As the music shifted into a waltz, I could feel it, eyes, dozens of them.
No, hundreds.
"How is that random baron dancing with the princess?"
That was probably the question floating through their head.
And to make matters worse… I was not good at dancing at all.
I had watched a few historical drama out of boredom, and that was the full extent of my training.
And so It wasn't a surprise, when I held the princess's hand a little too tightly.
"You're gripping me like we're about to jump off a cliff, Lord Victor" Princess Gloria murmured with a faint smile, she noticed.
"I'm sorry" I apologized under my breath.
Her fingers adjusted slightly in mine.
"Relax your shoulders" she instructed softly. "You're leading a soldier, but don't look like you're preparing for war."
"I am preparing for war."
"Not this one."
She stepped closer, guiding my right hand properly to her waist.
"Follow my steps," she whispered. "One… two… three. Turn. Good. Again."
Her movements were fluid, precise, effortless, as expected from a literal princess.
Mine were… survivable at best.
"You're overthinking," she said.
"Overthinking is my specialty"
She almost laughed, but her eyes remained sharp.
The music swelled, strings rising like a tide, around us, nobles moved in practiced elegance, but the center of the ballroom was ours.
"The most dangerous place," she murmured, turning gracefully beneath my arm, "is often the safest."
I blinked.
"This dance floor," she continued smoothly, voice light enough to blend with the music, "is the last place anyone would suspect serious discussion.
"You took this opportunity to talk?" I asked quietly.
"And to be seen" she replied.
We turned again, this time I almost missed the step, but she corrected me with a subtle pull.
"Left foot" she whispered.
I adjusted.
"My brother," she continued, her tone gentle but firm, "is still the rightful heir. The law favors him. Many nobles will cling to that legitimacy."
"You don't deny it at all, huh?"
"I would be a fool to, he has a legitimate claim and the royal tradition is powerful."
We spun once more. The chandelier light caught in her silver ornaments like falling stars.
"But he lacks vision," she added softly. "He believes strength of our sorcery alone could rules a kingdom through fear and control."
"And you?" I asked.
"I believe in a more "subtle" way of control, Knife in the dark is more fearsome than a sword bathed." she answered in a quiet voices.
She leaned closer as the music softened briefly.
"When the civil war begins, I will secure any allegiances, I could convinces."
"Then, what do you need from me?" I asked.
She met my eyes.
"Secure weapons production, and if possible, stockpiles them for me before winter. When the capital fractures, supply lines will decide everything."
"I knows, but my weapon production still need more manpower, material and financial support to grows, would you grant me all that?"
We stepped backward, then forward, perfectly aligned now.
To my surprise, my feet were following naturally.
"You're improving," she murmured.
"You're dragging me through it, your highness."
"That is called teaching, Lord Victor. And yes, I'll grant you my full support, as long as your weapon are on my side, ask me for anything, the end justify the means anyway."
A few nobles nearby were watching with narrowed eyes.
She smiled more brightly, increasing the elegance of our movements, the visual effect was undeniable, a princess dancing confidently with a baron sent a message louder than any speech.
"See them?" she whispered.
"I see their resentment."
"I see their acceptance," she corrected. "Those who support me will interpret this as endorsement, those undecided will reconsider you."
"You're raising my market value or something?."
"I'm raising "our" value, a lowly baron and a highborn princess, the contrast is quite romantical, don't you think?"
The music rose toward a crescendo, she spun under my arm again, and this time I guided her cleanly.
She nodded faintly in approval.
"When the war erupts," she continued calmly, "some nobles will surely declare themselves independent, as I said before."
"And the monsters will take advantage." I finished.
"Yes, chaos invites them."
We turned once more, slower now.
"You must gather those who prefer stability over chaos," she said. "Preferably merchants, minor lords, or even commoners. Anyone who fears disorder and hate royal tyrant."
"And if your brother wins?"
Her expression did not change.
"Then I die." she said plainly.
The words were simple.
"But I do not intend to." she said with a faint smile.
The final swell of music approached.
Around us, the ballroom glittered like a social battlefield.
"You are nervous." she observed one last time.
"I am dancing at the center of a storm." I replies.
"Good, that's the practice."
Her eyes gleamed.
"We'll ended up at the center of a storm in the coming war anyway."
The music reached its climax, as we executed the final turn.
This time, I led it.
When the last note faded, applause followed.
But the message had been delivered.
Princess Gloria released my hand slowly.
"See?" she said softly. "You did not collapse."
"Almost." I said.
She smiled.
"Now," she added with a cunning yet graceful smile, "the nobles in this room will reconsider underestimating you."
She stepped back with regal poise.
"After tonight, Lord Victor, you are a co-conspirator in my little conspiracy." she said quietly.
And as whispers rippled through the ballroom like wind through tall grass, I realized something.
This dance was not just cover, It was a positioning process of a great game.
And I had just been moved several squares forward on the board.
-----
After my dance with the princess ended, I tried to slip out of the ballroom and head toward the library.
There was still a secret meeting waiting for me underground.
But getting there was noticeably harder.
Many nobles who had looked down on me when I first arrived now flocked to me like vultures circling fresh prey, they were clearly trying to use me to get closer to the princess.
That was the objective of our dance anyway, so I didn't mind. Let them approach me first, I could form social connections while saying vague, pleasant things to improve their opinion of the princess, and by proxy, of me.
And so, there I was, standing in the middle of the ballroom, sprouting absolute nonsense.
"Is she polite?" one male noble asked.
"Yes, of course," I answered with a smile, nodding confidently.
"Does she smell nice?" a female noble asked from behind me.
"Yes, of course. She might even use perfume sold by Miss Valeria. I heard it smells quite nice," I replied, casually slipping in an advertisement for our own product.
"Oh really? And is she truly an otherworldly beauty, like they say?" another female noble asked from somewhere behind me.
"Of course she is. You can see it with your own ey—
I turned around to answer properly.
My words died instantly.
The two "female nobles" who had been asking the questions were, in fact, Arina and Elena, both were standing there with their arms crossed, staring straight into my soul with a plain yet terrifying smiles.
Meanwhile, Valeria looked at us, slowly shook her head, and walked away.
Damn, this night was going to be a very long one.
My brain immediately shifted into overdrive, desperately searching for a convincing explanation.