"Ugh…this feels awkward."Grumbling to myself, I tried to hide behind a banquet table full of food and gorge on the delicacies they had there. Balancing on one hand a plate of seafood, which ranged from succulent prawns, fresh fish and tasty c.o.c.kles topped with sauce, and trying to shove them into my mouth on the other, I kept an eye out for curious "n.o.bles" and upper-cla.s.s people who wondered what a peasant like me was doing in their midst.
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Fortunately, I had an old dark blue suit with a light blue s.h.i.+rt for the occasion, so if anything I looked the part even if I didn"t feel like it. Not to mention I was actually sporting a tacky penguin tie. A black tie with dozens of dancing penguins painted onto the silky fabric. If anyone looked closely, they would be laughing at how ridiculous my tie was, but fortunately I was keeping my distance. I wasn"t sure how the proper etiquette for a formal ceremony was supposed to be like, so it was best if I distanced myself from the high-cla.s.s dudes before they figured out that I didn"t belong here. As you would expect from a Chinese-themed story, they would more often than not be arrogant young masters looking to bully people they deemed inferior to them. Bonus points if they attacked me, I defeated them, and then they began to send a.s.sa.s.sins to kill me all because I "offended" them.
Fortunately, this was reality and I ran into no such cliché antagonists. Most of the upper-cla.s.s people were subtler than bluntly bulldozing their way in front of a lower-cla.s.s person and insulting them openly for not kneeling to them. Let"s be honest – most of the xianxia writers (whether it was in the modern setting or in an ancient fantasy setting or the future) had no idea how upper-cla.s.s people really behaved. Particularly in contemporary times and in futuristic settings, these upper-cla.s.s people waged wars cleverly with words, not bluntly bludgeon their victims with verbal abuse and arrogance. Yeah, they were arrogant, but they weren"t blunt and stupid. If they wanted to insult somebody, they would do it out of earshot, or at least not directly to the person"s faces. And they were smart enough to veil their criticisms in statements that didn"t sound like one, but at the same time still somehow held a tone condescending mockery.
There was a reason why they were upper-cla.s.s people. They were often more educated and less confrontational than their lower-cla.s.s counterparts. Unfortunately, many xianxia writers did not realize this and they tended to just blindly a.s.sume that upper cla.s.s arrogant young masters behaved exactly like street gangsters and low-cla.s.s hoodlums, swaggering around and demanding that everyone respect them or kneel to them just because they were from this gang or had this backer.
No, that was not how the educated elites worked. They relied on verbal subterfuge, quietly stabbing your back with veiled insults and criticisms, and not giving you the chance to accuse them of mocking you because of their carefully constructed statements that sounded almost as if they were stating a fact.
Like now, for example. I could a couple of rich-looking guys whispering to their gaudily dressed female consorts as they glanced covertly in my direction. I almost couldn"t tell that they were looking at me – so surrept.i.tious were their gazes that I almost missed them. Yet I couldn"t mistake the condescending giggles of the girls, who quickly avoided their eyes when I glanced at them. They evidently didn"t have the same practice as their male beaus, who were conversing with a more practiced, easy air.
They were all carrying wine-gla.s.ses instead of plates of food, and were laughing as they enjoyed sips from their gla.s.ses. Actually, I was one of the few who were indulging in the feast. Most of the guests left the food untouched. That was probably why that group of youngsters (around my age) regarded me with derision.
I ignored them and focused on my food. If they didn"t want to eat the awesome seafood here, then it was their loss.
"Big brother! You came!"
I glanced up at the familiar voice. Adrian was bouncing toward me, accompanied by Alicia and Cecilia. Both girls were dressed in luxurious evening gowns that accentuated their figures, and their hair were tied up fas.h.i.+onably into elegant buns. Alicia was dressed in a light lavender gown that matched her dark purple hair, while Cecilia chose a midnight black dress that matched her long, dark hair. I tried not to ogle at them, despite being aware that the majority of the male population in the banquet hall had their gazes instinctively drawn to them. They were practically G.o.ddesses of beauty descended from the heavens to grace us mortals.
In comparison, Adrian was dressed in a maroon suit with a crimson tie and white s.h.i.+rt. We looked like rivals, come to think of it, blue and red. I would have preferred a black suit, but Dad reprimanded me for having a wardrobe full of black clothing, and forced me to choose other colors.
"Yeah, I heard from Alicia that you asked for me." After speaking to Adrian, I turned and nodded toward the girls in way of greeting. I had separated from Alicia when she told me that she had to go greet some familiar faces, and I didn"t want to make things awkward for her, so I decided to hide at the banquet table. "You guys want some food?"
"Hmm…" Cecilia muttered a negative, while Adrian nodded happily and skipped toward the banquet table before I could stop him, unaware of the amused gazes the other upper-cla.s.s elites were sending him. Ah…to be young.
"I"ve got a plate for you too…" I gave a second plate that I had placed on a nearby table to Alicia, who graciously accepted it.
"Thank you. I was just getting hungry." whether it was from politeness or she honestly was looking forward to a meal, Alicia took the fork I gave her and began gracefully placing small chunks of seafood into her mouth.
While she did so, Cecilia turned toward me and bowed.
"I would like to thank you for the other day. I didn"t get a chance to do so, and I apologize for leaving it until so late…but I"m glad you can make it here today." Cecilia straightened up, and for the first time I caught a smile on her face. "Thank you very much for helping my cousin."
"No, it"s nothing." I shook my head. "I should be the one thanking you for helping me against the Frost Wyvern."
"You would have been able to handle that yourself even if I wasn"t there." Cecilia turned to Alicia and shrugged. "Did you see his arrow technique?"
"Yeah…that was pretty powerful." Alicia giggled. "I told you Richard was gifted."
"I did believe you. As expected of the man who defeated me." Cecilia was gracious enough not to mention that it was a fluke. When Adrian returned, she turned toward him sternly. "Don"t forget to thank Richard for helping you." she then straightened up and bowed to me and Alicia. "You"ll have to excuse me. I"ll need to go greet some of my relatives."
"Her uncle is the one opening this hotel," Alicia explained helpfully as Cecilia left. That made sense. I remembered this was the opening ceremony of Stuart Hotel, and apparently Cecilia"s uncle ran the subsidiary of Stuart Corporations that handled hotel amenities and services. Alicia then pointed out a man in a gray suit. "There he is."
"I see." I nodded vaguely and concentrated on eating. Beside me, Adrian chimed in.
"Thanks, Big Brother!"
"Hmm?" I glanced at him, a little surprised.
"For saving me back then," Adrian explained as he tucked into his meal. "I never got the chance to thank you properly."
"It"s nothing. I was only doing what anyone else would have done."
"Heh…your magic is amazing, though. I don"t think anyone would be able to fight a horde of monsters on their own!"
"Technically, I wasn"t alone. I had my Constellation spirits with me."
As we sparred verbally, soft, soothing music began to drift into the hall. A number of couples began waltzing into the stage in the middle, swaying gently to the beat.
"Shall we?" Alicia asked, putting down her plate and holding out her hand. I stared at her dumbly.
"You do know I don"t dance, right?"
"There"s always a first time. Come on."
She grabbed my hand and pulled me gently but firmly. Resigned, I decided to go along with her, leaving my plate with a grinning Adrian (I really wanted to punch the smirk off that kid) and awkwardly placing my hand around her waist as she directed.
"This dance is pretty easy," Alicia a.s.sured me. "Just follow my lead and you"ll be fine."
"Uh…if you say so…"
While we were slowly spinning across the dance floor, Cecilia had already strode up to her uncle and greeted him with a respectful bow.
"Congratulations on opening a new hotel, Uncle Stewart," she said.
Stewart Stuart beamed brightly as he took in the beautiful image of his niece. A middle-aged man in his early forties, he was dressed in an elegant brown suit with a matching tie.
"Thank you, Cecilia. It"s good to see you again." he smiled, genuinely pleased. He then lifted his gaze to watch me and Alicia, and frowned. "Isn"t that young man the guy who defeated you a couple of months ago?"
"…indeed." Cecilia maintained a neutral tone, but there was a flicker in her eyes.
"Ha ha!" Stewart chuckled. "I thought you would take him for yourself? Didn"t you declare that you will take the first man your age who can defeat you as your lover? What happened to that?"
"As you can see, he has already been taken," Cecilia replied calmly with a shrug. "I"m not the kind of despicable woman who steals the boyfriend of someone else. And Alicia is a good friend."
"Really?" The middle-aged man a.s.sessed Alicia, who was smiling and leading me in a simple waltz. He nodded, impressed by her beauty and elegance. "Yes, that young lady from the Violet family will be a formidable opponent. But since when does that stop you from taking what you want?" he lowered his voice. "You"re the young mistress of our Stuart family. If you just will it, he will be yours. The Violet family is nothing compared to us."
"You know that is not how I do things," Cecilia said stiffly, narrowing her eyes. "And disregarding my declaration, there are plenty of other suitable candidates. I do not see why I must be fixated on Richard Huang alone."
"Wasn"t he the one who exterminated an entire horde of rank F and rank E monsters on his own, and slew a rank D monster by himself? Quite an impressive feat for someone his age." Stewart was pondering as he rubbed his bearded chin. "While I"m sure that there are quite a few young men his age capable of similar feats, don"t forget that he is the adopted son of Huang Shun Yin, the Angel of Fire."
"So what? It"s not like he"s directly descended from Huang Shun Yin. He"s not even a pure-blooded summoner. Besides, I want to choose who I love."
"And that young man is not someone you"ve chosen."
"…no." Cecilia closed her eyes. Then she opened them and watched Alicia and me slowly twirling around. "He has already made his choice, and I will respect it."
"…I see." Stewart nodded thoughtfully and then sighed in resignation. "If that is your decision, then I will say nothing more regarding this matter. Just make sure you don"t regret it."
"Oh…" Cecilia smiled coldly. Stewart actually s.h.i.+vered a little when he saw the iciness in her glacial eyes. "I"m sure I"ll regret it more if I force the issue, destroy my friends.h.i.+p with Alicia, and unreasonably push him into having a loveless relations.h.i.+p with me."