Chapter 133: First Dance 2
"Don’t lose the rhythm," Eren whispered mid-play, shooting the flute player and the percussionist an encouraging wink. "Match my beat! Four-four time, follow the pulse!"
Snapping out of their daze, the young performers found the groove. They picked up the steady, infectious rhythm, seamlessly continuing the rich tapestry of sound Eren had ignited.
With the melody on its own momentum, Eren ended his phrase with a final, soaring trill. He lowered the bow and handed the violin back to the little girl, whose eyes were shining as if she had just witnessed a miracle.
"Keep that tempo rolling, little maestro," Eren said with a soft pat to her head.
Turning around, Eren walked back toward the fountain. The entire plaza was alive with music now, a circle of smiling onlookers clapping to the rhythmic beat.
Eren stopped directly in front of the bench, where Emma, Norelia, and Mira were staring up at him with wide, completely mesmerized, and breathtakingly glassy eyes.
Bowing low from the waist with impeccable, old-world aristocratic elegance, Eren extended his open hand toward the three stunned beauties.
"My lovely ladies..." Eren murmured. "Would you grant this humble guy the honor of our very first dance?"
The three beauties stared at his palm, their cheeks already flushed pink beneath. Their hearts hammered against their ribs in sync. All around the plaza, passersby, street vendors, and noble couples had paused, forming a wide, clapping circle around the fountain. At that moment, it looked like the four of them were the center of the universe.
"Are you completely out of your mind, you lunatic?" Norelia hissed under her breath, though her trembling ruby eyes betrayed her utterly. "We are in the center of the city! The public spectacle alone is embarrassing!"
Emma crossed her toned arms as she tried to scowl. "If you make a fool out of me in front of half the capital, Eren, I swear I’ll snap your ribs—"
Before the knight captain could finish her threat, a soft, pale hand darted out and slapped into Eren’s open palm.
"I’m in!" Mira declared boldly.
The busty maid sprang to her feet, turning her head back toward the stunned professor and knight captain with a victorious smirk. She playfully stuck her tongue out, teasing them.
"First come, first served! You two snooze, you lose the Young Master to the superior sugar baby!"
"That’s my Mira," Eren said as he yanked Mira towards him.
Mira gasped softly as her soft, bountiful chest collided flush against his solid torso, his right hand immediately gliding around her waist, catching the curve of her lower back with firm, unyielding authority.
For a second, the world seemed to vanish.
Standing chest-to-chest, their eyes locked. But the cheeky bravado Mira had just displayed instantly evaporated under the intensity of Eren’s gaze. Her green eyes widened with sudden, adorable panic as her breath brushed warm against his lips.
"Y-Young Master..." Mira squeaked in a frantic, tiny whisper, her fingers digging nervously into his shoulder. "I... I’m just a maid, I don’t know the first thing about high-society aristocratic ballroom steps!"
Eren chuckled, his thumb tracing a circle against the warm fabric at her spine.
"Don’t think, my sweet sugar baby. Just breathe, keep your eyes on mine, and let your boyfriend lead."
The street band swelled into a vibrant, soaring phrase.
His new skill completely took over his body. It wasn’t merely a dance; it was pure, liquid poetry set to motion. Eren stepped backward with effortless poise, sweeping Mira into a wide, breathtaking spin that sent the hem of her sundress flaring through the twilight air like a blooming rose.
Mira gasped, but before gravity could even cross her mind, Eren caught her, pulling her back into a close, heart-melting embrace. He guided her through the intricate footwork as if they had practiced together for a thousand lifetimes.
Mira’s panic melted away into breathless ecstasy. She threw her head back, her red hair catching the golden light of the mana lamps, laughing with joy, making her feel like the most cherished heroine in the world.
While Emma and Norelia sat completely, utterly paralyzed.
The couple looked like they were in a fairytale.
Norelia swallowed dryly, her shyness dissolved into pure, beating emotion. As the tempo gently dipped to let the dancers breathe, the petite professor pushed herself off the bench. Emma watched in silence, her grey eyes wide with longing.
Eren brought Mira to a slow, graceful halt with a low dip that left the busty maid clutching his lapels, completely breathless and radiating a dazed happiness that would remain etched into her soul forever.
Stepping forward with her hands clasped lightly over her dress, Norelia looked up at him through her glasses. "May I... have the next dance, Eren?"
"Of course, my brilliant professor," Eren said, catching her small fingers in his and bowing.
Where Mira’s dance had been an explosion of wild, joyful momentum, Norelia’s was a study in exquisite elegance. Eren adjusted his stride instantly to accommodate her smaller stature, drawing her light frame close so her petite head rested just beneath his chin.
He didn’t simply lead her; he made her float.
With a subtle shift of his palm against her lower back, Eren lifted her effortlessly into sweeping, weightless glides, her dress fluttering like fairy wings. He spun her under his arm, catching her against his chest before spinning her out again, her heels barely touching the ground.
For Norelia, this wasn’t about music and dance. Right here, in his warm embrace beneath the first stars, she felt the exact sensation she had secretly craved while reading silly romantic novels in the library. She was the cherished heroine of her own private story, completely in love with a brilliant man.
With a final, gentle movement, Eren brought her around in a tight, spinning pivot and dipped her low, letting her soft brown hair sweep toward the ground before raising her smoothly back to her feet. Norelia let out a trembling exhale, her eyes glassy with wonder as she gave his hand an involuntary, grateful squeeze.
Eren pressed a tender, lingering kiss to her knuckles, then turned his dark blue gaze toward the lone figure remaining on the fountain bench.
Emma sat frozen, her fingers holding the hem of her dress as her eyes darted between him and the watching crowd.
The terrifying knight captain looked thoroughly cornered by her own flustered heart.
Eren walked to her and offered an open, inviting hand with a teasing smile.
"What do you say, Captain?" Eren murmured, his voice dropping into a low, velvet hum beneath the swelling waltz. "Care to show the capital what a true angel of death looks like on the floor?"
Emma glared at his hand, her tanned face glowing with embarrassment. "You idiot... I’m a soldier, not a ballroom dancer."
"Good thing your boyfriend has enough for both of us," he replied, his gaze unwavering.
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[My Subs and Ranking Falling]
[Lemme jump out of the window] [ಠ_ಠ]
[Just kidding.]
[Let’s gooooo, foursome]