At the dining table, the atmosphere was a little strange.
Leo kept his head down, staring intently at the steak on his plate as if trying to bore a hole through it.
He held his knife and fork, cutting mechanically, but hadn’t taken a single bite in a long time.
Every time his gaze accidentally swept over Ailiya, who stood nearby refilling water, he would flinch as if electrocuted and quickly look away, a suspicious blush creeping up to the roots of his ears.
The lingering embarrassment of the “trash can digging” incident was clearly still tormenting this prideful young master.
“The tailoring on this formal suit is quite good.”
Madame Elsa set down her teacup, her gaze lingering on Leo’s deep blue suit—which fit him perfectly and even subtly hinted at the style of a tactical trench coat—a hint of approval flashing in her eyes.
“The main family’s tailor may be arrogant, but their craftsmanship is passable.”
“Cough… Ailiya altered it,” Leo muttered sullenly. “There was a problem with the clothes when the main family sent them.”
“Oh?”
Madame Elsa raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t press for details.
Given her experience, she could naturally guess at Cedric’s petty little tricks.
She turned her head, her gaze falling on Ailiya, scrutinizing her immaculate black-and-white maid’s outfit from head to toe.
“Since Leo’s clothes are now sorted out, next we need to deal with your problem, Ailiya.”
Madame Elsa’s lips curled into a meaningful smile, like a fox that had found an interesting toy.
“My problem?”
Ailiya bowed slightly, her tone flat.
“Madame, my maid uniform is very clean, with no damage whatsoever. It is more than sufficient for handling cleaning and logistics duties as an attendant tomorrow evening.”
“That won’t do.”
Madame Elsa shook her head, setting down her napkin.
“Tonight is not only Cedric’s coming-of-age ceremony, but also Leo’s first formal appearance in the royal capital. As his personal guard and head maid, this outfit is neat enough, but in a gathering of nobles and elites, it would make our Kastian Manor look too shabby.”
Madame Elsa stood up, her tone carrying an unyielding authority.
“By my calculations, there are still four hours until the banquet officially begins. That’s plenty of time. Come with me, Ailiya.”
Ailiya frowned slightly.
She was about to find an excuse to refuse, but seeing Elsa’s teasing expression, and remembering the resource map of the Extreme Cold Land still in her own pocket…
“…As you wish.”
Ailiya sighed inwardly, ultimately choosing to compromise.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
To achieve bloodline awakening, occasionally playing dress-up doll seemed tolerable.
Inside Madame Elsa’s room, it was like a small, luxurious dressing room.
Several massive magic wardrobes stood open, filled with all kinds of luxurious evening gowns.
“This red one is too gaudy, not suitable for your cool temperament…”
“This purple one has too much lace, it will hinder movement…”
Madame Elsa picked and chose in front of the wardrobe, completely immersed in some kind of older woman’s playful mischief.
Ailiya, like a soulless puppet, stood expressionless in front of the huge full-length mirror, letting Elsa hold up several dresses to compare against her.
“Found it. This one.”
Madame Elsa’s eyes lit up. She took out a deep blue off-shoulder evening gown from the depths of the wardrobe.
The fabric of this gown was extremely special, woven from the silk of a high-grade water elemental beast. Under the glow of the magic lamps, it seemed to flow like a river of stars, radiating a mysterious, deep luster.
“Put it on. This was one I wore to banquets in the royal capital when I was young. It’s a bit old, but the style is still classic. Your figure is a bit slimmer than mine was back then, so it should fit you perfectly.”
Ailiya glanced at the elaborate gown with its floor-length skirt and frowned even deeper.
In this outfit, even running fast would risk tripping over her own feet.
“Madame, this dress has too much resistance to movement.”
Madame Elsa shoved the dress into her arms.
“Go change behind the screen.”
“At the banquet, you only need to stand quietly. If something unexpected really happens, even if this dress gets torn, I’m sure you can handle it with your skills.”
***
Meanwhile, in the living room on the first floor.
Leo was getting bored waiting.
He leaned over the coffee table, randomly picked up a knight’s travelogue from the bookshelf, and started flipping through it.
“…The brave knight drew the holy sword and cut off the head of the evil dragon. The beautiful princess wept for joy, threw herself into the knight’s arms, and the two shared a passionate kiss under the starry sky…”
Leo read the cliché plot and made a “tsk tsk” sound of disdain.
“This kind of cliché is way too fake. Real monsters aren’t that easy to deal with. And women… they wouldn’t throw themselves into your arms; instead, they’d give you a shoulder throw.”
A flash of Ailiya’s icy face crossed Leo’s mind, and he couldn’t help but shudder.
Just as he was looking at the illustration in the novel and preparing to turn the page, a very light footstep sounded from the staircase on the second floor.
“Leo, we can leave now.”
Elsa’s voice rang out.
Leo responded casually and looked up absentmindedly.
But when his gaze landed on the figure slowly descending the stairs, he froze completely.
The knight’s travelogue in his hand fell to the floor with a thump, but he didn’t even notice.
Walking behind Elsa was a figure that seemed to have stepped out of a river of stars.
The deep blue off-shoulder evening gown fit Ailiya’s body perfectly, showcasing her slender waist and elegant curves that had been hidden by the maid uniform.
Large patches of snow-white skin, set against the dark fabric, were dazzling and impossible to look away from.
Her short silver-white hair had been restyled by Madame Elsa, and the mithril bird hairpin at her ear glittered with a cold light under the magic lamps, complementing her ice-blue eyes.
Without the stiff maid outfit, Ailiya at this moment was breathtakingly beautiful, radiating a dangerously contradictory aura—a blend of coldness and deadly allure.
Leo was stunned.
He stood with his mouth open, staring blankly as Ailiya descended the stairs step by step.
His mind went completely blank; all vocabulary lost its meaning in that instant, and he could only hear the thunderous pounding of his own heart in his chest.
Ailiya reached the living room and stopped.
She tugged uncomfortably at the somewhat tight neckline, then turned her head, her ice-blue eyes coldly sweeping over Leo, who stood there like an idiot with his mouth hanging open.
“Young Master.”
Ailiya’s voice was the same familiar tone, instantly snapping Leo back from his rosy fantasies.
“If your drool has already reached your chin, I recommend you go to the kitchen and grab a dishrag to wipe it off.”
“I… I wasn’t drooling!”
Leo snapped back to reality as if shocked, frantically wiping the corner of his mouth.
Although he wiped nothing, his face was already red as a ripe tomato, even his neck flushed crimson.
“I just… I just think this dress… it’s too strange! It doesn’t suit you at all!”
Leo stubbornly insisted, his voice defensive, but he didn’t dare let his gaze rest on Ailiya for even a second, like a guilty thief.
“Since the Young Master finds it strange, that works out perfectly.”
Ailiya turned expressionlessly to Elsa and said:
“Madame, the Young Master’s aesthetic clearly cannot accept this extremely cumbersome attire. To avoid affecting his mood at the banquet, I request permission to change back into my maid uniform.”
“No way.”
How could Madame Elsa not see through her son’s little thoughts?
She suppressed a smile and firmly grabbed Ailiya’s arm.
“I think it’s absolutely perfect. That boy just hasn’t adjusted yet. Time is running short. Butler, prepare the carriage.”
The luxurious carriage carrying the three departed from the villa and merged into the stream of traffic heading toward the Capital Central Square.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was eerily quiet.
Leo sat opposite Ailiya, his entire body stiff as a board.
His gaze remained fixed on the wooden floor of the carriage; occasionally, when the carriage jostled, a stray glimpse would inevitably catch the deep blue skirt and the pale, snow-white shoulder exposed to the air, causing his heart to skip a beat uncontrollably.
Ailiya, on the other hand, leaned by the window, her ice-blue eyes calmly watching the increasingly bustling nightscape of the royal capital outside, seemingly oblivious to the restless adolescent pheromones in the carriage.
The carriage passed through the brightly lit Central Avenue of the royal capital night and came to a slow stop in front of the bustling Grand Hall.
The door opened, and Ailiya followed behind Leo as they stepped into the banquet hall, lit as bright as day by the gorgeous crystal chandeliers.
Her gaze swept past the crowd and landed on Cedric, who stood on the steps greeting guests.
Tonight, Cedric wore a brand-new gold-trimmed formal suit, with a pure gold family emblem pinned to his chest. He exuded an air of smug self-satisfaction from head to toe.
His gaze passed over Leo, and when it fell on Ailiya, a hint of undisguised admiration flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly masked by his usual practiced smile as he began exchanging pleasantries with Leo.