Chapter 472 - 217: "Hi, Wife!

Grev Castle.

The Banquet Hall.

An incredibly lavish banquet had been prepared.

This lavishness wasn’t just evident in the exquisite, gleaming silverware on the tables, but also in the sheer number of people.

Since Daeli had only brought Elvire and hadn’t notified anyone—not even the Potter Earl Family—it was considered something of an incognito visit. Viscount Mockray, of course, understood the implication. He didn’t invite any so-called relatives or friends, instead having Howard organize the event as a private family dinner.

Therefore, not many people were actually seated at the table: just the sisters Daeli and Elvire, Viscount and Viscountess Mockray and their son Howard, and Howard’s two friends, who had yet to arrive.

The large number of people was, in fact, the maids and waiters serving the banquet.

Three attendants stood behind each seat: one to pour wine, one to serve dishes, and another to promptly replace a guest’s cutlery and napkin.

To liven up the atmosphere, Viscount Mockray had even specially arranged for the most attractive maids in the castle to change their clothes and come dance.

The pianist had been hired for the occasion.

Viscount Mockray had heard that Daeli Duke was fond of classical light music, so he had specifically found a Reshaper who could play the piano to perform music from the Era of Polymath.

The piece currently playing was one such example.

Two maids were also performing a ballet duet on the side, their movements so graceful they were no less skilled than professional dancers.

Daeli watched, feeling an urge to laugh.

It wasn’t that she found it strange. Rather, she was surprised that the Grev Family’s maids were so multi-talented, which prompted her to make a small joke.

"It seems the Grev Family’s skills aren’t limited to cultivating Witch Wood."

The implication being, they were also quite skilled at training maids.

Viscount Mockray laughed it off and looked at Howard. "This is all this rascal’s doing."

"My son doesn’t know much, but he sure knows how to have fun."

"He personally trained all these maids when he had nothing better to do."

Daeli smiled faintly.

Howard’s mouth twitched.

’Old man, why do you have to tell everyone everything!’

’Don’t I have an image to maintain?’

Ordinarily, he would have fired back a retort or two at his old father. But with distinguished guests present, he couldn’t exactly put on a show of filial piety. He could only shoot Mockray a sullen glance, looking for all the world like a wronged young bride, which made his mother beside the Viscount break into a suppressed chuckle.

One piece ended, and another began immediately.

Two different maids came up to continue the dancing.

A long line of maids was still waiting outside the door.

Daeli, for her part, was accustomed to this form of "entertainment." After all, in the early days of the Era of Polymath, the internet had not yet become widespread. In that regard, it was even more "backward" than the current Farm World. Concepts like "playing games" or "scrolling through videos" simply didn’t exist. Back then, the best way for people to pass the time after work was to go see a circus performance.

The wealthy would simply keep a circus troupe of their own.

Howard training the maids had a similar flavor to it. This suggested that he, too, was a Reshaper, and one whose memories were relatively intact. Like most Reshapers with complete memories, he still maintained various habits from the Era of Polymath.

Elvire, however, had no interest in any of this.

For one, she had been born a few years after Daeli. By the time her memories began, the Era of Polymath was already an age where technology and Mysticism coexisted. She’d had a mobile phone since she was little. Though by today’s standards the phone was terrible and its memory pathetically small—often, downloading a single game would fill it up, and you’d have to delete an old one to play something new, which was a hassle.

But no matter how much of a hassle it was, Elvire still found it more interesting than a circus.

The second reason was that in this life, she lived in the Farm World.

The Farm World had only technology, no Mysticism—most people were unaware of the existence of Wizards, so life was naturally more "modern." Elvire liked this modernity. Two people could talk without needing to meet. Watching maids dance was nowhere near as interesting as texting Sean.

Elvire yawned out of boredom.

She didn’t understand why her sister liked classical music.

’Is it because she’s feeling nostalgic and misses some guy named Carl Black?’

’He’s just an old scumbag, what’s there to miss...’ Elvire thought.

Viscount Mockray noticed the young lady’s expression and knew it was time for the pre-dinner entertainment to end and the banquet to begin.

Daeli Duke’s sister was also a distinguished guest; they couldn’t allow her to grow impatient.

So, he raised his wrist to glance at his watch and said with a smile, "It’s about time. Everyone must be hungry. Shall I have the servants bring out the food?"

Elvire really wanted to nod.

She was indeed a little hungry.

But Daeli shot her a glance, signaling for the girl to be patient. This wasn’t their home; proper etiquette had to be observed. She smiled and said, "There’s no hurry."

"Aren’t there still two guests who haven’t arrived?"

"Let’s wait a little longer."

During her earlier chat with Mockray and the others, she had learned that two of Howard’s friends would also be attending the banquet.

Daeli could guess at Howard’s little scheme. It was nothing more than wanting his good friends to make an appearance before the Blazing Angel Family. This was a common maneuver in aristocratic circles and not a major issue, so Daeli said nothing, treating it as a gesture of goodwill toward the future head of the Grev Family.

Most of the time, she was quite easygoing, a fact that Viscount Mockray had also discerned.

However...

Being too accommodating wasn’t always a good thing.

Viscount Mockray had deliberately avoided mentioning Howard’s two friends, hoping to gloss over their absence. It was better for them not to come at all than to arrive late and make Daeli Duke wait, leaving a bad impression. That would be better for everyone.