“Changing Dance Partner’s”

“To all the knights who fought with their lives for our empire, This empire and it’s people will always remember your sacrifices and efforts.”

The emperor spoke as he raised his wine glass to toast everyone and with this, the banquet officially started.

“To the knights and our empire!!”

Everyone raised their glasses too and drunk it to start the celebration.

Eleanora drunk the whole glass of wine in one gulp as she felt heartbroken amd anger at the same time.

The adult image of Cathain, remembered her about the past Cathain who had raised his campaign glass as he announced Jennifer’s pregnancy news.

Jennifer becoming the queen and her child becoming the next heir of the throne.

Where she was brushed aside to give the other woman her space to stand beside her husband.

The more Eleanora thought about it, the more angrier she become.

.....

If she could, she wanted to push Jennifer away from Cathain and then strangle him right at this moment.

Didn’t he said she was the only one? Then why is he talking so happily with Jennifer right now?

‘I knew it would turn out like this... it’s good that i didn’t fall for his trap back then.

He was just pretending to be nice and then threw me away like before.’

Usually, the emperor and his spouse is supposed to come together at a banquet and have the first dance.

But as Eleanora was in the battlefield and currently not married, this was why as an unmarried noble lady, Jennifer became the emperor’s partner for today’s banquet.

The crowd slowly made space for the emperor and his partner to have the first dance.

Jennifer came to the middle of the dance banquet as Cathain escorted her.

The sweet melody soon echoed through the silent banquet hall as Cathain and Jennifer started to dance slowly.

“Do we really have to hold hands?”

Cathain asked as he touched Jennifer’s hands lightly as he moved slowly to dance.

“Then are you going to hold the air and dance with it?”

Jennifer asked while pretending to be calm, as she couldn’t beat up the emperor unless she wants to die.

“What if she misunderstood?”

“...Then you shouldn’t have bought me at the first place, Your Majesty.”

“...”

Cathain and Jennifer kept on bickering with each other, without knowing that people around them misunderstood it as sweet talks.

Specially, Eleanora. Who kept her eyes glued to them as she took another glass to drink.

“Ele, Don’t drink anymore!”

Cedrick spoke as he took the third glass of wine from Eleanora.

“Give it back! I wanna have another glass!”

“No! Your father will kill me if you get drunk!”

historical

“...”

Eleanora become quite as soon as Alexander was mentioned. Her father has warned her to not drink at all where she already had two glasses of wine.

Suddenly there was an emergency in the duchy, this was why Alexander had to rush back without her.

‘But still he didn’t forgot to stick a guard with me.’

Eleanora sighed as she narrowed her blue eyes to look at the couple dancing infront of her.

As the first dance ended, Other people started to join the emperor and his partner to dance.

Suddenly, Eleanora thought of something as she looked at Cedrick devilishly; making Cedrick look away in fear.

‘Why do i think she is up to nothing good again?’

Seeing Cedrick’s reaction, Eleanora smirked as she grabbed his hands and pulled him on the dance floor.

“I can’t dance!! Spare me, My Lady!!”

Cedrick spoke in a low but terrified voice as he felt someone’s burning gaze on him from the start of this banquet.

So, if he dance with her now... he might be already killed before Alexander comes to kill him.

“Let me teach you dance then, My dear Rick!”

Eleanora smiled at Cedrick as she called his nickname, which she only does when she is upto nothing good.

Cedrick was stunned for a moment before he sighed helplessly.

‘I can’t even deny her...’

Jennifer, who was hoping for the dance to end early was stunned as she suddenly felt so much pain like her waist was breaking.

‘W-What are you doing?!’

Jennifer stomped on Cathain’s feets as she glared at him, who unconsciously grabbed her waist hard as he saw Eleanora and Cedrick dancing together.

As he also felt pain on his feet, he glared back at Jennifer.

‘What the heck is your brother doing?!’

As Jennifer somehow understood his gaze, she turned her head only to see her brother dancing with Eleanora very happily.

Even before she could react, she suddenly felt a little push as she twirled around and in an instant, she was shocked as well her brother.

‘Huh?’

Everyone in the banquet hall was speechless.

In a single twirl, their partners changed.

Jennifer become Cedricks partner as Eleanora become Cathain’s.

Both siblings was embarrassed as they didn’t meet face to face for years till this morning, and now they are suddenly dancing together because someone got jealous.

Eleanora was also too stunned to react and kept staring at Cathain’s red eyes, which had become more deep red.

His face had become more structured and moreover he has become too tall then her, which bothered Eleanora to reach his shoulders as he was a foot taller then her.

‘I can’t even slap him now...’

Cathain had pushed Jennifer while twirling her in one hand as he swiftly pulled Eleanora with the other hand.

His both hand was rested on her waist as her hands rested on his chest as she couldn’t reach his shoulders.

Both of them keep looking at each other, as they was lost.

Eleanora’s hands trembled a little as she felt his fast beating heart.

As his hands was on her waist, Cathain could clearly feel her curves now.

Which made it clear that she has indeed changed.

Her body wasn’t all same like before, her waist got narrower as her chest and hips grew more; creating an hourglass body shape.

Her face didn’t contained baby fat anymore, it has become more sharper as her round eyes became almond shaped.

Her lips has become more plumper then before, specially now as she become surprised and widened her clear blue eyes to look at him.

Which made her look seductive rather then cute like before.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

“Hm?”

Cathain replied with a humming sound as he was too busy to discover how much she have changed during the four years he haven’t seen her.

‘Even her voice has changed...’

Eleanora’s voice sound sweet and clear, unlike her past voice which contained a young tone.

She sounded more mature and famine now.

Cathain started to move slowly as he kept looking at her, which made Eleanora embarrassed to look at him anymore.

She kept blinking her eyes to avoid his piercing gaze but the more she did that, the more he liked it.

‘I wonder how she will react if i tease her now... Will her cheeks turn more red?’

.....

“Pink matches with black the best rather then white.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

Eleanora looked at Cathain with an confused gaze as she couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Seeing her bewildered look again, Cathain felt his heart beating more faster and he pulled her more closer as he entangled their fingers together.

‘Oh my innocent empress... if you keep being this innocent then how am i supposed to control myself from eating you?’

Cathain smriked as he brushed his lips on her ears and he whispered in a low voice, his hot breathe falling on her ear and make it look more red.

“I mean, Your pink outfit matches with my black suit more well then that blonde dog’s white does.”

“...”

Cathain took his mouth away from her ear as he finished speaking to see her embarrassed expression.

And as he had expected, her expression crossed his expectations.

‘B-Blonde dog? He doesn’t mean Cedrick, Right?!’

Before Eleanora could ask for more, the song ended and she stepped back to bow down to him politely.

And as she thought it has ended, Cathain suddenly wrapped his hands around her waist as he walked towards the Raven siblings.

“I, Jennifer La Liana Raven, Greet the future moon of our empire. It’s my honour to meet with you.”

Jennifer greeted Eleanora first, as she knew that Eleanora sees her like the villain she once was.

‘I need to get close to her, to protect her.

But i don’t think she will want to befriend the person who snatched away everything from her...’

Eleanora just stared at her and nodded in reply as she subconsciously clenched the hem of her dress.

Sensing the weird situation, Cedrick spoke to ease the atmosphere.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

He greeted Cathain first as this was his first time talking with him in this banquet.

“Please get up, I have to thank you again for looking after my empress for so long.”

‘So from now on, don’t appear beside her anymore.’

“...”

“...”

‘Here we go again...’

Jennifer looked away as she felt really disgusted with Cathain’s crazy jealousy.

She knows her brother likes Eleanora but also knows that her brother is too innocent and not insane to make a move on the future empress.

Cedrick just simply admire and his feelings basically comes from that.

The way Eleanora handled everything and controlled her powers made Cedrick look up at her as he was someone who always obeyed to his father.

He could never speak against the duke and when he saw how Eleanora did everything on her own; who was the same as him, craving for love and attention.

He always lacked behind because of that and she always excelled because of the same thing.

Which made him admire her and finally developing little feelings.

But he also knew his place too well.

This is why Jennifer wasn’t worried about her brother but rather her insane power hungry father.

Just thinking about the duke gave her headache.

“You siblings must love each other so much... wearing the same clothes to celebrate the brothers victory.”

“...”

Jennifer’s face twiched as she heard Cathain’s words.

‘So you mean, we siblings deliberately matched our clothes and thus, this has nothing to do with Lady Dalton?!’

The whole banquet hall become cheerful once again as the people started to gossip about the ongoing drama.

...

Alexander walked fast as he reached the duchy and walked towards his study room.

He gestured Raynor to not follow him inside as he closed the door tightly after getting into the room.

A tall man in black cloak stood beside the window as he moved his eyes to look at Alexander, who just entered with a frown on his face.

“Why did you came here? Just how many times i have told you to be careful?!”

“Don’t worry, Am careful enough.”

The man spoke as he threw a glass bottol to Alexander for catch.

“Just how more longer will it take to start working?”

“It has been four years since he has been taking it. The medicine should start working soon. Am going now!”

The man spoke as he jumped down from the window without even looking back.

Where, Alexander kept glancing at the glass bottol and finally spoke after a while.

“I won’t give you people the chance to harm her again anymore.

The beginning of your new ending has started, Your Majesty the emperor!”