Chapter 110: Founder’s Ball IV

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Founder’s Ball IV

The applause gradually faded.

Almost immediately...

The ballroom stirred back to life.

Attendants in crisp white uniforms emerged from the side entrances, each carrying polished silver trays lined with crystal flutes.

Some students accepted glasses of champagne.

Others opted for sparkling juice before returning to their conversations.

Soft laughter once again drifted beneath the glow of the chandeliers.

At the center of the ballroom...

The orchestra eased seamlessly into the opening waltz.

Anthony descended from the stage.

As Student Council President, several committee members instinctively approached him, each waiting to relay a final concern.

"The seating arrangement for the faculty has been confirmed."

"The photographers are in position."

"The orchestra is ready."

Anthony acknowledged each report with a brief nod.

"Very well."

"If anything unexpected arises, inform me immediately."

"Understood, President."

Only after the last committee member departed did Anthony allow his gaze to sweep across the ballroom.

It did not take long to find her.

Lady Vivienne Beaumont.

She still stood where he had left her.

Patiently waiting.

Anthony crossed the ballroom at an unhurried pace.

Vivienne noticed him almost immediately.

Her eyes brightened.

He’s coming back...

Before she could stop herself...

A smile spread across her face.

Anthony stopped before her.

Without unnecessary ceremony...

He extended one gloved hand.

"Lady Vivienne."

His voice remained calm.

"May I have the honor of the opening dance?"

For a single heartbeat...

Vivienne simply stared.

She had known this was the proper thing.

She had known everyone would expect it.

She had told herself countless times not to read too much into it.

And yet...

The moment still sent her heart racing.

Anthony was asking her.

The opening dance.

At the Founders’ Ball.

With him.

She became acutely aware of every pair of eyes nearby.

The orchestra.

The glittering chandeliers.

The polished marble beneath her shoes.

Everything suddenly felt unreal.

She quickly placed her hand into his.

"...I’d be delighted."

Anthony offered a courteous nod.

"Thank you."

Then, as etiquette demanded...

He led her toward the center of the ballroom.

Behind them...

Claire covered her mouth.

"Oh..."

Amelia laughed softly.

"Look at her."

Eleanor smiled knowingly.

"I don’t think Vivienne has blinked once."

Claire leaned closer.

"...She’s smiling like an idiot."

Vivienne, blissfully unaware of her friends’ quiet commentary...

Continued smiling exactly the same way.

--

Anthony led her toward the center of the ballroom.

Around them, other couples likewise stepped onto the polished marble floor, arranging themselves as the orchestra continued its graceful prelude.

The opening dance.

As tradition dictated...

The first waltz belonged to those who had arrived as partners.

Anthony came to a stop before her.

Without needing to exchange another word...

Both instinctively assumed their positions.

Anthony bowed.

Vivienne answered with a graceful curtsy.

As the orchestra finished its introduction...

Anthony extended his left hand.

Vivienne looked at it for the briefest moment.

His hand.

Waiting for hers.

How many times...

Had she imagined this?

Carefully...

Almost reverently...

She placed her gloved hand into his.

...

Their fingers intertwined.

Separated only by the thin fabric of their gloves.

Yet somehow...

It still felt astonishingly warm.

Her heart skipped.

His hand...

Anthony’s grip was firm.

Steady.

Gentle enough to guide.

Strong enough to reassure.

He stepped forward.

The distance between them disappeared.

Vivienne instinctively caught her breath.

Anthony’s right hand rose.

For one terrifying second...

She knew exactly where it was about to go.

Then...

It settled lightly against the small of her back.

Proper.

Respectful.

Exactly as ballroom etiquette demanded.

Even so...

Every nerve in her body seemed to awaken at once.

He’s touching me...

No.

She hurriedly corrected herself.

We’re dancing.

This is completely normal.

Then why...

Why was her heart beating so loudly?

Trying to steady herself, Vivienne lifted her left hand.

For a fleeting instant, she hesitated.

Before gently resting it upon Anthony’s shoulder.

She could feel the firmness beneath the tailored fabric of his coat.

Another completely ordinary thing.

Another thing that somehow didn’t feel ordinary at all.

Anthony raised his gaze.

Their eyes met.

Vivienne forgot how to breathe.

The opening notes of the waltz drifted through the ballroom.

Almost instinctively...

Their bodies moved.

Anthony guided her into the first step.

Left.

Close.

Turn.

Vivienne followed as though her body had known the dance her entire life.

Perhaps it had.

Years of etiquette lessons, both in this life and the one before it, made every movement feel natural.

Yet...

Nothing about this moment felt ordinary.

Anthony’s hand remained steady against the small of her back.

Not pressing.

Not lingering.

Simply guiding.

Even through the layers of fabric and gloves...

She could still feel his warmth.

Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around his.

She immediately caught herself.

Calm down.

You’ll make it obvious.

She silently scolded her own heart.

It’s only a dance.

It’s perfectly normal.

Then why...

Why did every step feel like a dream?

Step.

Close.

Turn.

Anthony’s lead was impeccable.

Never too forceful.

Never uncertain.

Each movement flowed seamlessly into the next, giving her ample time to follow before guiding her gracefully into another turn.

Vivienne found herself relaxing.

Not because her heart had settled...

It most certainly had not.

But because dancing with Anthony felt...

Safe.

She didn’t need to think.

He would never let her miss a step.

As though sensing her growing confidence, Anthony guided her through another turn.

Their joined hands rose gracefully between them.

For the briefest moment...

They drew just a little closer.

Vivienne’s heartbeat threatened to escape her chest.

Too close...

No.

Not too close.

This was exactly the proper distance between dance partners.

She knew that.

She had known it for years.

Then why...

Why did it feel as though the entire ballroom had disappeared?

The orchestra.

The glittering chandeliers.

The hundreds of students surrounding them.

All of it gradually faded into the background.

Until there remained only...

Anthony.

The steady rise and fall of his breathing.

The gentle warmth of his gloved hand.

The quiet rhythm guiding every step they took together.

She almost laughed.

Not because anything amusing had happened.

But because this...

This impossible moment...

Had once existed only in her imagination.

Back then, Anthony Ashford had been nothing more than words printed on paper.

A character she could admire.

Root for.

Love from afar.

Never once had she imagined she would someday dance with him beneath crystal chandeliers, his hand resting gently against her waist as though this were the most natural thing in the world.

If someone had told the twenty-nine-year-old her...

She would have smiled and called them ridiculous.

Yet here she was.

Living the impossible.

Without realizing it...

The corners of her lips lifted once more.

Anthony noticed.

Again.

There was that smile.

Soft.

Bright.

So utterly genuine that it almost made him look away.

He understood what it meant.

He had understood for years.

His gaze shifted briefly to their joined hands before returning to the dance.

Step.

Close.

Turn.

His expression remained composed.

His posture impeccable.

Years of noble upbringing allowed him to perform each movement flawlessly.

To him...

The opening waltz was another obligation carried out according to tradition.

Nothing more.

And yet...

Watching the young lady before him smile as though the world itself had become brighter...

He found himself wondering, not for the first time...

How someone could look so genuinely happy over something he had always considered so ordinary.