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[ Quest Progress - Dressed To Impress ]

12 / 12 House Matriarchs greeted

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Though she greeted all the matriarchs of the High Court, Li Mei guessed her Quest would only be counted as complete once the party was over. So long as she continued her flawless performance, it would be no problem!

"Thank you for your time, Duchess Lilyvale," Li Mei said with a smile as she turned to leave, their casual conversation at an end.

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[ Quest Progress - Dressed To Impress ]

1 / 3 Mistakes

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Li Mei swore deep in her heart while keeping a pleasant smile on her face. 'Damn! What timing...'

Though Duchess Lilyvale was in the top three of the High Court, her position was still technically below Li Mei's. Slipping up by thanking her for her time...

'No, no, this could be a good thing. If I'm too perfect they'll be on edge. A small mistake will have them relaxing their guard! Yes, good. This is fine. Yup. Don't want these people overestimating me, they have way more resources and connections than I do at the moment. If they rally against me, it'll be really obnoxious...'

Li Mei shared a glance with the trembling Teresa Rosethorne at her side. She waited for a serving boy carrying a tray of empty goblets to pass before leaning over, whispering just barely loud enough for Teresa and Hana to hear. "Being capable is a curse. It's better to occasionally show weakness or flaws intentionally, while making it seem a mistake. Then you control what they see, and thus what they know about you."

Both girls nodded, their eyes sparkling as though they'd been bestowed sagely wisdom. Li Mei let out a soft sigh under her breath.

'Good, they bought it. Should I be glad they hold me in such high esteem, or worried for their gullibility...'

She stepped closer to one of the many tables laden with goodies. Hana, having paid careful attention to her lessons with Lucas and Vera, hurriedly stepped forward to grab a small plate on her lady's behalf.

While her adjutant picked the prettiest and most delicious goodies out from the table, Li Mei sent more glances over the Spring Gala crowd. Quite some time was spent chatting with the various matriarchs, along with a few lesser nobility eager to please. She made a point of emphasizing how enthusiastic she was about attending the Academy, and how she hoped to see familiar faces among her classmates. Teresa missed the hint herself, but no doubt Duchess Rosethorne was having her servants pay careful attention to even the smallest hint of gossip passing Li Mei's lips.

'She'll want to get on my good side. I embarrassed her a little, but an old viper wouldn't strike for such a minor offense. Not when she thinks there are benefits to be gained from befriending me. Hopefully this will help Teresa in the short term. Ah, but...'

Li Mei looked at Teresa. "I never did ask. Will you be attending the Academy when term starts?"

"I..." Teresa opened her mouth, then closed it and briefly shook her head.

"Whyever not? Do you lack desire or interest regarding higher learning?" Li Mei arched her eyebrows, only slightly raising her voice to inflect surprise.

Teresa blushed, bowing her head to avoid the sudden interested gazes of those standing nearby. "Ah, I... Was unworthy. My exam scores... Were inadequate."

'Scores? Is there an exam I'm going to have to... Damn it, Faust! Ah, or perhaps... A ruse by the Duchess?' Li Mei's arched eyebrows turned inward, furrowing as she pondered the implications. Outwardly, however, she took a look at the small plate offered by Hana and popped a little fruity snack into her mouth. "Nonsense. I'm quite enjoying your company, if I must tutor you myself then so be it! That is, as long as you yourself wish to attend."

"I do!" Teresa blurted out, only to turn scarlet as she realized her mistake. Li Mei chuckled and handed over a piece of fruit speared on a thin little stick for the girl to nibble on.

"Surely between the two of us we can catch you up to satisfactory levels. It would be oh-so-disappointing to attend class without you, just when I thought we were on track to becoming fast friends."

"F-friends?" Teresa whispered, the hint of melancholy and wistfulness in her voice tugging sharply on the guiltiest of Li Mei's heartstrings.

'I suppose the only difference between me and her manipulative mother now is, I actually want things to turn out alright for the kid!' Li Mei smiled wryly, but whatever thoughts or reasoning she had turning in her mind was blown away in an instant by a horribly familiar voice.

"Miss Mei! Ah, no, it's Lady Mei, isn't it?"

'Damn.'

'Damn!'

'I didn't see him in the crowd at all. Damn, damn, damn! How much of my acting did he see? How much did he hear? Was he lurking behind my back this whole time?!' Li Mei turned, slowly, lifting her fan to almost completely obscure her face, suppressing the myriad of emotions churning in her gut. Her mauve eyes narrowed into slits as she leaned back, craning her neck to stare into a loathsome face. "Ah. Professor Bishop. Fancy seeing you here."

"Where else would I be if not here? It's the Spring Gala, you know!" Faust, in his usual Professor Bishop disguise prettied up with a very fancy suit, smiled cheerfully and plucked a snack from the plate Hana still held aloft. "It'd be almost criminal to miss such an important party! Between you and me, Miss Lady Mei, the Harvest Festival is a lot more lively, but the Gala's not bad."

"You are familiar with Professor Bishop...?" Duchess Quinna Goldclover murmured as she approached, exchanging respectful but casual nods with Li Mei and Professor Bishop, the latter of which bowed politely.

"Acquainted," Li Mei said with a thin-lipped smile, but the professor laughed merrily and stole another snack from Hana's plate.

"No need to be so shy! Why, I'd venture to claim I'm the very reason you're in Brittalund at all!"

Gritting her teeth, Li Mei snapped her fan shut to fully display her distantly polite expression - the same face used when dealing with troublesome customers while working behind the register back on Earth. "Quite. After that nasty business in the forest, I might have lived in the wilderness for a few more years before venturing back to civilized society! What a shame that would have been."

"I suppose that's why you still allow me to call you Miss Mei, despite no longer hiding your illustrious identity?" The ghost of a smug smile on Faust's disguised face, hidden though it was by whatever he used to change the features of his face, was still visible in the corners of his eyes.

Li Mei wished with all her heart for the ability to drop pretense and punch him right in the face.

"If we see one another in public, such as while you're attending the same Academy that I'll be giving lectures at for a short time, you will treat our conversations as improvisational theater. Ah, of course, you wouldn't know what that means... You will not contradict me, nor will I contradict you. Our stories must always flow together seamlessly. And you will never intentionally do or say anything that might compromise my existing cover. Have I made myself clear?" Faust gave his order as soon as she set foot on Brittalund soil for the first time, on their way to the haunted house that would become her home. She was vaguely annoyed at the time, thinking he was planning on using her as an alibi while flitting about campus.

Who knew his cover was so extensive that it granted him nobility in Brittalund, as well as something of a reputation to go with it? The Duchess even nodded to him, for goodness sake! To get acknowledgment from a Duchess of the High Court?! 'Ugh, he's just so obnoxious!' Li Mei scowled inwardly, but was careful not to let it show on her face.

"What a delightful surprise," Duchess Goldclover tittered, her eyes shining at having uncovered valuable gossip. "You seem to be quite close, dropping titles in public. How exciting youth is."

"Well, I did save her life!" Faust said with a huge grin, which made Li Mei grip her fan so tightly her knuckles whitened.

She forced her grip to relax and heaved an exaggerated sigh. "After putting it repeatedly at risk in the first place! You really ought to be more careful in the future, Professor."

"But Miss Lady Mei, I repaid you for the trouble with knowledge and supplies!"

"If you think that paltry amount was equivalent in weight to continuously endangering my promising life in the first place... You're still quite in debt, young man."

"Oh, I'm certain I'll find a way to even the score soon enough!"

His smile was amiable, but a glint in the professor's dark eyes made a chill run down Li Mei's spine. 'Was that a threat?... No, he's probably just making sure I don't step too far out of line. A proper noble girl wouldn't pursue this conversation further in public. Time for a change of topic, then.' Aloud, she scoffed lightly and said: "I'll hold you to that promise, my good sir. Duchess Goldclover, are you also familiar with the professor? I'd be glad to excuse myself should you have business to discuss."

"Not at all, Lady Li Mei! In fact, I came to inquire if either of you had an inkling about the night's entertainment. Duchess Rosethorne was quite excited for the past few weeks, I'm eager to see what could possibly have her in such a fantastic mood."

'Excited? Fantastic mood?' Li Mei thought back to Marilyn Rosethorne's beautiful but cold face, and raised her eyebrows at a suddenly mischievous-looking Duchess Goldclover. 'Ah, I see. Something troublesome, then. But troublesome for whom, I wonder... And in what way?'

"It seems as though Miss Lady Mei is intrigued!" Faust mumbled around a mouthful of candied treats, his lack of decorum causing the Duchess to twitch an eyebrow. "Do tell, Duchess Goldclover! Do you have news?"

'Exactly how important is his standing here? She didn't even scold or tease him! I'd heard his title wasn't that impressive, but it appears his roots here are deeper than I'd imagined. Bastard just keeps getting more annoying! Can't he just politely go die somewhere?' Li Mei cringed inwardly, taking a subtle step back to stand beside the silent Teresa. Hana, casting an undisguised glare of annoyance at the professor's back, hurriedly refilled the newly emptied plate so Li Mei could continue snacking.

"I do indeed, Professor Bishop." Duchess Goldclover tittered, gently tapping her immaculately powdered cheek with one gloved finger. "The good Duchess Rosethorne managed to convince The Feather Troupe to put on a performance!"

Teresa gasped, covering her mouth delicately with her hands while her emerald eyes sparkled with excitement. Hana glanced at her quizzically, then over at Li Mei who merely raised her eyebrows in response.

"The Feather Troupe!" Professor Bishop exclaimed, the surprise on his face so genuine it made Li Mei suspect he already heard the news. "They rarely travel outside the Hawaiki Archipelago at this time of year. How very exciting! Shouldn't they be entertaining their Queen and her Consorts for their quaint little fishing festival?"

"That's precisely what makes it so intriguing, Professor!" Duchess Goldclover smirked, delicately pressing three fingers to her painted lips. "However did Duchess Rosethorne convince them to appear here instead of before their Queen? It truly is ever so curious."

"Have you been to Hawaiki, Professor? To know so much about this Troupe..." Li Mei asked after Duchess Goldclover made her exit to spread gossip elsewhere.

"Of course! I've been to every civilized land in the world." Faust winked, an overly friendly and intimate gesture that made Li Mei's skin crawl. "And more than a few uncivilized ones! Do you have an interest in barbarians, Miss Lady Mei?"

"I would ask you for your definition of barbarian, Professor, but I suspect the unfortunate answer and will thus refrain. If you'll excuse me?"

Li Mei turned to make her own exit, only to stop when Faust tapped her shoulder. The smile on his fake face was as friendly as ever, but his eyes had a serious intensity that felt uncomfortable to behold. She averted her gaze, subtly staring at the dimple on his cheek instead of maintaining eye contact. "Miss Lady Mei. Please don't forget our appointment tomorrow morning! I'll be by after the morning bells. Expect to be out most of the day, the Academy registration exam is lengthy."

Raising her eyebrows, Li Mei responded only with a curt nod before leaving for a more appealing Faust-less snack table, Hana perfectly in step a pace behind her left elbow.

Teresa, who shivered silently behind Li Mei's skirts during the entire conversation, hurried to catch up. Once they were some distance away from other party guests, she worked up the courage to clear her throat and speak before yet another noble came over to occupy the time of the young Mu Republic delegate. "Lady Li Mei... You're, ah... You really know Professor Bishop that... That well?"

"Too well," Li Mei muttered, her voice dangerously flat as she watched Hana pick out more nibbles from the snack table. "I can tell you all about it another time. Perhaps over tea? I have a prior engagement tomorrow, but I'd enjoy the pleasure of your company at any other date."

"Really?!" Teresa exclaimed, only to cover her mouth in embarrassment. A few people within earshot chuckled, making her face burn red with shame at the mistake, but Li Mei just flicked her fan open and smiled.

"Of course, Lady Teresa. Or am I mistaken in assuming we were getting along splendidly?"

"N-no, not at all! I mean, not mistaken at all! I, ah... Is it really okay? To, to have tea together..."

Li Mei briefly glanced down as Teresa averted her gaze. The girl had a habit of fidgeting with her hands when she was nervous, a habitual tic she should probably be made aware of. But not in front of other people. Pointing out her weakness in public would be cruel, even if it was one everyone else knew about already.

The poor girl was really an open book.

"I would not extend an empty invitation," Li Mei said with a soft chuckle. "Besides, we can study together for the Academy. As I said before, I'm quite looking forward to attending classes alongside a friend."

"A friend..." Teresa whispered, gripping the front of her dress so tight her knuckles turned white. But before she could speak whatever concern was weighing on her shoulders, the sound of multiple chiming bells rang out over the entire party.

"Ladies and gentlefolk," Duchess Rosethorne spoke, her voice magnified by an enchanted item held delicately in one of her hands. At her side Alba stood with a fake smile plastered on, to disguise the sickly pallor her face had taken on ever since Li Mei completely avoided any attempt the young lady made to move closer and initiate conversation. The Duchess didn't spare her a second glance, focusing instead on a smiling presentation for her guests. "As tonight's entertainment, I have a wonderful surprise prepared. I'm sure most everyone has heard rumors by now..." She paused, and many guests giggled behind their hands while casting glances at a smug Duchess Goldclover. "I am pleased to officially announce here tonight that we have performers appearing for the first time at the Spring Gala, or indeed any social gathering in the world outside of the summer months. All the way from the distant and exotic Hawaiki Archipelago...

"The Feather Troupe!"