Before the luncheon had even ended, Altair found the abnormality in her body becoming unbearable. Therefore, as soon as the luncheon concluded, she chose not to stay for the afternoon tea invitation and directly took her leave.
Standing at the entrance of the villa, Altair bid farewell to the Holst Family, then immediately boarded the carriage behind her and left the Hall family manor.
Watching the carriage depart, Earl Hall turned with a smile to look at Audrey and said, "My little princess, how about we father and daughter have a private chat?"
Seeing her father's current demeanor, Audrey said with a sly look, "A chat is fine, but I feel like my study is still missing some 'useful' mystical items."
Earl Hall's expression remained unchanged as he said:
"I think so too. It just so happens that the butler recently received a'Special Headband' from the Fourth Epoch. It's said to bring good luck to the wearer; I think you should need it right now."
Upon hearing about such a good item, Audrey happily followed Earl Hall away from the spot.
Hibbert looked at the two departing figures, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions—gratification, reflection, worry, and longing.
Seeing her eldest son's current state, Caitlin Hall stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and comforted him, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If Altair doesn't work out, we can find someone else. If we keep looking, we might find someone more suitable."
Hearing his Mother's advice, Hibbert nodded but chose not to reply. Then, the two of them left the villa entrance together.
Meanwhile, in the study, Audrey Hall and Earl Hall had already finished their exchange.
Audrey repeated Altair's 'marriage considerations' to her father. After hearing these words, Earl Hall fell into deep thought.
Audrey, however, thought of the second half of the conversation that she hadn't mentioned yet. Her expression became troubled as she considered whether or not to tell her father.
Because these 'evaluations and suggestions' were really not pleasant words, even if the underlying motivation was 'concern'.
But Altair's words clearly implied that Hibbert likely suffered from a certain 'mental illness,' and one caused by family reasons at that. If this matter wasn't handled well, the best outcome would be the two families never speaking again; becoming blood rivals would be normal.
For a moment, the previously lively study fell into a deathly silence.
After finishing his thoughts, Earl Hall looked up and saw Audrey's conflicted face, so he asked, "Is there something else?"
Hearing the question, Audrey seemed to have made up her mind. She closed her eyes and directly told Earl Hall the'second half of the evaluation,' adding, "Father, Sister Altair only said it because she's worried about Hibbert's health. Please don't blame her..."
Hearing Altair's evaluation of Hibbert, Earl Hall suddenly stood up, nearly dying of anger on the spot. But after a few seconds, he sat back down, patted his frustrated chest, and said to Audrey:
"Do not speak of this to anyone. Act as if it never happened."
"Go back to your room first. I'll have the butler bring the item to you in a moment."
Audrey nodded, but she still said to Earl Hall hesitantly, "Should we arrange for a doctor to check on Hibbert? After all, if it's true, it's better to treat it early."
Earl Hall, however, had no time to worry about that and simply let out a long nasal "Mhm~" sound.
Seeing her father's current state, Audrey slightly regretted saying those words, but now she could only helplessly turn around, leave the study, and return to her room.
Not long after, Caitlin Hall entered the study. Seeing her husband's current state, she offered comfort, "If it didn't succeed, we'll just find another. Altair isn't the only noble girl of age in Backlund right now."
"What do you think of that girl from the Lockhart family? I see their ages are suitable, their personalities could complement each other, and their status is similar. I think it's quite a good match; we could give it a try."
After Earl Hall returned to normal, he recounted Altair's evaluation to Caitlin.
After hearing her husband's words, she directly abandoned the noble upbringing she had maintained for years and cursed at Altair, "What does she, Altair, mean by this? It's just... even if the deal is off, the friendship should remain. What right does she have to curse my son?"
After finishing her rant, she reached out and grabbed Earl Hall's arm, saying anxiously, "This isn't true, is it? I... should we call a doctor for Hibbert right now..."
While Caitlin Hall was raging, Altair, far away in her carriage, felt her body becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She hunched over slightly, lowering her head to endure it.
However, her spirit was gradually becoming irritable. Every sound from the vehicle's movement and the horses' neighing triggered a desire to lash out, to destroy and kill every person or thing making noise.
Toward Irene beside her, she felt an instinctive predatory urge. As time passed, this desire grew stronger and stronger, and her ears even began to ring with a constant buzzing.
Altair's changes naturally caught the attention of her personal maid, Irene. Thus, she repeatedly asked, 'Countess Altair, what's wrong? Do you feel particularly unwell? Should we divert to the hospital right now?'
Altair didn't respond to any of her inquiries until Irene prepared to notify the coachman to divert. Altair suddenly reached out and grabbed her, slowly lifting her head and saying, "No need for a hospital. Tell the coachman to speed up and go directly back to the manor."
At this moment, from Irene's perspective, looking at Altair revealed that her pupils had turned red, and the two canines on her upper jaw had protruded, becoming longer and sharper, just like a legendary Vampire.
When Irene first saw Altair's transformation, she was startled, but she returned to normal within seconds. She immediately tapped on the carriage wall and ordered the coachman to speed up the return to the manor.
Hearing Irene's words, Altair released her tight grip and lowered her head to endure once more. Upon hearing the order, the coachman whipped the horses to accelerate.
The carriage had just driven into the manor and reached the villa entrance. Before it had even come to a full stop, Altair threw open the door, jumped out, and hurried into the villa. Irene followed closely behind her.
Upon entering the villa, Altair went straight to the second floor and into a special wine room. After rummaging around, she grabbed a bottle of 'wine' with a special mark and drank it in large gulps, regardless of her image.
Observing closely, one would see that the liquid flowing from the corners of Altair's mouth was of an extremely strange color—it was much deeper and redder than wine.
Irene, who had followed her into the room, looked at the scene with a strange expression. She chose not to say anything, but silently turned around, left the room, closed the door, and waited outside.