Today was like any other; the sky over Backlund was still misty and gray.
Altair was still fast asleep when he realized something was wrong; he had already been bound by Vivian's spider silk.
Looking at the smiling woman by the bed, Altair was filled with helplessness, grumbling inwardly: *Was it really necessary to go this far the moment you got back?*
When Altair couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried, he could only beg for mercy, "Vivian, can you let me go?"
Vivian, standing by the bed, flatly refused. "That won't do. I didn't expect you to cause such a stir after I'd been gone for less than half a month."
"Besides, your body is much more honest than your mouth."
As Vivian spoke, she used the spider silk to tease Altair.
"Don't... don't touch there."
This feeling of gauze-like friction was truly unbearable!
"Beg me."
She chuckled softly. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a magnetic rasp, with the end of her sentences trailing upward like a hook catching one's curiosity... "It seems your body has grown quite a bit while I was away these past two weeks."
..."What did you just feed me?"
"Something you should be eating, of course."
..."I can't take it anymore. Let's stop."
"No? Where exactly can't you take it?"
...Vivian's finger traced across Altair's chest as she said, "I've troubled you again this time to help me complete my 'Acting'."
Hearing this, Altair simply rolled his eyes at her.
Vivian stood up, controlling the'spider silk' to get dressed as she spoke. "I have some unfortunate news for you: the Demoness Sect knows about your situation."
"However, they haven't issued any follow-up instructions regarding you yet."
Vivian's dramatic pause made Altair's heart finally settle back into his chest. He sat up and said with a smile, "What can they do to me now? If they had moved against me right after my father passed away, I might have been afraid. But now, unless the Demoness Sect dispatches a 'Demigod'..."
Vivian turned to look at Altair and said with a smile, "It seems my Little Heart has grown up. Indeed, as you said, they are currently troubled by this matter as well."
"You are now an Earl of the Kingdom of Loen, the grandniece of a Demigod, and the largest shareholder of the Backlund New Industrial Park. If anything were to happen to you now, even George III wouldn't be able to clean up the mess for them."
"So, there's a high probability they will seek to cooperate with you later."
After Altair got dressed simply, he hugged Vivian from behind and said, "We'll talk about that later. After all, we can't decide what they choose to do."
"What about you? Why were you gone for half a month this time? Didn't you say it was a simple matter?"
Vivian turned around and said to Altair, "I can't tell you that."
After saying that, Vivian's expression turned somber as she asked, "I don't recall giving you the potion formula for 'Instigator'."
Altair felt quite awkward; he had thought he could hide it, but seeing Vivian's current state, he knew he had been over-optimistic. He said helplessly:
"After you left, I began Acting as an 'Assassin.' By the time the potion was fully digested and you still hadn't returned, I happened to have the 'Instigator' potion formula at home, so I had no choice but to advance on my own."
Vivian teased with a smile, "Given your recent actions, it seems your 'Instigator' potion is almost digested as well."
"However, I still suggest you slow down. I believe I told you that the 'Demoness Sect' has been looking for people who advance quickly lately. I don't feel like that's a good thing."
"And... are you ready to become a 'woman'?"
...It was close to noon when Altair and Vivian finally went downstairs for a meal.
In this manor, only Hahn was familiar with Vivian; Freya, Vera, and Irene didn't know her at all. Seeing her emerge from Altair's room shocked the three of them.
While eating, Vivian asked, "Are those three the maids Hahn found for you?"
Altair didn't choose to keep this a secret. Before she returned, he had already informed her via 'Magic Mirror Communication' about the addition of a female housekeeper and two personal maids. Besides, it was impossible to hide three living people.
"Yes, they are. I believe I've introduced them to you: the one with the outstanding temperament is 'Freya,' the one with the cold personality is 'Irene,' and the cute-looking one next to them is 'Vera'."
Vivian began to cut the steak on her plate fiercely with her knife, not stopping until the plate screeched. She said, "It seems Hahn has quite a lot of opinions about me."
Seeing Vivian's behavior, Altair immediately put down his utensils and watched her, fearing she might do something out of line or cause an accident.
After a long while, Vivian finally sighed.
"Forget it, his approach wasn't wrong either."
She then turned to look at Altair and said bluntly, "Keep eating!"
Seeing that Vivian had calmed down, Altair picked up his knife and continued his meal.
He was genuinely afraid of her sudden emotional shift. Just because Vivian was nice to him didn't mean he could let his guard down; she was a genuine Demoness!
...After seeing Vivian off, the frightened Freya and the others gathered around and asked, "Count Altair, who was that person just now? Her attitude and expression toward us were terrifying."
Listening to the three of them, Altair pondered for a moment before answering directly, "She is Count Altair's wife. Her temperament isn't very good, so be careful when you encounter her in the future."
Watching Altair walk away, Vera complained in a low voice, "What? Count Altair is lying. She's clearly a girl just like us, yet he calls her his wife. He's making fun of us again."
The other two didn't respond to Vera's complaint. Altair's words were well-evidenced by the sounds coming from the room when they had tried to wake him this morning.
After Freya and Irene finished their thoughts, they both looked at Vera and thought, *Just as Altair said, being an 'Optimist' is quite nice.*
Then the two of them glanced at each other, sparks practically flying between them. They rolled their eyes at one another and left the spot.
When Vera saw the two of them leave, she realized they hadn't joined her in complaining about Altair's behavior as they usually did.
After the two left, Vera could only follow them dejectedly... In the afternoon, when Altair stepped out of the study, he saw Vera playing with 'Black Panther' alone. He immediately asked, "Vera, where are the others?"
When Vera heard the voice behind her, she flinched and patted her chest. Turning around, she said, "Count Altair, my sister and Freya are doing who-knows-what. They actually won't play with me today."
Vera's words didn't strike Altair as odd. Instead, he stared directly at the corner of her mouth and said, "Don't keep stealing 'Black Panther's' snacks. Didn't I give you 10 pounds? You can buy some good ones for yourself."
Hearing Altair's words, Vera immediately turned around to wipe the crumbs from her mouth and said, "The root cause is that the 'Backlund Pet Care Company' made these little biscuits way too delicious."
The little biscuits Vera mentioned were pet treats made from flour, vegetables, meat, and water.
Altair hadn't tasted them himself, but they smelled delicious.
For ordinary people in this era, even sour-tasting 'black bread' was considered a treat, let alone high-quality pet food made with better ingredients.