Claimed By The Tyrant King

After the king’s departure from the ladies’ quarters, Verity and Rosalind began walking ahead side by side, while Rowan followed a few steps behind, keeping his usual distance. Rosalind had a slight frown on her face as they walked, and after a moment she let out a quiet sigh.

"Do I really have to do this dance?" she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

"It is the king’s order," Verity replied in a low voice as she glanced at her. "You have to."

Rosalind’s frown only deepened.

It must be nice to not have his attention at all, she thought bitterly to herself, and Verity couldn’t help the faint smile that touched her lips, because it was true. Alaric’s attention was suffocating. It was never about care or concern, only about what pleased him, and the only way Rosalind could truly escape it was if someone else managed to capture that attention. But Verity doubted that would happen anytime soon, because no one had ever managed to hold Alaric’s focus the way Rosalind had.

"What do you have in mind for the dance?" Verity asked after a while as they continued walking side by side.

"I really do not have anything in mind. I don’t even dance," Rosalind admitted, her brows pulling together.

Truthfully, she had never liked things like dancing. The things she truly loved were exploring, learning new things, and wandering wherever her heart led her, but she was always restricted. Rosalind had never been interested in what people called lady-like pursuits. Things such as flower arranging, embroidery, and dancing had always felt dull to her, and she was never particularly good at them either. What she truly loved were things that made her feel alive and free..painting, riding, swimming, and anything that allowed her to express herself.

Verity remained silent for a moment before speaking thoughtfully. "I think I still remember a dance you can learn."

Rosalind’s gaze immediately lifted. "Oh really?" she asked, and this time there was a flicker of hope in her voice.

Verity nodded.

The two of them made their way toward an empty room, and Rosalind’s eyes landed on the keyboard placed at the centre of it. Verity walked in first, followed by Rosalind, and then Rowan, before the door was quietly closed behind them.

"We use this place for dance lessons and learning instruments," Verity explained.

Rosalind slowly nodded as her eyes wandered around the room, noticing the glass panels that lined one side of it, making it possible for anyone outside to see in.

"I’ll try to remember some of the things the governess taught us so you’ll have something to use," Verity said.

Rosalind could hardly explain how deeply grateful she felt in that moment, because after Alaric had ordered her to present a great dance, she had truly been at a loss.

But something Verity said caught her attention.

"You people have a governess?" Rosalind asked, unable to hide her surprise.

Verity, who had now gone to sit behind the keyboard, lifted her head and nodded. "We do," she said. "She has been away for a while, which is why we haven’t gone back to our lessons. Other than being the king’s mistresses and doing nothing but eating, dressing beautifully, and socialising, the king wants us to learn so that we can be worthy of standing beside someone like him."

Rosalind narrowed her eyes.

That sounded exactly like something Alaric would say.

She quickly pushed the thought of that prideful man from her mind.

Verity then turned her attention to the keyboard and pressed one key, letting the sound fill the room, then another, and another.

Rosalind couldn’t help but move closer until she was leaning lightly against the side of the instrument.

As Verity continued to play, the melody slowly filled the room, and before Rosalind realised it, the frown had eased from her face and her lips had curved into a smile.

The sound was beautiful.

Even though she had never been good at things like this, she could appreciate something lovely when she heard it.

Her parents had once brought someone to teach her at home too, much like a governess, but Rosalind had never taken those lessons seriously and had always given the woman a difficult time.

Still, this was different.

When Verity finally stopped, Rosalind clapped softly, and Verity responded with the slightest bow of her head, which made Rosalind giggle.

"You play really well," Rosalind said and Verity gave a small smile.

"I know other melodies that sound even better, if you’d like to hear them." Verity said and Rosalind nodded eagerly.

Verity began to play again, and this time the melody was even more beautiful than the first. Rosalind listened with quiet admiration, because there was something about music that always stirred something inside her.

It made her feel free.

"Alright," Verity said after finishing, pulling her hands away from the keyboard. "Let us return to the reason we came here in the first place, which is the dance."

Rosalind straightened as Verity moved to stand before her.

"The name of the dance is the Moonveil Reverie," Verity stated.

"Moonveil Reverie," Rosalind repeated softly to herself, finding the name strangely captivating.

Verity nodded before continuing. "It is a royal solo dance, traditionally performed before the crown or at noble balls."

Rosalind nodded. "Alright."

Verity continued, "The dance is meant to resemble moonlight gliding over still water. It carries softness, elegance, temptation... and a touch of seduction."

At that, Rosalind felt heat rise to her cheeks, the faintest blush colouring her face as the meaning of Verity’s words settled over her. Seduction, Rosalind repeated inwardly.

Very much something that would interest Alaric.

"I’ll show you how to do it. It’s not really that hard. You just have to let your body move freely, and the steps aren’t many at all," Verity added, and Rosalind nodded once again as Verity moved into position.

Rosalind watched closely as Verity began by standing perfectly still, her head slightly lowered. Then she took three slow gliding steps forward, her movements so soft it was almost as if she was flowing like water. After that, she lifted one hand gracefully near her neck before turning into one slow, elegant spin.

Verity paused there and looked back over her shoulder.

Then she took two slow steps backward and dipped slightly at the knees while one hand brushed down the side of her waist. She rose slowly again, did one final spin, and ended with a graceful bow.

When she straightened, she turned to look at a dumbfounded Rosalind. That wasn’t easy at all to her.

"It is all about slow steps, turning, pausing, and letting your body follow the music. Do you understand?" Verity asked.

Rosalind stared at her with a straight face and didn’t even bother to hide it. "I’m lost," she said plainly.

Verity let out a small laugh, almost as if she had been expecting that response. "I know," she said gently, "but it’s alright. We can take it one step at a time." Verity stepped closer and adjusted Rosalind’s arm gently.

Then Verity began to guide Rosalind through the movements one by one. "Take three slow glides forward," she instructed.

Rosalind did exactly as she said, but Verity immediately pressed her lips together. "You’re not in a rush, Rosalind," she corrected softly. "You need to do it more slowly and more smoothly."

Then she demonstrated the step again before motioning for Rosalind to try once more.

They moved on to the next part, but it quickly became obvious that Rosalind’s body was still too stiff, as though she was forcing every movement instead of letting it flow naturally.

Meanwhile, Rowan remained by the door in silence but his eyes followed every frustrated movement Rosalind made.

After a while, Rosalind let out a tired sigh.

"I give up," she said, frustration creeping into her voice. "There is no way I’m going to perform a great dance in front of the king."

She placed extra emphasis on the word great, mocking the way Alaric had said it.

Verity looked at her with understanding.

"It’s alright, Rosalind. We still have a few days to practise"

Verity then added, "I think the ball is in about three days."

Rosalind’s eyes widened immediately.

That soon?

That was not a few days at all!

That was practically tomorrow in her mind, and she had barely learned anything.

"With constant practice, you should be able to manage it," Verity said, trying to encourage her after seeing the panic on Rosalind’s face.

Right, Rosalind thought to herself as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

This was ridiculous.

Alaric simply wanted her to disgrace herself in front of a hall full of people, all for his own amusement, and the thought only made her more annoyed because she couldn’t even refuse. She had no choice but to go along with it, because she had no idea what Alaric might do if she didn’t.

After a moment, she lifted her head. "Let’s practise again," Rosalind said.

Verity smiled at once. "That’s more like it."

She clapped her hands lightly and began instructing Rosalind from the beginning once more.

Just as Rosalind began the first glide again, a shadow moved beyond the glass while they were unaware and were busy with the dance.

They had barely gotten far into the dance when a sudden crashing sound shattered the silence.

All their gazes shot toward the direction of the noise, and even Rowan turned toward the glass wall only to find someone frozen there, staring at them with wide eyes while the shattered vase lay at their feet.