Return of the General's Daughter-Chapter 217: The Dance 3

Prince Reuben, who was still recovering from the exhalirating experience of watching a uniquely executed dance, was in a daze.

Alaric exhaled sharply, then, with full confidence, he stepped in front of Lara.

"May I have the honor of sharing this dance with you?" Alaric inquired, his voice serious, smooth, and deep, betraying a hint of anticipation. He leaned forward in a graceful bow, his dark hair catching the soft glow of the hundred candles that hung in the petal- like holders of the chandelier above them. It framed his face, eyes sparkling with genuine admiration. The air around them shimmered with an electric energy, transforming the moment into something truly enchanting.

As Lara processed his words, her eyes widened in astonishment. A warm smile spread across her face, and she gracefully nodded her head, a spark of excitement dancing in her gaze.

This was technically her first dance as Lara Norse. The practice session with her brothers earlier did not count at all.

If she wanted to spend her first dance with a partner, she would rather share it with Prince Alaric instead of Reuben.

Alaric approached the musicians, a string quartet that played the lute and the vielle, and asked them to play a lively song in the galliard style, which had been introduced by traveling merchants a few years ago and was gaining popularity in the capital.

Ari had studied her movements and decided the best accompanying music would be for a galliard-style dance.

When the string quartet started plucking their lutes and the vielle (a fiddle-like instrument), a piece of lively music filled the air. Lara asked the quartet to finish one round of the music before she locked gazes with Alaric and moved gracefully to the far end of the banquet hall, so they would be facing their audience.

"So, how do we do this, Your Highness? We haven’t done a single practice, not even discussed what to do." Lara was worried that they might mess up big time. Wouldn’t they become the talk of the town?

"Don’t worry, I’ll just follow your lead. It is just training, right?" Prince Alaric replied. The gloom on his face was replaced by a radiant smile that cast a warm glow across his striking features, enhancing his already captivating charm.

Lara nodded. She still could not fathom how the two of them could coordinate the dance properly. Never mind, the prince is a member of the Royal Family after all. She knew that they had trained in etiquette from a young age and guessed that he might have trained in many dances, so he should be able to follow her effortlessly.

The second time the string quartet began playing their instruments, Lara started to move. At first, the music was as slow as a breeze gently blowing, causing the flowers in the fields to sway softly.

While Lara’s movements were graceful, elegant, and flowing, like a swan gliding on the lake, Prince Alaric’s movements were pronounced and sharp, exuding a masculine and powerful aura, like that of a knight in a protective stance, watching over his damsel. He was always two steps away from Lara, giving her space to maneuver.

While the audience was in a trance, watching the pair and lost in myriad thoughts, Lara moved in tune with the music. When Prince Alaric fumbled and was lost on what to do next, Lara reached out her hand and clasped his. Then she circled him, her undulating arm movements, smooth head movements, and fluttering feet mirroring the swan’s natural grace.

When the tempo of the music shifted to fast-paced, Lara shifted back to jumping and twirling, like the steps that she did prior. She looked like a fairy jumping from one flower, pausing on the next, then twirling around before jumping to the next.

Agilus and the other soldiers had their jaws dropped to the ground. "Pinch me." He commanded Aramis, who was standing beside him in the corner.

Aramis elbowed him, and it hurt.

"Aww, that hurts. Why did you have to be so rough?"

Aramis rolled his eyes before shifting them back to the couple who were dancing at the end of the hall.

Agilus and the rest of the soldiers could not believe that the man in front was their high and mighty Prince Alaric. He was too familiar with Alaric. He knew how much he abhorred the lessons forced on him in court dancing, and eventually, his teachers just gave up and focused on the other princes and princesses.

But looking at Alaric, he seemed to be enjoying every bit of it. Especially when Lara held his hand and circled around him, as if he were some kind of deity being fawned over by a Naiad.

The young ladies’ eyes were full of envy, especially that of Lady Amielle. She was the host of tonight’s banquet, and yet all attention was on Lara. She was not reconciled. She was angry and extremely jealous.

The daughter of Baron Yanez whispered to the baroness, "Mother, I want to learn how to dance like that."

The baroness was at a loss for what to do. Didn’t Lady Lara say that she wasn’t dancing but training? Upon closer examination, indeed, her steps were similar to those of a martial arts practitioner. The middle-aged woman looked at her daughter, who had already turned eighteen. She doubted if she still had a flexible body. Besides, wouldn’t the mid-air split cause her to lose her virginity?

Prince Reuben, who had recovered from his earlier daze, had his gaze fixated on Lara. He watched every movement of her body, every sway of her arms, and every swing of her legs. How could she move fluidly even in two layers of the full skirt? The more he watched, the more his desire to conquer her grew.

When she leaped in the air and then twirled when she landed, her skirt lifted up like an umbrella swirling around her legs. The audience gasped because they thought they would see her skin exposed, but Lara was wearing black hose underneath.

Her brothers, who have their hearts on their throats, relaxed when they saw that she had protective clothing underneath her skirt.

Prince Alaric, thought of something different. He took out his sword, still with the scabbard, of course. He did not have to worry about synchronizing his steps with Lara’s, and he also did not encounter difficulty with the steps because he simply performed his usual steps when practicing swordsmanship.

When the music was about to end, Alaric dropped his sword to the floor and moved closer to Lara. As the music crescended, Lara once again performed that breathtaking mid-air split, but before she could drop back to the floor, a pair of strong hands held her by the waist.

She was momentarily taken aback but recovered quickly. She folded her right leg while keeping her left leg extended outward to the back. Her right arm was raised above her head, lifted high, and her left arm extended to the back, parallel to her left leg.

She held that pose and, instinctively, as if they had practiced it so many times, Prince Alaric twirled her three times in tune to the music.

The music stopped, and Lara was back on the ground, face flushed and panting, but fulfilled.

She cast a glance at Alaric and the two of them bowed to their audience. freēnovelkiss.com

A pin drop silence hung in the air.