Chapter 121 - Unwanted Posh

Yuzu turned away from the balcony, heading to the far end of the hall where a large set of double doors was propped open, leading the way to a smaller room that had three rows of tables laid out with white tablecloths. The room was decorated with richly embroidered tapestries and tall glossy vases on stands. The upper class of Kumin enjoyed intricate designs with a lot of variation and detail. Blue, silver and white were the predominant colours, with reds and golds serving as accents.

The tables were set with countless silver and ceramic platters that were filled with all kinds of delicacies. On the center table were classical Kumin desserts such as fig tarts, cream filled pastries and a variety of pies. They were served in small bite sized portions that didn’t require cutlery. There were small tea plates provided, but guests rarely used them as it was impolite to eat in large amounts at formal balls.

On the second table were regional treats from the lands surrounding Kumin. There were fluffy, golden buns from Huan filled with everything from sweet bean paste to custard. There were some nutty, dense cakes and dried fruit from Banbajan across the sea. There were small flower shaped almond cookies dusted with sugar, a classic from LingNan, a country far away to the east. 

The third table was stacked with glasses and there were several attendants ready to pour any drink a guest desired.

To be honest, Yuzu was not that hungry. She only headed toward this room because of Char Char, who had assumed that the food was what Yuzu had wanted to come to the party for. However, the party had not yet fully kicked off, and Char Char had not begun soliciting the word of the White Maiden, so Yuzu had time to kill.

As Yuzu quietly walked around the tables, deciding whether she wanted to eat any of the food, she noticed a group of girls that were gathered in front of one of the tall vases with a blue on white floral design. They were her age, with dresses that were far too colourful and outlandish, not to mention revealing around the chest area. There were four of them chatting amongst each other, giggling and casting their eyes across the room. They kept on shooting glances towards Yuzu and then whispering amongst each other.

Yuzu ignored them, but looking down she saw that their strings were already entwined around hers.

She touched the strings and watched the future that had yet to happen play out in her mind.

~

“Hey, isn’t that the girl who arrived with Char Char Zhao?” A dark haired girl with a slim face pointed at the doors towards Yuzu, who had just entered.

“Who is she? Do you know her?” A short girl with shoulder length blond hair peered over while munching on a sweet bun.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” A girl with chestnut brown hair scolded as she looked over and nodded, “Yes, that’s her.” 

After ‘rewinding’ to the past and listening to their interactions for a few minutes, Yuzu had already figured out their identities. 

The third girl was obviously the leader of the group. This was Victoria Shum, the prodigious daughter of Earl Shum. Yuzu had never met her before, but she seemed to have a keen eye for faces and social standings of the myriad guests at the ball. 

She wore a shimmering dark blue dress embroidered with silver strings and adorned with numerous chains and crystals, causing it to shimmer with every movement she made. Yuzu found herself mesmerized by the dress for a moment before realizing that a number of the crystals were glowing softly with a white aura. This aura was only visible with her spiritual vision.

An enchanted dress? Yuzu contemplated quietly, double checking the girl’s fate strings and confirming that her and her friends’ strings were all golden. Moreover, only Victoria’s dress displayed any special qualities.

As for the other three girls, Yuzu didn’t notice anything unusual or interesting about them. They were just rich girls attending a party, looking to amuse themselves.

Yuzu had no desire to be sociable tonight. Her only goal was to secretly tail Char Char and ensure that Char Char was able to meet the right people and solicit assistance for the White Maiden. 

She reached out to the fate strings of the four girls, preparing to separate them from her own, when suddenly her spiritual intuition went into alarm.

Someone is watching me? Yuzu swiveled her head around as she swept her gaze over the room looking for the source of the gut feeling, however nothing was amiss. The party continued as normal. Yuzu’s lips pressed together in a small frown as she tried to focus on the warning, however the feeling had already dissipated.

Yuzu pretended to be engrossed in choosing between various pastries as she contemplated the situation. On further thought it was highly unlikely that someone was specifically seeking her out. According to Argus the ability to identify Exalted was extremely rare. Other than her own pathway there were only two specific paths that had that ability that Argus knew of: Omniscient path in the Knowledge Domain and Stygian path in the Death Domain. Neither of these paths had been seen for a thousand years. They were extremely reclusive, much like Yuzu’s path. It was extremely improbable that there was someone in that pathway here in Kumin.

So then what was her intuition warning her about? Reading the threads didn’t trigger any warnings, it was only when she prepared to manipulate them. Yuzu could only assume that there was some danger present in trying to manipulate the strings of the girls, but she had no idea what that danger could be.

Yuzu was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that the one of the four girls was approaching her.

“The profiteroles are delicious.” The girl who approached her said, gesturing to a three tiered plate full of round pastries filled with cream. Yuzu knew from her vision that her name was Diana. She was the one who first noticed Yuzu entering the ballroom. She had a polite, gentle demeanor, keeping a respectable distance between herself and Yuzu as she initiated the conversation.

“Thanks.” Yuzu said, not interested in the conversation. She didn’t reach out for one of the puffy pastries as she continued to peruse the selection on the table.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you at these functions before,” Diana said cheerfully. “My name is Diana Mercier, my father runs the Tye-An Market.”

“Yuzu Xing.” Yuzu replied bluntly.

“Xing… I don’t recognize that name. Are you from a merchant family? Or perhaps the daughter of one of the entertainers?”

Yuzu looked up at the posh girl with a cold, dull stare, not replying to the question. Yuzu knew exactly what the girl was asking - Should I be paying respect to you, or is my standing higher than yours? She had no intention of playing those games.

“Ah- I didn’t mean anything by that.” Diana smiled defensively as she stole a nervous glance towards her friends. “My friends and I noticed that you were alone and thought you might like some company.”

“I’m fine.” Yuzu said, turning away without giving the other girl another look.

She made her way to the beverage table, asking one of the attendants to prepare a chrysanthemum sweet tea for her.

Of course, she knew that the four girls were right behind her.

She already knew that Victoria Shum was going to speak out first and knew that the girl was going to ask her about her relationship to Char Char.

However, the threads became hazy beyond that point in the conversation. Yuzu had experienced this in her previous interactions with fate strings - The future seemed to be fairly predictable, however Yuzu’s interference with the threads reduced her ability to read past those points. The more she interfered, the more the future would be disrupted. It took time for the threads to stabilize into a new readable future.

Moreover, events that directly involved Yuzu herself were the most unstable, as the very act of viewing the threads caused her future to shift.

In these cases Yuzu had to rely on her intuition to choose the correct path forward.

As Yuzu was waiting for the attendant to prepare her drink she heard an authoritative voice behind her.

“Are you friends with Char Char Zhao?”

Yuzu turned around with a cold attitude, looking at the girl who had called out to her. Victoria Shum stood in front of the other three with her arms crossed.

“No.” Yuzu replied.

Just by looking at the group of girls she could tell that they were the kind of shallow, attention seeking girls that valued status and reputation more than anything else. They would obviously know that Char Char Zhao was the daughter of the host of this ball and the owner of this mansion. Approaching Yuzu was their way of trying to find an excuse to talk to Char Char and get in her favour.

In other words, Yuzu was seen as a stepping stone for these girls to make Char Char’s acquaintance.

“Don’t bother lying about it, I saw you arrive with her.” Victoria scoffed.

“I arrived with her, but that doesn’t mean she’s my friend.” Yuzu said.

A doubtful look appeared on Victoria’s face, “She seemed awfully friendly with you in the hall, though.”

“It’s not my fault if she doesn’t get the hint.” Yuzu rolled her eyes, “In any case, I’m not introducing her to you, if that’s what you’re after.”

“Oh, I don’t need an introduction.” Victoria shrugged, “Char Char and I are well acquainted.”

Yuzu raised an eyebrow, “Then why do you care if I’m friends with her or not?”

Victoria thought about the question for a moment before replying, “You could say we have some history.”