Chapter 1180: 167. Absurd

Inviting a lady to dance was nothing unusual in human society.

Especially for a noble like Muen. Most social interaction was connected through “balls,” and all kinds of social dances were compulsory lessons Muen had to learn from childhood, so that he would not utterly disgrace himself in front of the young ladies of noble families.

Clinking cups and exchanging cheerful words—those were only the most superficial forms of communication. For some people who considered themselves gentlemen, at the “climax” of a ball, smiling as they extended an invitation to their partner, or to the lady they admired, and shared a dance with her—that was the true touch between souls.

Of course, apart from invitations that were akin to “courtship” on certain special occasions, most dances were pure. True social dancing emphasized advancing and retreating with proper measure, responding without profaning, lingering without insulting. Every movement came only from respect for the woman, or from admiration and reverence.

...All right, actually, it was not that profound.

Most of the time, it was nothing more than an act of courtesy.

Muen had once danced with Celicia as well. At that time, he had still been one of the people she hated most.

But even though his heart was pure, without the slightest distracting thought, and he had no special intentions, Muen still felt that this invitation was a little too bold.

Because this was not a ball specially arranged around him and her.

She was not a lady quietly waiting at a ball for a gentleman’s invitation.

Still less was she one of those young girls or noble ladies who admired him because of his looks, whose faces would bloom like delicate flowers and turn shy at a casual smile from him.

She was a dragon.

A calamity.

The strongest creature beneath the heavens of this world.

At the moment he bent down and extended the invitation to her, let alone other people, even Muen himself felt that he had to be insane.

Fortunately, he had already gone mad often enough during this period. Going a little more insane did not matter.

“You’re inviting me... to dance?” Hamreign naturally had not expected this either and subconsciously repeated the words.

“Yes.”

“Are you sick?”

“No...”

Muen thought for a moment.

“I’m taking revenge.”

“Revenge?” Hamreign raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

Muen smiled.

“Miss Dragon bullied me so badly. I have to think of a way to regain a little ground, don’t I? Otherwise, when others see it, they might say that Muen Campbell is a soft persimmon that women can knead however they please.”

“Aren’t you?”

Hamreign said in surprise,

“That person said that you’re always bullied miserably by a whole group of women, and often can’t even get out of bed.”

“Who!”

Muen flew into a rage.

“Who is spreading rumors about me? When have I ever been bullied so badly that I couldn’t get out of bed? Rumors! Those are pure rumors! I’m always the one making other people unable to get out of bed!”

“...”

“Ahem. In any case, are you willing or unwilling...? Of course, I imagine Miss Dragon would not be so afraid that she would not even dare to dance a little dance.”

Muen maintained the inviting posture and extended his hand.

Honestly, he did not have much confidence, because inviting a dragon to dance seemed far too absurd no matter what kind of story it was placed in.

But he also felt that it was not completely impossible. After being “bullied” so many times, he seemed to have vaguely found the loose thread of Miss Dragon’s violent temper.

Whether it worked or not, there was no harm in tugging at it a little.

“You’re provoking me again?” The temperature around Hamreign seemed to suddenly drop by several dozen degrees.

“If that’s how Miss Dragon understands it... then yes, I am indeed provoking you,” answered a certain blond villain who feared death but not pain.

“Very good.”

Hamreign sneered.

“What I like most is when others take the initiative to provoke me, because that saves a great deal of trouble.”

Under Muen’s astonished gaze, that slender, pale hand, smooth as jade, actually fell into his palm.

The strongest calamity.

The source of disaster.

Destroyer of kingdoms.

The strongest creature upon the earth and beneath the heavens.

At this very moment, her hand was being held in his palm...

Muen felt that it was somewhat unreal, but the coolness and softness transmitted through their skin forced him to acknowledge the reality of this moment.

So Miss Dragon’s hand was this smooth and tender. Although it was somewhat cold, the touch was excellent—before this, he had only been beaten by her, or had only touched the “little hand” of her other state. This was the first time Muen had truly and fully touched Miss Dragon’s entire palm.

Worth it!

Although the thought was rather pathetic, Muen still inevitably had such a thought.

“If you truly only wish to die, there is no need to go about it in such a roundabout way.”

“Ahem. What kind of dance would Miss Dragon like to dance next?”

“You are the one who invited me. Naturally, it depends on you.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

“I’m afraid Miss Dragon might not know my dances.”

A confident smile gradually appeared at the corners of Muen’s lips.

In a fight, he definitely could not defeat this dragon.

Trying to reason with her... would automatically redirect to the previous point.

Mocking her with words... would still automatically redirect to the first point, and without any process, directly entering the defeat CG.

But dancing was different...

He was the dignified son of a duke, the Empire’s future imperial consort, a top-ranking noble of the wicked feudal system... Whatever else might be said, at the very least, he was unquestionably excellent at dances symbolizing luxury and decadence.

A mere dragon. Watch me take her down in an instant!

“Miss Dragon, forgive my offense.”

Boom—

One passage of music came to an end, and another began. The heavy drumbeats sounded like thunder, causing the entire banquet to fall quiet involuntarily.

Taking this as his starting point, Muen tightened his hold on Hamreign’s hand and stepped into elegant dance steps along with the rough music.

At first, he did not intend to use any particularly difficult steps, because he was afraid that the irritable Miss Dragon would fly into a rage from embarrassment. Moreover, from another perspective, only by proceeding gradually could he experience the feeling of slowly gaining control over the other person.

Most social dances were like this. If one side was unskilled while the other was experienced, then the unskilled one could easily become the other’s marionette, with both rhythm and steps controlled by the more skilled dancer.

Muen could almost no longer suppress his increasingly excited heartbeat. After all, this was an opportunity that was extremely difficult to come by. The difference between the bright moon and a firefly was finally about to be reversed here...

“Hm?”

Strange?

A clasped hand, a supporting palm at the waist, a turn... Before they had even completed one full set of the most basic movements, Muen suddenly felt that something was wrong.

The plot did not seem to be developing in the direction he had expected.

Miss Dragon’s figure was as light as a swallow, and as she moved, she was like a flower blooming. Muen tried to “control” her, but every one of his “attacks” was easily dissolved by her.

She did not become his marionette, nor did she reveal any awkwardness under such circumstances. Even the interweaving steps during those turns all revealed elegance and... familiarity?

“Wait!”

Something was wrong!

It was really wrong!

Eleven parts wrong out of ten!

Muen began to panic a little. He had originally thought that in this situation, where violence could not be used and where they were in a field he was skilled at, he would finally have a chance to regain some ground...

But...

“Why are you so skilled at this?!” Muen was dumbfounded.

A dragon knowing how to dance—and human social dancing at that...

Wasn’t that... far too... absurd?!