After bowing to Princess Sidonie and the audience, William returned to his seat. Everyone wanted him to sing more, but he made the excuse that his hands were suffering from arthritis and couldn't play the lute anymore.
Everyone laughed at his witty joke and allowed him to go. How could a fourteen-year-old-boy suffer from arthritis? Clearly, William didn't want to sing anymore and they didn't have the heart to force the handsome Half-Elf to remain.
They were still enraptured by his voice and melody that they didn't want to force him to do anything.
William returned to his table with a smug expression on his face, and the Martial Division Students clapped their hands once again to welcome their Commander's triumphant return.
After seating beside Wendy, the beautiful girl learned to him and whispered in his ears.
"Sing for me when we get back to the academy, okay?"
"Okay."
The two were about to go into their own little world again when they were interrupted by a light cough from Ian.
"The two of you should do that when people are not around," Ian stated with a fed up expression. "Everyone's eyes are on the two of you, and you still haven't made your relationship official. Why don't you use this opportunity to make an announcement?"
William and Wendy reluctantly let go of each other's hands and looked at Ian with the "Fine, I get it" expression. The snot-nosed-pansy snorted before picking up the glass of fruit juice from their table.
After William's performance, two more performances were held before the musicians came up on stage. It was now time for the people to dance, and William took the lovely Wendy to the dance floor and danced without a care in the world.
After he finished dancing, Brianna came up to him and proposed to switch partners. William readily agreed and asked Wendy to dance with Prince Ernest.
Sincer her partner was a little boy, Wendy didn't have any objections and curtsied in front of the Prince. Ernest had no choice but to dance with Wendy as the Half-Elf and the Loli exchanged a knowing glance at each other.
"You're good," Brianna said. "How come you didn't tell me you could sing?"
"You didn't ask," William replied. "Don't make little Ernie jealous too much. He is a good boy, and I don't want him to hate me."
"This is just my way of warning him that if he ever cheated on me, I'd dump him and run to you," Brianna said in a mischievous tone. "As per the result of the duel, I belong to you. Although I know that Ernest has strong feelings for me, he is still young. In the end, the one who gets to decide who he is going to marry is not him, but the King."
Brianna's tone became cold as she remembered when her father and grandfather had almost forced her to marry the Prince of the Anaesha Dynasty. Back then, Brianna felt betrayed. The people whom she thought loved her more than anything in the world, were the same people who threw her into the jaws of a lion.
"I thought the King was going to announce your betrothal to Ernest?" William frowned. "I was the one who proposed this to him. Didn't he tell you anything?"
Brianna leaned on William and said in a low voice that only he could hear. "The King is still on the fence because my grandfather might lose his position after four years. If our Clan isn't able to retain the position of Chieftain, marrying Ernest to me would hold no value whatsoever to the Hellan Kingdom."
The little loli sighed as she rested her head on William's chest. "You have to understand that Ernest is still young. Many things can happen in four years. Once I lose my value as his fiance, I'll just be tossed aside like a used rag and would not be given a second glance."
William unconsciously tightened his grip on the hands of the young girl in front of him. Brianna was only eleven years old, but her mindset was that of an adult. It was clear that being around her grandfather had taught her how to pay close attention to her surroundings.
Because of this, she viewed the world with the eyes and thoughts of a Great Chieftain.
William softly patted her head. "Don't worry. If the King or Ernest bullies you, I will make them pay tenfold. This is my promise to you."
"Lord William, don't make promises you can't keep."
"This promise, I will keep."
Brianna just smiled and didn't say anything. The two danced silently until the song ended. When the adorable Loli walked towards Ernest, the Young Prince glared at Wiliam. The Half-Elf brushed it off and mouthed something towards the Prince.
Prince Ernest frowned, but he still nodded his head. He then held Brianna's hand and escorted her back to their table.
"That was very thoughtful of you," Wendy commented as the two walked towards their own table. "You even dared to threaten a Prince to ensure that Brianna would not be treated badly."
"She is my responsibility." William sighed. "I was the one that took her from her family and brought her here in the capital. The least I can do is make sure that the King and Prince Ernest know that there is someone on Brianna's side."
When the two were almost at their table, a young lady wearing a veil on her face blocked their path.
"Lord William, can you please give me the honor of this dance?" Princess Sidonie asked.
William wanted to say no, but there was no way he could turn down the "special guest" that had come with reinforcements to their Kingdom. He was not an ungrateful person, and knew that he had to accept this invitation even if it made him the target of every man in the room.
"It will be an honor to dance with you, Your Highness," William bowed. "Wendy…"
"I know," Wendy replied.
William was about to hold Sidonie's hand, when he felt a soft sensation touch his cheek. Wendy gave Princess Sidonie a side-long glance after she kissed William. She then headed towards the tables reserved for the Angorian War Sovereign without looking back.
Almost everyone in the room saw this and whispers started to spread among the guests in the banquet hall.
"Lord William, you are loved," Sidonie giggled as she placed her hand on William's arm. "I'm sorry if I'm being the third wheel on this occasion."
"You're not being a bother, Your Highness," William replied with a smile. "That is just Wendy's way of showing her thank you."
Princess Sidonie nodded her head. "Is that so? I'll keep that in mind, Lord William."
Like everyone in the banquet, William was also curious about the face that was hidden behind the veil. However, unlike others, he didn't have any strong feelings or desire to unmask the Third Princess of Freesia.
His was only pure curiosity, while the rest of the men looked at Princess Sidonie as if they were undressing her body.
Although her powers were sealed, her body still released natural pheromones that were strong enough to attract any man or woman that was too close to her.
"You're quite capable, Lord William," Princess Sidonie commented as the two of them arrived at the center of the hall. 'My power doesn't work on him.'
Currently, the one dancing with William was not Princess Sidonie, but Morgana. Although Princess Sidonie wanted to dance with William, she was in truth, a very timid person. She acted confident on the outside, but when push came to shove, she would take a step back and allow Morgana to take her place.
The longer the two danced, the sweeter Morgana's smile became. Princess Sidonie, who was also observing from within her Sea of Consciousness noticed the Half-Elf's expression.
Both girls could see the smile on Wiliam's face, but they knew he was just faking it. This made the two of them more interested in him and left them to plan what they might do so they could get to know more about him during their stay in the capital of the Hellan Kingdom.
----
"Looks like your Princess is captivated by a boy that is five years younger than you," Prince Rufus chuckled as he stood beside his older brother. "You need to step up your game, Big Brother."
"Shut up," Prince Lionel said in a voice that only Rufus could hear. His tone was so dangerously close to his breaking point that Rufus, who always bantered with him, raised his eyebrow in genuine surprise.
"You can have your little Ice Princess, Rufus," Prince Lionel smiled at his little brother like a snake that was about to strike. "But if you say another word, I swear by my name that I will make you regret it."
Lionel leaned close and whispered in Rufus's ears, "Annoy me and I promise that I will rape that b*tch in front of you. Let's see if you can keep that smug expression on your face then."
The Crown Prince walked away and left the banquet. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would do something he wasn't supposed to do, and make a fool of himself in front of everyone.
"Since when did your threats scare me?" Prince Rufus watched his older brother's retreating back with a sneer. "You're not a snake, Big Brother, but a worm that I can easily crush under my foot. Your days of playing Crown Prince are already numbered."
Prince Rufus placed his hands on his back as he glanced at the corner of the room. A man wearing a noble's clothing met his gaze and gave him a brief nod. Prince Rufus nodded back and looked at his father, King Noah.
'The one who will get the key is me,' Prince Rufus vowed. 'After that, let's see what kind of face you'll be making… dear brother of mine.'