She quickly moved on from them to the other guests, engaging them in conversations one by one. Rui was grateful that she didn't fixate on him too much, gracefully accepting his refusal and moving on.
She purposefully mentioned the fact that he had accepted being Prince Ruijan's tutor. It appeared that word had indeed spread, and it did impact how others looked at him. He heaved a sigh, relieved that he had gotten past this part without any issue.
Prince Ruijan had been correct to a certain extent, the other princes and princesses who weren't strictly associated with Martial Art in any way were not willing to go nearly as far as to change his mind and have him in their faction.
It was true that Prince Ruijan had tried much harder when he spoke to Rui.
"Now then…" He heaved a sigh. "I suppose I can just enjoy the rest of this reception without any trouble."
Yet he was wrong.
It wasn't long before an orchestra began playing music. Couples began dancing together center stage while asked each other out to dance.
Time slowed down in Rui's vision as he sensed the gaze of many ladies coming his direction. His mind flashed through his Mind Palace as he recalled a rule from the etiquette book that he had read.
It was considered highly rude for a man to refuse an offer to dance from a lady. 'Damn…' He cursed. 'I don't know how to dance.'
He quickly analyzed the movements of the couples that were dancing, memorizing them quickly.
By the time, the first lady walked over towards him, he had just barely managed to memorize the routine.
"Senior Quarrier, I am the Varnika Nerman, the daughter of the Minister of Martial Art," She smiled at him, performing a brief curtsy. "Would you care to join me for a dance?"
Her petite hand reached out to him.
She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, a few years younger than him. Rui instantly understood that this particular offer was also a gesture of friendship from the Minister of Martial Art rather than purely personal interest from the young woman.
"Why certainly, miss Varnika," Rui smiled, accepting her hand as he ignored the amused smile from Julian.
He managed to perfectly mimic the movements of the dance, carefully sashaying with the woman. "You dance well for your first time, Senior Quarrier," She lightly commented. "Was it that obvious?"
"Not at all, actually. Your movements are perfect, but your unfamiliarity and discomfort are quite visible," She commented as she pulled closer to him and their hips met. "It is an honor to make the acquaintance of the youngest Martial Senior in history."
"You flatter me with those undeserving words, my lady."
Her expression grew disapproving. "You are far too humble, Senior Quarrier."
"Not at a-"
"Pardon me, but I was not complimenting your modesty," She cut him off, much to his surprise. "For someone of your power, talent, stature, potential, and value…you are far too humble. People in this world should know their place, and it appears that you don't know yours."
Rui's eyes lit up in surprise as she boldly told him to know his place right to his face. It was actually refreshing, but it contradicted the rules of etiquette book that he memorized in an effort to not do anything that could be construed as an intentional offense.
"You may come from a humble background, but your current status in our great empire is far greater than that. You ought to have an ego that matches your current power and status," She directly told him. "Yet you still act like you are an ordinary unremarkable Martial Artist. Your attitude reflects a lack of value for your power. Your humility is an insult to your power Anybody else in your position would have an ego that befits your current power and value because they would understand just how superior they are to plebeians."
Rui had never ever heard of such a personal philosophy in his entire life or lives. Not being egotistical about one's power was an insult to it? It was almost incomprehensible. He wasn't even sure how to dissect that, especially when he needed to maintain a perfunctory smile while also calculating his next movements for the dance since he had no muscle memory for it.
"Humility is an insult to power, you say?" Rui raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed. Power affords you an ego. Not making use of power is not only an insult, it is evil. You are strong yet you live out your day like you aren't, that is the greatest insult to power," She firmly told him. "It is also an insult to everybody who desires and needs power. It is no different from emptying water into a drain in front of a thirsty person."
Incomprehensible, but also fascinating. It was fascinating that there were people who genuinely believed such things. "So what would you have me do? How would you have me act and live?"
"For one, you can straighten your back more. You can pump your chest more, and raise your chin. Your current physical demeanor is more fit for a Martial Squire than it is for someone of your stature," She informed him. "Socially, you need to act your power out more. You must not tolerate disrespect from other men, you must be more willing to employ your power to take women of lower status than you as you pl-"
"Ok, that's enough," Rui felt a headache coming on.
Was this how people in high society thought? That power alone allowed anybody to act anyway and get away with anything?
That was wrong. Rui did not think it was appropriate to allow such a thing to happen. He didn't care who or why, but abuse of others simply because of the ability to was highly inappropriate. When he studied her expression, he could see that she truly believed every word she uttered.
It only strengthened his conviction to stay away from this class of society, he had no interest in mingling with.
