It was getting late, and most of the nobles had their fill of the activities, food, drinks, and gossip.
Lionel, the Crown Prince, thought that it would be very interesting to see his brother's reaction if he took Rebecca to the dancefloor for the last song of the night.
With this thought in mind, he rose from his seat and walked towards the tables where Rebecca and her grandfather were seated. The moment he made his move, the eyes of the ladies locked onto him and prayed in their hearts that they would get the honor of dancing with him.
It didn't take long for them to realize that Lionel was making a beeline towards Rebecca.
The second prince's expression suddenly became serious when he realized what his older brother was about to do. He hesitated, but in the end, stood up from his seat to follow behind his brother. Rufus would rather invite Rebecca to a dance than let his older brother have his way with her.
When Lionel was only ten meters away from Rebecca, the prided genius of the Misty Sect stood up and walked towards the table of the Angorian War Sovereign.
Lionel's brow rose and Rufus stopped in his tracks.
Rebecca walked with grace and confidence until she reached the table of the Half-Elf who was busy chatting with her good friend, Wendy. Naturally, William felt her presence and turned his head to look at her.
The beautiful young lady wearing a sleeveless, purple gown, adorned with glittering stars, that made everyone around her feel insecure, made a curtsy. She then stared at William with her light-green eyes that were as clear and beautiful as his and invited him to dance.
"Lord William, will you give me the honor of sharing this last dance with you?" Rebecca asked with a smile.
Looking at his "Fiance", William nodded his head and bowed respectfully at her. "It will be my honor to dance with one of the beautiful jewels of the kingdom."
William extended his hand and Rebecca accepted it. Together, they walked towards the center of the hall like a couple that was made in Heaven.
He, a dazzling prince with red-hair that made the ladies sigh in admiration.
She, a celestial princess that came from the night sky to break the hearts of men.
The guests in the ballroom parted to let them through. The beautiful pair took center stage with grace and confidence that made everyone wonder if their "Seven-Year-Duel" was just a ruse in order to hide how deeply, and madly, in love they were to each other.
When the music played, William's hand firmly rested on her waist, while Rebecca's rested on his shoulder. Their other hands held each other as they slowly swayed from side to side. The last dance was a dance for couples. It was slow and allowed the dancers to have an intimate moment with their loved one.
Rebecca moved closer and rested her head on William's chest, which made Wendy, Est, and Ian unconsciously clench their fists in frustration.
William's expression didn't change. In fact, he even smiled and rested the side of his face against hers, which made the ladies and men, who were trying to get closer to the two of them, have second thoughts.
Lionel awkwardly returned to his seat and watched William and Rebecca with a serious gaze. Rufus, on the other hand, had a calm expression on his face, but a fire was burning brightly deep inside.
He felt envious of the boy who was able to share such an intimate moment with the goddess in his heart. However, he would rather have William dance with Rebecca than let his older brother have that chance. Although his heart was aching, he begrudgingly accepted the result.
'What is your relationship with Wendy?' Rebecca asked via telepathy.
She was wearing a special artifact that allowed her to communicate with another person as long as she was touching him. Rebecca had already explained to William why she invited him to dance, while they were making their way towards the dance floor.
'Wendy is a good friend of mine,' William answered. 'The two of us are close.'
'Did you feed her some wild mushrooms?' Rebecca inquired. 'I've known her for years and many boys have already proposed to her for marriage, but she rejected them all. With a glance, I can tell that she really likes you.'
'The reason why she likes me is because she has good taste. Unlike some people who think too highly of themselves.'
'What a petty man you are.'
'Thank you for your praise,' William replied as he danced along with the music.
Rebecca quieted down for a few minutes as if organizing her thoughts. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with determination.
'First, I would like to thank you because Lady Miriam is now dead set on making me use the best facilities in the Main Sect to ensure that I will step on your head when you climb the peaks of the Misty Sect.'
'You're welcome.'
'Second, I intend to continue to use you as a shield so that all my suitors will be kept at bay,' Rebecca stated. 'Know that I don't really like you and I have no intention of becoming your fiance. Not now, not in the future.'
'What a coincidence. The feeling is mutual,' William commented. 'Cultivate well inside the MIsty Sect and wait for this Sir to give you a spanking.'
'You're quite confident. I wonder where that confidence of yours is coming from?'
'My confidence comes from my good looks and bloodline. With a face like mine, let alone you, even the Goddess of Beauty would squirm in the heavens while saying my name.'
Rebecca scoffed inside her heart, 'Aren't you afraid that the Gods will smite you for being arrogant?'
William let out a light chuckle that tickled Rebecca's ears, 'You don't know anything about the Gods. Me and them are best buds. Now that you mention it, I'd rather kiss Lily than kiss you.'
Rebecca didn't know who this Lily was, but comparing her to another girl somehow made her irritated.
-----
Somewhere in the Ten Thousand Temple…
Lily, who was busy handing contracts to the new arrivals at the temple, sneezed. The men who were lining up in her stall gasped because the way she sneezed was so "cute" that they felt like they were melting.
The Loli Goddess tilted her head to the side and an adorable smile appeared on her face. This new round of cuteness made the guys excited as they anxiously waited for their turn to sign Lily's contract.
-----
As the song was coming to a close, Rebecca took a step back and lightly dragged William towards the balcony.
William didn't resist, and allowed himself to be led by the brown-haired beauty.
When the two of them were finally out of everyone's sights, Rebecca stared at William with a serious gaze. 'Although I don't like you, I will give you some very important advice. Do not allow yourself to become part of the Crown Prince's Faction. He is a snake, and cannot be trusted.'
William retained the calm expression on his face when he heard Rebecca's warning, 'Is this the advice of your grandfather or your personal one?'
'It's a message that my grandfather asked me to pass to you. However, I share the same opinion. The Crown Prince is a greedy person. He has already set his eyes on you, so be careful in dealing with him. Believe me when I say that you don't want to become his enemy.'
'Oh? Sounds scary.' William smiled. 'Then who is your grandfather pinning his hopes on?'
'No one, is what I'd like to say, but that would be a big fat lie,' Rebecca answered. 'However, our ideal choice for the King of this Kingdom is hard to achieve. Not only is he young, he also doesn't have anyone backing him. We don't dare to actively declare our support to him in fear that it would break the delicate balance that the Princes' have on the surface.'
William didn't say anything because he already had a hunch on who the Griffith's were supporting. Of course, he didn't ask to confirm his suspicion, because it would be meaningless.
Right now, the Kingdom was about to fight a war on two fronts. William had no spare time, or energy, to worry about the battle for the throne. Besides, Noah, the current king of the kingdom, was still in good health.
At the very least, everyone in the kingdom would have to wait a decade before the King would step down from his position.
'Please, pass my thanks to your grandfather,' William replied. 'I will take his words to heart and distance myself from the Crown Prince. Is there anything else that you would like to tell me?'
Rebecca looked at him for a good while before speaking out her mind.
'Yes, there's one more thing that I would like you to know,' Rebecca smiled in a teasing manner. 'Three years from now, I'll make the world know that no one can decide what I want to do with my life. If anyone tries to block my path from reaching the peak of the mortal realm, I will erase them from the face of the earth.'
'Also, that slave collar on your neck suits you perfectly,' Rebecca sneered. 'Even if a dog was dressed in expensive clothes, at the end of the day, he is still a dog.'
The beautiful young lady walked away without giving William a second glance. The latter, however, looked at his "Ex-Fiance's" retreating back with a devilish smirk on her face.
'A dog?,' William sneered. 'What an interesting idea. I guess I'll just have to see how you will bark and wag your tail in the future.'
(A/N: In order to not create any misunderstandings, William's enslavement period is now over. Even if he is wearing the slave collar, he is no longer Celine's slave. Right now, the collar on his neck is nothing more than an accessory that held no power to control him.)