Lucielle was a great dancer.
Rey could feel it with every rhythm of her body as he held her and she held him.
They easily took the center stage and everyone immediately made way for them. All of a sudden, within the snap of a finger, they became the center of attention.
The tempo of the music suddenly began to rise as the two began to move faster, and everyone seemed to slow down.
In fact, they stopped dancing altogether.
"Everyone is looking at us, Rey." Lucielle said with a smile, her red eyes glowing as she stared straight into his eyes.
"I know."
As he said this, he raised her into the air, firmly holding her waist as he turned. Afterward, he pulled her back to the ground and drew her closer to his chest.
This was something he had seen in movies and he just wanted to try it out. Thankfully, he was athletic enough, and his body was perfectly in sync with his mind.
He pulled the move off splendidly, and the gasps of claps from people seemed to indicate that he did a good job.
"I didn't think you were this energetic, Rey." Lucielle also gasped as she held onto his shoulders and they continued dancing.
"Have you always been this way?"
Rey shook his head and served for the side, making sure Lucielle's body nearly fell before he grabbed her from behind and paused for a moment.
They both looked into each other's eyes and he smiled.
"Not always."
He picked her back up and they continued the dance. At this point, everyone's full focus was on the two of them.
Even the groups who were talking—whether about business or leisure—instantly ceased their actions and worked the captivating dance of the two.
… The dance of the strongest.
"So, Rey… about that talk I asked you about…"
"Hm?"
Swerving and turning, they continued their movements with perfect fluidity.
They were both in sync with each other.
"I apologize if it came off as rude or overbearing, but I'm serious, you know?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Why do you want to have the talk so badly?"
"To learn, obviously! You have knowledge and power I don't know of. I want to study it and see if I can apply it to my existing knowledge."
"Why? To grow stronger?"
"W-well…"
"Do you want to get stronger so you can defeat the Dragons? Protect your people? Or is there something else?"
"…"
For a moment, silence echoed between the two of them. Then, right as Lucielle twisted her body, with Rey holding her hand upward, then drawing her closer into his arms, he whispered into her ears.
"Come on. If you don't tell me your motivations, how am I supposed to be convinced?"
She smiled at him, her face close to his.
"I can't lie, can I?"
"Nope."
They resumed dancing at a normal pace, and then she heaved a sigh before continuing.
"Let's just say it's an obsession of mine."
"Oh? What is?"
"It drives me crazy when I know there's something I don't know, but someone else knows it."
"Huh?"
Rey was rightfully confused. It was only normal that others would have more knowledge about certain things than any single individual—no matter who they were.
Lucielle, even as the Grand Mage, would be severely lacking in terms of some information.
How could she obsess over such a thing?
"It has to be something I'm interested in, of course, so I'm not bothered about stuff like Martial Arts or Politics."
"Ohhh…" Rey let out softly. 'Now it makes sense.'
Lucielle, just like anyone, had her interests. It just happened to be something that Rey was incredibly adept at.
'I can understand the reason for her interest in me, but I'm really not interested in Magic Talk right now.'
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Ater had already confirmed that Magic wasn't going to help him cure Alicia, so it was of little Utility to him at the moment.
The only one it really benefited was Lucielle.
'If I had more time, I would have considered it more. But right now, I have other important things to worry about.'
If he sorted those things on schedule, and he had some time to spare, then he wouldn't mind having an extensive talk with her.
"Look, Lucielle…"
"I'm not asking for an answer now. I already know I have less to offer you than you have to offer me." Her tone seemed especially desperate, but she kept her composure nonetheless.
'So she noticed my indifference, huh?'
"Just keep it in mind. Keep me in mind. I'll come up with something that'll interest you. Once I manage to do that… you won't be able to hesitate this much."
Rey felt a smile forming on his face as he watched Lucielle's determined expression.
"You're really confident, huh?"
"Yup!" The moment she flashed her signature smile, Rey felt his heart jump a little.
"Just you wait, Rey Skylar. I'm going to pick your brains to my satisfaction… very soon."
It felt a bit strange, watching Lucielle narrow her eyes on him.
The music was slowly fading, meaning the end of the dance was arriving.
Bit by bit, they began to detach from each other, yet their gaze remained unmoving.
"Well, I look forward to it."
They finally concluded their dance, and Rey bowed while Lucielle curtsied.
This was followed by cheers and applause from the crowd.
"I'll be leaving now." Lucielle reached out to Rey and planted a light kiss on his cheek.
The moment she did so, he got another whiff of her scent.
It was enchanting.
"You should interact with more people, Kay?"
"Sure…"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})She left soon after that, leaving Rey standing all alone on the stage.
He stood there for a moment, looking at her as she walked ahead. It felt like time slowed down as he felt more thumpings in his heart.
'I wonder why she's still single…' He lightly touched his cheek and smiled.
Before he could fully enjoy the moment, however, a crowd of Nobles and Guests closed in on him and began bombarding him with words.
"Sir Rey, a moment?"
"I've heard all about your exploits!"
"Would you like to join me later for a cup of tea?"
"My daughter tells me so much about you! You should meet her sometime!"
"Could you help train my child?"
"I'm your biggest fan!"
"I love you, Sir Rey!"
"Sir Rey, my name is—!"
It went on and on, as the number of people kept increasing.
Until eventually, Lucielle's departing frame was completely overshadowed.
*********
'Haa… these people are annoying.'
As Rey smiled and spoke to the people that surrounded him, slowly easing himself out of the crowd—only to meet more people who wanted to talk to him—he began to get miffed.
He understood that they weren't particularly acting maliciously towards him, but he also didn't want to have anything to do with them.
Their wide grins, and overly reverent attitude dripped with insincerity.
It was all clearly fake.
'I can tell what's on their minds…' He coldly thought as he examined the people he spoke to.
It was obvious that they were only being respectful to him because of his role to mankind. They so desperately hoped he continued to protect them—so the Dragons would never reach their territory.
'They live in the South, so danger will have to get past me first before reaching them.'
In essence, he and his allies would have to continue taking the brunt of danger while they led relatively peaceful and comfortable lives.
None of that really annoyed Rey, since he wasn't particularly fighting for their sakes.
It was the fact that they wouldn't stop bothering him that began to get him riled up. Thankfully, his emotions were kept at an all-time low.
If that wasn't the case…
"Sir Rey… am I correct? It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
As Rey heard this familiar voice, he swiftly turned to his right.
There, he was met with three familiar faces.
"Rebal!" He smiled broadly at the older man, looking at both his sides to see Asher and Kara standing right next to him.
They were all wearing exquisite outfits, though the highlight of their attire were the Enchanted Items that they donned.
In fact, pretty much everything the trio had on was Enchanted, though there were standouts.
Rebal's walking cane, Kara's Glasses, and Asher's single earring.
Whether this was solely for or for security, it seemed they achieved both.
The Enchanted Items were top-tier, and they were noticed by those who had an eye for such items.
It was one of the reasons why Rebal wasn't interrupted when he spoke.
"I'm glad you still recognize me." Rebal grinned, and the other two bowed and curtsied in greeting.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to have a discussion with you."
Rey's eyes lit up the moment he heard those words.
'Perfect timing!'
Using Rebal as a good excuse, he could finally ditch everyone.
"I don't mind at all."
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Thanks for reading!
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