12 At Least My Hands Are Fair

"You need more practice! Loosen your grip a bit and relax your body posture, then move your left feet and attack, yes, that is right! A bit more force, yes, and now take that step back, parry and attack again." she shouted from the sidelines as Vincent fought with a knight gallantly.

The knight fell on the ground and Vincent placed the sword on his neck as he looked proud and excited when she clapped hard.

From the past week she had spent all her time in rejecting the offers from the palace of the duke and their vassal family and training him. He was his last hope. If he gets selected in the night program, then she could use the excuse that she had to be heir of her father.

She pinched herself as her heart raced when he walked towards her.

"I did well, right?" he asked as he wiped his sweaty hands against his shirt when she nodded with a smile and hugged him.

"Yes, you did much better. Now you have to make sure that you win the knighthood contest tomorrow and be selected as a royal knight." determination filled his eyes as he nodded and held the sword firmly in his hands.

"Ana!" she raised her head and looked at him, "when did you learn swordsmanship and that also so perfectly! I never saw you practicing?" If he did not know any better, he would have thought that a gallant knight's spirit had taken the body of his sister.

"Ah! I have never done swordsmanship but I have often sat in the garden and looked at the practicing knights since they were handsome."

"......." he kept staring at her waiting, that she would laugh and say that she was joking but her joined hands and dreamy eyes told him that she was not joking.

"Tsk! You are weird." he shook his head and turned to leave when she grinned.

"I do not care what you think about me as long as you win." she mutterd as she laughed and then followed him, "hey, you should not look down on me. I can learn anything just by watching it once." she challenged when he shook his head again.

"You never got good marks in music. If you are so good, why did you not play piano perfectly?" he taunted when she scoffed.

"It is because the old teacher was ugly! I did not like to look at her hands. If it would have been a handsome man, I would have learnt it easily." she raised her chin high with arrogance when he sighed.

He never knew that his perfect sister was such a big liar and talked so unabashedly.

"What! Are you doubting me? Then bring a handsome man and ask him to play the piano. I am sure that even you will be shocked at how easily I will copy the music." she proclaimed but before he could reply, they heard the coughing of someone and turned only to see that his father was standing with… Garrison.

He was staring at Anastasia with twinkling eyes while his sister was shooting daggers as if she was already imagining murdering him in her heart. Even he shuddered for a second looking at her dark eyes but the man seemed unfazed.

"If you do not mind, I want to see your talent too." stated Garrison as took a step closer, "so, do i live upto your expectation of a handsome man, i would like to play piano for you to copy the tune." he came forward to kiss the back of her hands but she took a step back.

"What if I say no?" she asked even when her father warned her not to. She looked into his eyes with the cold and hatred field eyes, "what if i say that i find you ugly and my eyes hurt everytime i look at you?"

"......"

"Ana! Duke Sopheriene is your future husband. You…" Garrison raised his hands to stop marques Willam from complaining.

"I never knew that i could be an eyesore!" he still has a smile on his face, "but i am sure my hands are fair enough for you to look at them. I still want to see your talent, my lady. So pardon me." he held her hand with some force when both Vincent and William stiffened and their eyes glued on the intertwined hands.

"Ah! I apologize, I hope that you did not mind me holding the hands of my bride?" he asked William with a smile but his eyes were dark, cold and full of authority when William opened his mouth but could only shake his head in the end.

"Father!" Vincent protested when William shook his head.

"Thank you! Will you mind showing me where the music room is?" he asked with the same authoritative tone when he smiled at her as she struggled to get her hands free and glared at him but he was only enjoying her mini struggles as they walked toward the music room.

All the maids stared at them with the same worry that filled the eyes of William and Vincent who followed the couple closely.

He only let her go when he sat in front of the piano. He smiled at her as if he was trying to provoke her further when he touched the keys gently and then his hands started to dance on the keys as if they were only made to play it.

His eyes were closed and soon he was lost in the rhythm with the soft tone flowing in the air as if it was able to bewitch everyone present.

How much time had passed, when he finally stopped and looked back at her,

"Your turn!"