The silence hanging over the grand hall was unexpectedly chilly. I meant that literally; unlike the back entrance where we (and presumably most of the other guests) entered, the main doors opened to the outside, and the gusts of cold air coming in made everyone just a little apprehensive.

I expected that Sebastian would announce each new arrival by their titles, but instead the whole group just walked in at once, three abreast. There was no mistaking who they were, as their fashion style was quite distinct. At a single glance, the procession could be roughly divided into four groups. Right behind the trio leading the march, there was a group of elderly men and women dressed in flowing ceremonial clothes. Most of them looked Chinese, but the styles were varied, and I could see some distinctly Japanese and potentially Korean robes as well.

The people behind this well-dressed bunch seemed like they came out of a kung fu movie set in ancient China, men and women both wearing long, brightly colored traditional dresses with decorative knots instead of buttons. For some reason, the women's clothes were all sleeveless, which couldn't be pleasant in this weather. If my memory served right, this kind of dress was called a 'qipao', and they were a little more flamboyant than I expected.

The third group consisted of the more placeholder-ish members in the back, wearing simple high-collared tunic suits, mostly in black and dark blue. As far as hairstyles were concerned, all the men had theirs cropped short, while the women had long, straight hairdos, without any accessories.

Now then, let's not dance around the issue any longer, and address the people at the front. The three walking ahead looked different not just from the rest, but also from each other. On the right, there was an elderly man in a dark purple robe. He looked a little wiry at first glance, but it was hard to tell for sure under all the layers he was wearing, and he had his long hair done up in a top knot fastened by what looked like a small crown and several hairpins. He also had a long yet thin beard and bushy eyebrows, so overall he looked like the archetypal sage.

On the opposite side walked a youngster, about our age or maybe a year younger the looks of it. He was firmly built, and he wore a bright red martial artist tunic adorned with some golden patterns around the shoulders. Most strikingly, however, he had bright orange hair that was somehow spikier than Josh's on an average morning. If there was a Chinese equivalent of the average hot-blooded shounen manga protagonist, this guy was it.

Last, but certainly not least, was the person leading the procession. He was a tall, lean fellow with long, jet black hair, and his features were similar to the boy's. He had a pair of thin-rimmed glasses balanced on a straight nose right in the middle of an unnecessarily handsome face, and his dignified appearance was further emphasized by his slim-cut, richly patterned black tunic suit and pants. Oh, and he was also tall. As in, a good head taller than the people walking right next to him. He might've been even taller than me, though I'd have had to get closer to say for sure.

"What's going on? Is Naoren here yet?"

Elly's question made me raise a brow, but then I realized that, unlike me, she couldn't see over the heads of the crowd, so I gave her a brief description of the newcomers.

"Only three important characters," Judy noted on my other side. "Less than expected."

I looked over the group one more time and shrugged.

"There might be a few unique placeholders in the middle group, but I don't see anyone else sticking out."

Since the girls didn't comment on that, I focused on the new variable triumvirate once again. As the crowd parted in front of them, out walked dad-in-law in his snazziest business suit to receive them.

"Welcome, everyone!" Abram's voice echoed loudly as he greeted the group with open arms. "Look at you, Naoren! You're even taller than the last time we met!"

The man in the middle smiled and cupped his right fist in his left hand in front of his chest.

"I'm also glad to see that you're in good health, clan head Abram. I thank you for your hospitality."

His voice was a pleasant baritone, and his tone had a certain sense of affability to it, yet I couldn't help but feel a sense of irritation wash over me. Uh-oh. That didn't bode well…

"Don't stand on formality and come inside you all! It's cold outside!" Following our host's instructions, the tail end of the line quickly made its way inside so that the old butler could close the doors behind them. In the meantime, Abram raised his hand over his head and snapped his fingers a couple of times, and before long, the music started again, along with the idle talk in the room as the two crowds slowly merged into one. Right after that, he turned to the robed old man and mirrored Naoren's fist-cupped-in-hand gesture. "Elder Xinji. I did not expect you to come. I've heard you were undergoing closed door seclusion."

"I was," the old man answered in a raspy voice, and after a long beat, gave a shallow bow to the Dracis patriarch. "It was deemed that I should accompany the younger generation due to the importance of this meeting."

"I'm happy to see you're still full of life and motivation. But speaking of the younger generation, I—" Abram swallowed the end of his sentence and glanced around, a touch perplexed. "Where did Zihao go?"

The tall guy in the middle frowned and glanced to his side, and once he saw there was nobody there, slowly shook his head in exasperation.

"Please excuse my brother. He's been looking forward to this day for weeks, and I'm afraid in his eagerness to meet his peers, he forgot his manners. I hope you forgive him."

"There's nothing to forgive! Young men are supposed to be impulsive like that!" Abram brushed the issue under the rug and gestured for the guests to follow after him. "Let's sit down and talk, shall we?"

"Before that," the old man cut in with a dignified wave of his hand. "I believe there is something we must discuss in public." Naoren sent the man a disapproving glance, but he completely ignored his reproach and continued with, "We all gathered here tonight in preparation to form a united force against our ancestral enemies. For such an alliance, a show of sincerity is necessary, and we came to this island expecting an announcement of a union between our families for the sake of the greater good. Yet, only upon our arrival did we learn that your daughter is already betrothed to an outsider. How are we to interpret this decision?"

By the looks of it, nobody expected the old man to confront dad-in-law so directly, not even the bespectacled man standing next to him, and it took Abram several seconds to formulate an answer… or rather, to shamelessly throw the ball into my court and have me deal with the situation.

"That's indeed the case, but since they are also here, why not hit two birds with one stone and introduce you to each other?" Saying so, he scanned his surroundings and quickly found me, which wasn't that hard considering I was a good half a head taller than everyone around me. "Son! Come over here for a minute!"

"Oh, great," I murmured under my breath and prepared myself for the inevitable, and glanced at my assistant. "Dormouse, if I say something out of line, you have my permission to step on my feet."

"Are you experiencing mood management issues again?" she asked back as we started moving, and I nodded.

"A double dose of it."

"Mood management issues?" Elly's echo sounded curious, and I just realized that I never properly explained my odd reaction to people in positions of power to her, but this really wasn't the right time or place for that.

As we got closer, the onlookers parted to make way for us, and we arrived in front of the leaders of the Eastern Draconian group in no time. Now that we were face to face, I could say for sure that the princess's bespectacled suitor was almost exactly as tall as I was, though a little leaner. He was also pretty handsome. Unexpectedly, irritatingly, infuriatingly handsome. The sentiment must've shown on my face, as Judy took the opportunity to exercise her newly received right and lightly stomped on my feet, helping me rein back my irrational impulses. For about a second.

"Good evening, gentlemen," I greeted the people in front of me with the best smile I could muster at the moment, and used the fact that I had the two girls holding onto my arms to avoid doing that martial artist salute thing. Judy and Elly also greeted them, and the two new faces followed my example, and only nodded in return.

Abram used the opportunity to clear his throat and motion at the guests.

"Leonard, let me introduce you to Naoren Feilong, current head of the Feilong family, and Elder Xinji Feilong, the grand elder of the Feilong family."

"I'm pleased to meet you," I spoke a tad woodenly, and dad-in-law quickly picked up the slack.

"I'm sure you all remember my dear daughter, so I believe no further introductions are necessary. The dashing young man in the middle is Leonard Dunning, while the lovely girl on his other side is Judy Sennoma."

"A concubine?" the old man blurted out dismissively, immediately painting a big red crosshair on his forehead in the process.

"If you know what's good for you, I'd like you to refrain from insulting my fiancée. And just to make it crystal clear, all three of us are engaged to each other, and yes, it's a perfectly functional arrangement, thank you very much."

"You!" The old man's face clouded over and he very slowly crossed his hands in front of his chest… or at least I think he did, though it was hard to make sure due to the long sleeves. I, naturally, completely ignored his outburst and focused on the tall man in front of me. He was obviously sizing me up, and so I did the same to him without any reservations.

"Leonard Blackcloak Dunning," he spoke like he was tasting each word individually, in a tone that wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't quite hostile either. "Your reputation precedes you."

"Really?" I dramatically cocked my head to the side and told him, "I have a confession to make: I never really paid much attention to the rumors, so I can't help but feel curious about what you've heard about me."

The guy smiled at me and explained, "That you are inscrutable, unpredictable, dangerous, and someone who does not heed authority or established rules."

"That… actually sounds more accurate than I expected," I admitted with just a hint of reluctance.

"I should've predicted you would be involved the moment the news first reached out compound," Naoren mused with one hand on his chin. "There aren't many candidates in the world clan head Abram would consider worthy of the hand of Lenore."

"Who?" I whispered under my breath in surprise, and feeling her fidgeting, I glanced down at Elly.

"He calls me that," she whispered a tad peevishly. "The first time we met, he misheard my name, and he's been calling me that ever since."

That was an odd tidbit, and I was ready to move on, if not for the disapproving old man using the momentary lull in the conversation to raise his voice again.

"Clan head. I advise against calling him 'worthy' of anything. You must not legitimize his claim."

"Excuse me, but I don't see how your opinion on my worthiness has anything to do with whether our relationship is 'legit' or not," I pointed out, earning me a glare for my trouble.

"Watch your tongue, young man," the elder growled, but I naturally didn't back down.

"Should I? I don't remember you watching yours when you insulted my fiancée just now."

"You! How dare you use that tone with me! You're courting death!"

"Whoa! Did you really just say that?" I exclaimed and nudged my assistant. "Hey, Dormouse? Did you hear that? He said the thing!"

"… Chief, I've been stomping on your feet for the last ten seconds. Please notice it."

"Sorry, can't do. Too annoyed."

In the meantime, the old man's head turned an odd shade of crimson, and he was just about to raise his hand when a single word exploded in the hall.

"Elder!" All eyes fell on Naoren, who was glaring at the old man with eyes literally glowing behind his glasses. The elderly Draconian looked like a statue frozen mid-motion, but then the oppressive pressure emanating from the man next to him died down, and he inhaled sharply before returning the glare, earning him a stern, "Enough. This is a matter I have to deal with personally. Do not sully the face of our clan by engaging in petty squabbles."

The two stared daggers at each other for a few seconds, but ultimately the old man lost the contest and, after folding his arms again, he bowed and retreated with an insincere, "As the clan head wishes."

Once the elder walked away, Naoren turned back to me with a dignified bearing and said, "Please excuse Elder Xinji's conduct. He's somewhat ill-tempered due to coming out of seclusion before he could achieve a breakthrough."

"I think we all understand," Abram cut in with an amicable smile plastered on his face, obviously doing his best to mediate. "That said, I see you have fully solidified your grasp on the clan. Your grand elder would've never backed down so easily in the past."

"Desperate times require desperate measures," the bespectacled man answered in a weary tone. "If our bloodlines are to survive in this day and age, we must become more adaptable. Elder Xinji doesn't share the same sentiment, but with time, I'm confident he'll see things my way."

"He didn't exactly strike me as someone fond of changing his mind," I commented, and oddly enough, the Eastern clan head agreed with me.

"Unfortunately, you are correct, yet I believe in him and his devotion to our clan."

"You're quite the optimist," I noted with a more or less neutral tone, now that one of the sources of my irrational annoyance was out of sight and I had a slightly better grasp on my temper.

Naoren looked at me and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before telling me, "You aren't the first person to call me that, thought I'd rather view myself as an idealist instead."

"Really? I, for one, am more of a pessimist. In my opinion, if something has the potential to go wrong, it's the prudent thing to expect it and always plan for the worst. If I were in your case, I would plan for your grand elder causing trouble. If he does, I'll be glad I prepared ahead of time, and if he doesn't, I'll be glad things remained peaceful. Win-win."

"Is that so? I find such scheming wasteful. By spending the same effort on bettering oneself and relentlessly striving to find the ideal solution to each difficulty, overcoming every setback in one's path should be the natural state of things."

"I'm sure such 'ideal solutions' exist, but if you ask me, hoping that you can achieve one just by dogged determination is naïve. Sometimes good enough is good enough."

"It sounds like you're the type that's willing to compromise for the sake of your end goals," Naoren noted with one arm crossed and his chin resting on his knuckle, and after a brief consideration, I shrugged ambivalently.

"In a sense. You might like to believe in people's common sense, but if you ask me, we aren't living in a rational world filled with rational people, so everyone has to compromise in one way or the other if we want to achieve anything. That said, I do think there are certain lines not worth crossing, and I do not believe the end justifies the means."

"Isn't that a bit too idealistic for a self-described pessimist?"

"I'm a pessimist, not a cynic," I pointed out. "I find the notion of hoping that everything will work out fine so long as someone does their best to be naive. I expect the worst because it's better to be prepared for something unlikely than to be caught off-guard at the worst possible moment. Considering we live in a world where life and death can balance on a knife's edge, my ideal solution to any problem is not one that's perfect, but one that keeps everyone I care about safe and happy."

The bespectacled man gave me a thoughtful hum and let his hands down.

"You have an interesting philosophy.  A pessimistic idealist. I would love to have a long discussion with you in private about this."

"Maybe another time," I deflected his offer with a smile. "We're in the middle of a banquet, aren't we?"

"You're right," he agreed with a friendly smile and glanced at Abram. "I believe we'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss our opinions. For the time being, let us enjoy the festivities, and leave the heavy talks for later."

"I couldn't have said so better myself!" Papa Dracis exclaimed, and ushered us towards the main table. He took the lead with the Eastern Draconian, and we followed a few paces behind them.

"Wow. Naoren really grew up since the last time I saw him," Elly declared in a low voice only we could hear, imperceptibly raising my dear assistant's brow in the process.

"How so?"

"He used to be much more impulsive," she answered in a hush, making sure the man in front of us wouldn't overhear her over the background noise. "I half-expected him to get down onto one knee and propose on the spot again, or challenge Leo to a duel right away."

"So you didn't mean his height," I noted, and the princess giggled like my comment was funny. On the other hand, Judy squeezed my hand to get my attention, so I turned to her.

"You get a seven out of ten," she told me, throwing me on a loop for a second. "At first I thought you were going to cause an incident, but you behaved yourself considerably better in the second half, so you got a bonus point for effort. Consider yourself praised."

"How gracious of you," I quipped before falling silent for a while as we walked up the stairs leading to the elevated portion of the hall.

Honestly speaking, I was a little stumped. The man walking in front of me seemed way too mild-mannered and reasonable, and while my unnatural and unwanted sense of irritation did flare up a little whenever I was looking at him, it was merely on the level of what I got when I was talking with Sebastian. On the other hand, I did get a much bigger reaction from someone else, and while it was far from reliable, my track record did show some correlation, so I told the girls.

"Call it a hunch, but I think Naoren isn't our antagonist."

"Is it the Grand Elder then?" came the question from Elly, much to my surprise.

"That's obvious," Judy scoffed softly, though in her case, I wasn't as shocked.

"Is it?" I asked back, and she nearly rolled her eyes.

"Easily angered old man, in a traditional Chinese clan rife with internal power-politics, opposing a younger family head. It's a wuxia cliché."

"Clichéd or not, keep an eye on him."

The girls nodded, and since we reached the table, we all sat down at our designated spots in preparation for dinner, none the wiser about the drama already brewing in the main hall below us, once again proving that sometimes even preparing for the worst wasn't enough to protect one from unforeseen variables...