, it will be held earlier, after afternoon tea."

"The ball can be held after the dinner, and it will end early, around 10 p.m."

Altair was delighted to hear Hahn's arrangements for the banquet. As expected of a butler for over a decade, he couldn't find a single flaw in the banquet's timing.

.........

As it approached noon, Altair, who was sitting on the sofa in the hall, looked out the window and saw carriages beginning to enter the manor.

So he got up and waited for the guests in the living room.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Altair immediately bowed and said...

"Good afternoon, Earl Donovan, Lady Donovan."

The two replied politely.

Good afternoon, Count Altair.

Good afternoon, Altair.

Irving glanced around and said directly, "It seems we've arrived quite early, since we're the first guests."

Heather Grant, however, directly contradicted him, saying, "Althay, don't listen to his nonsense. Otherwise, he should still be on his way right now."

...........

Watching the two laughing and chatting, Altair was envious of the couple's relationship; they had been married for over ten years and were still so sweet together.

But he felt like he was being force-fed dog food by the two of them, so he had no choice but to ask them to sit down and start enjoying the tea and dessert.

The three hadn't been chatting for long when the manor gates reopened.

This time, it was Uncle Rafe and Brigadier General Karel who came in.

Uncle Rafe came alone because his cousin Charles was still in the South.

Karel came with his fiancée, Tiffany O'Neill.

Karel Duarte was the superior officer of his own father. He was a colonel before returning from the Southern Continent, and was promoted to brigadier general after returning.

After exchanging greetings, the two joined in the conversation.

Uncle Rafe also had a dark look on Irving's face, but he mostly praised Heather.

Karel Duarte, on the other hand, had much praise for Irving, the legendary figure.

This caused Uncle Rafe to start to look at him with a bad attitude.

........