Preparations for the Ball (2)
The annex where Second Imperial Princess Chloe resided had a distinctly different atmosphere from the Emperor's quarters or those of the other imperial family members.
There was hardly any gold or jewels, but the dark-toned solid wood furniture, countless bookshelves, and the subtle blend of herbal incense with a hint of rose created a serene, scholarly air.
Feels just like a library...
Guided by Amber into the spacious reception room, I halted for a moment.
"......"
The Chloe who was always buried in books at the library, dressed in her simple and comfortable everyday gown, was nowhere to be seen.
She stood there in a blindingly white dress, densely embroidered with thin silver threads that would sparkle with every step under the ballroom lights.
The off-shoulder design elegantly exposed her collarbone, and her usual silver hair—braided or pinned up—was let down to flow naturally.
Her large, clear purple eyes curved prettily toward me.
"Welcome, Prince Ian."
"Ah...... Yes, Your Highness. Good day."
An idiotic, dazed voice slipped out of me unbidden.
It was so unfamiliar and dazzling that I could hardly believe it was the same princess who buried herself in books every day.
Noticing my blatant stare, Chloe blushed faintly and averted her gaze.
"Don't stare like that. I just put on the dress early to get used to its weight and length for practice."
"Ah, my apologies. It's just so different from how you look in the library...... You're very beautiful."
"......Thank you."
Chloe shyly grasped and released the hem of her skirt, then cleared her throat lightly to shift the mood.
"Well then, shall we begin the dance practice in earnest? Since you've never danced before, Prince, we'll start from the very basics."
"Please take good care of me, Master."
"Hee-hee. There are many types of imperial social dances, but the waltz is the most fundamental and elegant for a ball. Today, we'll focus on mastering the basic steps and rhythm."
Chloe approached and gently took my right hand. A soft, warm sensation transmitted through.
"The waltz is in 3/4 time. Boom-tap-tap, boom-tap-tap. Remember that rhythm."
"Boom-tap-tap, boom-tap-tap......"
"Exactly. On the first beat, the 'boom,' step forward strongly while turning, and on the 'tap-tap,' lightly bring your feet together to find your balance."
As she explained the rhythm, Chloe tapped my chest lightly with her slender index and middle fingers of her free left hand: tap, tap, tap.
"Boom, tap, tap. Like this. Do you feel it?"
"Ah...... Yes."
Her fingers drumming rhythmically right above my heart carried a strangely heated touch.
Of course, I knew it was just part of the instruction, but in this vast room alone with her, our bodies in contact, a ticklish, subtly erotic tension arose.
"Now, let's take partner position. Your right hand on my waist...... no, just below the shoulder blade, gently embracing. And my left hand will rest lightly on your right shoulder."
Following her instructions, I cautiously reached out and wrapped my hand around her lower back.
Her body heat vividly seeped through the thin dress fabric, making my shoulders tense involuntarily.
She was warmer than I'd imagined.
"Your left hand and my right hand interlock lightly like this, raised to eye level. Don't grip too tightly. Keep a slight space between our bodies, with your gaze naturally on each other's eyes or slightly over the right shoulder."
"Like this?"
"Yes, perfect. Your posture came together quicker than expected."
Chloe smiled in satisfaction.
"Alright, now let's step to that rhythm. I'll step back first, so on the 'boom,' you step forward big with your left foot. Ready? One, two, three!"
Boom-tap-tap.
Counting the beat in my head, I awkwardly stepped forward.
Fortunately, the catastrophe of stepping on her silver shoes didn't happen.
We began slowly circling the wide carpet in the reception room.
At first, I was too busy fixating on my feet, but thanks to Chloe's skilled and gentle lead, I gradually lifted my head and surrendered to the rhythm.
"Prince, is this really your first time? Your aptitude is incredible. No beginner clumsiness at all."
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master."
Chloe let out a soft laugh at my words.
We spun a few more turns in silence.
At such close proximity, her faint herbal and rose scent lingered at my nose, and a strange calm settled in amid the dance's rhythm.
Then, Chloe lightly pushed my chest and whispered something unexpected in my ear.
"......Actually, this is my first time holding a man's hand and dancing like this, too."
"Pardon?"
"This winter's social season...... is my debut as well. I turned nineteen this year."
Instead of her usual composed, intellectual demeanor, Chloe's cheeks flushed like a girl her age, her lips fidgeting.
"So practicing with you like this feels quite...... special...... to me too."
BAM-!!!
Before Chloe could finish, the thick wooden door of the reception room burst open violently, and a raging grizzly bear charged in.
"Where are you, Ian Sterling!!!"
It was Second Prince Arthur, shirtless with sweat-slicked body, haphazardly wearing only a light golden vest.
Chloe's face, which had been shyly girlish moments ago, froze cold in an instant.
"...Brother, what on earth are you doing here? How rude. Without even knocking!"
"Quiet, you bookworm! I'm here to take back what you stole from me!"
"...Stole what?"
She released her hand from my waist and shot a murderous glare at her brutish brother who had barged into her space uninvited.
But Arthur ignored his sister's fury entirely, striding forward and seizing my shoulder.
"The empire's greatest dancer is right here—why learn from that bookworm?! Steps from someone who doesn't know the limits of the flesh are just flailing!"
"Y-Your Highness? How did you suddenly......!"
"No more talk—look at me! I'll etch into your scrawny legs what true steps are, what perfect turns are, down to your bones!!"
Without waiting for my reply, Arthur began demonstrating steps with movements as light and graceful as a feather, belying his massive frame.
"......!"
I gaped, unable to tear my eyes away.
He truly was the empire's greatest dancer.
The turns and steps from that brutish bulk were far more dynamic than the textbook waltz Chloe had shown, yet maintained perfect balance without a single error.
He glided across the reception room floor like a sleek black panther.
"See that?! That's dance, that's art! Now take my hand, Ian! Let's ascend to the true realm of dance together!"
Arthur extended his massive, sweat-reeking hand.
Still dazed with my hand on Chloe's slender waist, I unwittingly inhaled the familiar sweaty musk that overwhelmed her herbal and rose scents as he closed in.
"True dance is the act of pulsing muscles clashing, souls mingling in hot sweat droplets! Dancing with someone ignorant of perfect bodily communion is mere flailing!"
Arthur spun a feather-light, elegant turn unfitting his size and approached right before my nose.
"No more talk—look at me, Ian! Feel my breath and your muscles contracting in sync—I'll etch true waltz into your bones!!"
"No, wait a moment, urgh!"
Arthur thrust out his burly, sweat-drenched hands and roughly yanked my hand from Chloe's waist.
Suddenly trapped in the arms of this shirtless musclebound giant, I was spun wildly around the annex reception room.
"Surrender to the rhythm! Feel my muscles move and maintain the tension!"
"Your Highness! I-I can't breathe...!"
For the first few seconds, I flailed like baggage dangling from a rollercoaster.
Unlike with Chloe, my feet tangled, my breath caught, and I nearly stepped on the prince's feet repeatedly—but he dodged it all with astonishing agility unbelievable for his size.
"It's fine—I believe in you! You can do it, you can do it! The Ian I know is a strong man!"
But human adaptability is a fearsome thing.
At some point, my body adjusted to the rhythm I'd struggled to follow.
Huh? I'm keeping up?
My flailing steps magically synced with Arthur's explosive rhythm.
Boom-tap-tap.
My body perfectly synchronized with his rough, beastly lead, sliding across the carpet.
In that moment, a fierce heat flared in Arthur's purple eyes as he gazed down at me from so close.
"......!!"
He exhaled raggedly and shouted in ecstatic joy.
"Hah...... Excellent, Ian! That perfect bounce when you turned......! Absorbing my rough lead entirely without rebounding, that flexibility!!"
"Your Highness, too fast...!"
"Yes, this is it! This hot communion! With you...... yes, Ian! You can surely be my ultimate partner, souls touching!!"
Overcome with emotion, Arthur hugged my waist even tighter, lost in rapture at the center of the reception room.
And in the midst of that madly spinning, feverish muscular waltz—
BANG!!!
By the time Chloe slammed the door shut and retreated to the inner room, I still hadn't regained my senses.
"Ah...... Your Highness? Second Princess Chloe seems angry."
"Ignore it! Dance is what matters now! Can't you feel this passionnnn!!"
And so, for skipping my gym session that day, I ended up spending more than double my usual time pressed against Second Prince's sweat-drenched chest.