The Dance That Stirred Hearts

Did the queen get possessed?...This was the question some of them had in mind as they saw her being led down the platform by the crippled consort.

None of them even expected in their dreams that the queen would entertain his request to dance.

They knew their queen was neither in the mood nor the kind of person to dance, let alone with the crippled consort. Why would she entertain his request and make herself look bad by accepting his request?

But then some of the elders from various gathered in the hall mused that she must be doing to uphold the image of her queenship since she couldn't let him look even more pathetic, especially since he was a Drake in the end.

However, none of them could tell the exact reason why the queen was doing this and felt confused by her actions.

Kookus was sucking on his thumb, feeling greatly impressed by Asher, 'Even a cripple can ask the queen to a dance. I should definitely ask him to teach me. Maybe one day I might get to taste some sweet nectar, sigh.'

Ceti could only slowly walk up the platform with a stupefied expression and couldn't understand why her queen was going along with it.

Sabina's amused expression immediately froze as her forehead creased, and she mumbled, "What did he say to convince her?" She knew Rowena didn't want to dance and clearly saw her refusing. But she also saw Asher saying something that made her change her mind. The Rowena she knew would never easily change her mind like that.

Oberon Drake's eyes were visibly shaking as he muttered with a clenched jaw, "That lowborn dares to touch her? If only…" Oberon didn't even finish his sentence as his eyes uncontrollably shook, seeing that cripple holding hands with his queen. It was as if he had never expected to see such a sight in his life.

"Hmph, she is doing it to not lose face. What else could it be?" Rebecca said with a disdainful snort, though her expression seemed quite unsightly.

"Heh, this fool doesn't even know how to dance. Watch him going to make a fool of himself. I am glad I didn't miss out on this," Edmund Throne commented with a look of ridicule.

Asher could feel a lot of angry and scornful gazes falling on him, but he ignored them all as he walked towards the dance floor with Rowena, whose expression still seemed as if she wasn't really here.

Still, everybody couldn't help but sigh at how graceful and elegant their queen was, even when walking.

Most men standing around felt envious that this cripple was getting to dance with the queen. Even if they were offered a chance, they wouldn't dare take it and risk their lives. They felt this crippled consort must have no knowledge of how terrifying the queen could get.

They still couldn't help but shudder when remembering the days right after the Demon King's death was reported. Those weren't days they would dare to relive.

Now that Asher was getting a good look at Rowena, he couldn't help but feel enamored by her gothic beauty.

Her luscious black lips seemed quite alluring, a beautiful contrast to her dark crimson eyes, which had an indescribable charm.

The black gown she was wearing now wasn't as simple as the first one he had seen her in before. This one spread over her feet with multiple layers over her skirt, which was adorned with lace, embroidery, and ribbons.

Her long silky hair, which was as black as night, had a certain shine to it as it elegantly overflowed over her back.

And her overdress had long sleeves and a low neck collar that perfectly skimmed over her big, supple snowy mounds and revealed her enticing cleavage.

There was no doubt any man who wanted a wife would gladly sell their soul to have someone as beautiful as her.

He knew she was barely a few years older than him physically, though she had the charms of a mature woman as well. But he knew his priorities and his mind remained as firm as her about what he had to do.

And when they stood on the floor, Rowena suddenly said, "I will guide you."

Asher knew she said this because she was assuming he didn't know how to dance, which was natural to assume.

But why let her guide him when this wouldn't be his first rodeo, "No need for all that. Just follow my lead, and you will have fun," Saying so, Asher held her right hand, raising it high, and then used his left hand to cup her left shoulder blade.

"What are you doing?" Rowena asked with a confused look after seeing him trying to assume a dance stance she was unfamiliar with. Usually, the man and woman would be holding each other's hands, but she could feel one of Asher's warm hands on her back.

"Don't fret about it, and just place your left arm over my shoulder. Come on," Asher said as Rowena briefly squinted her eyes, and after some hesitation, she placed her left hand over his left shoulder.

"Now keep your feet close and follow me," Asher said as he moved his left foot to the side, making Rowena follow him and move her right foot to the side. Right after that, Asher brought his feet together by moving his right foot close to his left foot while moving his upper body like a slow wave.

Rowena's eyes blinked as if she found his moments strange, but she gracefully followed his movements by bringing her left foot close to her right foot.

"You did great. Now let's keep at it," Asher said with a smile as he repeated the same movements, keeping on moving towards the side along with her while their torsos gracefully imitated a wave motion.

Rowena's eyes glinted with a look of surprise as if she had never expected him to know such a foreign dance style that seemed to make her feel like she was floating.

"Look at my eyes as we dance. That's how this should be," Asher said since Rowena was simply staring at his chest, which was her eye level.

Hearing his words, she subtly raised her head as her eyes looked at his dark yellow eyes. She had seen those eyes a number of times over these years, and they always seemed empty and felt nothing.

But now those very same eyes seemed to be brimming with flames of emotions she never imagined she would see.

"Why do we have to keep looking at each other like this?" Rowena asked, making Asher chuckle, seeing that she must be feeling awkward.

"Well, this is something a married couple should do. As they say, eyes are the windows to your soul. Since you are my wife, I want to know you better by looking at your eyes even though you may not feel the same," Asher said with a soft smile.

Rowena's eyes briefly looked away, but then her cold gaze shifted back, "I don't think you have anything to gain by knowing me better," Rowena said straightforwardly before asking, "Who taught you to dance like this?"

"I learned about the Night Dance after going through the books. But I modified it with my own style I came up with and practiced all night so that I could show you a good time. It would be bad if the rest of them dance and enjoy while the Bloodburn Queen and her consort don't show them how it's done," Asher said with a subtle smile. He was actually proficient in formal dancing since he had to learn this when he made a name for himself as a Hunter in his previous life.

Once he started getting invited to elite balls and parties, he had to learn how to dance, and Aira was the one who taught him how to do so, considering her background. The moment her name and face popped into his mind, he immediately shook them away.

After eight steps or so, they began to dance sideways in the opposite direction.

"I know you might be angry at me for having to marry a useless cripple like me," Asher mentioned as he maintained his gaze.

Rowena shook her head softly and said plainly, "You played no part in it. I don't have any anger towards you."

Asher lightly smiled, "Good. Then that means I still have a chance."

"Chance for what?"

"To become a husband you could be proud of," Asher said with a gentle smile, making Rowena's eyes flicker before saying plainly, "You don't have to."

"But I want to…because I know how much you had to sacrifice because of me," Asher said as he looked at her intoxicating crimson eyes.

Rowena pulled together her brows and said, "You shouldn't have drank too much wine."

Asher chuckled upon hearing her words and found her reaction quite cute. However, inwardly he was determined to gain her confidence so that his journey ahead wouldn't be harsh.

As moments passed, Rowena couldn't help but feel as if her surroundings were fading. All she could see was Asher's gaze, and it was as if only both of them were in the hall.

For a moment, it felt like the crown had disappeared from her head, and all she could feel was the connection from her hands towards him while she floated along with him. When was the last time she felt such a sense of peace and tranquility?

Whispers echoed in the hall as the others couldn't believe that the crippled consort was leading the queen with an unfamiliar dance style, though it seemed quite graceful and pleasing to the eyes.

"How dare he…before everyone else…" Oberon Drake muttered as his dark red eyes dangerously glowed, sensing some sort of tension between the two on the dance floor.

"Hmph, he is insulting our traditions by not dancing the way he should. This is ludicrous and…" Rebecca couldn't even complete her sentence as she just had too much to say.

Sabina had a look of disbelief seeing Asher dance so elegantly. She was expecting him to stumble or fall, but even if he was dancing in a different style, it seemed romantic, while the usual formal dance seemed bland in comparison.

"How strange…I have never seen such a peaceful expression on our queen," Lord Vernon Valentine commented.

Ceti had a strange expression as she kept staring at Asher, especially his eyes, though nobody could guess what she was thinking.

"Sister, you feeling jealous, eh? I bet not only Prince Silvan but no other noble here can match our royal consort in leading a woman through such a beautiful dance," Kookus remarked with a grin.

"Just shut up, will you?" Ceti said with a piqued look as she pushed away her annoying brother.

After a minute, Asher dropped his right hand and raised his left hand to turn Rowena around on her feet, much to her surprise.

She felt a lightness in her chest as he turned her around. She didn't know why but she felt like moving along with his flow without wanting to resist or stop it.

Right after she spun on her feet once, he gently pushed her out by holding both her hands before spinning her around once and pulling her closer gently.

Rowena felt her senses heighten when she was pulled towards him and made her unconsciously place her right arm over his neck.

"Relax your body and trust me," Asher said as he let go of her hand and wrapped one of his arms around her waist while tilting her upper body backward.

Rowena was too distracted by other thoughts and was too late when she found herself dipping backward. Her instinct was to immediately raise her body up but hearing Asher's words, she felt like letting him carry her along just as how he was doing throughout the entire dance.

She felt like she was falling, but his arm wrapped around her waist, making her feel like she was safe within his hold.

Asher was a bit surprised that she actually let her body relax and gracefully let her dip backward as he held her other hand and leaned forward, their faces facing each other closely.

He had to admit she looked even more breathtaking from this angle and quite alluring, especially as her swan-like neck was arched backward while her dress tightened even more around her well-endowed breasts.

"Enjoyed it?" He asked with a classy smile as they stood still in that pose.

But the two had no idea that by now pin drop silence had descended in the hall as most of them had stupefied expressions upon seeing a dance that stirred their hearts.

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A/N: Humble request from author for reviews of what you guys feel so far after reading :D Ahem, the novel is also starving without much golden tickets (needed for ranking :"#) But I am greatly thankful to those voting with powerstone and those who are still reading :)