the white fox

CHAPTER THREE,

THE WHITE FOX | THREE

 "WHO ARE YOU?" The words were harsh, the voice it belonged to feminine. Asteria didn't look in that direction, though. Let Io handle this herself for now. If it gets too much, and when there's more attention on them, I'll step in. Put in a preliminary warning that Iolanthe Mi was under the Countess of Zi Yan's protection.

Io's voice came back, soft and wonderous, "I'm Iolanthe Mi, miss." She didn't state her connection with Asteria. Anyone with a head would have seen them sticking together like two peas in a pod and have made connections by now, but as Diksha said, most people were idiots. Everyone was waiting to head in for dinner in the drawing room, and unlike earlier in the day, the guests were starting to mingle. Asteria conversed quietly with a young man from Dumah. His father was a rich merchant, he said. Eloquent and well-spoken, though a bit boring.

"And where do you hail from?" The woman in question asked, the disdain clear in her tone. Danna flickered Asteria a quick glance from across the room when she knew she was looking, and Asteria gave a quick, surreptitious shake of her head. Not yet.

"Fen Jing, miss," Io replied quickly. "It's in—"

"I know where Fen Jing is," the woman replied with a snarl. "Do you think me an idiot, Miss Mi?"

Asteria glanced in their direction. A blonde woman. Chestnut brown eyes. Pretty enough, but the ugly sneer ruined it. Eyes fearful and wide, Io bobbed a curtsy. "Of course not, miss. I only though—"

"Enough of that." The woman was now joined by two others, a man and a woman. Caershireens, Asteria decided before turning back to her conversation partner with a cool smile. "I've never heard of you."

"My family isn't very well-known, miss, so it's perfectly reasonable you don't know who I am—"

"Not my point. How did you get invited?"

Io stopped. Asteria imagined she blinked in confusion a few times for a dramatic effect before saying cautiously, "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"Look around this room, Miss Mi."

Asteria didn't have to look to know Io did, dramatically and comically.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking at."

A loud sigh of frustration interrupted the already tense atmosphere of the drawing room. Diksha glanced at Asteria curiously. Asteria returned with a sly look.

"You're looking at people from families of power and importance. I've never even heard of your family. How did someone like you get invited? I'll talk to the Carlstons about this— it's an insult to us, really. I was promised the guest list would be selective and consist of only important people." Behind her, her cronies and friends murmured in agreement. When Asteria glanced at Io once more, the girl's expression had frozen, though it was still smiling.

"That's quite rude of you, Miss...?"

"You don't even know who I am?" The woman demanded. "Miss Wushire."

"Am I supposed to know who you are, miss?" Wushire, Wushire... Her father was rich. One of the new Caershireen dynasties of merchants, businessmen and traders. She'd have expected much more politeness. Mei jia jiao de gu niang, she thought. Ill-mannered little brats. Did these Caershireens have no idea how to teach their children?

"So you are uneducated and extremely sheltered as well. By golly, it gets worse every second."

"Are well-bred ladies not supposed to be sheltered?" Io kept her voice levelled, letting a certain degree of confusion seep into her words. Asteria glanced around the room to see everyone's reactions. Everyone pretended they weren't hearing or seeing the confrontation, but she could feel all attention on it. Some looked disapproving, others neutral. Some smirked and fanned the flames silently.