Chapter 39 : Let’s Dance

The celebration was still ongoing.

Watching Meira blend into the crowd, her face beaming with smiles, Nia was momentarily stunned.

How long had it been since she last saw Her Highness with such a relaxed expression?

Since leaving the forest, Her Highness’s face had been constantly clouded with worry and exhaustion.

Even when she smiled, it was always a symbolic gesture.

In this moment, Nia suddenly gained a new understanding of what El had said about entertainment being an important part of life.

Perhaps he was right.

Thinking of El, Nia’s gaze involuntarily shifted away from Her Highness and toward the center of the square.

To her surprise, El was nowhere to be found among the crowd that had just been dancing.

She looked around but couldn’t spot him anywhere.

Just as she was wondering where he had gone, someone suddenly covered her eyes from behind. A pair of warm palms blocked her vision.

A strange voice followed.

“Guess who I am.”

Her body instinctively reacted to push back, but upon hearing the peculiar voice, Nia withdrew her hands and stayed still.

“El.”

She said calmly, with a hint of resignation in her tone.

“Correct. But no prize for you.”

El released his hands and sat down beside her.

“Why are you sitting here all alone, Nia? Not going to join in?”

“I’m not very good at handling situations like this.”

Nia answered truthfully.

Setting aside the fact that the elves rarely had such celebrations, Nia was used to being alone.

Events like this were more headache-inducing for her than fighting enemies.

El keenly picked up on the meaning hidden behind Nia’s words.

“Not good at it,” rather than “not liking it.”

“There’s always a first time for everything. How will you know you’re not good at it if you don’t try?”

El stood up from the bench and extended his hand to Nia.

“Come on, I’ll take you over there.”

Without much thought, Nia declined his invitation.

“I can’t dance.”

She shook her head lightly.

“You go ahead. I’ll just watch from here. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“This is for fun, not a fight. Not knowing how to dance isn’t a problem. I’ll teach you, and you’ll learn right away.”

El didn’t give up.

“And if you don’t like it here, I’ll take you somewhere else afterwards.”

Before Nia could refuse again, El reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the crowd.

The celebration’s music was passionate and melodious, with thousands of torches glowing like a galaxy, illuminating the square in magnificent brilliance.

“What should I do?”

Nia tugged at El’s hand in confusion, asking.

“Dance?”

“Didn’t you just hear what I said? I can’t dance.”

“No worries, I couldn’t either when I first came here. Felt was the one who taught me.”

El held Nia’s hand tightly.

“I’ll teach you. It’s a lot easier than swordsmanship.”

“Alright… then.”

“Just watch my moves and imitate.”

“Okay.”

Following the rhythm, El took the first steps.

Perhaps from nervousness, Nia made a mistake after only a few steps, stepping on her own foot and nearly falling.

El caught her just in time.

Regaining her balance, Nia pursed her lips. “I told you I’m not good at this.”

“Not good is fine. Like I said, we’re here to have fun, not fight. Mistakes happen. Dance however you want.”

El thought for a moment and added, “Don’t look at the ground. Look into my eyes.”

“But…”

Nia was about to object, but El interrupted, applying a gentle pressure to straighten her head.

“Trust me.”

His black eyes gazed at her tenderly, the light from thousands of torches casting a golden starry glow around them, as if both devil and angel dwelled within.

Nia’s breath caught for a moment.

Encouraged by El, this lesson went much smoother.

Perhaps they were ignoring the rules of dance, but regardless, Nia felt a new sensation she had never experienced before.

The celebration’s melody grew even more passionate and intimate.

Couples embraced each other closely amid the lively rhythm.

When the song ended, the dancers stopped moving.

Nia and El’s bodies froze mid-step.

Their eyes met again, and it felt as if something was quietly shifting in the air.

“How do you feel?”

“Hard to say.”

Nia lowered her head, pondering for a moment. “It’s the first time I’ve felt like this, but it doesn’t feel like dislike.”

“Want to dance again?”

“No. Watching others dance and dancing myself feel very different.”

Nia declined. “I’m not very fond of it.”

“If you don’t like it, isn’t that at odds with what you just said?”

Nia furrowed her brow, clearly thinking seriously about this.

“But just now, I really didn’t feel dislike… so where’s the problem?”

Her earnest seriousness was somewhat endearing.

El instinctively reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her temple.

Realizing what he’d done when he saw her puzzled gaze, he awkwardly cleared his throat and withdrew his hand, resisting the urge to pinch her cheek.

“If you can’t figure it out, don’t overthink it. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere else to have fun.”

El took Nia’s hand again and led her away from the dance floor.

Feeling the warmth of El’s palm, Nia’s heart stirred with a sensation similar to before.

Regarding her earlier confusion, she seemed to have grasped a faint clue—barely there, yet unmistakable.