The room turned as silent as a grave, different thoughts were building up in the minds of the guests. Even King Alfred's cloudy eyes had cleared up slightly. Then with a snap, whispering and murmuring erupted in the ballroom. "This Duke is really brave. Asking for the first dance and not with anyone but with the Princess!" "I do not think he knows what it implicates, after..." "Spare me that bullshit. He is a Duke for crying out loud and one as influential as he is, should know what this means." The murmurings went on and on, but Silveria paid no attention to them. His black eyes were fixated on the beautiful princess, and the calm look in his eyes portrayed no emotion of fear. "Duke Silveria, ah, ignorance is really problematic. According to our customs and traditions..." "So does that mean that the Princess would reject it?" For the second time tonight, Reggie was interrupted during his talks. He raged but kept it hidden. Who was he? He was a minister for crying out loud, the senior minister! All the eligible bachelors who had their hopes up that they may be able to catch the eye of the Princess had it tumbling down when they saw that they had competition. And the competition seemed braver, fiercer, and richer than they were. Duke Silveria was known far and wide, and that only existed to show how influential of a person he was, thus when he made the first move, the scowls on their faces deepened considerably. They wanted to scold him badly, but they knew that they were not in a position to do so. Now, they could only hope that Ely would not accept his rude advances. Rude? Yes, rude. What was the culture, customs, and traditions if they were just going to be abandoned the moment their benefits were depleted? They all turned their sights toward the Princess who had stolen the limelight tonight. She sat there without any hint of emotion on her countenance, but Silveria saw her dark blue eyes flickering endlessly. "Princess Ely would not accept your request..." Minister Reggie roared. Their plan was foiled by the Princess and this outsider, and this worried him so much. "Know your place, Reggie," Ely said in a low but threatening tone. Reggie stared at her in shock, and a subtle hint of rage could be seen in his eyes, but he reluctantly bowed his head and spoke no more. He had lost too much face today so it would be best if he shut up. "You do know our customs, right, Duke Silveria?" Ely questioned with a monotone. "Yes, I do, princess," Silveria responded, and with the same confidence, he turned slightly towards the King and bowed his head slightly, "King Alfred, I want to dance with the Princess." The room turned quiet once more, and the people felt their tongues pegged. Were their ears playing tricks on them? The difference between 'want' and 'may' was glaring, and it was no mistake that the Duke used "want". Philip's eyes darkened a few shades again, and the killing intent was visible in the air. Silveria looked at the prince from the corner of his eyes and smirked slightly. It was as though he was mocking the prince, 'So what if you are angry? You cannot do anything to me.' And that alone turned Philip's knuckles white. But he couldn't do anything, at least not yet. He could only stare at their father waiting for his harsh disapproval, but he was once again shocked. "Ok. You can dance with my daughter, Duke." King Alfred declared. The faces of some people became ugly beyond reason as they scowled deeply. What does this mean? Had the King finally lost his mind as the rumors say or had he genuinely accepted the Duke courting the Princess?" Whatever, they didn't know. Reggie looked at his right side for a second before he left silently. Ely, on the other hand, stared at her father for a bit before she looked at the man who at this juncture held his hand up. She descended and slipped her hand into his. With one dressed in a beautiful off-shoulder gown and another dressed in a white coat with grey hemmings, the people could only reluctantly agree that they looked like the perfect duo. Once they stepped on the dance floor, the music echoed silently, giving way to a melodious tune. Their steps were slow and smooth, gradually increasing the speed along with the rhythm of the music. With a smooth curve, Ely got closer to him, and her hand fell on his chest. She raised her head and stared at him curiously. "What do you want from me, Duke Silveria?" She questioned softly. Her eyes roaming in his, looking for God knows what. Silveria's smirk widened into a smile. A wide, happy smile. "I want a lot of things from you, Ely, but your question should be, would you be able to provide what I want?" He replied, twirling her around so that his lips met her ears. Ely shivered slightly when his lips touched her ears. "Say what you want, Duke." Ely's voice had a hint of impatience to it, and she scowled slightly. Silveria chuckled and answered, "I. Want. You!
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