The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 231: Victorious Laugh

Chapter 231: Victorious Laugh

With their breakfast over, Dani went ahead and made her way to the recreational hall in the palace. She was supposed to start practicing her dance there, and she actually wasn’t sure what to expect.

"Can I even do this..." she mumbled to herself as she let her feet carry her to her destination. "I haven’t danced before..."

Well, she had actually danced before, but what she did back then was pretty much just the basics in both waltz and ballroom. What’s worse, she only made sure to be just barely passable since she didn’t think she’d need such skills in her future. Sure, she’d need to dance in any other official royal function or gathering, but she wasn’t going to be the star of the show there. She just had to be passable and she was good.

This, however, was far from that.

Dani let out a sigh as she stood face to face with the door leading to the the recreational hall. She knew she just had to practice and be good by the time her Coupling Rites came around, but somehow, she couldn’t help but feel nervous just thinking about it.

’It’s just dancing,’ she inwardly thought, hoping to encourage herself into doing what she was actually there to do. ’I can do this.’

Placing both hands on the door, Dani gulped as she gathered up the courage to finally go in and get to dancing. Well, she was hoping that what she’d do was passable as dancing in Valcrez. She sure as hell didn’t expect that she’d be able to match her Queen’s skill in her own Coupling Rites.

"Ah, Lady Dani. You’ve finally arrived."

Dani blinked as she entered the hall. As expected, it was massive. And thankfully, it would seem that she would be the only one using it for the foreseeable future. At least, until Abel came in to practice and teach her.

"Stop gawking and get moving," the dance instructor sharply called her out. "Milady..."

She couldn’t help but feel threatened by the hidden promise in her supposed instructor’s words. True to Abel’s word, he actually got her a dedicated teacher. Although, she had thought that she’d get someone that was... much younger, or at least just a little bit older than herself.

"I know that look. Don’t think that these bones of mine aren’t as spry as yours," the older woman scoffed. "In fact, I’d wager that I’m a lot more flexible than you even now."

Dani felt her brows twitch at her instructor’s tone. She knew for a fact that this older woman was just using her position to have a bit of fun with her. Although, she could also tell that her instructor was just that proud of her craft.

"I won’t doubt that," Dani smiled as she gave her instructor a polite bow. "I’ll be in your care."

"Now that’s more like it," her instructor nodded in approval. "I’ll make a dancer out of you yet."

From there, Dani began to go through the motions of the dance for the Coupling Rites. As she had rightfully expected, her instructor was just as skilled as she was strict. Every mistake was immediately corrected, and even a single misstep was rewarded with her repeating the entire routine all over again.

"Again."

Still, despite all the blood, sweat, and tears that she was starting to shed, Dani actually felt herself improving with each repetition. While strict, the old woman was fair, and she even smiled whenever she made a step that exceeded her expectations.

"Excellent flourish, milady. However, you landed on the wrong foot."

With every minute that passed, the more Dani became confident in her steps. Minutes became hours, and before she knew it, it was already well past noon as she wiped away the sweat that she had accumulated throughout her practice.

"Not bad," the dance instructor hummed in approval. "For your first day, I can safely say that you’re improving by leaps and bounds."

"And doing much of the leaping as well."

Dani’s eyes widened as she heard a slow clap coming from behind her. Turning around, her cheeks practically burned as she saw the source of the familiar voice. Sure enough, Abel standing by the doorway, his hands clapping as he walked towards them.

"Ah, Lord Abel," the instructor bowed. "I’m doing all that I can to teach her my ways. We were just about to have a short break when you arrived."

"Really? I’m just in time then," Abel chuckled as he turned to face Dani. "I can see that you’ve really improved too."

Raising a brow, Dani immediately found her bearings as she asked, "How can you say that? Have... Have you been watching?"

"Watching? Of course, I was," Abel nonchalantly smirked. "And I must say, seeing you landing on your own feet was a fun experience."

Her cheeks burned in embarrassment as the memory of that particular failure quickly came to mind. It didn’t help that she actually heard a slight snigger coming from her instructor, which was bad since the old woman didn’t even say a word when she did it earlier.

"You... Why didn’t you say anything?"

"Again, I was having a bit of fun," Abel chuckled as he leaned in to face her. "In addition, I dare say that seeing you all sweaty like this is a sight to behold."

Dani blinked as she found herself trailing his gaze down towards her body. Eventually, she noticed that he was staring at her dress which had gone see-through with all of the sweat that had been pouring out of her.

Just as she thought that she had recovered, her cheeks burned red once more.

"You... You pervert," she timidly growled. "If you want to have a look so badly, then go ahead!"

"Hmm, that’s a tempting invitation. I trust I will receive the same encouragement as soon as we’re married," Abel mischievously stated and Dani could see how he was enjoying taunting her.

She growled and instead turned around, ignoring her own embarrassment while Abel’s loud laugh resonated inside the room. She should study more on how to tease and taunt her future husband so that in the end she would have the last victorious laugh.

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