The fresh and gentle breeze blew up on our faces the moment we reached the outdoor balcony of the Royal Hall. The lights coming from the chandeliers inside the hall illuminates the silent balcony which holds four empty round tables.
Feeling tired and down, Yehanna sat and bowed. I went back briefly to the party hall to get a couple of glasses and one bottle of luxurious wine. I filled the two glasses and gave one of them to my depressed Dragonoid Contractor.
"Here. This will help you liven up." I said as I offered the glass of wine.
Yehanna didn't take it, so I just laid it in front of her face. Then I turned around, drank a mouthful of that red liquor, and looked at the starless night skies. I started to talk just to break the ice between us two. It's getting awkward already.
"Man, the air here is so refreshing. It's silent and peaceful. It's quite different from inside the hall, which is populated with ugly people." I stretched out my arms.
I went back to my lonely partner, who is still not touching her glass of wine. I must make my approach a little more interactive for her to participate. Or else, I'm just embarrassing myself by blabbing and talking to no one.
"Let's have a little toast!" I presented her with my glass of wine.
"Eh? R-Right!" Yehanna finally reacted. She grabbed her glass and gently bumped it into my drink. Then she gulped the wine for one, two, three seconds until it was almost empty. She tried to gasp for air afterward. "Gah!"
"Man, you are stressed out, are you? I know you're not yourself ever since your scumbag cousin showed up."
"I never wanted to show you this helpless and pathetic side of me." Yehanna frowned. She started to play with the few droplets of wine left on her glass. "So much for me for being a Dragonoid Contractor of a Dragon Sage."
I sat beside her and laid my glass on the table. "Well, that makes two of us pathetic losers. I guess we're meant to be after all." I scoffed.
"Yeah, right." Yehanna finally managed to wear a slight smile. "We are partners."
She drank the final droplet of wine from her glass. When it was finally empty, I stood up.
"Want a refill?"
"No." Yehanna grabbed my coat. "Just stay with me."
I silently settled down and observed Yehanna's movements. She's trembling and sweating even though it's cool out here on the outside balcony. When she noticed me staring at her, her face turned tomato red.
"I'm sorry. I've gotten used to being treated like a problem for my family that I get tense whenever I see them."
"That's a terrible family you have. Didn't they know that Miss Yehanna Lancelot is the greatest Dragonoid Contractor a Dragon Sage could have?"
"I'm grateful for the flattery, but it's not like that." Yehanna frowned. "It's about what happened to my grandfather."
"Grandfather?" I tilted my head.
"Are you aware of Apsara Industries? It's one of the leading corporations that specializes in creating Magical Technology weapons a few years ago. My family ran it, with my grandfather: Rayver Lancelot as the president."
"Rayver Lancelot..." My mouth went wide open in awe. "...Is that-"
"Yes, the one who got involved in the corruption scam case with the old administration." Yehanna cut me. "My grandfather was mistakenly accused of stealing money from the public treasury. They said that he conspired with other corrupt government officials to strike a fictitious deal to get billions of funds. However, none of it is true. My grandfather is innocent."
Yehanna looked at me and noticed that my eyes are full of curiosity.
"Of course, you wouldn't believe me. I have no evidence after all." Yehanna said with a tired smile.
"I believe you."
"Really?"
I scratched my head. "Well, you called me handsome tonight, so everything you say must be true."
"Is that so?" Yehanna made a scary forced smile. Suddenly, I felt a heel stomp on my foot.
"Ow! Okay! Okay! Fine! I'm sorry for breaking the mood." I cried. "But with all seriousness, I still believe you though. I heard from the news that Rayver Lancelot is a philanthropist who helps poor families directly. There's no way a good person is guilty of corruption."
Yehanna uttered an exhausted sigh before continuing her story.
"It doesn't matter right now if he's innocent or not. My grandfather has already been executed three years ago, and all of us just watched. The Lancelot family has served the government as military personnel for five decades, and this is the worst betrayal we've got."
"Why does your family hate you though?" I asked. "I mean, you have nothing to do with the death of your grandfather."
"It bottlenecked to that point," Yehanna answered. "When my grandfather died, he left a last will in favor of his favorite granddaughter, which is me. Because I'm the prettiest, smartest, strongest, and kindest grandkid he had, he left me in charge of the Apsara Industries corporation as the new president."
"Wait, which of us is the narcissist again?" I frowned.
"Ahaha! I'm just a grandpa's girl, that's all." Yehanna finally chuckled like a princess. "Anyway, my inheritance is the primary reason why I'm hated by my cousins. They sometimes envy me also for my achievements in the Dragonoid Military Academy, but I'm used to it."
"It's just normal for those idiots to get jealous." I crossed my arms. "I mean, at the age of twenty, you are already a CEO of a multi-million-earning company. And you even graduated magna cum laude in the Dragonoid Military Academy, which gave you an A-tier ranking. I bet you could win a beauty contest with your current get-up. You're too perfect for them to handle."
There was an awkward silence.
When I looked at Yehanna, I saw her staring into my eyes. Her cheeks are red, and her lips are trembling as if she wanted to say something. Her crimson irises are sparkling.
All of a sudden, I heard the orchestra song start from the Royal Hall. I looked behind me and saw Ross looking for us. He waved his hand and shouted at me.
"Hey, Ulysses! The party is now going for the final dance!"
"R-Right! I'm coming!" I yelled back.
When Ross left the scene, I stood up and stretched my arms. Then, I went in front of the beautiful woman with long dark-blue hair and ruby-like eyes. I genuflected and humbly asked for her hand.
"Shall we dance, Princess Yehanna Lancelot?"
"P-Princess!?" Yehanna chuckled. She laughed so hard that she was on the verge of crying. "You are an idiot, Prince of Handsomeness Ulysses Corasell."
Hearing her call me Prince of Handsomeness made my heart skip a beat. If she's flirting with me, she may have won my heart already!
Yehanna gently placed her hand on mine.
And then, while holding hands, we walk towards the light to join the final dance.