"You've worked hard!"
A man with shoulder-length graying hair tied back in a low ponytail congratulated Kel with a beaming face.
"Ah, thank you," Kel nodded apathetically, slumping onto the sofa.
"If we continue practicing every da-no, twice a day, I'm sure you'll be ready!" the man announced enthusiastically.
"Fantastic," Kel sighed, giving him a forced smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow bright and early then, Your Highness!" the man bowed before skipping out of the room.
Seriously, how did a person that old have so much energy?
And why did Serin dances have to be so complicated?!
Kel had spent a good portion of her life in dance lessons. She prided herself on her graceful movements and vast knowledge of traditional dances.
Traditional Western dances, that is.
The type of dances in the West tended to focus on a basic step, which aligned with the rhythm of a song. Kel had memorized all of them: slow, fast, two-beat, three-beat, and four-beat.
In addition to the basic step of a dance, more complex movements could be added at a dancing couple's discretion, usually led by the male, at any point during the song.
So when Kel considered herself an excellent dancer, it wasn't just because she knew the dances, but because she could be led smoothly through advanced moves as well.
It turned out that her education on Eastern dances, however, was incredibly lacking.
Instead of matching a basic step to a rhythm, the dances of the East were choreographed performances, specific to each song. Every single step had to be memorized.
Kel had never even witnessed those kinds of dances, considering most recent balls and festivals in Serin followed the Western dance styles, thanks to the Dragon Emperor's push of the Empire into modernization.
But, evidently, there was a whole slew of traditional dances that were still used during certain events.
Events like an engagement ceremony.
"So at this part, I just have to-Ack!"
Kel barely caught herself as she tripped.
From where she had landed on her elbows, she frowned at the tiles beneath her. In reply, they glistened like the smooth surface of a calm lake, as if to remind her that her own feet had been the culprit of her fall.
"Ugh. It's hopeless." With a groan, she let her head flop to the floor.
After her dance teacher had departed and the maids de-beautified her, she'd started practicing the cursed steps once again. Her hope was that without all the extra eyes, she'd finally be able to get a feel for the movements.
But she had been wrong.
Her body just wasn't made to bend and twist the way the dance called for. Her teacher had even called it a 'novice' dance, chosen specifically for her level.
Just how limber were the girls in the East?!
In addition to seeming altogether smaller than the people from the West, apparently they enjoyed keeping their feet above their head when dancing as well.
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom "It's not fair," Kel frowned as she reached toward her toes, her muscles screaming in protest.
She could dance for hours on end at any Western ball, despite how fast-paced the music. And she could hit a scampering squirrel with her arrow from ten trees away.
But she couldn't do this stupid dance!
For this stupid engagement that she never had a say in, in the first place!
"Haaa. Let the Dragon Emperor come. Hand over Mevani. Burst into his room with that dumb rock," Kel mocked her past self with a scowl.
"Did you forget that this man is a total tyrant?!" she shouted, shaking her fist at the ceiling.
"Who's a total tyrant?"
"That old dance instructor," Kel quickly donned a cheesy smile and flipped to the side, propping her head. "Certainly not you, Your Majesty."
"Right," amusement played across Calix's lips as he stared at her.
"Speaking of," Kel continued, "why did you barge into my room? Without even knocking?"
"I heard a crash," the Emperor shrugged, seating himself on the bed. "I came to make sure you were alright."
"What a lie," Kel huffed. "I caught myself."
"Ah, so you did fall?" Calix smirked down at her.
"... brat," Kel cursed under her breath, turning away from the man's contemptuous gaze.
Hearing the insult, Calix clicked his tongue.
"You've become rather cheeky with your Emperor."
"My Emperor?" Kel whirled back around. "Well, the joke's on you because I won't officially be your citizen until our engagement ceremony."
To her dismay, Calix was unfazed by her retort.
"Then what about all that paperwork you signed when you joined my army?" he quipped.
"Ha! Then is the Emperor marrying a man?!" Kel shot back without missing a beat.
Perhaps, she had gotten too comfortable around the continent's greatest tyrant. She definitely couldn't picture a proper Empress being so brash with her husband.
Though, judging by Calix's soft laughter, it seemed he was enjoying it well enough.
"Why don't you just tell me the reason you're in such a bad mood?" he asked, his tone becoming gentler.
Kel frowned at him.
Because he was moving their relationship way too fast?
Because she couldn't even do the 'novice' level dance? (Which she only had to do because of the aforementioned unreasonable speed of the relationship.)
Calix sighed, nodding his head knowingly.
"Is it the dance?"
Bingo.
"Of course not!" Kel barked. "I'm an expert dancer!"
Though at the moment, it really was the dance that had upset her.
"Do you want to practice with me?" Calix offered, tilting his head.
Eh? Practice dancing with the Dragon Emperor?
Kel could see practicing sword fighting with the man, or perhaps war strategies.
But dancing?
She'd danced with him once before in Serin, but he didn't exactly strike her as 'Sir Fancyfeet'.
"Plus, I bet the male part is way easier.." Kel grumbled, shaking her head.
Calix chuckled, rising slowly to his feet.
He took a few steps toward Kel before extending one leg, balancing on his heel and reaching toward the ground. He remained bowed like that for a few moments before slowly sweeping his fingertips high over his head, his feet remaining perfectly stable beneath him.
"It begins this way, right?" he smiled at Kel as he brought his arms down over his head.
".. right," Kel gasped as he leapt into the air, his feet touching briefly as he turned in an entire circle before landing nimbly.
Mesmerized by this stunning new side of the Emperor, Kel sat frozen as the man went on to perform each step of the dance perfectly.
His movements mirrored what hers would have been if she had been dancing alongside him, except while she was meant to be crouched close to the floor, he was always in the air, displaying an impressive trick.
How odd, to see a cold and calculating warlord perform such an elegant dance.
As she watched, Kel was reminded of the time the two had danced together at the ball in Serin. When Calix had saved her from Dash, who had saved her from that creep, Spencer Regan.
Back then, Barclay had been there too.
The gentle giant had never approved of her being close to the Emperor, or anyone in Serin for that matter. He'd expressed his uneasiness over it several times, even going as far to scold her.
What if he could see her now?
Would her old friend still scold her? Especially considering the demise she'd brought to his beloved nephew?
Or would he understand? Would he tell her she was doing the right thing?
Somehow, she knew Barclay would still frown at her as she sat, eyes glued to Calix's dance.
She understood where the man's deep disregard for the Dragon Emperor came from, though.
If she had not been forcefully separated from her home, Kel would have also remained fiercely and foolishly loyal to Mevani.
It struck her as strange how her entire worldview could become so turned around. Her past self wasn't necessarily wrong, but her current self wasn't wrong either.
At least, she liked to believe she wasn't wrong.
And though he viewed the Emperor differently, she liked to believe that Barclay wasn't wrong either.
Perhaps, drawing a line between right and wrong wasn't so simple.
In the end, people were just people--all with different ideas about how things should go.
People like Calix who marched ever on toward his goals without looking back. And people like Kel, who was still trying to figure out where she belonged.
When Calix finished his performance, he stopped right in front of his lone captivated audience member with his hand outstretched toward her.
They locked eyes with each other--the one who had always known his place and the one who was still unsure--the stillness between them marred only by the final cracklings of the dying embers in the fireplace.
"B-beautiful," Kel whispered the only word that came to her mind.
"Beautiful," Calix echoed, leaning closer.
Kel closed her eyes, her lips instinctively parting.
Calix's breath was hot against her face, his mouth nearly brushing against hers.
"Gross. What is this?"
Kel jerked back in surprise at the sudden interruption, but her shock quickly turned to excitement as she recognized the voice's owner.
With a grin on her face and tears welling in her eyes, she jumped up, her arms outstretched.
"It's you! It's really you!"
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