Chapter 68: A dance to remember

ARTORIUS' POV

The orchestra starts the music as all of us nobles step forth for the dance. A lot of the ones who were dancing were a couple. It made me feel out of place dancing among them.

We start slow, with the music. Melodies of violins fill the room with hints of harp strings being pulled to harmonize elegantly with the violins

Kathlyn gently held onto my shoulder while I held her waist. Our hands intertwined and our legs danced together in sync. Slowly swaying and spinning around the ballroom as we danced to the music.

Our eyes were locked with each other, only shifting when we turned around with the rest of the circle. Amadeus was to our left and my eyes kept glancing over to him whenever I got the chance, just to check up on him.

As we spun past the stage, my eyes caught a glimpse of Amelia. She was on the table, dancing along to the music on her own.

"You seem distracted," Kathlyn whispered, noticing me avoiding eye contact." Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," I whispered back. "I'm just making sure we have enough distance."

I made sure from then on, I won't get distracted for the rest of the dance.

As the music got faster, so did our dance. Though the movements were all the same, it was significantly harder to keep up. My inexperience with ballroom dances was beginning to reveal itself.

My heart throbbed as the song got harder to dance to. I barely managed to keep up but I couldn't estimate how much longer I could keep going with this dance, nor how long this dance would be.

"Calm down would you!" Amelia shouted at me through telepathy.

I panicked and nearly messed up my steps, nearly sending me and Kathlyn to the ground.

"W-what!?" I shouted back. "You nearly made me fall!"

Amelia sighs in disappointment.

"You're overthinking this," She said "Let loose for once. You should be fluid with your moves, not stiff."

Her advice was strangely helpful.

It managed to make me let go of my worries and let my footwork be much more fluid.

"Try to think of it like sword fighting. Make your footwork predictable and smooth, similar to how you dance back and forth when in a duel."

"Where did you learn to be a dance instructor?" I laughed at Amelia.

"Observing the dance is an easy way to learn!" She chuckled.

Though I was second-guessing her advice, they weren't that bad. It made dancing much easier. Kathlyn seemed more free as well, dancing much more smoothly and easily.

Her dress fluttered and floated as we twirled around. Moving along with the circle of dancers and following along with their moves.

The violins had stopped along with the harp but the mellow notes of a piano continued to play. It was slow and calm, much slower than the violins and harp duet.

"It's the end, isn't it?" Kathlyn asked as we slowed down our dance.

"So quickly?" I whispered back in shock.

Everyone else around us slowed down as well and began moving out, still circling and dancing around.

"I don't think it will continue any longer." She replied. "Usually the piano is the last part of the dance."

My eyes darted around, looking at the couple behind Kathlyn. It was a tall, dark-skinned elf who dressed like a king. For a split second, I saw his face and recognized who he was. He was Elric Wyot, emperor of the dark elves.

His eyes noticed me glaring and it made me look away in a rush. He must've noticed me.

Our eyes met and I felt my face slowly turn red as I looked into her lush green eyes. Her left eye was covered by her hair while the hair on her right side was neatly put behind her ear.

My mind spaces out for a moment, forgetting the surroundings and the music. Everything disappears except Kathlyn.

I pulled her closer and locked my eyes with hers. She looked up at me with a dazzling smile and giggled.

I zone back in and realise the music had stopped. A loud applause went around the room while we stood in an awkward position. Her face was close to mine. I could feel her breathe heavily, trying to calm herself.

ALARIC'S POV

I bite my lips while watching Artorius and Kathlyn dance. My plans were ruined, yet it may be for the better.

"Our son did so well on his first dance!" Serena exclaimed joyfully.

I turned to her with a made-up smile and nodded. "He did amazing!" I replied. "It's great he took Alyssa for his first dance too."

"Wasn't it Artorius' idea?" She asked.

"I-is it?" I stutter. "It might've been Amadeus' idea. Who knows!" I push it aside.

How could this Artorius outsmart me in every move? What flaw did I have in my plan?

Everyone begins to joyfully smile and laugh altogether, walking back to their seats and wishing to spend the rest of the evening in leisure.

Instead of staying with Alyssa, Amadeus ran to us with a big grin on his face, a smile that took me away from any negative thoughts for the moment.

"I did it!" He exclaimed. "Father! I had my first dance!" He excitedly shouted.

He ran into Serena's arms and embraced her. She giggled while Amadeus looked at me with a proud smile.

I couldn't help but smile back at him. He lets go of his mother and comes up to me.

"How did I do, father?" He asked me

"You did wonderfully!" I replied truthfully.

Though I wasn't paying much attention to him, I still saw him do well. During the entire five minutes, I saw him smile and dance with Alyssa as they danced around in a circle.

Amadeus was satisfied with my answer and giggled. "From now on I will dance on my birthdays!" He said with determination.

"It will be your birthday after all!" I told him. "If you don't enjoy it, then who will?"

He took a seat beside me and looked around frantically. Amadeus had never seemed this excited before. This was my first time seeing him so excited after the dance.

Serena came closer to my ear and whispered to me.

"Are you alright?" She asked

"Why do you ask?"

"You're sweating really badly. Is everything okay?"

I hadn't realised till now that I was sweating. I ran my hand over my face and felt how moist my face had become without me even realising it.

She handed me a handkerchief and I quickly rubbed the sweat off. But then I started to feel warmer. My temperature started to rise rapidly. My breathing slowly became heavy.

"Perhaps you haven't realised yet," A dark and deep voice crept into my mind. "The seeds of your end have been placed."

A shiver runs down my spine as I recognize the voice. The voice of death.

"You made a mistake suspecting him of being a traitor," He scoffs. "Perhaps your old age has made you dull and unwise."

I sat there while listening to him babble on about how I wasted the last two weeks of my life, trying to make Artorius look like the antagonist. In the end, I was proven wrong and was to be faced with the consequences.

"Oh well, I suppose you should pack up for the afterlife,"

"How much time do I have left?"

"One day," He said after an eerily long pause.

I might as well be dead.

All I had was a single day to set up Amadeus' future, along with the empire and the world's future. This is my only chance to do something right before my death.

My body temperature kept heating up and made me uncomfortable. I need to leave this party and rest before I drop dead now.

I turned to Amadeus who was chatting with Feronia. She noticed my glance and motioned him to turn around.

"Oh my god!" Amadeus shrieked. "Father! Are you feeling unwell?" He asked in a panic.

I take a deep breath and nod. "Yes, I feel fine," I lied."Though my body seems to have reached its limits. Perhaps I need to leave early and rest."

"Who will be seeing the guests off then?"

A gentle smirk breaks from my lips. "The emperor, obviously," I told him

Amadeus lets out a short wheeze. "Right, it's my duty now,"

I pat him on the shoulder and use him to get up from my seat. My head felt dizzy as soon as I got up but I could make it back to my office if I could just hang on.

Though I thought I reached my limit, my body felt better. The dizziness went away as I slowly trot through the ballroom towards the colossal doorway, trying to not trip or collapse from exhaustion.

As I reached the doorway, a voice called out from behind me.

"Your majesty, may I aid you to your office room?" Artorius' voice rang through my ears, past the voices and chatters of others.

I slowly turned around to face him. He was looking at me with a concerned glare. His eyes were keen on noticing details or hints that would go unnoticed by usual people.

My lips curled into a wide smile. "It's fine! I'll be just fine," I reassured him.

Artorius walked closer to me with worrisome eyes. "You are unwell, aren't you?" He said while looking down at me.

Even though I was fairly tall, Artorius would dawn over me like a tower. He looked intimidating but I made sure to not break character.

"It's fine, really!" I pushed gently with my hands. "My body is just exhausted."

Why does he want to follow me to my office so badly?

"Very well," He said while turning his back to me. "If you say so,"

"W-wait!" I called out as he walked away.

My throat felt parched and a strained cough escaped my lips. I continued to cough which caught his attention. He rushed back and placed his hands behind my back as I let out uncontrollable coughs one after the other.

"I'll escort you to your office," He said in a low tone. "An uneasy feeling would fill my chest if I do not see that you are safe inside your office."

"F-follow me then," I coughed out. "It will be a long trip there."

Without wasting any more time acting sick, I turned around and started to walk away. I couldn't keep my posture right and had my back hunched over, crossing my arms and shivering.

As we slowly made our way through the castle, I looked around the walls properly for one last time. Perhaps the last time I will see this hallway.

An uncanny silence filled the hallways that we walked through. None of us exchanged a word, only the sound of our soles hitting the wooden floor filled in the silence.

Just when we made it to the third floor, where my office is, Artorius decided to speak up.

"Why did you think I was after the crown?" He asked me without beating around the bush.

I scoff at his straightforward question. "Let's talk this through in the office, shall we?" I told him. "That's why you escorted me, right?"

"Mhm, I needed answers before you died,"

"D-die!?" I shrieked.

"From what I can see, you're at death's doorstep. A dark mist follows you everywhere you go. You are being followed by death," He explained.

What is this man!? How does he know so much!?

"I'll not die!" I laughed out, shrugging off assumptions. "Why would I die from a simple cold, or perhaps just exhaustion,"

We reach the door to my office and halt right in front of it. I turned my head to look at Artorius before I opened the door.

"You don't have to play coy anymore," He gives me a sinister smile. "I know the names of the six spies and the assassin you sent after me. One of my trusted men has been deeply wounded and is being treated in the infirmary right now. Maybe he's dead too, who knows?"

My mind races to figure out a good comeback for him. He cornered me in such a way that I could barely get out of there.

We entered the room in silence. I slowly walked to my desk and melted into my chair, trying to calm down and fight back against him. This won't be a simple mind game, I'm playing against a psychotic genius.

Artorius closed the door behind him and took a seat before me. He laid back on his chair and seemed much more relaxed than I thought.

"So, what do you wish to know?" I asked him.

"Why are you after me?"

I rubbed my beard and acted as if I was thinking. "Well, there is no denying that I sent the seven men after you,"

"But why?" He pestered.

"Your recent behaviour made me suspicious. The project, the war and finally what you did with Astrid. Each looked like a step toward greed. The project was ambitious and the war showed your true capabilities as a general and a warrior. Lastly, the agreement you reached with Astrid…"

Oddly, he laughed when I mentioned Astrid. "Hah! That was fun," He said with a grin that went from ear to ear.

"Honestly, I'll just come out with it," I told him while sighing.

"Please do," He said while resting his head on the back of his hand. "I do not like wasting time,"

I leaned forward on my desk, keeping my arms on the desk and glancing around the room, checking to make sure there are no security breaches.

"All I want is to keep my wife and my son safe," I told him truthfully. "To keep them safe, I've taken a route that was calculated to succeed. Each step I took as an emperor was not to make others have an easier life but to have my family not be in danger."

"So that's why you never made any big moves?" He raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps that's why our communication is still so poor,"

"Perhaps, indeed," I agreed shamefully. "I never had the ambition to change the world or to make it easier. I always had it easy and lived my life in a relaxed environment, doing paperwork and maintaining the empire. You know, the usual stuff you and I do."

He lets out a soft chuckle as I confess to him. "Well, I can't blame you. I see where you're coming from. Family is your top priority and that earns my respect,"

"Glad we are on the same page then," I eased up as he told me his opinion. "I assume that answers your question of why I did this?"

"It does," He says, sounding unfulfilled. "But that doesn't cover the cost of my broken sword,"

My heart sinks hearing what he just told me. "P-pardon!?" I exclaimed. "You broke your sword?"

"My father's sword. The one that was passed down to me," He stared with a terrifying aura

His eyes looked scary as if staring into the abyss of hell. A red fury that was fueled by an anger that hides away. Eyes similar to Theo's.

"I'd have looked past if it was any other sword. But this was a sword that meant a lot to me, you know?"

He slowly gets up from his seat and stands up, putting both of his arms on my desk and leaning over.

Both of our eyes were locked with each other as he towers over me. This was the first time I felt such pressure and intimidation from just a person's stare.

"I've seen war and looked into death's eyes. I stood before him instead of bowing down, sneering at him as if he were a lowly being. I've had to deal with a lot of trouble today so let's make things easy and make a deal, hm?"

When he mentioned death, he wasn't lying. His pupils grew larger and a faint image of a tormented skeleton appeared. Perhaps it was because I was exhausted, but there was no denying what he said. He was telling the truth.

My body froze up. Such pressure overwhelmed me. As if being chained down by boulders. No wonder Astrid succumbed to him.

"W-what deal?" I asked him, trying to not stutter.

"Lend me money and the best blacksmiths to exist. I will create a sword that will be perfect in every way. In return, I will spare the poor kid's life who tried to kill me and protect your family with my life."

"Deal."

Suddenly, his entire aura changes, becoming much lighter and happier in a split second.

"Great! Twas fun doing business with you," He said with a joyful smile, holding his hand out.

I was skeptical of his handshake but I nervously grasped his hand and shook. This must be the strangest deal I am about to make.

Our hands shake and we agree on it. But he isn't the kind to agree with a handshake, he wants paperwork.

"I'll write you a letter for this to make it official. I'll make sure it reaches you before you leave the premises of this castle," I told him with a reassuring grin.

Though we were both putting up fake smiles, I was telling him the truth. I won't be taking any chances with him for however long I have left.

Artorius turned around to leave the office, satisfied with the deal and my answer. But I had more to talk to him about.

"Wait. Artorius," I called out. "I still have to talk to you,"

He turns around slowly and gives me a skeptical stare. "What is it?" He asked me, sounding annoyed.

I kept up my jolly smile. "Sit down. I have a lot to talk to you about."