Chapter 26

"Dance with me."

I almost choked on my cake at the sudden invitation. When I recovered I faced the young master as he stared at me expectantly, whether because he knew I couldn't reject him or because I was taking much too long I wasn't sure. All I knew was that i wanted to decline his offer.

"My apologies… Cain, but I don't know how to dance", I felt my cheeks flush embarrassedly.

"And these people do?" He cast a glance to the Merry lot of people dancing clumsily with each other. Despite their obviously terrible movements they were having a blast.

"I suppose not… but I may step on your feet" it seemed my excuse didn't bother him as he plucked the glass of water i gulped to soothe my throat from my fingers and placed it on a near table before grabbing my hand and pulling me to the dance floor.

He positioned our bodies together to match everyone else's. I almost fainted of fear at the lack of distance.

"I could hardly care. It's not like you weigh enough for it hurt", he spoke softly into my ear.

I felt my face feel strangely warm at the lack of distance between us as the music became slower and more… romantic? I turned my head to see Angela whispering to the orchestra. I couldn't help but feel she had something to do with this.

I decided to go with it and found myself being lead my him. His hands manoeuvred my body and somehow I found myself in Rhythm with the music.

It was… incredible.

Our eyes were locked for the entirety and when i snapped out of my day dream occasionally, I'd look away in surprise and then I'd be drawn back in. Like a moth to light.

I realised his hands, though much larger than mine, were thicker and the grip they held on mine weren't tight, but gentle. Caressing… the word made me feel strange. And all the while, strange butterflies rampaged in my stomach.

I seemed to have become much too familiar with the slow dance, because when the music became much more faster and pumped our movements follows suit. Mines clumsily followed after Cains who executed the dance perfectly, catching me before I lost all balance on multiple occasions.

I thanked him countlessly and he just gave me a smile while his eyes seemed deeply lost somewhere else as he stared at me. His eyes stared so intently at me as his thoughts were obviously elsewhere.

"You dance quite well", I whispered when we came close.

He flinched at my voice, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Is that so?", he muttered, almost absently. "You used to help me a lot before, so I'm surprised that your balance is so terrible", there was a teasing smile on his face as he said that.

"I- I did? Oh that's right… that was so long ago…" I felt my face feel even hotter at the memory. It was faint and I could hardly recall it.

"You've forgotten? How wicked…" he seemed to have meant to say that to himself yet I caught it given our distance.

"My apologies, I struggle with my memory at times however it was rude of me to forget", I muttered.

"You really are forgetful, aren't you?" He replied, breath tingling my ear as his voice seemed almost bitter.

"Y-Yea"-

My reply was cut off by the dramatic end to the song which resulted in me staring straight at the chandeliers above us and Cains arms supporting my upper body.

He helped me up while I recovered from my shock. The memory of his arms around me felt so… strange.

"We danced a lot as children. I was quite bad at it and one day you offered to be my teacher", he began speaking as he grabbed a glass of what seemed to be wine. He offered me some but I refused which he shrugged to, "you let me step on your feet and laughed when I did back then. You used to laugh a lot back then".

"You did too", i replied back. The memory was suddenly much clearer as I recalled him falling over and crying in frustration alone as he couldn't recall the moves.

"I cried a fair bit", he admitted.

I felt a strange nostalgic smile on my face at the memory and then I noticed Cains eyes that stared at my face as if it were a book that ended in a terrible cliff hanger. There was a strange predator like feeling in his gaze that made me tense.

"Do you think… the dukes condition is untreatable?" I found myself asking as I looked away. I was hoping it would somehow get rid of his strange thoughts. It worked.

"I truly hope it is".

His reply made me frown. The duke was his only family. He was a terrible man, but he was still his father.

"You don't mean that. I think you'd be terribly sad if he were to…" I couldn't continue speaking without committing treason.

Cain said nothing. But his face relayed everything. His jaw that clenched as his eyes burned into the glass in his fingertips. I could see a crack forming between the thin glass.

I realised how stuffy the room felt and found myself looking around for a place with more air.

I turned to the garden which looked much cooler than the ballroom and began making my way there. Cain followed closely behind, maybe even a bit too closely.

"I wish he died instead of mother".

I had to stop myself from agreeing.

"Your high- Cain!"

He gave me a smile that seemed full of resentment.

"Oh please. You wish the same".

"I do not"-

"Then say it while looking into my eyes", his fingertips slowly reached for my face as if to prove a point, but at the sudden movement I jumped away as a subconscious reflex.

His face looked stunned at my reaction. And then… that look of self-loathing that made me full of guilt. I wanted to apologise, but the fear his sudden movement put in me hadn't sub sided.

My body still recalled the trauma.

"If he had died then we would never have stopped being friends. Isn't that right, Isabelle?"

I felt my breath hitch in the silent garden, away from all the ruckus and laughter. My mind began to race in thoughts that tried to piece together when he realised, but did it even matter when? The fact that mattered was that he knew. Cain knew.