My Wonderful Second Life

Chapter 29- A dancing fox

His fingers grasped the tips of mine in a warm pull, even when separated by the cloth of our gloves. Francis took me back to the centre of the ballroom under the watchful eyes of the prestigious guests. They murmured and whispered with a strengthening vigour compared to when Cedric had taken me to dance. A hard feat to surpass, given their gasps of shock at that time. They were now more subdued in their contempt, but much more intense in their assessment.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Gobbie appearing at the rear of the crowd that had approached the dancing floor to better see the couples and their dance. Surprise to no one, he had to be subdued by several onlookers to avoid storming into the centre of the room as the music began.

Francis gave me a huge smile, reeling at the chaos he caused before he silently put his other hand on my back. I eyed him with suspicion, thinking of his actual intentions. It couldn't be only because he enjoyed the suffering face of Gobbie or to derail the plans of the young ladies who wished to dance with him. There was more.

Yet he remained silent.

And we began our dance, a waltz, I realized to my horror, too fast for me. Trying to avoid looking down and counting my steps, I grabbed Francis's arm for dear life and let him lead me, betting on his proficiency.

A bet won, seeing how easily my feet went to the right place and how, after an initial struggle, I felt like I was floating in a cloud. We danced in silence, his only tell a foxy smirk on his face. I wanted to reproach him and stomp on his feet, but whenever I was about to leave the tempo or ruin our steps, he would lead me right back into it with a gentle push.

He would talk. I just had to wait, to my discontentment. While that, I avoided his golden eyes, watching instead my gloved hand on his arm. His white suit blended with the lace of my gloves, both colourless like the rest of his assembly. Except for a few golden details, his attire was bland, sharp, and without life. Worse, when he was without his shoulder red cape.

But, thank goddess he took it off... it would be a drag to dance with a cape attached.

My eyes then moved from my hand to a couple who danced some steps away from us, one I knew very well. Cedric and Jenni. Dancing like a destiny born couple. However, it stroke me as way too perfect... emotionless...

The thoughts in my head clocked in furious activity, trying to understand when they were supposed to be in love. They had met earlier than it was expected. Well, we all had met earlier, yet no romance came to fruition. I wondered if it would be now, at the right age from the book (when they were supposed to meet), that signs of blooming romance would form. And if it would be that the cause for his hate on the Sun Empire.

"Are you jealous of your sister dancing with Prince Cedric?"

My neck turned with such speed my braid flew like a whip, hurting my skin. I felt his breath on my cheeks, only now understanding how close we were to each other. His eyes were intense and observing, taking every line on my face. Without his amiable smile, I felt unnerved and almost took a step back. Though it would have been impossible under his tight grip.

Instead, because I was not one to back down (or at least not without trying a jab), I threw a question of my own.

"Shouldn't you be more worried than I? About them?" I asked in a challenge.

He eyed me with a strange look. And I got my mistake. I knew of their future romance. He did not.

He turned on his charming smile. "Why should I? I am quite certain of my marriage with your sister. She will make it so."

My mouth parted slightly, allowing me to take a harsh breath. The way he said it, so definitive, so final, without a smidge of wavering, made it all too impossible to refute. It sounded too weird coming from a boy of 13. Besides, worse than that, even if I didn't want to admit it to myself, was that the mention of Jenni had caused me shivers. It sounded very much like he had no choice about who he would marry. I wanted to ask, but I felt my tongue-tied. And to be honest, it was hardly my place to do so.