Chapter 96: A Dance Together
Compared to the records they used during practice, the music at tonight’s ballroom was much more gentle and slow.
The musicians seemed to especially enjoy playing soft and dreamy melodies, songs that naturally brought people closer together and made it easier for strangers to meet and connect.
After all, that’s what a ball is for. People from different social circles meeting new friends or maybe even starting a new romance.
Armand and Evelia didn’t walk to the center of the dance floor. Neither of them liked being in the spotlight, so they chose a spot near the edge. With one hand on her waist and the other holding hers, they stood in the standard dance position.
In such a crowded ballroom, they couldn’t perform the big, flashy moves they used during practice. Their steps were much more restrained now. Armand thought to himself, if he really let Evelia dance however she wants, she might even try to climb onto his shoulders in front of everyone.
He still had some not-so-great memories of that…
Of course, dancing wouldn’t be complete without some spinning. Armand led Evelia in slow turns to the rhythm of the music, watching her long dress swirl with each movement. Although her gown was an asymmetrical design, it still spread out in a beautiful arc when she moved.
Armand wasn’t exactly a poet, and he didn’t know how to describe things with fancy words, even if something looked amazing. So he usually didn’t pay much attention to ladies’ dresses. At parties, noble young women always dressed in more and more elegant and luxurious outfits, and thanks to their noble bloodlines, most of them were very beautiful.
To put it a bit bluntly, Armand had seen so many beautiful women that he was kind of used to it. No matter how pretty someone looked, it didn’t really capture his attention anymore.
“Ah, sorry.”
He had stepped on Evelia’s foot, he’d gotten distracted without realizing it.
“It’s okay, Mr. Armand,” Evelia replied gently, shaking her head. She spun in a small circle and smoothly returned to his side.
They had practiced several times already, even tried some of the more intense dance moves, so this slower dance should have been easy for them. But with Evelia all dressed up and now in his arms, Armand suddenly found himself feeling a bit nervous for no reason.
What made things worse was Evelia’s dress had a wide, open neckline. Even though there were some decorations covering it, from Armand’s height, whenever he looked down, all he saw was a glimpse of her soft, fair skin underneath the fabric. And sometimes, as they moved, those few pieces of fabric shifted slightly, slipping lower across her chest.
And then Evelia suddenly remembered what Anna had taught her that a ballroom was the perfect place for getting close.
So, from time to time, she leaned in closer to Armand, pressing her chest against him. When Armand looked down, he could clearly see the shape of her chest changing from round to slightly flattened under the pressure.
It looked so soft, like it would mold into any shape you wanted with just a little squeeze. If he were to place his hand there, that softness would probably overflow slightly between his fingers, leaving the shape of his palm behind.
And that wasn’t all.
She also rubbed her legs against Armand’s from time to time, or suddenly changed the rhythm, stepping in between his feet and leaning forward just a bit. She would brush against him lightly, just once, and then pull back, leaving him curious about when the next “attack” would come. Amid the lingering feeling of wanting more, there was a subtle mix of excitement and nervous anticipation.
When Evelia made her little teasing moves, Armand would always have some small but funny reaction, especially with the hand they were holding. After she did something playful, he would instinctively squeeze her hand a little tighter. The pressure would only last a second, but it was enough for Evelia to feel the same kind of fun as if she were teasing a cat or dog.
Even though she had never actually teased a pet before, Armand sometimes gave off the feeling of a big friendly dog, which Evelia found surprisingly refreshing.
When Evelia placed her hand on Armand’s shoulder, she slowly moved it backward, leaving a trail of warmth across his shoulder with her palm. Then, her fingers gently scratched along his back, making him feel ticklish. But he didn’t seem angry, he only quietly muttered, “Stop messing around.”
After all, they were at a ballroom, so he couldn’t really do anything dramatic to stop her even if he wanted to.
Seeing Armand dancing at a ballroom was a rare sight. Many of the knights nearby had their eyes on the two of them. They were surprised to see Armand was dancing, and their attention soon turned to Evelia in his arms. Her beauty was just too striking, and with the way the maids at the manor had carefully dressed her up, Evelia quickly became the center of attention for many of the men.
When Armand and Evelia first entered the ballroom, the knights had politely kept their distance. But now that they were dancing, some couldn’t help but steal glances at her.
Armand definitely noticed. He saw how the knights were staring directly at Evelia. So, he turned her around mid-dance, using their height difference to face those knights while her back was to them. Then, he pulled her closer by the waist. He didn’t say a word, but his face turned dark, without any dramatic expression, just a serious, cold look. That alone was enough to scare the more bold knights into quickly looking away.
But Evelia wasn’t the type to let things slide either.
Just as Armand had noticed the men staring at her dress, she also sensed that other women were staring at Armand. When Armand thought things had settled down and started turning again with Evelia, she suddenly wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders, lifted one leg up and hooked it around his thigh. Standing on tiptoes with the other leg, she leaned her head over his shoulder and gave a cold, silent look at the surrounding women.
That one look was enough to make several of them take a step back.
“Mr. Armand, do you want to go outside and get some fresh air?”
Still, Evelia didn’t feel fully at ease. She didn’t want other women staring at her target, so she decided to stop dancing and take Armand somewhere quiet, someplace where no other women could interrupt them.
“Sure,” Armand replied.
It turned out he had been thinking the same thing. He found it annoying that the knights kept looking at Evelia, and had also been thinking about moving away from the crowd. He hadn’t even said it yet when Evelia brought it up first, just what he had in mind.
Not far from where they were was a balcony. Armand led Evelia over, pulled aside the curtain, and opened the balcony door. Then, acting like a proper gentleman, he made a gesture for Evelia to go first.
After she stepped out, he looked back at a few knights who still hadn’t given up, gave them a sharp glare, memorized their faces, and slowly closed the balcony door behind him.