Glass Soldier REWRITTEN

Chapter 18

           To say speaking with the monarch was bad would be excessive, to say greeting their little fucking arrogant vermin children was the worst thing I've experienced in my damn life would not. The moment Yastum refused to give me my surname I was beneath them and the moment they heard my magic I was trash. Their parents were at least subtle in their disappointment or asked for more details about why I was considered so valuable to the council.

            Was it annoying? Yes. Was I doing any of the talking? Not really. I had to behave and that meant I couldn't just talk. So I did as I do at every other ball I've been to. I redirected. Oh, really? Fascinating. Wow, I'd have never thought that. Yastum? My, how interesting, what are your thoughts? Repeating the same lines over and over again until I was not so subtly kicked from the conversation by a growingly annoyed Yastum.

          "Well, Lilith, why don't you go mingle, yes? The music is about to begin, go dance," She gave a rough encouraging shove with a pointed smile. Staring at her for a long moment I looked back to the royal entourage before offering a firm salute.

         "Yes ma'am!" I chirped far more happily than I had attended to and turned with a skip in my step, running off as quickly as I could while she narrowed her eyes at the sudden liveliness. Snickering I weaved through the crowd, jumping from the conversations people tried to pull me into and following the notable blue magic that didn't hesitate to show me just where it wanted me to go.

             Just before I could get to the staircase to the upper balcony a tall suited person got in my way. Actively. Skidding to a stop I didn't have to hide the distaste on my face while I looked up at the person's face only to find an eyepatch and a slanted smile. Looking at the hand outstretched in front of him I looked back to his face.

         He was attractive, I'll give him that, but the messy attempt at being neat suited him far too well. The small thick hoops on his ears held up the poor taste of swords for earrings, his black hair lazily pulled back, his tie completely missing and top buttons undone, his eyepatch certainly extravagant, and the complete refusal to tuck in his shirt. It was clear that he was disregarding the fact that this was a peace-orientated ball by weaving his rebellion into his outfit.

           "That's a greeting between nobles for a causal setting or a greeting between commoners in a formal setting," I stated instead, his fake smile twitching as his closed eye opened ever so slightly to show a gaze so dead I debated taking his pulse.

          "I see, well, the more you know," He hummed looking at his own hand. "You can call me Dyeth, I'm from house Reaper," He introduced, still blocking my way, while I just looked for the older one. Finding him not horribly far off chatting with some lesser nobles I looked past his stupidly tall shoulder to see who was on the balcony. "I can't be that uninteresting," He took a step to the side, blocking my view with a tilted head.

         "... I'm Lilith," I said carefully turning my attention back to him, an annoying crackle popping on his shoulder as I was halted once again.

           "Lilith?" He asked with a raised brow, clearly wanting more than I was allowed to give. Or wanted to give.

            "Just Lilith," I pressed taking a firm step back from the red-eyed boy likely close to my age.

           "Alright then, just Lilith, would you care for a dance?" He offered with his hand. A hand I stared at for the second time. Looking back to his face, very ready to refuse the sketchy mercenary, he opened his mouth again, "As I'm new to high society, I fear I may not find someone so willing to correct my mistakes,"

         Goosebumps found my arms as I pulled my own hands closer to my chest. He speaks too well for someone that just became a noble. "... If you insist," I conceded, glancing at a peering elite who seemed very interested in the first person I could not curve.

          Wavering, I held my hand above his for a long second before sighing and dropping it in the patiently waiting one. He was the heir to a council-supported noble I couldn't exactly run, especially if she knows he had actually got me to stop in my tracks.

         Without so much as letting him take a step ahead of me I lead him to the rest of the dancing folks. Twirling on my heel he stopped abruptly at the quick change and raised a brow as I very swiftly put one hand on my hip and the other in my other hand. Promptly putting my free hand on his shoulder and then we just stood there for a short moment. "Come now, you're to lead," I stated, pushing our intertwined hands to force him to move.

          I had thought it was obvious by our placements but I suppose I had overestimated him.

         An almost dangerous laugh fell from his lips as he stared down at me with a deadly gaze and that horribly fake slanted smile. But that words that been enough to get him into action. His steps practiced, his grip strong but not tight, and the flow I found myself settling into left my skin to crawl. it was comfortable, it was graceful, it was natural.

          "You dance well for someone new to high society," I stated as he twirled me out with nothing but our fingertips hooked, following the rhythm and gentle pull of my hand, I twisted around his arm and found my back to his chest.

          "My cennend was a high classed prostitute," he whispered into my ear, leaving the hair on the back of my neck to raise. A grip on my hips was nearly uncomfortable as my feet left the ground and my shoulders tensed. As if we had met before, he had tossed me ever so slightly, catching me as I stared down at him, my hands catching his forearms.

            "That is not something to admit so proudly." But it would explain the ability to dance and practiced way of talking. As if to mock me he tossed me up tightly, no hands there to catch me as I clicked my tongue and caught myself with a firm stance, and bounce in my step. A bounce he used to do the most dreaded thing he could. He dipped me. Disgusting.

            "Maybe to the nobles," he grinned, holding just above the back of my knee in one hand and my back with the other. Fully capable of dropping me with no chance of me catching myself. 

              "Ah hah," Narrowing my eyes at him I couldn't help the laugh that pulled at my lips. Maybe to the nobles. Oh, he really was well-practiced with his words. "Careful there, Reaper, you're picking a fight with someone you can't handle," I warned, catching his neck and pulling him so close to my mask he was damn near touching it.

            "Now, that wasn't my intention just Lilith," he offered a close-eyed smile and a tilted head. With a firm foot back, I pulled at his neck and escaped his arms. Brushing myself off while he stumbled a deadly laugh left his lips while he covered his mouth. Only, before he could continue the conversation, I offered a dramatic and deep bow.

           "Oh, how honored I was to be the first dance of a newly emerged and none deputed noble," I said louder than necessary, several of those around us that had been looking our way holding in a snort or snicker while he looked over them. Recognizing the fact he was being mocked but clearly not understanding as to why. Too bad for him, but he chose just Lilith for his first dance. He picked a commoner like a fool.

         "Now then, if you'll excuse me," I threw over my shoulder with a half-hearted wave, making my way back to the staircase. No magic in sight but I knew an outdoor balcony to be accessible from up there.