Frost Bitten (BxB)

Chapter Thirty-Three

(Asurah's POV)

I had to admit, while my initial start with Tuani had been pretty rocky and strained, he was actually an incredibly talented dancer, and I had quite a hard time taking my eyes off of him. It was like everyone else around him had disappeared, leaving him to swoon around in a sea of music and tranquility.

Not to mention, he looked stunning in that elaborate dress, decorated in warm beiges and browns, his hair done up in an intricate bun/braid design. I couldn't quite see his face from this distance, but I did happen to know that his pink-red eyes were outlined above, and below with a sharp red liner, his lips painted a pretty pink.

He was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, and for a second I switched my attention over to Vextian, who seemed to be pulled under the same magnetic spell I was, his gaze glued to Tuani.

This was probably how they met, I surmised to myself, turning my attention to the dance as they all jumped and whirled about, thrusting their hands around in a silent story. And they were all such good dancers, every one of them, and while they didn't outshine Tuani, they were all pretty talented in their own right.

Well...I tilted my head when one of the dancers stumbled a bit, my brows raising as he immediately caught his bearings before moving on. Wow, wonder what made him stumble. Maybe he was nervous being watched and he just miscounted on a step? No, that didn't seem likely since he had been out there for about twenty minutes now and had been doing fine. Maybe he tripped on one of the sashes some of the dancers were wearing. Either way, I commended the man for continuing the number, unfazed and focused on what he was doing.

All in all, the entire thing lasted about an hour, though, according to Vextian, there would be more after the celebratory dinner. Which was fine by me, considering how amazing the dancers were. The way they had moved...well, it was like they were literally telling a story with their bodies. It was absolutely breathtaking and I definitely wanted to see more.

Huh, maybe I should invest in dance....well, whenever I'm able to go home. If I was ever able to, that is.

"Now, I've made sure that there are a number of vegetarian dishes for you to enjoy, as well as some Garash tea, in case you don't want to drink anything alcoholic," Vextian was saying when I pulled out of my own thoughts, the both of us heading towards the massive ballroom where the food had been set up.

My attention snapped to him as a smile formed on his lips, people all around us chatting and laughing and acting like they were really enjoying their time. I guess I should have felt happy that he thought of me, and what I liked and didn't like in a meal...however there was still that resentment residing in the back of my mind, telling me not to eat anything made for me. Yet, this hadn't been a terrible day, so I pushed that resentment down and nodded my head, wringing my fingers in front of me.

"Thank you for your consideration, I guess. Um....what are the dishes? A-Are they made with a Tronian recipe?"

Vextian brightened at my inclusion of him in the conversation, his wings twitching as he nodded his head. "Indeed. I had Liaer...ah, the chef, create a dish with some crimson leaves from the sunset desert. Then there's one that's a little sweeter, with rice and flavored cream. The others I'm not one hundred percent sure on, as I had other things to attend to, but I assure you, Liaer is an amazing chef and highly trusted by the royal family."

I nibbled at my bottom lip and nodded my head, averting my gaze to the side when I realized Vextian was still staring at me with a wistful expression, as if he couldn't fathom that we were actually having a decent conversation. It was actually starting to weird me out with how intensely his black gaze was piecing me. So when we neared the doors to the ballroom, I decided to steer his attention to someone else. Someone who held an uncanny resemblance to me.