"All set then, my dear?" she asked when she was done, and at Gael's nod, they left the suite together. They met Etain in the private antechamber off the back of the ballroom, where she was speaking quietly with the White Wolf, Lord Lyall Richelieu, the White Mongoose, Lady Seraphin Bellerose, and the White Bear, Lioc Giles.
She smiled at them as they entered and beckoned them close, kissing each on the mouth. "Gael, Frederique. You both look beautiful. Are you ready to dance?"
"Always," Gael replied, thinking he would vastly prefer to bury himself in the annual tax reports. He gave his arm to Lord Lyall, a short, handsome man with spiky white hair, diamonds in his ears, and a smile that was unusually bright for nobility.
Etain tugged a bell pull and after a moment, they walked through the double doors that led into the ballroom. The room had stilled, and as they stepped out onto the dais that took up one end of the ballroom, everyone burst into applause. Moving forward, Etain gave her usual royal ball speech, placing a great deal of emphasis on cooperation, unity, and faith as tensions rose with the approach of the ceremony.
Gael barely listened, all his attention focused to a fine point on the breathtaking figure in black tucked back into a corner, anxiously twirling a glass of champagne and occasionally shooting wistful glances at the nearest balcony. It was a longing Gael shared with every aching fiber of his being.
He jerked back to awareness when the gong rang, signaling the end of the speech and the resumption of festivities. Smiling at Lord Lyall, Gael led him down to the dance floor. When he finished dancing with Lyall, he danced with Seraphin, and so on through three more Beasts and two lesser lords.
By that point, he was ready to stop dancing the rest of the evening—but dancing was the thing, and dancing was nothing truly taxing for him. As the Unicorn, he had far more strength and stamina than dancing could challenge.
Going to the buffet table, he picked up a glass of sparkling rose wine. It was sweet, almost too sweet for a wine, which was exactly how he liked it. When he had finished two glasses and spent a suitable length of time chatting, he resumed dancing.
He danced first with the White Fox followed by the son of an Earl who was clearly attending his first ball. Then, finally, he could no longer resist the only dance he really wanted. Drifting casually through the ballroom, smiling and chatting, he stopped as though by chance amongst a cluster of people that included Noire.
"Voice, I have not seen you dance this evening."
Noire looked startled and flushed as those around them laughed. "My pardon, your highness. I have never been much for dancing."
"Well, I insist you be much for it before her highness finds me for this dance and breaks my toes." While the others laughed all the harder, Gael extended a hand, curling his fingers tightly around Noire's when he took it. He pulled Noire away from the cluster of people and across the ballroom to the dance floor just in time for a waltz.
"G—highness—" Noire closed his mouth with a click and frowned at Gael's cravat as they began to dance.
Gael stifled a sigh, wanting to bend and kiss him more than he wanted to draw breath. "Are you enjoying the ball, Master Noire?"
"Of course," Noire said, smiling weakly and drawing his eyes up with obvious effort. "I still find them overwhelming, but it's hard to hate them. Too many fond memories for that."
"Yes," Gael said softly, hand tightening slightly on Noire's waist, just enough that some of the lines of tension on Noire's face eased. Lowering his voice, though the music and the chatter made hearing him difficult even at a normal tone, Gael said, "You look stunning, kitten. You're the most beautiful figure in the room. I am jealous of all the eyes that have been undressing you."
Noire laughed at that, head shaking once in dismissal. "You must not be noticing the way they look at you, highness." His mouth
She smiled at them as they entered and beckoned them close, kissing each on the mouth. "Gael, Frederique. You both look beautiful. Are you ready to dance?"
"Always," Gael replied, thinking he would vastly prefer to bury himself in the annual tax reports. He gave his arm to Lord Lyall, a short, handsome man with spiky white hair, diamonds in his ears, and a smile that was unusually bright for nobility.
Etain tugged a bell pull and after a moment, they walked through the double doors that led into the ballroom. The room had stilled, and as they stepped out onto the dais that took up one end of the ballroom, everyone burst into applause. Moving forward, Etain gave her usual royal ball speech, placing a great deal of emphasis on cooperation, unity, and faith as tensions rose with the approach of the ceremony.
Gael barely listened, all his attention focused to a fine point on the breathtaking figure in black tucked back into a corner, anxiously twirling a glass of champagne and occasionally shooting wistful glances at the nearest balcony. It was a longing Gael shared with every aching fiber of his being.
He jerked back to awareness when the gong rang, signaling the end of the speech and the resumption of festivities. Smiling at Lord Lyall, Gael led him down to the dance floor. When he finished dancing with Lyall, he danced with Seraphin, and so on through three more Beasts and two lesser lords.
By that point, he was ready to stop dancing the rest of the evening—but dancing was the thing, and dancing was nothing truly taxing for him. As the Unicorn, he had far more strength and stamina than dancing could challenge.
Going to the buffet table, he picked up a glass of sparkling rose wine. It was sweet, almost too sweet for a wine, which was exactly how he liked it. When he had finished two glasses and spent a suitable length of time chatting, he resumed dancing.
He danced first with the White Fox followed by the son of an Earl who was clearly attending his first ball. Then, finally, he could no longer resist the only dance he really wanted. Drifting casually through the ballroom, smiling and chatting, he stopped as though by chance amongst a cluster of people that included Noire.
"Voice, I have not seen you dance this evening."
Noire looked startled and flushed as those around them laughed. "My pardon, your highness. I have never been much for dancing."
"Well, I insist you be much for it before her highness finds me for this dance and breaks my toes." While the others laughed all the harder, Gael extended a hand, curling his fingers tightly around Noire's when he took it. He pulled Noire away from the cluster of people and across the ballroom to the dance floor just in time for a waltz.
"G—highness—" Noire closed his mouth with a click and frowned at Gael's cravat as they began to dance.
Gael stifled a sigh, wanting to bend and kiss him more than he wanted to draw breath. "Are you enjoying the ball, Master Noire?"
"Of course," Noire said, smiling weakly and drawing his eyes up with obvious effort. "I still find them overwhelming, but it's hard to hate them. Too many fond memories for that."
"Yes," Gael said softly, hand tightening slightly on Noire's waist, just enough that some of the lines of tension on Noire's face eased. Lowering his voice, though the music and the chatter made hearing him difficult even at a normal tone, Gael said, "You look stunning, kitten. You're the most beautiful figure in the room. I am jealous of all the eyes that have been undressing you."
Noire laughed at that, head shaking once in dismissal. "You must not be noticing the way they look at you, highness." His mouth
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