Chapter 175: [175] Back To The Dance

When Eliron got back into the ballroom, all eyes immediately moved to him, whispers moving from noble to noble.

The reason? Well, it had a lot to do with what he was wearing.

The Baron had gone a little… overboard. To thank Eliron, instead of giving him a regular suit, he had given him a ceremonial suit that probably cost more that most people’s houses.

The suit was a deep shade of red, with black trousers and golden seams etched into the fabric. It was accompanied by a white pair of gloves that screamed nobility. There was also a pure gold lapel with a chain that hung from the collar, stretching into his pocket.

Eliron basically stunk of money…

He cleared his throat, trying his best to ignore all the attention he was getting, his eyes searching for his people.

By now, the first three dances were already over, meaning there was only a single dance left, the last dance of the night.

The way the ball was organised was that after a dance, there would be a short break for socialization, after which the Baroness or Baron would call for the start of another dance.

The ball was a means of building connections and catching up for nobles with very busy schedules after all.

Meaning, he had only one opportunity left to have that dance with Artie.

Speaking of the devil. Eliron spotted Artie speaking with a stylish noble lady at the other side of the ballroom.

Ash, on the other hand, was having a serious discussion with one of the knights in the hall, and was making gestures… it seemed they were sharing battle techniques.

As for Yennefer…

Of course she was still at the snack bar, stuffing her face.

She noticed Eliron and waved at him, holding another sack, presumably for him to try. He slowly shook his head, a smile on his face as he walked towards her.

“Ouuu…” Yen whistled. “What happened? You look like the Baron himself. How did you get your hands on those clothes?”

Eliron opened his mouth and she stuffed the snack right in. “Longhe story,” he said as he tried to chew. I’ll tell you later.”

Yennefer pouted and sighed. “You spent one hour, you didn’t tell me you were going to be gone that long.”

“Do you know how many people approached me to dance?” She sighed, her shoulders dropping. “I just want to eat…”

“Even I didn’t know it would take so long…” Eliron smiled, ruffling her hair. “I’ll let you know next time.”

“I’m guessing you handled business then?” She said with a smirk. “You’re not fooling anyone with that make up you know?”

Eliron smirked. “I guess there is no getting anything past you.”

Yen placed her hand on his cheek and closed her eyes for a brief second.

Eliron felt the wound behind the make up, the only one he had gotten actually, close up like it was never there.

Just then, the tune of the music changed. The sound became more suppressed, the tune barely there. This meant it was finally time for the final dance.

Already, people who had been rejected multiple times were heading in Yennefer’s direction.

But as they approached, Eliron suddenly grabbed her hand to her surprise, and pulled her along with him.

“Wait, I need one more snaaa—”

Eliron glided past the crowd of people, Yennefer adjusting her pace to match him. They passed all the nobles, and then they stopped right in front of the Baron and Baroness (Cassie).

Cassie smiled when she saw him. “Heh, shouldn’t you be elsewhere?”

Eliron sighed. “I needed to drop her off first, these young men have little self control.”

Cassie stared at Yen for a long second, her smile deepening. “So that is how it is…” she said in a low tone.

Eliron gave her a look. “Help me watch her will you? And feed her lots of snacks, she’s a black hole.”

“No problems at all.” Cassie waved dismissively.

“She is a friend of yours, we will do our utmost best.” The Baron added.

By the side of the hall, many of the nobles did not fail to notice the interaction.

They were probably wondering how Eliron had gotten so bold as to approach the Baron and Baroness, who had not said a word to anyone else throughout the party.

Eliron did a bow for formalities and was about to leave when Yen smiled smugly and said: “Good luck, you’re going to need it.”

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. ’Just what scheme have they cooked up now?’

He had noticed the friendship between her and Artie develop over the past few weeks.

’Don’t tell me they are working together now? My closest ally is now a mole?’

Yennefer chuckled when she saw his reaction, but said nothing else.

Eliron walked back into the crowd, his eyes searching for Artie. He had seen her a few seconds ago, but now, there was not a sight of her in the vast hall.

He spent a few seconds touring the place, when he noticed something odd about the room.

In a certain area of the hall, a small crowd had gathered, most of them young well dressed nobles oozing with confidence.

There was a locke of red hair within the mess, and that was all Eliron needed to figure out what was happening…

<•••>

Artie was standing next to Barbara, the fashion designer responsible for all their dresses.

She had been gathering information, learning about the new developments since they last met when suddnely… she was surrounded.

“Umm, miss Artie. Are you going to accept anyone?” Barbara squeaked from the side.

Getting this much attention, being surrounded by so many men was enough to bring the shyness out of her.

She was practically hiding behind Artie who had her arms folded across her chest.

Artie frowned as she stared at them. She had already politely rejected them a number of times, just like Yen had told her.

But now, her patience was wearing thin. And she feared the next time she opened her mouth, nothing kind would come out of it.

One of the more daring nobles walked a little closer, his smile so wide that Artie wondered if he was trying to market his teeth to her.

He reached for her shoulder. “My lady, would I have the pleasure of stealing this dance—”

Clasp!

All of a sudden, someone grabbed onto her shoulders, pulling her towards his broad frame.

Artie did not need to look to realise who it was, a small smile appeared on her lips as she spoke. “Took you long enough.”

She glanced at Eliron, doing her best to hide her surprise. She had not lied when she said he looked good earlier, but now, how was it possible that he looked even better?

Eliron stared at the nobles who all bore annoyed looks, then smiled.

“Sorry to disappoint you folks, this pretty lady is already taken.”

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