After the ball dispersed, Altair sat in a 'wheelchair' and was pushed out of the venue by a servant.
Noticing the surroundings were different from when he arrived, Altair looked at the servant with a cold expression and asked, "Where are we going? This isn't the way back to my room."
The servant offered no explanation, simply continuing to push the wheelchair forward.
Altair felt quite helpless regarding the servant's behavior. The simplest solution would be to kill him directly, but he was ostensibly a royal servant; even if he were dealt with now, it would cause a commotion. Moreover, only members of the royal family could mobilize the servants of the palace.
After many twists and turns, Altair was pushed to a remote cottage. Only after the servant knocked and listened to the voice inside did he dare open the door and push him in.
Once the door opened, Altair saw 'George III' dressed in casual clothes, sitting in the living room reading a book.
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The servant pushed the wheelchair into the room, parked it, and left immediately. Watching him close the door behind him, Altair greeted with a smile, "Good evening, Your Majesty. I wonder what business you have with me so late?"
As soon as he spoke, 'George III' seemed to lose interest in his book. He looked up at Altair and said, "It seems your etiquette studies during this time have been very successful."
At those words, Altair really wanted to punch the old man, but he suppressed the thought. Maintaining a smiling facade, he replied politely, "It is all thanks to the excellent teacher you found for me. Madam Anna's teaching quality is superb."
'George III' nodded slightly at Altair's words and said, "The reason I've called you here is that I need you to infiltrate the social circles of those 'ladies and young misses'."
"You should be aware of the recent proposal in the House of Lords to repeal the 'corn laws'. I need you to gather information through them."
Hearing this, Altair began to look troubled as he considered the feasibility of the task.
The main reason for this matter was likely the shortage of 'manpower' for building the mausoleum and the excessive cost of providing food supplies for it.
Is the mausoleum already being built secretly on such a large scale?
After a moment of thought, Altair said to 'George III' with a troubled expression, "Your Majesty, you must know that most members of the House of Lords are old aristocrats and 'Conservatives'."
"They will not agree to relinquish their own interests and pass this bill."
"Of course I know." George III was not surprised by Altair's answer. As the ruler of a nation, he naturally understood that this bill would not be passed so easily.
Those old-money aristocrats only needed to rely on their accumulated land, earning a handsome income every year through renting land or selling crops. They didn't need to do anything extra, spending their days in a state of idle dissipation.
And the 'backbone' of all this was the 'corn laws'. If this law were repealed, a large number of aristocrats and farmers would go bankrupt.
After a moment's thought, 'George III' said to Altair, "You are clever and know my purpose. At the same time, I know this task is difficult to accomplish. Therefore, I don't need you to do much; just pass on the information you hear to me."
...After the conversation ended, Altair was pushed out of the cottage by the servant once again.
On the way back, Altair began to ponder 'George III's' true objective.
Gathering information shouldn't be the primary reason for using him. If the royal family, after so many years, didn't have its own intelligence department, they might as well find a rope and hang themselves.
A sacrificial pawn? Probably not; the cost of consuming a piece like him was too high... "Count Altair, we have reached your room. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Snapping out of his thoughts at the servant's words, Altair said to him, "No, you may go."
Altair opened the door directly. Seeing the door open, Vera came to the entrance to greet him and pushed him into the room.
Once the door was closed, Vera puffed out her cheeks and said, unable to bear the loneliness, "Count Altair, it's really boring here. After you left, I couldn't even go out for a walk."
Altair had no solution for Vera's complaints. The scale of this banquet was exceptionally high; even after identifying themselves, the servants brought by the nobles had their freedom restricted and could not move around at will.
He could only say helplessly to Vera, "Look at Irene and the others; they didn't dare complain. Only you would. Don't say such things outside of this room."
Vera instinctively covered her mouth, looked around, and thinking of their current environment, whispered, "I understand, I won't dare to next time."
Altair couldn't bear to watch her behavior and said flatly, "I know you're bored staying in the room. Tomorrow during the day, follow me out. We'll go watch them hunt together."
"As for now, help me up and change my clothes. This evening's ball gown is making me very uncomfortable."
Hearing this, the three of them finally reacted and hurriedly helped Altair up to begin undressing him.
Altair found the clothing designs of this era difficult to understand. He had originally thought daily wear was already anti-human, but who knew that something like a ball gown would be even more so.
Not only did one have to wear a 'corset', but also a 'crinoline', with the skirt layered upon layer.
Once the clothes were removed down to the undergarments, Altair stopped the three of them. He joked to himself that he hadn't completely changed yet; if the last piece of clothing was gone, he would surely be exposed.
"Why are you still here?" Altair asked the three of them. He had already told them to leave once the undressing was finished.
To Altair's question, Freya explained helplessly, "Many nobles have come for this hunt, so the supervisor managing this palace hasn't arranged sleeping quarters for the servants yet, so..."
After saying this, Freya lowered her head and fiddled with the ribbon in her hand.
Seeing the same expression on all three faces, Altair tapped his head and said helplessly, "So your idea now is to sleep in my room."
Hearing this, Vera hurriedly stepped forward, took Altair's arm, and pressed it against her chest, swaying it as she said, "Count Altair, we are so pitiful. He hasn't notified us where to rest yet. It's already midnight, and Vera doesn't want to sleep in the hallway."
"Just take the three of us in. We can even sleep on the floor in the room."
Altair was also helpless regarding their request. He couldn't afford to be exposed yet, but if he didn't let the three of them stay, they really might sleep in the hallway.
Before Altair could react, Freya and Irene directly stripped off all their clothes and said, "Count Altair, in fact, both of us already know the secret you've been hiding."
"Although you've hidden it well, we are your personal maids, after all. We handle everything from your daily diet to your dressing; it's impossible for us not to notice anything."
"Taking this opportunity, we are willing to fully integrate into your family."
At their actions, Altair's expression shifted from shock to confusion and then to realization. He turned to look at Vera, who was still standing.
Seeing the scene around her, Vera also began to undress just like the other two.
To the two clever ones, Altair asked coldly, "You probably want to say more than just that, especially you, Freya."
Looking at the three through the 'Telepathist' perspective, he saw Vera's dazed expression, Irene's submissiveness, and Freya's calculation.
Freya looked up at Altair and said through gritted teeth, "I need you, Count Altair, to help me become a powerful Beyonder. Ever since I entered this house, I have observed the extraordinariness of some people, and I want to possess powerful strength just like them."
"You should know about my situation. I was originally raised by my father to be a commodity for trade; it was only by luck that he died early."
"As long as you are willing, I can trade myself to you and become your personal property completely."
Altair was still curious about Freya's behavior. Stroking his chin, he asked with a smile, "Freya, why do you want to become a Beyonder? And how can you guarantee that I will agree to your request?"
Freya didn't even think about Altair's question and spoke directly.
"Only after entering the Sheffield Count's Manor did I feel for the first time what it means to be an aristocrat. When I was threatened by gangs for money, you only needed to have Hahn say a word and someone would handle it. When I was sent to deliver letters to other nobles, they had to welcome me with smiles."
"I found myself slowly becoming obsessed with this feeling."
"At the same time, I know that I will lose all this sooner or later. I don't want to lose it; I want to always possess this power that prevents people from looking down on me. Since then, I have been working hard to stay in the Sheffield Family."
"But Vivian's arrival made me see the truth. I don't just need power; I also need to become a Beyonder. Power alone is not enough; I also need ability."
"As for how to guarantee your agreement, I think I am the best guarantee."
After hearing Freya's words, Altair turned to look at Irene, who said directly, "Irene is Count Altair's private property."
As for Vera, Altair simply didn't even look at her.