/ Thea and Raphael’s dance scene was inspired by the wonderful composition Frederic Chopin - Spring Waltz./

Thea

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I turned my head in the direction of my new companion, and he immediately relaxed his arm, winking at me.

- I apologize for embarrassing you, milady. You are just charmingly adorable, I couldn’t restrain my impulse. - his deep voice sounded, and a smile flashed across his face.

Our hands parted for a while. Another turn and another convergence.

- Well, milord it would be too rude of me to look at you reproachfully for such a gesture. Thank you for the compliment. - I replied with all courtesy, but with restraint.

- Are you here alone or with a companion? - his voice is still calm, but interested.

- I’m here with my spouse. – looking over my shoulder, at the next turn, I saw surprise in his eyes.

- But I don’t see a ring on your finger. – it looks like my lie didn’t convince him.

I froze in a stupor, coming up with an excuse for my lie, but the man just grinned.

- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. In fact, my wife often doesn’t wear an engagement ring either. - he replied with a smile. – Your spouse was lucky to get such a beautiful woman as a wife.

I was starting to feel disgusted by the whole conversation. It seemed strange to me that an adult man, especially a married one, judging by his words, showed such interest in me and scattered compliments. I wanted to get off the dance floor as soon as possible, or at least get back to the Duke as soon as possible.

I did not answer him, so as not to provoke further development of this empty conversation.

Fortunately for me, the dance was coming to its conclusion, and we were paired with the Duke of Parmont again. Silently, he looked at me and offered his hand for the final movement.

A bow, a curtsy and we finally left the epicenter of events.

My heart was just jumping out of my chest at the moment, pounding like it was ready to break my chest, loud and strong, giving into my ears. It was all too exciting for me.

- He’s still incorrigible. - Dexter asked.

- Who? - I asked, not understanding who he was talking about.

- Christopher. - He nodded toward the man I’d just danced with. – King of Adaman.

Disbelief struck me like a lightning bolt, or maybe it was an attempt to protect my mind from even greater shocks.

- He’s a notorious lover of women. And considering that his wife is now with her daughter in Abion, his hands are completely untied. Although I wouldn’t say that Serena was ever a deterrent for him. - The Duke explained.

Yes, adult life was overabundantly full of all kinds of vile deeds. But I had no sympathy for Serena, so I ignored everything that happened with her husband.

- Aren’t you afraid he’ll recognize you? Why then was this farce with a secret departure from Abion, if his wife and daughter can still find out about it?

It was completely unclear to me what Raphael was trying to achieve by his actions, misleading everyone around him. If the King of Adaman finds out about Raphael’s flirtation with Madeleine, then the upcoming marriage with Giselle will not come true. And it is even possible that this will lead to more serious consequences, given the power and greatness of the kingdom of Adaman. At the same time, he can expose him to my father by defaming Raphael.

God, all this will lead to terrible consequences. I rolled my eyes internally, trying to calm down and recover from all these experiences.

- Don’t worry, we have everything under complete control. - he winked at me.

Well, at least so. I want to believe it. And then recent events suggest the opposite, as if everyone is secretly preparing for some kind of confrontation.

We stood next to the buffet table, distracted by a snack, as this event seemed very boring to both of us.

The next moment, a loud exclamation of a servant broke out in the hall, solemnly notifying the arrival of the king and queen. Everyone turned towards the door and slightly parted to the sides, making way for the hosts of the ball. Amid the noise of applause and admiring exclamations, the couple proudly proceeded to the throne, taking their seats and proudly towering above the rest.

My father looked majestic, but there is nothing more to say, he was always like this. But Lillian was all glowing with pleasure, watching how many distinguished guests attended her private holiday. She was haughty, with her chin held high and her shoulders squared, she smiled slightly, tapping her fingers on the armrest of the throne chair. There was something in her eyes that made me shiver inside. Something unkind.

I put one caviar tartlet in my mouth, watching the audience. Xana stood alone, haggard and unhappy, while Madeleine, without exaggeration, hung on Raphael’s arm, snuggling closer to him than etiquette allowed. Raphael, in turn, gave her a gentle look and kept his hand on her waist. At that moment, I wanted his hand to burst into unquenchable fire.

On the other side of the throne room, I noticed Terrence who was not taking his eyes off Raphael. He took the most successful place possible, away from the crush of the crowd, not conspicuous, but at the same time a small ledge gave him a better view of the entire hall. He’s like a vulture looking out for its prey.

The King of Adaman stood closest to the royal couple, making a bow in the air with his hand, to which the Riliya rulers smiled good-naturedly and nodded to him in greeting. Next to him was that vile old Marquis of Stonberg, who seemed to lick me with his gaze. Disgusted, I hurried to look away.

As expected, my father greeted everyone present and announced the beginning of the ball in honor of his beloved wife. I was already sick of this hypocrisy. After all, a couple of years ago he pronounced these words in honor of my mother. Lying bastard. I was seething with anger, but the Duke’s hand on my elbow refreshed my bad thoughts.

Dexter looked more collected and serious now, the old levity evaporated without a trace. I was again overcome by strange bad forebodings. As if today promised big changes. I was worried. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A light touch to my ear made me instantly turn around and see the smug expression on Raphael’s face, who was too close and could have been noticed, which would have been a cause for scandal. I hurried away a little, but he pulled me closer and whispered.

- No one is watching, relax. Will you dance with me? - his words poured out of his mouth like a light melody.

- Madeleine will see. - feigning resentment, I turned my head to the side, which earned him a charming laugh.

- That’s right. And let her see. I came to the ball alone, so she is as much a companion to me as you are. – he answered, playing with his eyebrows. – Can I ask someone else to dance besides her?

There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, prompting me to act recklessly and boldly, regardless of the voice of reason.

- OK. But only because I have free time from other gentlemen. I don’t think you’ll get another chance to dance with me today, the queue is too long. - his lips curled in displeasure for a second, and then he smiled again, as if he hadn’t heard my comment.

His fingers gently seeped between mine, tightly intertwining. It was completely different than with the Duke. I felt something in these touches that united us both, made me realize that there was a kind of connection between us that tingled my fingertips.

He bit his lower lip with his teeth, I let him take me back to the center of the hall, but now we were not standing somewhere on the edge, Rafael took me to the very middle of the dance floor and I felt and heard indignation, surprise and endless whispers. I desperately didn’t want to look around now, and I preferred to focus my gaze on crystal clear, blood-red eyes.

Instead of putting his hand on my back, as it should be, his hand possessively rested on my lower back and just an inch below it would have been a catastrophic scandal, but Rafael felt my tension and did not lower his hand lower, however, his grip was strong and demanding, exactly the same as we shared yesterday in my the room. The memories made my heart jump nervously.

I put one hand on his shoulder, and put the other in his outstretched hand.