“This is the reason why we are awake right now,” he said and moved in her direction, then offered her a hand.
Her back straightened and she immediately rose on her feet.
“So, starting with steps. Nobody wants crippled legs after dancing, especially our dearest lord. Not until he shows you the map, at least.”
Violette lowered her head and looked at her legs. “I think I am not clumsy.”
“I didn't say you are. However, I would definitely argue about it,” Dante chuckled and
stepped closer to her, one of his hands wrapped around her waist, another reached to her palm.
Violette intently watched his movements, she felt unusually constrained, a knot tied in her stomach, confusion sneaked under her skin. Her shoulders strained as his touch sent shivers down her spine, his fingers gently intertwined with hers.
“Relax, Little Witch. You look like you have a test which your whole life depends on. It's just a dance.” He pulled her closer, his hand straightening her back, fingers running along her backbone.
Violettefelt as her heart fluttered, a nervous feeling settled in her belly, it felt much more intimate than it looked. The space between them shrunk, leaving too little to breathe. Dante’s hands were warm and delicate, despite them being twice as big as hers. But mostly that made her nervous was cluelessness to what she was even supposed to do, while he looked absolutely confident and gracile.
“The key in dancing is your stable legs and your confidence. The pattern is actually really easy, it contains six steps,” he said and moved forward. “Basically you just repeat everything your partner does but backwards.” He led her into the next three steps.
Violette felt like a doll, her legs were firm like a log before she adjusted. Her eyes settled on her feet and she had been feeling incredibly awkward until Dante stole her attention.
“What are you doing?” he inquired and it made her eyes raise to his. The line between his brows testified to his bafflement.
“Counting steps.”
Hesitation in her voice only confused him more. “Why?”
“Isn't that what waltzing is? You said it yourself, your legs should be stable,” her gaze dropped back to her shoes.
“You will never learn how to dance if you keep staring at your feet. Raise your eyes.”
And she did as he said. Her eyes met his. He looked so graceful;almost like he could be a duke himself. Even with the bizarre mask obscuring half of his face, his confident demeanor radiated a remarkable sense of sophistication. And it made Violette get lost in the depths of his eyes for a while. In this light they didn't look as gloomy and dark. The riddle she wanted to solve behind what was hidden in them was still haunting her. And she could swear, for a second, under a certain angle of light his eyes flashed with a dark blue hue. She reminded herself to keep count. Her legs seemed heavy and her movements weren't as natural as Dante's, despite how much of an unnatural thing he was.
“You think too much,” Dante remarked. “Your head is full of unnecessary thoughts and fears. Let it go. Feel the music. Feel the rhythm and let your feet lead you.”
Her eyes dropped to her feet again as she almost stumbled over his leg.
“No. Keep your eyes on me. The waltz is about eye contact, Little Witch. It's a connection, creating a special bond. If you want to charm the young Lord you should look in his eyes. A long stare and he will feel the click.”
She looked in Dante's eyes.A long stare and he will feel the click.Can Dante feel this click too? It's been said the eyes are the mirror of the soul. But what about eyes which belong to someone who doesn't have a soul? Because it died a long time ago? His eyes sparkled in the dim light of the lamp but it still was full of darkness and secrets.
“Are younot afraid I'll charm you too if I stare at you too long?” she let out a tease, flirtatiously smiling.
This earned her a soft smile.
“Why do you think I am not already under your spells?”
“We both know it's not true,” despite how simply it sounded from her mouth it settled a strange feeling inside her. A sadness, by chance? If she'd think about this she'd get scared to find out it pleased her to know Dante is charmed by her presence. Meanwhile, he didn't say anything, only continued leading her in the dance.
Soon enough Violette broke the silence to scatter this feeling away. “Did you often attend balls?”
“I grew up in a place where balls were a big part of everyone's life. My evenings were occupied by dancing pretty often,” he said, his voice didn't radiate any delight.
“Did you like it?”
“I didn't mind it.”
He gave her such a dry answer, it made her wonder about his opinion even more. He was pretty good at dancing, making her question whether the reason behind his grace was because of this or due to him being a vampire? She thought his moves, his gait were elegant because he's a vampire but right now she started doubting this guess. She recalled a memory of him sailing though the castle's hallways. Could he also be a part of a court? A son of a royal advisor? Orknight? Last thought seemed ridiculous to her in a split second. How could she even imagine him being a knight? An honorable protector, a valiant guardian with a duty and moral principles. No. It was not about Dante at all. But maybe, an heir of a count or any other noble family.
