"Wait! You want to me, to dance with you?" Ryker asked in disbelief. If not for them in such a formal event, his voice would have been a lot louder.
"Yes, did I not make myself clear?" Dory said.
"Nothing, just surprise that a princess would ask someone like me for a dance. I have never dance before," he said the truth, causing the princess to roll her eyes.
"Don't worry, I will lead the way," she said before dragging him to the dance floor. Ryker wanted to refuse but he did not know how to refuse the princess, who likely would not accept his excuses, so he just accept that he would have to dance with her instead.
Which would be troublesome if the other nobles, especially the younger generation who had been wooing the princess see and no doubt would cause trouble for him.
He hope the dance would not last too long.
-x-
"Your Excellency, have you seen Master Ryker?" Natali asked Lariz, who shrugged.
"He should be at the buffet table," he told the servant who nodded. Natali was about to make her way to the buffet table before she heard a commotion. She would have ignore them if not for her hearing something interesting.
"Who is that man? To get a dance with the princess. He must be lucky,"
"Yeah, but still, the man is handsome, with his dual-colored hair,"
"I want to be in his place. If I can dance with the princess, I would even be ready to die,"
She turned her head towards the dance floor and gasped. At the center of the dance floor is Ryker, who was dancing with the princess.
As she watched her current Master dancing, she could not but help admiring his skill. Natali is a good dancer, as one of the best servant in the palace, she would teach the younger generation dancing skills.
So, she was able to spot all his mistake. Yet, if he make one mistake, he would not report it, showing serious talent in dancing.
"Natali, I thought you ar-" any word died in his throat as Lariz watched his younger sister dancing with Ryker.
"I though he went to the buffet table?!" he asked in shock, barely able to restrain his voice.
"It seem my cute niece able to guess who I was talking about," Lariz turned his head to see Collete looking at the dancing pair with a smile.
"Aunt, you planned for this?" he asked in disbelief, Natali mirroring his expression.
"My dear niece asked me to help her find someone that will not be bothersome or try to push for an arranged marriage. Naturally, as a good aunt, I will try my best to fulfills her request. Unfortunately, it is hard to do so.
Out of everyone that had been invited, he is the only one that I knew of that tick all the box. Not to mention when I told her he was a part of your faction, that make her interest pique up even more," Lariz could feel a headache from his aunt explanation.
Then again, he could not find fault in the older woman's reasoning. After all, he had knew him for more than 4 weeks and he tick all the box for the ideal husband for his little sister. If only they had found him first before he pick up girls like fruits.
He do hope the other man would be ready for what is to come. The nobles' heirs would not tolerate someone they deem inferior to be so close to the path to greater influence and power.
-x-
"You said you did not know how to dance," Dory said in an accusing tone.
"Yes, I don't. I am just a very good learner," he replied. The princess accepted his answer. After all, during the start of their dance, he almost step on her toes several times, yet as time pass by, he become better and better.
"Do you think you can dance while answering my question?"she asked, making a twirl as Ryker had her hands in his own.
"Sure, as long as the pace is this slow," he answered.
"Good, so, what is the deal with you and my brother?" she asked.
"Like I said before. We are allies. He offer me something in return for me helping him in claiming the succession," the princess make a noncommittal hum.
"Why did he care for you so much? No offense, but you are just a Genesis Sea expert at the 2nd Stage," Ryker have a wry smile. Then again, the princess are not wrong, it just his strength is too abnormal, allowing him to contend with people with higher cultivation than him.
"Let just say, he is interested with my potential. So is the rest of the previous generation of the royal family, and by rest, I mean all of them," he said, watching smugly as the princess almost tripped if not for him helping her.
"What do you mean by that?" she almost hissed at him.
"Well, they ask to meet me before, and I did. After the meeting, the three Sovereign gave me a storage ring each, and then your aunt escorted me as I left the palace," he answered, watching as the princess struggling to maintain her composed look.
"Whaa- Hhoooow?" she asked in disbelief.
"As I said. They are interested in my potential. And they knew some of my incredible feat, from your brother's mouth of course," the princess clearly did not belief him, causing him to sigh.
"If you want to know the truth, ask your father, or uncle, or aunt. Then again, why did you ask me for a dance? There should be a line asking the princess for a dance," Ryker asked, curiosity in his voice.
"Yes, but I knew all of them and a lot of them see me as a way to the throne, or at least to gain more power, either for themselves, or their family, or both," the princess said with a bitter tone.
"In that case, I don't mind dancing some more, but maybe we should cut it short. After all, I still want to talk with Lariz after this," the princess looked at him in surprise.
"You call my brother by his first name," Ryker nodded.
"Yes, like I said, we are not subordinates, we are allies, and so he allow me to call him by his name instead of His Excellency or Crown Prince," he told her.
"Heh, you really are an interesting person," she remarked.
"I take that as a compliment, your Excellency," he said.