Meeting the parents?

"Honestly, I shouldn't have come out."

Aaron complained in a low voice, tugging at his narrow collar, trying to catch his breath.

Unfortunately, the evening gown he was wearing was personally crafted by Leyden City's best tailor using the finest materials. Its fabric was so sturdy that he suspected it might be a torture device.

Who would attend a banquet dressed in such an awkward outfit?

Even more infuriating, to correct his casual posture, Alice had instructed the tailor to insert several flexible metal supports into his clothes!

Looking at the evening gown, it seemed ordinary, but the moment Aaron put it on, he truly wanted to thank that bald old tailor from the bottom of his heart!

These supports were skillfully sewn into the fabric by the tailor, making the garment firm and crisp with solid material.

In other words, this seemingly ordinary dress was essentially a straitjacket, rendering his upper body stiff as a board, making even breathing feel somewhat difficult.

What was even more infuriating was that the tailor had successfully coaxed Aaron into trying on the dress with his incessant chatter, then, after saying, "Well, it seems no adjustments are needed," he had simply slipped away?

Before Aaron could even react, before he could even take the dress off, Alice had half-dragged and half-pulled him to the main entrance of the Lord's Mansion.

He didn't even know what was going on!

"Lord Bals is hosting a banquet today to celebrate the defeat of Tog, and also as a farewell for Sart and Siosand, although they won't be attending tonight."

Alice carefully smoothed out a minor wrinkle on Aaron's evening gown, patiently explaining.

"Even if it's a banquet, there's no need to dress so formally, is there?" Aaron mumbled, unable to help himself, even though he understood.

He had never worn such restrictive clothing before. It felt like being wrapped in countless layers of tape, making it impossible to even stretch his limbs.

"This is my first time appearing as your fiancée, Mr. Aaron. I hope you can cooperate with me a little." Alice leaned in and whispered into Aaron's ear with a smile, but her tone was unusually serious, even carrying a hint of warning.

To anyone else, it would seem like Alice was sharing some private, unspoken words with Aaron.

Well, perhaps they were indeed some unspoken words.

Aaron looked at Alice's seemingly harmless palms, opened his mouth, but dared not express his anger or his words.

After these past few days together, he had a general understanding of Alice. He knew that this woman would genuinely dare to kill him first, then find a longsword and slit her own throat to commit suicide.

He had only just transmigrated to this world and survived cultists and certain unspeakable gazes. If he were to die by his fiancée's hand...

Well, it didn't seem so bad?

At least he had a fiancée?

As Aaron was lost in thought, Alice slapped him. "What are you thinking about? Don't zone out at the banquet; it's very impolite."

Saying this, Alice naturally linked her arm with Aaron's, almost dragging him along as she pulled him past the guards on duty.

As they walked, she didn't forget to remind him in a low voice, "Remember to keep smiling."

Although she appeared natural, Aaron could clearly feel her entire body tensing beneath the clothes, and the hand linked with his arm was as stiff as a metal plate.

Perhaps she didn't notice, but Aaron's arm could truly feel the grip strength of a Bronze Tier Sword Affinity Transcendent.

If his physique hadn't undergone a slight reinforcement, he wouldn't just be grinning awkwardly right now.

To be honest, this was the first time Aaron had seen Alice in a formal gown.

Perhaps it was Alice's personal habit, but every time he saw her, she was wearing that heavy metal armor.

It completely concealed her figure, and it was only today that he realized his cheap fiancée seemed to have a good figure.

Not exactly S-class devilish curves, but at least not the Wall of Sighs.

Aaron couldn't help but glance at her, murmuring in his mind.

Of course, he didn't dare to say it to her face. After all, his injuries had only just healed, he was attending the banquet in a torture device, and his right hand was being held by her.

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

Perhaps tomorrow, commoners throughout Leyden City would know that a noble lady from the House of Iris had beaten up her fiancé at a banquet.

Under Alice's deliberate insistence, the tailor abandoned his usual intricate lace craftsmanship and had to specially make her a much more conservative gown.

While other noble ladies were wearing revealing slip dresses, Alice's evening gown only symbolically revealed a small section of her delicate collarbone, revealing almost nothing.

At this moment, the main hall of the Lord's Mansion had been temporarily converted into the appearance befitting a banquet. A dance floor was cleared in the center, with long dining tables arranged around it, laden with various dishes. Waiters holding platters weaved nimbly through the crowd.

However, although this was indeed Lord Bals' banquet, his rough nature meant he couldn't handle many details well.

For instance, a band of about ten people was playing soothing music in a corner, but a single stool was placed lonesomely among the musicians.

Clearly, an unreliable band member was late.

Aaron, while keenly observing everything at the banquet, casually glanced at the dining table beside him.

Heaven knows, he hadn't eaten for a good half of the day because of this contraption he was wearing.

In fact, Alice had mentioned that this was intentional.

It would be extremely impolite for a noble to go to the restroom multiple times or disappear midway through a banquet.

Moreover, Aaron didn't even know if he could take off this torture device himself.

"No wonder nobles have maids to serve them when they go to the restroom... so that's how it is..." Aaron restlessly tugged at his collar, mumbling softly.

Alice frowned slightly and glanced at him suspiciously. "What did you say?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing..."

She said in a low voice while maintaining a smile on her face, "Dear Mr. Aaron Albert, this is my first time attending a formal banquet as Madame Albert, so could you please pay a little attention to your etiquette?"

She rarely used an interrogative tone instead of a commanding one, which made Aaron a bit unaccustomed to it.

"What do you need me to cooperate with?"

"Can you dance?"

Aaron fell silent, glanced at the dance floor out of the corner of his eye, and shook his head.

"Then we'll go meet my uncle, and we can leave when the ball is nearly over."

Alice, who also couldn't dance, let out an imperceptible sigh of relief, her tone relaxing slightly.

But Aaron's attention wasn't on this matter at all.

Huh?

Uncle?

So that's why she wanted him to dress so formally...

Is this a meeting with her parents?