Hunger

Before the luncheon was over, Altair was already feeling unwell and could no longer bear it. So, after the luncheon, he did not stay to accept the afternoon tea invitation, but instead took his leave.

Altair stood at the villa entrance, bid farewell to the Hall family, and then boarded the carriage behind him, leaving the Hall Family manor directly.

Watching the carriage depart, Earl Hall smiled and turned to Audrey, saying, "My little princess, how about we have a chat alone?"

Audrey, with a sly look on her face, said of her father's current state, "A chat is fine, but I feel my study is missing some 'useful' magical items."

Earl Hall, without changing his expression, said:

"I think so too. Coincidentally, the butler recently received a ' Special Headband ' from the Fourth Era period, which is said to bring good luck to the wearer. I think you should need it now."

Upon hearing that it was such a wonderful thing, Audrey was overjoyed and left with the Earl Hall.

Hibbert looked at the two people leaving with mixed feelings in his heart, including relief, emotion, worry and longing.

Seeing her eldest son's current state, Caitlyn Hall stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If Altair isn't suitable, we can find another one. If we keep looking, we might find someone more suitable."

After listening to his mother's advice, Hibbert but did not reply. The two then left the villa together.

Meanwhile, Audrey and Earl Hall had finished their conversation in the study.

Audrey simply repeated Altair's "marriage considerations" to her father. After listening to these words, Earl Hall fell into deep thought.

Audrey, however, thought about the second half of what she hadn't yet said and began to look troubled, considering whether or not to tell her father.

Because these "comments and suggestions" are hardly anything nice, even though their essence stems from "concern."

But Altair's words clearly implied that Hibbert might be suffering from a certain "mental illness," and that it was caused by family issues. If this matter wasn't handled properly, the best outcome would be for the two families to never speak to each other again, and it would be normal for them to become sworn enemies.

In an instant, the once lively study fell into a deathly silence.

After finishing his thoughts, Earl Hall looked up and saw Audrey looking troubled, so he asked, "Is there anything else?"

Upon hearing the question, Audrey seemed to have considered it carefully. She closed her eyes and gave Earl Hall the "second half of her assessment," adding, "Father, Sister Altair only said that because she was worried about Hibbert's health. Please don't blame her..."

Upon hearing Altair's assessment of Hibbert, Earl Hall abruptly stood up, nearly fainting from anger. But after a few seconds, he sat back down, patted his frustrated chest, and said to Audrey:

"Don't tell anyone about this. Just pretend it never happened."

"Go back to your room first. I'll have the housekeeper bring your things to you later."

Audrey nodded, but still hesitated before saying to the Earl Hall, "Should we arrange for a doctor to examine Hibbert? After all, if it's true, it's better to treat him as soon as possible."

Earl Hall, however, paid no attention and instead emitted a long "hmm~" sound through his nose.

Looking at her father's current state, Audrey regretted saying those words, but she could only turn away helplessly, leave the study, and return to her room.

Not long after, Caitlyn Hall entered the study. Looking at her husband's current state, she comforted him, "If it doesn't work out, we'll try another one. Altair isn't the only Altair noblewoman in Bexland right now."

"What do you think of that the Young Lady of the Lockhart Family? They seem to be a good match, their personalities complement each other, and they're of similar social standing. I think they'd give it a try."

After the Earl Hall recovered, he relayed Altair's assessment to Caitlyn.

After hearing her husband's words, she immediately abandoned her long-cherished aristocratic manners and cursed Altair, saying, "What does she mean by Altair? She's just... But even if the deal falls through, we should still be on good terms. What right does she have to curse my son?"

After finishing his tirade, he grabbed Earl Hall's arm and said anxiously, "This can't be real, can it? I... shouldn't we get a doctor for Hibbert right now...?"

While Caitlyn Hall was raging, Altair, far away in the carriage, felt increasingly unwell, so he bent over slightly and lowered his head to endure it.

But his temper gradually flared up, and he had a urge to vent his frustrations on all the sounds of vehicles and horses, wanting to destroy or kill anything or anyone that made those sounds.

He felt an instinctive predatory urge towards Irene beside him. As time passed, this desire grew stronger, and he even began to hear a constant buzzing sound in his ears.

Altair's change naturally caught the attention of his personal maid, Irene. She repeatedly asked, "Count Altair, what's wrong? Are you feeling particularly unwell? Should we go to the hospital now?"

Altair didn't reply to any of her inquiries. It wasn't until Irene was about to tell the driver to change course that Altair reached out and grabbed her, slowly raising his head and saying, "No need to go to the hospital. Tell the driver to speed up and go straight back to the manor."

From Irene's perspective, looking at Altair, one would see that her eyes were red and her two upper canines were protruding, becoming longer and sharper, making her look like Vampire from legend.

When Irene first saw Altair's change, she was also startled, but she recovered within a few seconds. She immediately patted the carriage and instructed the driver to speed up and return to the manor.

Upon hearing Irene's words, Altair loosened his tightly clenched hands and lowered his head again, enduring the pain. The coachman, upon receiving the order, began to whip the horses harder.

The carriage had just entered the manor and arrived at the villa's entrance. Before it had even come to a complete stop, Altair opened the door, jumped out, and hurriedly entered the villa. Irene followed closely Altair.

Upon entering the villa, Altair went straight to the second floor and entered a special wine room. After searching around, he picked up a bottle of "wine" with a special mark and drank it down in large gulps without regard for his image.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the color of the liquid flowing from Altair's mouth is extremely strange; it is darker and redder than the color of wine.

Irene, who followed closely behind into the room, looked at the scene before her with a strange expression. She didn't say anything, but silently turned and left the room, closing the door behind her and waiting outside.