A Game of Schemes & Fortune

3: Banquet

 "And Daiyu Jin, the only daughter of Lord and Lady Jin." I hear a loud voice announce my arrival. I breathe a nervous sigh, and close my eyes slowly. At least Ming was able to buy me a new set of sandals, and my parents, upon hearing of the attack sent on me, demanded I get a new palanquin and increased surveillance. The first two things were nice.

I step out of the palanquin, with a serene smile and open my parasol orange to join the other guests' conversations. The party was a banquet, not like those movies. In c-dramas, I often saw that when a main character had a meal with a royal, the royal sat on a high throne, while the guest dined on a low table with only a mere cushion for a chair.

I always pitied those people, the one's dining with a royal. They always looked so nervous and awkward, not so sure as to how to entertain their host. But it's different here. There's no private audience. And it looks like no one's entertaining no one, it's just chatting among your peers.

That's odd, I guessed this was a Chinese novel when I first read the book. I guess it's a mix of all kinds of cultures in their royal era, or ⅓ based on ancient Chinese civilization, and ⅔ the imagination of the author. Okay, I could work with this.

I keep smiling, as I walk up to a girl with beautiful, brown hair and blue eyes. Mei Guan, the daughter of a rich noble of a mother, and a foreigner of a father.

Her father worked as a royal gardener at the place, and her mother was only a noble because of her family. Because of this, no one in this village cared for Mei. That is, until she started interacting with the male lead. The heir praised her kindness and showed her off everywhere he went. The crowd loved her then. They worshiped the ground she walked on. From social pariah to a worshiped goddess? The main character vibes were coming on strong.

I notice Mei is chatting with an older woman, offering her several drinks and treats from the table nearby. The woman, who refuses everything Mei offers her, seems familiar, but she's someone I don't recognize. At this point, everything's familiar.

"Greetings," I say simply, holding onto my parasol as an anchor to remind myself to act and sound wealthy. "How are you two doing this fine morning?" Mei smirks, tucking a hair strand behind her ear. Her brown hair is styled in one, long braid.

"I'm good," her voice sounds high-pitched, like a 5 year old little girl. Snooty. Arrogant. Interesting. The books described her voice to sound like sweet honey, but I'm starting to doubt both the narrator and the author. I clench my teeth. "How about you, miss?" The girl slowly turns her head to address the woman on her left. "How are you doing?" I try not to be offended at the girl ignoring me.

The woman, in turn, smiles at me as well. Although her smile is kinder than Mei's, and less arrogant. Her aura is more graceful, more demanding of attention. Maybe it's her bright, red lipstick, and her red gown that seems a bit more formal than the rest.

"Thank you for asking us, Dear. I, for one, am doing well. The conversations have been wonderful, the weather is nice, and the food and wine are just lovely." I smile and nod.

"I'm glad you're having fun, miss."

"How about you, dear?" She asks me. "Are you having fun?" I'm alarmed by the question, Mei ignored me so I didn't expect anyone to care about me.

"Yes," I smile politely, "it's wonderful here."

"I'm glad then," She says before drinking a glass of wine. She sets the cup down before turning to me once more. "So, darling, Daiyu Jin, I presume?" I nod. " How's your father doing? I hear his papermaking business is doing well?" I stall by drinking a glass of my own. It's water, of course.

"My father's doing well, thank you." Gosh, I'm exhausted. The woman nods politely, encouragingly. I feel bad for thinking rude thoughts but I want to talk about books I'm reading, not my dad's latest leaf paper! But still, the woman seems nice so I try to discuss whatever she wants to talk about. "In fact, he's-"