Meeting the Parents?

"To be honest, I shouldn't have come out."

Aaron muttered under his breath as he tugged at the narrow collar, struggling to catch his breath.

Unfortunately, the evening suit he was wearing had been personally made by the finest tailor in Leyden City from the highest-quality materials. It was so sturdy that he suspected it might actually be a torture device.

Who went to a banquet wearing such an awkward outfit?

What was even more infuriating was that, in order to correct his casual posture, Alice had even instructed the tailor to stuff several soft metal supports into his clothes!

The evening suit looked ordinary enough, but the moment Aaron put it on, he sincerely wanted to thank that balding old tailor!

The supports had been skillfully sewn into the fabric. They were solid, rigid, and made with substantial materials.

In other words, this seemingly ordinary outfit was actually a straitjacket. It left his upper body almost as stiff as an iron plate, and even breathing felt somewhat difficult.

What was even more infuriating was that the tailor had successfully tricked Aaron into trying on the outfit with his nonstop chatter, then simply said, "Mm, it doesn't look like it needs any adjustments," before slipping away just like that.

Before Aaron could react, Alice had half-dragged and half-pulled him to the main entrance of the lord's residence without even letting him take the suit off.

He did not even know what had happened!

"Lord Bals is holding a banquet today to celebrate the destruction of Tog. It's also partly a farewell banquet for Sart and Siosand, although neither of them will be attending tonight."

Alice carefully smoothed out the slight wrinkles in Aaron's evening suit and patiently explained.

"Even if we're attending a banquet, there's no need to dress this formally, is there?" Aaron understood the reason, but he could not help grumbling.

He had never worn such restrictive clothes before. It felt as though countless layers of tape had been wrapped around him, making it impossible even to stretch and loosen his muscles.

"This is my first time appearing as your fiancée, Mr. Aaron. I hope you'll cooperate with me a little." Alice smiled as she leaned close to Aaron's ear, but her tone was unusually serious, with even a hint of warning.

To anyone watching, it would have looked as though Alice was whispering some secret that could not be revealed to others.

Well, it was indeed a secret that could not be revealed to others.

Aaron looked at Alice's seemingly harmless palms, opened his mouth, and dared neither to complain nor to speak.

After spending the past few days with Alice, he had gained a general understanding of her personality. He knew that this woman really would kill him first and then find a longsword to slit her own throat.

He had only just transmigrated into this world, yet he had managed to survive the Heretical Cult's followers and certain indescribable gazes. If he died at the hands of his fiancée...

Well, that might not be so bad.

At least he had a fiancée, right?

Aaron was lost in wild thoughts when Alice slapped him. "What are you thinking about? Don't get distracted during the banquet. It's very rude to lose focus."

As she spoke, Alice naturally linked her arm with Aaron's, but she practically dragged him past the guards on duty.

As they walked, she did not forget to remind him in a low voice, "Remember to keep smiling."

Although she acted naturally, Aaron could clearly feel through their clothes that her entire body was tense. The hand wrapped around his arm was as stiff as an iron plate.

Perhaps she had not noticed, but Aaron's arm had truly experienced the grip strength of a Bronze Tier Sword Affinity transcendent.

If his physical constitution had not been strengthened by another small degree, he would not have merely been baring his teeth and forcing a smile right now.

To be fair, this was the first time Aaron had seen Alice wearing a gown.

Perhaps it was a personal habit of hers. Every time he saw Alice, she was wearing that heavy metal armor.

It completely concealed her figure, and it was only today that he realized his inexpensive fiancée actually had a decent body.

It was not an S-rank hourglass figure, but at least she was not the Wall of Sighs.

Aaron could not help sneaking a glance before silently reciting the words in his mind.

Of course, he did not dare say it aloud in front of her. His injuries had only just healed, he was attending a banquet in a torture device, and his right hand was being held by her.

If she really found out, he could guarantee that she, who always emphasized noble etiquette, would not mind breaking the rules once at the banquet.

Perhaps by tomorrow, all the commoners in the streets and alleys of Leyden City would know that the noble young lady from House of Iris had viciously beaten her fiancé at a ball.

At Alice's insistence, the tailor had abandoned his specialty in hollow lacework and had no choice but to make her a much more conservative gown.

While the other noble ladies wore cool strappy dresses, Alice's evening gown merely revealed a small, exquisite section of her collarbone. It practically revealed nothing at all.

By now, the hall of the lord's residence had been temporarily rearranged into a proper banquet hall. An open space had been left in the middle for dancing, while long dining tables were arranged around it. All kinds of food had been neatly laid out, and servants carrying plates moved nimbly through the crowd.

However, although this was indeed a banquet held by Lord Bals, his rough and straightforward personality meant that he still handled many details poorly.

For example, a band of around a dozen people was playing soothing music in the corner, but a lone stool had been placed right in the middle of them.

Clearly, one of the unreliable band members had been late.

While Aaron surveyed everything at the banquet with great interest, he casually glanced toward the dining table nearby.

Heaven help him. Because of the torture device he was wearing, he had not eaten anything for more than half a day.

In fact, according to Alice, this had been intentional.

If a noble had to visit the restroom repeatedly or disappeared halfway through a banquet, it would be incredibly rude.

Besides, Aaron did not even know whether he could take off this torture device by himself.

"No wonder nobles need maids to attend them when they use the restroom. So that's how it is..." Aaron restlessly tugged at his collar and muttered under his breath.

Alice furrowed her brows slightly and glanced at him in confusion. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing..."

While maintaining the smile on her face, she said quietly, "My dear Mr. Aaron Albert, this is my first time attending a formal evening banquet as Madame Albert, so please pay a little more attention to your manners, all right?"

She had rarely used a questioning tone instead of giving an order, which made Aaron somewhat unaccustomed to it.

"What exactly do you need me to cooperate with?"

"Can you dance?"

Aaron fell silent, turned his head to look at the dance floor, and shook it.

"Then we'll go meet my uncle, and once the ball is more or less over, we can leave."

Alice, who could not dance either, imperceptibly breathed a sigh of relief, and her tone relaxed somewhat.

But Aaron's attention was not on that matter at all.

Huh?

Uncle?

No wonder we had to dress so formally...

Were they going to meet the parents?