Mystery: But the Witch's Path

Chapter 38 Hunting Feast

Altair walked along the road, holding a parasol, muttering to himself, "What was George III thinking? Hunting in the summer? Doesn't he know how hot it is?"

.......

"Alter, over here."

Upon entering the main tent, Altair heard someone calling him. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Heather Grant calling him.

When Altair walked to the table, he found Heather Grant had already taken out a deck of cards and said, "Come play a few rounds of 'Fight Evil' with us."

Looking at the 'playing cards' in her hand, Altair couldn't help but want to laugh.

Russell copied everything and claimed it as his own invention. If nobody knows this, it's fine; but if someone does, it's quite amusing.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to not change the name when I copied it, so that whoever designed it could be identified, thus avoiding being discovered later.

At the same time, I'm also curious whether, two and a half years later, when 'Klein' sees those items and the designer's name, he will come looking for 'them' directly.

.........

"A 9"

"A 10"

Since Altair had nothing better to do, he simply sat down and started playing "Fighting Evil" with Heather and the others.

Looking at the cards in his hand, he randomly picked one and threw it away, then asked curiously, "What's going on with this 'hunt'? Why is it being held in the summer?"

Tiffany O'Neill glanced at the cards on the table, threw down a King, and said, "I heard it's related to the Third Prince, 'Edsack'."

Heather tapped the table to indicate that she had already said no and couldn't afford it, and casually said, "Actually, it's nothing big, just to create some buzz for 'Edessaker'."

Heather's words puzzled Altair, who immediately asked, "Is this a move to determine the successor to the throne ahead of time?"

Heather looked at him and said with a smile, "Why do you think it's about the succession to the throne? Couldn't it be something else?"

"For example: support a prince and let him compete for power with the eldest prince."

Listening to Heather's explanation, Altair sighed in admiration. This method of balancing power in the court is used everywhere.

Now it all depends on whether anyone gets involved. If they bet right, they'll be credited with helping others succeed; if they bet wrong, their entire family will be wiped out.

"Tap tap tap"

The sound of Heather tapping the table interrupted Altair's thoughts.

Looking at Altair, Heather said slowly, "Why haven't you played your card yet? You need to concentrate."

After glancing at the cards on the table, Altair immediately pulled out a 7.

"A 10, I won! Pay up!" Heather laughed happily.

Altair's thoughtful gesture won them the victory; he casually pulled two one-pound bills from his wallet and handed them to Heather and Tiffany.

After taking the money from Altair, Heather began to reshuffle the cards and calmly said...

"That's why I called you here to play cards with me. Owen and Rafe both told me to keep an eye on you and watch over you during this time. No matter what happens, don't get involved. You're just an ordinary nobleman now."

"Okay, stop thinking about those unimportant things. They'll take care of it; it won't affect our mood for playing cards."

I'm just an "ordinary nobleman," and they won't let me participate. Am I being targeted?

They are also one of the "ordinary nobles" of that family, yet they are so special. Family members have served in the military for many years, leaving behind strong connections within the army. They are already quite wealthy, and now they are in charge of the construction of a new industrial zone.

Whether it's political or social influence, it has tremendous power.

There's only one person left in my family, so this is a perfect resource for 'assistance'.

..........

Altair was utterly defeated in the battle against evil this morning. He felt like a child in front of Heather, and all his thoughts were easily detected.

It's a gamble where nine out of ten bets result in a loss. If it weren't for Tiffany being at the bottom, Altair would have thought his "audience" ability had failed.

Through his "mind-reading" ability, Altair could only discern Tiffany's thoughts.

It had absolutely no effect on Heather; it was as if she had a built-in "magic-suppressing field".

Heather patted Altair on the shoulder and said, "Still daydreaming? Let's go~ The luncheon is about to start, and if we're late, those people will say we're rude."

.......

"Alter, you can try this; it's a pretty good dessert."

"Indeed, it's less sweet than other desserts."

........

The luncheon is an open-style dining event where everyone helps themselves and there are no servants.

This method was, of course, invented by Russell and passed down from Intis.

It is said that Rosell did not like the traditional aristocratic dining style, believing it to be too formal. At one banquet, he ordered the guests to serve themselves.

For this, Altair has to give Rosell a thumbs up.

If dining is to be done in the traditional way, the order should be from highest to lowest social status.

When meals are served, it is the king who is served first, followed by princes, dukes, earls, viscounts, and barons.

The king never waited until everyone had been served food by servants before he began to eat.

Instead, once it's served to me, I eat it, and when I'm done, I clear the table and order another serving.

With so many people, the nobles at the bottom of the social hierarchy would go hungry. They would have to sneak off to the kitchen to find food after the banquet.

.......

As the afternoon sun began to set, the young men, unable to contain their restless hearts, would race horses in the sweltering summer heat.

Heather led Altair into the VIP box, where they gazed at the horses galloping at full speed.

The summer heat kept Altair fanning himself, oblivious to everything else.

Heather turned to look when she heard Altair fanning himself with a strong wind.

He cast an approving glance at his actions and then said, "It seems it's quite good to have you with me; at least I don't have to fan myself anymore."

Altair said expressionlessly, "When will this banquet end?! I'm feeling really awful right now."

His complaints went unanswered by Heather, who instead laughed and said, "You can't take it now? There's more tonight that will make you suffer even more."

"What else is planned for tonight?"

Altair immediately stopped what he was doing and asked in confusion, but after thinking for a moment, he muttered to himself, "Could it be about 'Edesak'? But didn't my uncle and the others say they would handle this?"

"Of course there's a reason, and it might not be just him," Heather affirmed, then explained:

"You're now the target of all the young nobles in Backlund. Look at those young people in the distance, all dressed up so extravagantly; a large part of the reason they're after you is because of them."

"If you don't believe me, you can try it tonight. You'll definitely be the center of attention at the ball."