Court Dancer
Curious eyes fixed on the two charming people who just graced the dance floor. The ladies twist their faces In jealousy, wishing they were in Raziel's shoes as they whispered amongst themselves.
"She must be feeling lucky. The king gets to dance with her," a beautiful lady whispered to the two women beside her. They were all beautiful and pressed in tight gowns that defined their curves. They all wore fitting gowns for the occasion. Beautiful gowns with scary and creepy designs.
"Of course, she will. The king hardly ever shows up at these balls and he never dances with any lady, yet he's dancing with this unknown lady," the second lady muttered in envy.
"Right! I've been using my eyes to give him a hint ever since he came into the ballroom but he pretended not to get it. Hmph," not leaving out of the gossip, the third lady harrumphed and her friends looked at her in disbelief.
"Really? You were giving him hints without us?" They both angrily yelled at their friend.
At the dance floor, the king snaked his one hand around her waist and drew her closer, so close that he could feel her breasts on his chest. Raising his other hand, he took Raziel's left hand and placed it on his shoulder, clasped her right hand in his and they began to dance.
"Wonderful, lady Raziel. Such hidden talent. I never knew you were this good at dancing. You would fit as a court dancer in Daxtan," the king complimented after a while of dancing.
"What!"
"Yes? I can give you the post of a head dancer in our country If you please.
"How dare you suggest such a shameful thing to me? Court dancer? Really," Raziel gasps in shock. This devil. How could he tell her such a thing?
"How could you say such a shameful thing? Don't you have any virtue? I guess you don't know what a court dancer does," she spat.
"I do know what they do."
"And you still suggest it?"
"Yes, isn't it nice? A court dancer only needs to dance and entertain her customers, is it not?" The king asked, wearing an unwavering smile on his face.
Gosh! She groaned inwardly. Being a court dancer is the least appreciated profession in Daxtan. They are regarded as prostitutes who entertain guests who are men and take care of them privately afterward.
Seeing that unwavering smile on his face made her realize he was joking and that he was only using her for his amusement. This goddamn king!
"As a king, you shouldn't be this so brute," she remarked.
"I guess so too, but only for you, sweet. Happy birthday darling," Raziel's eyes widened as she heard that from him. How on earth did he know it was her birthday?
"How do you know it's my birthday today?"
"You forgot? I was there at your birth. How could I forget the day when a cute baby was born?" He asked in a calm voice.
"Tsk. You should stop lying."
"And you should stop speaking to your king like that." He said.
He held her hand and turned her so her back rested on his chest. She could feel his hot breath tickling her on her neck and he whispered.
"I'm not as young as you think, sweet sweet Raziel."
Raziel gulped!
There was something about the way her name rolled out of his mouth. It sounded like a sweet melody in her ears. She gathered her thoughts and move gracefully according to the song, ignoring the eyes of the guest's boring holes in her body.
Although she has never danced publicly like this before and she didn't know where her confidence came from, she still danced like someone who has been dancing at a ball all her life. She had learned how to dance with her sisters back in the forest and their mother had taught them whenever they were in their free time.
Raziel could see her sisters eyes on her at the other end of the dancefloor. May was looking at her as if she did something wrong while Jaria was staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face. Why are they looking at her like that? She fulfilled their desire and danced with someone, so they should be glad and not carry those expressions on their faces.
The king twirled her around again to face him and they both stared at each other with the king's regular smile on his lips.
"We'll be leaving soon. I hope you brought my book," Raziel inquired.
"Oh, your erotica?"
"Please stop it already. That book almost made me lose my life. If May had found out this morning, I would be a dead rat by now."
"Why are you so scared of your sisters?
"You don't know what May can do. She would break my limbs with just the snap of her fingers." She felt his hands tightening more on her waist and he brought her closer to him. He bent till he was the same height as her and whispered into her ears.
"You're not stuttering today, why?"
"I don't always do it. It happens when I'm nervous and uncomfortable," she muttered, a little embarrassed that he had noticed her stutter the previous times they had met.
"Does that mean that you feel comfortable now? In my arms?"
Before she could answer, the music came to a halt and the other couples made their way out of the dance floor. King Valhoon released her from his hold and took her hands in his. He kissed the back of her palms before walking out of the dance floor and the room. Raziel wanted to go after him and take the book, but when she saw the piercing look of the other guest she immediately decided to let it off first and look for Rani.
She saw Rani walking toward her and she quickly met her halfway.
"Hey, I see you finally danced with someone," Rani teased. Raziel narrowed her eyes and held Rani's hand to the other side of the ballroom.