The Simulacrum - Chapter 86~ Part 1

One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three. Left foot goes there, right foot goes there, rinse and repeat. Honestly, whoever invented the waltz had to be some kind of marketing genius, as I have no idea how something this simple could become the staple dance of ballrooms around the world. Elly was really into it though, so I kept my criticisms to myself.

After starting the banquet with two wrong feet, who would’ve thought that the dinner following after Naoren’s introduction would be entirely civil and lacking any crazy developments? I sure as hell hadn’t, yet after we all sat down and Abram dispensed another round of greetings, the actual ‘eat your fancy food’ part ended up uncannily calm. Also, not particularly filling, because we had tiny portions. It was so that we could taste every course on display, but even so, putting just three pieces of sweet-and-sour pork cutlets and half a lettuce leaf onto a plate and calling it a dish was getting a bit too close to a hidden camera gag for my liking.

Anyhow, once everyone around the main table had a bite, the musicians started playing again, everyone got up, and it was time to hit the dance floor. At least as far as ‘hit’ applied here, considering it was the Blue Danube Waltz we were talking about. It took the girls three rounds of roshambo, but it was ultimately decided that I’d dance with the princess first, and she was having way too much fun, to the point I almost had a hard time keeping up with her. I say almost, because come on. It’s a slow waltz. There was only so much energy she could put into it before it became something else entirely

“Ufufu! All that practice is finally paying off!” she whispered during a brief pause in the music, and I figured she was referring to me.

Since the Christmas ball was right around the corner, we’ve been taking dance lessons during PE classes for the past two weeks. Elly didn’t really need them, because duh, but the same couldn’t be said about me. That said, I’d like to think I was getting pretty decent at this.

Then, just as I was thinking that, I lost my rhythm and nearly ended up stepping on her foot, but was saved by the coda coming to an end. There was a short break before the next round, so after beaming at me, Elly did a small curtsy and dashed off to the side where Judy was waiting. The two of them shared a fist bump, which was pretty weird considering the surroundings, and my assistant walked over.

“So? What’s the plan?” Judy asked and sidled up to me.

“We dance?” I blurted out, resulting in a flat look.

“I meant, after the dance.”

“Oh, that?” I mused, but since the musicians were already playing the opening chords, I took her hand and pulled her into the closed position before I scanned our environment for the important players at this banquet.

Abram and Naoren walked off somewhere in the company of a couple of other Draconian men, most likely to discuss business, and they haven’t returned yet. Emese was down by the smorgasbord, chatting with the ladies and, oddly enough, the annoying grand elder. I found Lord Grandpa in the crowd, and he was talking with… Ammy and Mike? Holy crap, was she introducing the guy to him? That looked juicy. As for the childhood friend duo, they went up to one of the balconies overlooking the ballroom a while back, and based on their red dots, they were still up there, probably doing something silly. Or some UST-laden slapstick comedy event. Which, now that I thought about it, was also silly.

In any case, the waltz had already begun by the time I completed the headcount, so we went through the motions while I collected my thoughts.

“First things first, I’ll hit the cold cut tables,” I whispered. “After that, I think I should start by tagging as many important people as possible.”

“Such as?”

“Naoren is obviously the main target. I’ll also try to mark people with significant-looking hair on the Western Draconian side.” There was a flourish in the waltz here, so I reflexively twirled Judy around before we returned to the closed position. “That Elder Whatshisname is still rubbing me the wrong way too, so I’ll try to get him as well.”

“He doesn’t look like the type who would accept a handshake, especially after how you talked to him.”

“I’ll improvise.”

“So long as it doesn’t cause another incident,” my dear assistant stated flatly, so I flashed a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Dormouse. I’ll be very discreet. Unless he says something annoying, in which case all bets are off the table.”

“Before you do that, should I try to get some information out of him?” I must’ve looked confused, as she clarified, “He’s with Emese. I could use her presence as an excuse to make contact.”

“Good thinking. Make sure you take the princess with you though, just in case someone needs their nose broken.”

“Why do you have to keep jinxing things like that?” My girlfriend’s grumbles were soon lost in another change in the music, but once we found our pace again, she asked, “Are you going to bring up the Knight proposition today?”

“Not likely. If this Naoren guy was more of an easily excitable battle maniac or one of those arrogant young master types we talked about, I might’ve tried my luck, but he strikes me more like a quiet mastermind archetype.”

“Troublesome.”

“Very. It also doesn’t help that the appearance of this elder something-something is complicating the situation.”

“It’s grand elder Xinji.”

“I know. I just couldn’t come up with a sufficiently undignified nickname for him yet.” I paused here and ventured, “Should I just go with the classic ‘Fu Manchu’?”

“Too racially charged. Also, he doesn’t have the tapered mustache, so it would be confusing.”

“True, but he does have a moustache, so… Elder Stache?”

“Chief, if you are determined to waste precious brainpower on silly things like this, at least do it properly.”

“Fine. I’ll come up with something better later. Anyways, what were we talking about?”

“The appearance of grand elder Xinji complicating things.”

“Right. We have to figure him out before we move. Also, there’s that spiky-haired guy too.”

“Zihao.”

“Yes, him. There’s no way someone so distinct would show up right at this junction for no reason.”

“Narrative shenanigans?”

“Practically guaranteed. By the looks of it, he seemed more like a traditional martial artist type, so maybe our nebulous Narrative is setting up a two-pronged attack? Naoren is the brains, while this guy would be the brawn.”

“What does that make the grand elder?”

“Probably our antagonist hidden in plain sight. Expect conspiratory shenanigans concerning clan-politics and wounded prides.”

“You mean faces.”

“Same difference.”

Judy nodded along, and we continued to make the rounds on the dance floor for a while longer. I figured we would probably stop when the music did, but just as it ended, she sprung an unexpected question on me.

“Chief? Are we really engaged now?”

I was so slow on the uptake that the next song already started. We were in the middle of the dance floor, and the placeholders around us (plus Ammy and Mike, but that was beside the point) began dancing at once. We couldn’t exactly just walk off at this point, so I pulled her closer and we also joined the people surrounding us for another round.

“I’m pretty sure we are,” I answered her at last. “Dad-in-law announced it in front of everyone.”

“That’s the problem. It was announced by him, but you never proposed.”

“Do I have to?” She was visibly unamused, so I hastily added, “Come on, Dormouse. I’m kidding. Of course, I’ll propose you two properly one of these days, but this isn’t the right time or place. I mean, it’s a big deal, so I’d have to prepare all the flowers. And rent a scenic restaurant. Oh, and you can’t forget the airplane with one of those ‘Please marry me’ ribbons trailing behind it.”

“Chief, I’m serious.”

“So am I.” I stood my ground. Not literally, as we were in the middle of a dance, but still. Judy was still unsatisfied, so I told her, “Listen Dormouse. Against all odds, our relationship is working out astonishingly well at the moment, but you know me and my view on these things. I’d rather wait a little longer to see if absolutely everything works out just right, and if we still haven’t strangled each other in, say, a year, I’m going to give you a dream proposal. With roses and champagne and everything.”

“I can’t say I approve of your negative outlook on our relationship.”

“Hey, I told you I’m a pessimist. If you ask me, it’s the people getting married while high on the honeymoon period, without any further plans, who are the crazy ones.”

My dear assistant remained silent for the next minute, then stated, “Fine. I’ll put your official proposal on hold for now. However, no airplane.”

“Awww. How about some fireworks then?”

“Only in moderation.”

“Fireworks that spell out ‘Please marry me’?”

“I don’t think such a thing exists, but even if it does, mo-de-ra-tion.”

“Fine, fine. I can accept that compromise.”

I used the beat between the steps to lean forward and plant a light peck on her forehead to punctuate my words. It worked well, and we finished the waltz in a cozy silence. However, the moment it was over, we beelined towards the princess impatiently waiting on the sidelines, lest we would be caught up in another round.

“Boo! Judy got two dances!”

“It was an accident. I’ll take you for another round later,” I said in an attempt to mollify her.

She wavered on the edge of sulking, but ultimately said, “You better.”

I was about to leave it at that, but my dear assistant pointed at her forehead. It took me a second to realize what she meant, but then I gave a peck to Elly as well. Keeping things balanced like that was tricky like that.

In any case, I divulged the plans to the placated princess, and the girls soon left to join Emese’s group. As for me, I made good on my promise and headed towards the closest buffet table post-haste. Even though the party had been going on for a while, the various foods on display were still impeccable. Whether that was due to the placeholders not really eating much, or the maids sneakily replacing the plates over time, I couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter either, and I initiated my raid on the defenseless dishes.

“Oh. It is you.”

My one-man encirclement of the table came to a sudden halt when a familiar voice addressed me. I followed it to its source and found an especially dismal Lord Grandpa staring at me with tall glass in one hand. He was dressed the same as usual, just with a slightly fancier robe.

“Good evening. I thought you put down the bottle,” I greeted him and pointed at his glass.

The old man narrowed his eyes, then let out a low grunt and finished his drink in one go before completely ignoring my comment and saying, “I suppose congratulations are in order.”

“Do you mean the engagement? Thank you.” The old coot nodded, and I took the opportunity to glance around and ask, “So, are you alone? I expected you’d have more of an entourage.”

“Gowan excused himself claiming a new breakthrough in his research. He has never been good with formal occasions like this,” the arch-mage mused, then exhaled a shallow sigh. “As for my granddaughter, she is currently mingling in questionable company.”

“You mean Mike?” I took his disapproving silence as a yes, so I told him, “Well, I suppose he’s slightly questionable but mostly harmless.”

“Mostly harmless,” he repeated after me.

“Yeah. Just don’t let him near sensitive intel or documents for now. He’s not a bad guy, but a little impulsive and unsure about his own allegiances.”

“So it is just as I thought. You are the one responsible for his presence in my granddaughter’s life.”

“No, not really. Or rather, I’m only slightly responsible.” I paused to organized my thoughts and ultimately admitted, “Well, fine. Maybe I’m responsible in a sense, but it’s not some kind of grand conspiracy.”

“Please excuse me for not believing your words for a second.”

“Hey, I’m serious!” The old man was still giving me a look that said he wouldn’t trust me as far as he could throw me, so I gave up on the topic and changed the direction of the conversation by asking, “Putting those two aside, what about Sahi and Pascal? I thought they’d be attending with you.”

The arch-mage’s face twitched like he just smelled something really sour.

“I assure you, neither of them was in any way interested in attending this banquet.”

“Really? Say, have you ever heard of the term ‘suspiciously specific denial’?”

“No, I cannot say I have.”

The old coot was obviously playing dumb, so I got ready to do a Far Glance at our subjects’ general direction. I never got around to actually doing it though.

“Ah, here you are!” the princess exclaimed from the crowd, and when we made eye contact, she beamed at me and rushed to my side, the placeholders parting around her like the Red Sea. It was only when she was right next to us that I noticed that there was someone else trailing behind her, a petite girl with long brown hair. She was almost a head shorter than my girlfriend, and it took me a second to realize why she looked familiar: she was the girl hiding behind Elly during the previous ex-fiancé incident. She originally had a more elaborate hairdo and her makeup was now gone, but she still had a simple, girl-next-door kind of charm to her.

“Good evening, Lord Endymonion,” the princess greeted the arch-mage once she realized he was in my company, and her friend followed suit.

“Good… evening, sir.”

She did an awkward curtsy, but no one seemed to mind it. Meanwhile, Elly turned back to me and presented the girl next to her.

“Leo, this is Vivien, my best friend from middle school. Vivien, this is Leo, my fiancé!” She put a lot of extra emphasis on the last word, and beamed an adorable, if a little silly, smile at me.

“Hi, Vivien,” I greeted the new girl, and she all but hid behind my girlfriend before she answered in a barely audible voice.

“It’s… my pleasure to meet you… sir Chimera Slayer.”

“Aw, come on, Vivi! Don’t be shy!” the princess encouraged her by patting her on the back.

“I… um… I wanted to thank you for your help,” she whispered in a barely audible voice, completely avoiding eye contact. Still, she was Elly’s friend, so I figured I should be nice.

“Don’t even mention it. I hope you’re all right.”

“Y-Yes, I’m fine, just…” She hesitantly glanced up at me, but quickly avoided my gaze and began shuffling her feet. I had no idea what was going on, but at last, she worked up the courage to step forward and suddenly exclaimed, “C-C-Can I get you autograph?”

I was so taken aback it took me a second to realize she was holding out a notepad and a pen to me. I glanced at them, then at Elly, and she urged me to take them. While I was still a little baffled by this whole situation, if she wanted me to do it, I figured I might as well oblige, so I took the pen. Then I paused as I considered what I should write. This was the first time anyone asked for my autograph, and I was woefully unprepared. Though, to be fair, who the heck would be prepared for something like that? Anyhow, my cursive was pretty terrible, but I figured writing out my name in all capital letters would’ve been rude, so I did my best.

The girl remained expectant even after I wrote my name down, so I also added a curt ‘For Vivien’ at the end. Her face lit up at once, and she all but snatched the notebook out of my hand when I handed it back to her.

“Thank you!” She turned to my girlfriend and exclaimed, “I can’t believe he really gave me his autograph! The girls back home are going to be sooo jealous!”

“Why would anyone be jealous of that?” I murmured, and the old man next to me scoffed like I just said something stupid.

“It appears even the great Leonard Blackcloak Dunning has a blind spot for his own fame. You have become quite the household name in the last couple of months.”

“I’m not sure how to feel about that…”

My response drew a schadenfreude-filled chuckle out of the annoying old coot, but before I could give him a piece of my mind, a pair of newcomers drew the attention of our slowly swelling group, and their appearance made Vivien once again hide herself behind the princess.

“I hope we aren’t disturbing your discussion, but I felt obliged to share a few words with you,” the tall, gaunt man in the front spoke with an apologetic smile and came to a halt next to me. “Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dobry Smok of the Smok family.”

He offered a hand, and I took it without any reservations. Free marks were always welcome.

“Leonard Dunning, though considering the scene we made not too long ago, I’m sure you already know.”

“Indeed,” the man’s lips parted in a good-natured smile that looked slightly off on his face. “In a similar vein, I believe you’re already acquainted with my brother.”

Saying so, he gestured for the boy standing a step behind him to come forth. As he did, the brunette girl behind Elly shuddered and tried to make herself even smaller.

“I’m deeply sorry for the scene he caused. As the representative of the family in my father’s absence, I’d like to apologize for his behavior and also express my sincere appreciation for your contribution to the bloodless resolution of the situation.”

It took me a second to untangle his sentence, but then I glanced at the younger guy and pointedly stated, “I believe there’s someone else you should apologize to.”

The moment I said that, the younger brother shuddered and turned to the girls with what appeared to be borderline panic.

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what I was thinking! Please forgive me just this once!”

I was getting steadily more confounded by the situation, but Elly took it in stride and encouraged her friend to respond. She was hesitant at first, but then she stood straight and said, “I… don’t want to cause trouble for anyone, so I’ll overlook what happened.”

“Thank you!” the younger one (Dupek, I think…) exclaimed like she just removed Damocles’s sword hanging over his head.

“With this, I hope we can put this terrible incident behind us,” the older brother cut in, all but pushing the other guy back, seemingly worried that he would put his foot in his mouth again if he was allowed to stay in front for too long.

“If she doesn’t want to pursue the issue, then I suppose we can,” I said when no one else spoke up, and the gaunt man also let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Wonderful. In that case, we must excuse ourselves.” Even after saying that, he remained still for a second of five, and once he finished vacillating, he reached into his breast pocket and handed me a black business card. “I hope in the future we could have a friendly discussion under more private circumstances.”

I took the card with an ambivalent, “Maybe,” and the duo immediately turned on their heels and disappeared into the crowd. Staring at the piece of plastic in my hand, I remained stock-still for a while before the words, “Okay, what the heck was that?” forced their way up my throat.

“The Smok heirs came over to ingratiate themselves to you,” Lord Grandpa gave his answer in a weary tone.

“I guess, but why would they want to do that?”

This time the old man eyed me for a while before he gave me his next answer.

“Young man. Are you perchance truly unaware of the nature of your reputation among the ranks of the Mystics?”

“I didn’t even think I had one until now,” I admitted, and the arch-mage looked at me like I was some kind of endangered species.

“I have heard of some people possessing a blind spot for themselves, but I have never expected to encounter such a severe case in person.”

“Very funny,” I grumbled but got no reaction. In fact, the old coot was looking past me, and when I followed his gaze, I met the eyes of Abram making his way through the guests like a particularly unsubtle ice-breaker ship, and he also had a familiar bespectacled man following behind him.

“Son! Are you enjoying the party?” he spoke with his usual lack of indoor voice, and I shrugged.

“It had its ups and downs, but it’s all right.”

“I share the sentiment,” Naoren agreed with me as he came to the forefront.

“Are you done with the negotiations?”

My inquiry made him raise a brow and nod.

“My talks with clan head Abram have concluded, yes.” For the next five or so seconds he stared at me, and I maintained eye contact without backing down an inch. At last, Naoren exhaled a shallow sigh and asked, “Would you care to move to a more private area? I believe we have much to discuss.”

“Do we?” I sneaked a glance at the others, but Lord Grandpa completely disappeared, while Abram was in the process of giving the stereotypical ‘Wow, you grew so much since I’ve last seen you!’ talk to Vivien. The only one who was paying me any attention was Elly, but she just gave a thumb up with a ‘Go, get ‘im, tiger!’ kind of smirk. I had no idea what she expected me to do, but considering that my main goal for the evening was marking the bespectacled man in front of me, I figured I had nothing to lose and told him, “Well, I guess we might as well do.”

“Indeed. I believe the room where I consulted with clan head Abram should be still vacant.”

“In that case, lead the way.”

I gestured to Elly to let her know I was leaving, and this time she gave me two thumbs. Once the ball was over, I really had to ask her what she meant. For now, I focused all my attention on the Eastern Draconian boss walking in front of me and prepared myself for a tense, passive-aggressive, and potentially dangerous private meeting. In any case, whatever he wanted to discuss with me, I knew for sure I wasn’t going to agree with any of it.