A Conspiracy

After the ball ended, Altair was placed in his "wheelchair" and pushed away by a servant.

Noticing that the surroundings looked different from the way they had on the way in, Altair looked at the servant with a cold expression and asked, "Where are you taking me? This isn't the way back to my room."

The servant didn't explain. He simply kept pushing the wheelchair onward.

Altair was at a loss over the servant's behavior. The simplest solution would have been to kill him, but he was publicly known as a servant of the Royal Family, and getting rid of him now would cause a commotion. Besides, only a member of the Royal Family could give orders to the servants at the palace.

After winding through several turns, Altair was pushed to a remote little house. The servant knocked on the door and listened for a moment before opening it and pushing him inside.

As soon as the door opened, Altair saw "George III" sitting in the living room in ordinary clothes, reading a book.

The servant pushed the wheelchair into the house, stopped, and left, closing the door behind him. Altair smiled and greeted the king. "Good evening, Your Majesty. May I ask why you summoned me so late?"

As soon as Altair finished speaking, "George III" seemed to lose interest in his book. He looked up at Altair and said, "It seems your etiquette lessons have been going very well."

Altair really wanted to punch the old man for that remark, but he suppressed the urge and put on a smile. "That's all thanks to the excellent teacher you found for me. Madame Anna is a wonderful teacher."

"George III" nodded slightly at Altair's reply. "I asked you here because I need you to get close to those ladies' Social Circle."

"You should know that the House of Lords recently proposed repealing the Corn Law. I need you to sound them out and find out what's going on."

Altair looked troubled as he considered whether this was feasible.

The real problem was probably the shortage of "people" to build the mausoleum, along with the enormous cost of supplying it with food.

Were they already secretly building a mausoleum on a massive scale?

After thinking it over, Altair gave "George III" a troubled look. "Your Majesty, most members of the House of Lords are old nobles and members of the Conservative Faction."

"They won't agree to give up their own interests and pass this bill."

"Of course I know that." George III wasn't surprised by Altair's answer. As the ruler of a nation, he knew perfectly well that the bill wouldn't pass easily.

The old aristocratic families had only to rely on the land they had accumulated. Every year, they earned a handsome income by renting it out or selling their crops. They didn't need to do anything else. They could simply spend their days in luxury and indulgence.

The Corn Law was what made all this possible. If it were repealed, many nobles and farm owners would go bankrupt.

After a moment's thought, "George III" said to Altair, "You're clever enough to understand what I'm after. I also know this won't be easy, so I'm not asking you to do anything in particular. Just pass along whatever you hear."

After their conversation ended, the servant pushed Altair away from the little house.

On the way back, Altair began to wonder what "George III" was really after.

Getting information from him couldn't be the main reason. If the Royal Family hadn't built up its own intelligence network after all these years, it might as well find a rope and hang itself.

A pawn to be sacrificed? Probably not. It would cost too much to expend one of his pieces.

"Count Altair, we've reached your room. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

At the servant's words, Altair came back to himself. "No, that's all. You can go."

Altair opened the door himself. When Vera saw it open, she went to greet him and pushed him into the room.

Once the door was shut, Vera puffed out her cheeks and complained, unable to bear the boredom any longer. "Count Altair, it's so dull here. After you left, I wanted to go for a look around, but they wouldn't let me."

Altair couldn't do anything about Vera's complaint. This ball was exceptionally grand, and even after the nobles' servants had identified themselves, their movements were restricted. They weren't allowed to wander freely.

He could only tell Vera helplessly, "Look at Irene and the others. They haven't dared to complain, but you have. Don't say that outside this room."

Vera covered her mouth instinctively and looked around. Remembering where she was, she lowered her voice. "I understand. I won't do it again."

Altair couldn't even look at her behavior. He said flatly, "I know you're bored sitting in the room. Tomorrow, you can all come out with me during the day. We'll go watch the hunt together."

"Now, help me up and get me changed. This evening dress is making me terribly uncomfortable."

Only then did the three of them realize. They hurried over to help Altair up and began undressing him.

Altair couldn't understand the clothing designs of this era. He'd thought everyday clothes were already inhumanly uncomfortable, but evening gowns were even worse.

Not only did they require a "corset," they also required a "hoop skirt," and the dress was layer upon layer.

Once he was down to his underclothes, Altair told the three of them to stop. He hadn't completely changed yet, and if he took off the last piece of clothing, he'd definitely be found out.

"Why are you still here?" Altair asked the three of them. He'd already told them to leave as soon as they finished undressing him.

Freya explained helplessly, "A lot of nobles came for the hunt this time, so the steward in charge of the palace still hasn't figured out where the servants will sleep. So..."

After saying this, Freya lowered her head and fidgeted with the ribbon in her hands.

Seeing the same expression on all three of their faces, Altair patted his forehead and said helplessly, "So you're thinking of sleeping in my room."

When Vera heard this, she hurried over, took Altair's arm, and pressed it to her chest as she swayed it. "Count Altair, we're so pitiful. They still haven't told us where we can rest, and it's already midnight. Vera doesn't want to sleep in the hallway."

"Please let the three of us stay. We can sleep on the floor."

Altair was at a loss over their request. He still couldn't let his secret be exposed, but if he refused to let them stay, they might really have to sleep in the hallway.

Before Altair could react, Freya and Irene took off all their clothes and said, "Count Altair, we already know the secret you've been hiding."

"You've hidden it well, but we're your personal maids, after all. We take care of everything from your meals to your clothes. There's no way we wouldn't have noticed anything."

"We'd like to use this opportunity to become a full part of your family."

Altair's expression shifted from shock to confusion to acceptance at their actions. He turned to look at Vera, who was still standing there.

Seeing what was happening, Vera began undressing too, just like the other two.

Looking at the two clever women, Altair asked coldly, "You're not just telling me this, are you? Especially you, Freya."

From the perspective of his Telepathist ability, Vera looked confused, Irene was compliant, and Freya was plotting something.

Freya looked up at Altair and gritted her teeth. "I need you to help me become a powerful Beyonder, Count Altair. Ever since I came into this household, I've noticed that some people are extraordinary. I want to have power like theirs, too."

"You know what happened to me. My father raised me to be a bargaining chip for trade. I was just lucky he died first."

"If you're willing, I'll trade myself to you and become your personal possession completely."

Altair was curious about Freya's actions. He rubbed his chin and asked with a smile, "Freya, why do you want to become a Beyonder? And what makes you think I'll agree to your request?"

Freya hadn't needed to think about Altair's question. She answered at once:

"Ever since I entered the Sheffield Earl's Mansion, I've finally understood what it means to be a noble. When gangsters threatened me for money, all you had to do was have Hahn put in a word, and someone took care of it. When I was sent to deliver letters to other nobles, they still had to greet me with a smile."

"I found myself slowly becoming addicted to that feeling."

"At the same time, I know that sooner or later, I'll lose all of this. I don't want to lose it. I want to keep having the kind of authority that makes people think twice before looking down on me. Since then, I've been doing everything I can to stay with the Sheffield Family."

"But Vivian's arrival made me see the truth. I don't just need authority. I also need to become a Beyonder. Authority alone isn't enough; I need the strength to back it up."

"As for how I can make sure you'll agree, I think I'm the best guarantee."

After hearing Freya out, Altair turned to Irene. She answered directly, "Irene is Count Altair's private property."

As for Vera, Altair simply didn't look at her.