I didn't meet the Prince until after dinner, and we had gathered in a room converted for dancing. The room was elegantly decorated, the theme four elements, an obvious nod to the Sect's name.

Arrays had been created to segment the room into five parts. The outer areas used Qi gathering arrays to divide the four elements that had harmonized across the mountain into distinct aspects.

Only the middle section of the room, the area meant for dancing and mingling, was left with the blended elements intact. This separation allowed for guests to take a moment to themselves to 'recharge' or spend the time observing those dancing in an area they were most comfortable with.

The Prince had arrived late. I didn't believe for a second that wasn't planned. He had missed the scheduled meet and greet event, and the luncheon, only arriving in time to change and attend the dinner Patriarch Umbra had hosted.

I was confident he had people arrive early enough to determine who was in attendance and create intelligence profiles on everyone attending. I briefly wondered what my profile would say before shrugging with disregard. What was there really to know? I was too inconsequentlial to worry about, especially when compared to some of the powerhouses that had decided to attend.

It was hard to gauge the strength of some of the people in attendance. Most cultivators suppressed their aura as they ascended Realms. It was almost mandatory once a person advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm. A Qi Gathering cultivator could withstand the oppressive nature of a cultivator up to the Immortal Realm. Still, mortals would often collapse under the immense pressures the aura of someone at the Nascent Soul Realm could release.

"Your Highness, allow me to present Baroness Jai Myche," Patriarch Umbra said once I had reached their position in the receiving line. I admit I was startled as I was jolted from my thoughts. I hoped the slight blush of embarrassment I felt caressing my cheeks wouldn't be noticeable.

"Baroness, it is my honor to introduce you to Prince Wu Chen, second son of Emperor Halycon the First."

"Baroness," Wu Chen said, nodding his head slightly to acknowledge me.

"Your Highness," I replied, performing a full Dogeza. I needn't have bothered. The Prince had dismissed me as quickly as he had acknowledged me.

He was bored and making no effort to hide that boredom. I understood to a point, standing in receiving lines to have people fawn over him must get tiresome, but I found his dismissal rude, nonetheless.

I wasn't brave enough or stupid enough to call him out on his behavior or even allow any trace of censure for his actions to flit across my face. The Prince was as much a non-entity to me as I was to him, but he was an entitled non-entity.

I was happy that this wasn't a novel because if it were, the Prince and I would immediately fall in love or hate for each other. A romantic trope that would see us fighting each other or his family as he proved his manliness and I fell into his trap.

I had no interest in dalliance. That isn't to say the Prince wasn't good-looking. He was. But Elves, as a whole, were beautiful. Fiat, the young Elf that was pursuing Yvonne, was much better looking. Even Leon and Jinli, my former bullies, had comparable features.

"Baroness," a man said, gaining my attention. I had barely ventured past the receiving line before I was accosted by a cultivator wearing the Prince's colors.

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"If you could spare a few moments? Prince Wu Chen would like to speak with you privately."

The statement may have been framed as a question, but you made yourself available when a Prince asked to speak with you. That truth seemed universal. I probably could have found an excuse to stall or avoid the conversation the Prince was asking for, but there was no reason to.

This flunky's interception was planned. The disinterest the Prince had displayed towards me in the receiving line could not have sent a signal to the Wu Chen's retainer to ask for a meeting. I had been treated with the same dismissal as most of those introduced.

The only reason the Prince might want to speak with me concerned Clan Velize. I had hoped that my connection with unraveling the treason of that clan would remain ignored—the less focus on me, the better chance I had of keeping Daniel's death a mystery.

My communication tokens would help explain how I had stumbled across the secrets of Clan Velize. The discovery was an accident as I spent time researching how missives were constructed and stumbled across the discovery of the copy arrays weaved through the fiber strands of the paper itself.

"Of course," I said, agreeing to the meeting. "Where and when?"

"The Patriarch has been kind enough to carve out an area for the Prince to rest during the ball. That area contains an isolation array. If you would be kind enough to follow, there is a seating where you can rest while waiting for the Prince," he said.

He led me to the area midway along one side of the room. An elevated platform that would allow the Prince to observe the room at large, the platform guarded by a few of the Prince's men. It was an easy leap for any of the cultivators present to gain access to the platform, if not for the defensive barrier that had been activated.

The man signaled someone to deactivate the barrier as we approached. The platform had been created with a small seating area with a few tables to hold drinks. The elemental aspect had been filtered for fire and air, not uncomfortable since one of my affinities was with air, but I admit I would have preferred water over the fire.

Once I was settled, the barrier was reinstalled, blocking all sound from entering. I didn't mind the solitude, but I had little chance to enjoy music and would have preferred to listen to the orchestra.

The Prince kept me waiting for over an hour. I might have been offended at his lack of manners, but honestly, it was expected. If I was honest with myself, I had to admit I was happy that I wasn't forced to mingle and dance. It wasn't that I was worried about my abilities in that area. My martial skills and the use of the Tessen allowed for a fluidity of movement that was as graceful as many dances, even as it was deadly.

Leaning the Kata's helped me approach a perfection of form and movement easily transferred to the skills required to glide effortlessly across the dance floor. No, my disdain for this evening's entertainment was more about how I was perceived than how well I danced.

Most of the people attending this event did so, hoping to find someone they resonated well enough with that they could form a connection, a connection that might eventually lead to a Dao-partnership.

I was not entirely against the idea, but not anytime soon. I had too many things I wanted to accomplish before I worried about finding someone cultivating a technique that would mesh well enough with my own to forge a relationship that would last thousands, even tens of thousands of years.

I had cherished my children in my past life, but my marriage had left me unsatisfied. I refused to find myself trapped in a life that was less than I'd hoped for again—that feeling of settling for what was expected was draining. It often transformed into anger and resentment.

I knew that dual cultivation and marriage between cultivators differed significantly from what I had lived through. Any future partner I might find would be as dedicated to their goals as I was to my own. But my memories from that past life were still raw.

If Elder Shadow was to be believed, the only real interaction between a potential partner might only occur during closed-door cultivation when breakthroughs were attempted. Dao partners would share dangers during Heavenly tribulation. Outside of those isolated instances, the conception and birth of children might be the only time we spend together. We would live separate lives, only braiding our Qi and Dharmic energies together during those closed-door cultivation sessions.

That was another reason I saw little need for a companion. Why bother when you would see each other so rarely? As we advanced our Realms, it would take centuries between each breakthrough. I saw no reason to interrupt my life, and the path I was walking to make room for a person that would have so little influence.