Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 145: Neither Of Us Feels Like Ourselves In This Place

Chapter 145: Neither Of Us Feels Like Ourselves In This Place

Once the music stopped, the banquet hall filled with a loud round of applause, as if everyone were watching the married couple dance instead of sharing it with them.

Both the Crown Prince and his wife stepped away from each other and concluded the dance with a mutual bow, showing their gratitude to one another. What followed next was a brief moment of awkward silence between them, which was then quickly dispelled by Princess Melania, who spotted one of the servants carrying a silver tray filled with sparkling wine.

"Thank you for the dance, Your Highness; it was wonderful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to have a drink. I do not believe I had even a single drop of water since morning."

Yanad’s reply was a careless nod, followed by the forced necessity of a single piece of advice.

"Yes, of course. I suggest that you mingle some more, Your Highness. I am certain that many noble ladies are dying to befriend you tonight."

Her reaction bewildered him once more. Paying little heed to his suggestion, Melania waved her hand at the prince rather carelessly and started walking away, following the servant with the drinks.

The Crown Prince followed her with his deep green gaze, then released a short sigh and returned to his seat beside the King and his Queen.

Marching resolutely as if having a clear destination in mind, Melania grabbed a tall glass of wine from the tray and emptied it almost in one gulp, her head becoming even clearer as the warmth of the sparkling wine filled the princess’s empty stomach.

Reaching the furthest corner of the banquet hall, she finally stopped before a tall man with long black hair who watched her every move with his intense blue eyes and declared in a loud and confident tone,

"You do not look like you are enjoying yourself, Your Majesty. Perhaps the company of a very important noble lady could elevate your mood? Or you simply cannot wait to resume your traveling through all the capitals on the continent? I must admit, I have spent all this time hoping that Geraldion would be the pinnacle of your half-nomadic style of life."

Yuraon got flustered for a moment and lowered his head, struggling to contain an awkward chuckle. Then, he looked at the princess’s serious face from under his thick black eyebrows and replied,

"I’m afraid my traveling will have to come to an end, Your Highness. I think I have already seen enough."

His answer wiped away the stern look from Melania’s face, replacing it with a wide, warm smile.

"Why didn’t you tell me who you were from the very beginning?"

The King responded with a shrug.

"I could ask you the same question, Your Highness. Perhaps it was because neither of us feels like ourselves in this place?"

The princess did not know what to say; she found his words painfully ironic, painfully true.

As the silence between them began to stretch, the loud announcement of the next dance struck them both like a lightning bolt. Feeling the wine working its miracles within her body, she finally mustered the courage once more, looked the man straight in the eyes, and asked,

"Would you like to dance with me, Your Majesty?"

Yuraon widened his glistening blue eyes for a moment, caught off-guard by the young woman’s sudden invitation. He then relaxed again and shook his head, striking her with a surprisingly stern rejection.

"I’m afraid this is not possible, Your Highness."

"Oh..."

Princess Melania lowered her head, her face darkened with a clear shade of sadness and frustration. The King, however, seemed rather pleased with himself. Taking a step forward and positioning himself right before the woman, he extended his arm and smiled.

"It is the duty of a man to ask the woman to dance with him, so... May I be honored to share this dance with you, Your Highness?"

***

In the grandeur of the royal banquet hall, Princess Melania and King Yuraon found themselves drawn into a rather intimate dance, their movements echoing the grace and elegance known to only skillful dancers.

With each step, the air seemed to shimmer around them, weaving a veil of unspoken emotions and clandestine desires. Their eyes met, conveying a silent understanding that transcended the boundaries of their stations.

The soft strains of the music enveloped them, guiding their bodies in a fluid waltz across the polished floor, their movements mirroring the intricate choreography of what seemed like a timeless love story. In the gentle sway of their embrace, there existed a delicate balance between tradition and rebellion, accepted duty and forbidden passion. Theirs was a dance of secret longing and deep affection, hidden beneath the veneer of royal propriety.

As they twirled and dipped, lost in the hypnotic rhythm of the music, they became ensnared in a whirlwind of emotions, each moment a fleeting glimpse into a world where attraction knew no bounds. And in that ephemeral embrace, amidst the whispers of the courtiers and the flickering candlelight, they found solace in the arms of each other; their shared embrace was the place where they belonged.

"Your dancing skills are impeccable, My Lady. When I watched you dance with His Highness, I could not help but feel envious––I cannot dance this beautifully even if I spent the rest of my life practicing."

Melania stretched her lips into a coy smile. She followed the King’s movements with perfect precision, yet, unlike during the dance with the Crown Prince, her body felt lighter and more relaxed because this time, she was truly guided by the flow.

"Nonsense! Your dancing skills are good enough. And who knows, maybe if you had a skilled partner to practice with, you could have honed the art of dancing in a heartbeat."

Yuraon found her answer endearing and somewhat canny, which made him release a scoff before he could retort.

"So you deem my dancing skills as ’good enough’? Pardon me, Your Highness, but I do not think that ’good enough’ is the quality that can be accepted by a royal princess like yourself."