Chapter 1138: The Dangerous Dance

Lucavion looked from Lianne’s extended hand to her face, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Most people would have mistaken it for ordinary attention. Elara had spent too many hours sitting across from him in the library recently to make that mistake. Something about the invitation had caught his curiosity, and Elara could hardly blame him.

Lianne carried herself much as Elara remembered from the residential corridor, with relaxed posture, clean courtesy, and the easy confidence of someone accustomed to approaching people whose names mattered. This time, however, there was more intent behind her eyes.

Lucavion glanced at the glowing words beneath her Role Seal.

COURT VARIATION

"My lady," he said, "you have rather ambitious tastes for a first invitation."

Lianne smiled. "Does Master Aerath find them intimidating?"

"Oh?" His mouth curved. "And here I thought you were inviting me."

"I am."

"That sounded suspiciously like a test."

"Must the two be mutually exclusive?"

A quiet laugh escaped him, and Elara almost approved. Lianne handled his nonsense better than most.

Lucavion tilted his head. "Then what happens if I disappoint you?"

"I imagine we finish the Measure."

"How merciful."

"I try."

"You do not look particularly concerned for your safety, Master Aerath."

"Appearances can deceive."

"So I have heard."

His smile remained, though something sharpened behind his eyes for barely a moment. Lianne had clearly intended him to catch the implication.

"You’ve heard quite a lot about me, then?"

"We attend the same Academy."

"A diplomatic answer."

"I thought you might appreciate one."

"I appreciate many things." His eyes dipped toward her waiting hand. "Honesty tends to rank rather highly."

Lianne made no attempt to rescue herself from what he was implying.

"Then perhaps you should give me a reason to offer some."

His smile widened.

Irritation stirred beneath Elara’s ribs.

Seriously?

Yesterday, he had spent half their study session turning every opening she gave him into some aggravating remark. Another woman crossed the room, offered him a hand, and within several sentences he had somehow made an examination invitation sound dangerously close to flirting.

Insufferable.

Then his gaze moved once beyond Lianne, toward the students she had crossed the Rotunda to reach, and Elara’s irritation lost some of its footing.

Of course he was still working.

Lianne had approached him openly after the Entrance Banquet, after his confrontation with Lucien, and after enough Academy incidents that associating with Lucavion was no longer politically neutral. Choosing the harder variation made the invitation more deliberate still. He wanted to know why she had done it.

Lianne appeared perfectly content to let him wonder.

"Well?" she asked.

He allowed her hand to wait another heartbeat before placing his beneath it.

"With pleasure."

Gold light circled their joined hands and sank into the floor.

Invitation accepted.

Lianne inclined her head. "I hope so."

"You really are making this sound dangerous."

"Only a dance, Master Aerath."

"Those are usually the dangerous ones."

Her laugh followed him as they moved toward the marked positions near the center, while Elara watched them go with narrowed eyes.

Definitely insufferable.

Lucavion reached his place opposite Lianne and adjusted his stance. Then, instead of keeping his attention on his partner, he looked directly at Elara.

His lips moved.

"Are you planning to stand there all night?"

Elara stared at him.

The bastard even raised an eyebrow.

Unfortunately, he was right. Her seal still displayed INITIATIVE, and invitations continued around her while the musicians above played a low preparatory passage. Attendants were already guiding accepted pairs into position, but the proper Measure would not begin until the remaining invitations had been settled.

Elara gave Lucavion a look promising future repayment and turned away.

Her objective came first.

Students crossed the Rotunda in increasingly obvious lines. Some invitations ended with immediate acceptance, while others required a few polite sentences before one party bowed away. Elara reviewed the possibilities she had identified earlier and settled on a young man still available near the western side.

MASTER ILDIC VARENN

House Varenn belonged to the southern administrative nobility, distant enough from Maraven’s provincial associations to satisfy her objective without creating an obvious factional commitment.

Suitable.

She started toward him.

Three steps later, another woman changed course from the opposite direction.

LADY SERENNE HALVOR

’Ah.’

The student, who know held the name Ildic, saw both of them coming. His expression tightened briefly before courtesy covered it, and Elara reached him perhaps half a step ahead of Serenne.

"Master Varenn."

"My lady."

She offered the expected gesture.

"Would you join me for the First Measure?"

His gaze slipped past her.

Serenne had stopped several paces away.

Only then did Elara remember the connection. During Threshold, House Halvor had helped Varenn’s representative recover from an awkward introduction. Their positions had aligned again during Table, with Varenn attempting to deepen that association.

She had judged the Houses correctly and undervalued the history created inside the examination itself.

Ildic bowed.

"Lady Maraven, I am honored. I must ask your pardon, however. I have a prior consideration I would prefer to honor during the First Measure."

Well done.

Serenne had remained far enough back that his refusal never became a public contest.

Elara smiled. "Of course. I hope you enjoy the Measure."

"Thank you, my lady."

She stepped aside and allowed Serenne to approach.

The mistake would probably cost her something in Judgment. That hardly mattered compared with understanding why she had made it.

Her gaze started drifting toward Lucavion again before warmth pulsed against her palm.

She looked down at her seal.

’Yes. Partner first.’

If Lucavion caught her watching him instead of finding one for a second time, she would never hear the end of it.

Several obvious choices had already paired off, which at least simplified the field. Elara searched the remaining names until her attention settled on another.

MASTER JULEN ARVESS

Younger son of a minor eastern viscount. Limited previous associations. No obvious commitments from Threshold or Table.

More importantly, nobody else appeared to be approaching him.

Elara checked twice before crossing the floor.

"Master Arvess."

He turned. "Lady Maraven."

"Would you join me for the First Measure?"

His expression brightened.

"I would be pleased to."

Gold light joined their seals.

Much easier.

Elara selected the STANDARD MEASURE. Her objective required a visible cordial association, and there was little reason to burden that with a more demanding variation. Julen seemed equally satisfied as they moved into position among the other pairs.

Across the floor, Lucavion glanced toward her.

Elara maintained Lady Maraven’s pleasant expression and answered him with the smallest possible look.

Satisfied?

His mouth twitched.

The preparatory music faded, leaving the Rotunda quiet for a breath before the musicians began the First Measure.

Julen stepped forward, and Elara answered.

The Standard form required little thought. Eveline had drilled the modern Arcanian sequence into her years ago, and Julen possessed enough training that their rhythm settled naturally after the first exchange.

"Your first invitation was unfortunate," he said as they crossed.

So he had seen it.

"A useful correction."

"You recover quickly."

"I have had practice."

His smile suggested he understood there was more behind that answer, though thankfully he left it alone.

Their next turn carried Elara toward one of the mirrors lining the Salon, and Lucavion and Lianne entered its reflection.

Lianne was good.

Her footwork remained light and precise, each transition carrying the confidence of someone who had learned court dancing long before an Academy instructor attached points to it. Yet Lucavion caught Elara’s attention even more.

Someone recently taught a formal dance usually betrayed the learning somewhere. Their gaze dropped toward their feet, they prepared too early for a difficult turn, or they lost a moment searching for the count.

Lucavion showed none of it.

His gaze remained on Lianne or the space around them while his body followed the changing line without hesitation, as though the motions sat somewhere beneath conscious recollection.

’So you really do remember.’

"Lady Maraven?"

Julen adjusted his hand gently against hers, guiding her back into their own turn.

"My apologies."

His expression held mild amusement.

"Someone interesting?"

Her foot nearly landed incorrectly.

Nearly.

"A technically interesting pairing."

"Ah."

During the next rotation, Julen followed the direction she had been watching.

"Lucavion."

So much for subtlety.

Elara gave him a pleasant smile.

"Your next step, Master Arvess."

His eyes widened before he laughed quietly and obeyed.

After that, Elara kept her attention where it belonged.

Mostly.

The mirrors made ignoring the neighboring dance unnecessarily difficult, especially once Lianne began altering the Court Variation.

The changes were minor enough at first: a narrower recovery through one figure, then a slight acceleration through another. Each remained well within the accepted form, but she placed them exactly where a respondent relying on memorized counts would need to adjust.

Lucavion followed every alteration without breaking rhythm.

Lianne’s interest sharpened.

Then she prepared something more deliberate.

Elara caught the setup during another turn with Julen. Lianne shifted her left foot and changed the angle of entry, setting up a sequence that would carry them close to another couple before folding sharply inward. The initiator controlled the timing there, while the respondent needed to recognize the transfer before committing his weight.

Lucavion followed the first step, then the second.

Lianne shortened the count.

Elara’s brows rose.

Clever.

Still legal. Still part of the Court Variation.

Anyone expecting the ordinary timing, however, would commit a fraction too late.

Lucavion already had.

For the first time since the dance began, his balance looked wrong.

Lianne’s hand moved, and the rotation started.

Elara nearly missed Julen’s cue. She corrected at once, completed their turn, and found Lucavion again in the mirror.

He had almost no room left.

Continue on his current rhythm and he would arrive late. Break the figure and Lianne would have to compensate. Push outward and he risked crossing directly into the neighboring pair.

The disturbance was subtle, yet people were beginning to notice. A head turned near the perimeter, and another dancer watched during a rotation before returning to their own partner.

Lianne had chosen her moment carefully.

Elara followed Lucavion’s next step.

She had finally caught him.