I held Lukterasia’s inviting hand, and with a single stroke of a bow, the haunting strains of a beautiful violin melody began to resonate through the grand ballroom. 

“A waltz?” I gave an embarrassed smile. “I can’t dance that well, so you’ll have to bear with me.”

Amusement flickered in her shy aquamarine eyes as she took the lead. 

“This is my first time too,” she said, taking a step back with an elegantly poised stance while clasping my hand gently. “As a matter of fact, I’ve always danced to this music by myself.”

I raised my eyebrows as I mirrored her backward step, the layers of my ball gown billowing out about me like a cascade of snow white clouds. 

“How come?” 

“I told you, I’ve never had a partner before.”

As the waltz unfolded, we took a simultaneous step towards each other. I instinctively raised my arm, and in response, she initiated a graceful twirl, the sleek silhouette of her dress accentuating her sensuous curves in a breathtakingly alluring manner. 

Lukterasia met my gaze again with a smile as the hem of her dress swished around her ankles. 

“And besides, it’s very lonely in the Demon Lord’s castle just waiting around for the Hero to knock on the door.” 

“…my bad, sorry.” 

In a seamless sweep, her other hand glided to my shoulder, guiding me along as we swung from side to side around the ballroom, our clasped hands and swirling gowns following the arc of our delicate movement. 

“You liar.” She chuckled. “Who said that you can’t dance well?” 

“I’m telling the truth,” I insisted. “I have only been to one or two royal balls in my previous life.” 

“Hey, that’s unfair! I wasn’t even invited to any sort of ball in Eltshion.”

“Pfft, of course not. Why are you surprised by that?”

“Grr…” 

Lukterasia closed the distance between us without warning, guiding my hand to her waist. 

“Watch this,” she whispered. 

I blinked. “What…” 

A playful grin flitting across her face, Lukterasia took my hand on her waist and raised it high into the air, creating an arch under which she spiralled away with a mesmerising fluidity. Our arms quickly stretched out across the floor in tandem with her impromptu pirouette. 

Catching the ambient light of the chandeliers, the strands of her silky black hair lifted and swirled along with her momentum, creating a bewitching halo that framed her sparkling eyes. 

I couldn’t help but be utterly captivated by her dance as she released my hand and bent her knees in a perfectly-executed plié. 

“I didn’t take ten years’ worth of ballet lessons for nothing, you know,” she teased.

“No wonder you are a natural at this.”

“Oh please, stop being humble.”

Flashing me a sly smirk, Lukterasia skipped towards me in small springs and propelled herself off the ground with a sudden great force. 

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe as my gaze travelled skyward along with her spectacular leap. 

Using the momentum of her outstretched arms, Lukterasia spun her body effortlessly in mid-air as though gravity meant nothing to her. Her legs extended in a split as she arched her back, creating a striking silhouette against the glistening backdrop of chandeliers. 

Hastily stepping forward, I reached my hand out to catch her descent, bending my back down towards her as she leaned back against my arm in a dramatic flourish. 

“See, you aren’t half bad yourself,” she purred, her chest rising and falling with her quickened breaths. 

I released an exhale that I didn’t know I had been holding in the entire time as we spun around the ballroom again. 

“You nearly scared me there just now,” I muttered, my arms mirroring hers like the delicate wings of a butterfly. 

“That was my signature tour jeté, you know.” Lukterasia laughed. “Why don’t you show me yours as well?”

“I don’t really have a particular one though…” An idea flashed into my mind at that moment. “But I guess I can give it a try.” 

I leaned outwards with one hand folded behind my back while the other reached out to her. She responded by doing a similar poise with both of her arms outstretched. Our fingers interlocked, and with a smooth flick of my wrist, I twirled her back into my arms and caught her as she landed against my chest. 

“Oh?” she murmured. “Not bad.” 

I smiled at her. “I’m not done yet.” 

Lukterasia let out an audible gasp when I swept her up into my arms completely. 

“S-Stefania?!” 

As the music swelled, I initiated a spinning dance around the ballroom floor while cradling her in my arms, our gowns billowing around us like ethereal moonlight enveloped by the black night. She gradually relaxed and surrendered herself into my hands, her flushed face reflected the wave of ecstasy rushing through her whilst the floating waltz accompanied our intertwined movements.

“T…this is wonderful,” she sighed, throwing her head back to feel the wind in her fluttering hair. 

“Are you feeling dizzy already?” I half-jokingly asked. 

“No, don’t stop…”

Gently moving her hands to caress my neck, Lukterasia rested her forehead against mine, her yearning eyes greedily fixated upon mine.

“Careful there,” I murmured, my heart humming with a nervous excitement. “If you look at me like that, I might just mistake your intentions.”

“Don’t worry, you aren’t mistaking anything.”

She leaned in as my lips parted for her, sealing a tender kiss between us. My breath hitched as her tongue slipped inside my mouth, wrestling with mine for dominance that I eagerly granted. The soft sensation of her tongue and the sweetly salty scent of her body ignited an electrifying wave of liquid heat surging through my veins, a wildfire that raged through every fibre of my being. Like a thief in the night she stole my sensibilities. My heart thrummed faster, pounding madly against my chest as if determined to break free. I couldn’t get enough. I couldn’t get close enough. I need to—

Feeling lightheaded all of a sudden, my legs buckled without warning, and we would have both fallen hard onto the floor if not for the cushion of air that she summoned at the last second.

“Haa…haah…phew…” 

Panting hard, I pushed my hands against the floor to support my weight when I realised that Lukterasia was pinned underneath me. 

“S-sorry, did I hurt you?”

“Mm-mm.” 

She shook her head and looked at me with a titillating twinkle in her eyes. 

“Funny how our positions are reversed now, huh.”

I inhaled a shaky breath, feeling the edges of my self-control fraying into a wild, frenetic energy that almost frightened me.

“I never expected to meet anyone who would stir such wicked emotions in me,” I lowered my voice to a husky whisper, my hands subconsciously reaching behind her neck to release the straps holding her dress together. “But now you’ve done it, Lukterasia.” 

Sliding her hand into my hair, her rosy inviting lips curled up at the corners as she pulled me closer. 

“If you say that, Stefania… then give me everything you’ve got.” 

And with those words, whatever was left of my sanity was consumed by her in a kiss of deep, violent desire.

 

Next chapter, B-16 [love story] will be released on 22 Mar, 12 AM UTC