Chapter 79

Basking in the starlight, sailing in the calm waters of the sea, surrounded by nothing but serenity and silence, the Pride of the Seas was decorated in a soft red light, ready for the night.

As soon as the clock hit 8 pm, a soothing symphony began to mark the start of the Ball. The doors to the deck opened, and people gracefully walked in, courteously greeting each other and sharing pleasantries.

The top three decks of the Cruise were set up to hold the Masquerade Ball for over four thousand passengers. And each deck had screens set up, connecting everyone live to the other decks.

The top-most deck was reserved for the First-Class Guests and other special guests that were on St. Anne. And that was where Aizen and the girls joined the Ball.

As soon as they entered, they drew everyone's attention. There were no announcements made, and everyone was anonymous under their half-masks, but the beauty of their group, and how they carried themselves was bewitching.

Aizen ignored all the eyes that were hooked on him and led their group by locking arms with his beloved little sister. The grace by which they carried themselves yelled royalty in the mind of the people, and as the attendants bowed to them, the guests were more sure of their guess.

The Master of Ceremonies welcomed everyone as soon as the doors to the decks were closed. The first event of the night was the draw of the Lottery, and nearly all the Trainers on the Cruise waited with bated breath as the roulette started on the screens.

"Yes!!!!!" An excited scream of a girl lit up the 2nd deck when her image appeared on the screens. And soon applause reverberated all around.

The girl was led to the top deck to receive her Larvitar Egg and the transfer of the Prize Money. The Kanto Champion himself handed over the Egg to her, and then the management transferred the prize money to her. After another round of applause, she returned to the second deck, and the music resumed.

Aizen had the first dance of the night with Anira, attracting eyes from all around them. Their beautiful silvery-white hair were complemented by the black outfits with royal-purple outlines. And their well-versed and exquisitely performed dance made the spectators watch them in awe,

The heavenly smile on the face of Orayen Princess melted several hearts that night.

The audience was stunned when the second song started and Cynthia stepped forward, accepting Aizen from Anira's arms. Even if her face was hidden behind the half-mask, her sun-kissed blonde hair loudly announced her identity. And it led to a lot of gossip among the guests.

Cynthia and Aizen did not care about what people talked about. They were staring into each other's eyes as they swayed to the melody of the song.

"You look beautiful tonight, lady Shirona."

"And you are handsome as ever, Prince." She teased back and then did something that made the people looking at them gasp in shock.

Her luscious red lips captured him in a sweet kiss, announcing to everyone that they belonged to each other, and ending the hopes of the hopeful men waiting to ask her for a dance.

At the end of the second song, Misty bravely stepped forward and replaced Cynthia as Aizen's partner.

The youngest Waterflower was burning in a scarlet blush as her eyes couldn't look away from his captivating smile. She was not good at dancing, and Aizen expertly led her, masking her inexperience. And soon all her nervousness waned.

"Thank you for the dance, my lady." Aizen gently grabbed her hand and raised it to plant a kiss on its back.

"The pleasure is all mine, Professor Sin." She teased him, still burning in a blush.

Her heart nearly stopped when Aizen leaned in, and to her relief, glee, and a little disappointment, he planted a kiss on her forehead. And then Aizen escorted her to where the girls were standing.

Leaf was too shy to step forward on the dance floor, and Aizen politely invited her to dance. She was very nervous, but she placed her hand in his, and let him lead her to the dance floor.

Her timid heart was racing in sweet rhythms as she felt dozens of gazes on her, but then it calmed down as soon as her eyes met his. She had never danced so formally before in life, and to her relief and awe, she found that she could dance really well. It was all thanks to how expertly Aizen led her, and it was the cherry on top of her already special day.

At the end of the song, Aizen led her back to the girls. And planted a gentle kiss on her forehead that made her heart race in excitement.

The Orayen Prince chatted with the girls for a while and greeted some guests that approached them.

Sometime later, he found the Moonheart leaning against the railing, looking at the stars in the sky. A few men were looking her way, captivated by her beauty, but none dared to approach her because of how profound the aloofness surrounding her was.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" Aizen followed the etiquette and bowed in greeting.

Sabrina turned to look at him, and her bright pink eyes stared into his violet orbs. She lightly nodded her head and offered her hand to him to take, which he gladly accepted, leading her to the dance floor.

"I have never danced before." She honestly spoke, but unhesitatingly followed him to the centre of the dance floor.

"Then it is my honour to be your first, lady Moonheart." He brightly smiled at her.

By now, Aizen had won the hearts of hundreds of females with his elegance and handsomeness, but at the same time, he had earned himself the ire of the men who were burning in envy because of the beauty of his dance companions. And he turned a blind eye to all of them, only focusing on the beautiful partner he now had in his arms.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are beautiful?" He asked with a light smile.

"Mhm." She nodded. "I know I am beautiful."

Her reply made him chuckle in amusement, and he gently leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead.

Sabrina frowned when he did that, and it made Aizen curious.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No." She shook her head. "My Father used to kiss me like that when I was young. And I haven't received a kiss since my parents passed away."

Aizen was afraid to ask how it felt, as he knew the answer to that.

They danced in silence for a while, looking each other in the eyes. Even if he knew that she did not have her emotions, there was just something about her that hooked him to her, making him feel protective of her. And the warmth of her body was too comforting to let go.

"Kiss me."

The sudden request made his heart thump hard, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Kiss me like you kissed Cynthia." She asked again.

"What?" He curiously asked. "Why?"

"Why not?" She genuinely asked. "She's your Fiancee. Now I am your Fiancee too. And people who are engaged kiss each other on the lips."

Her reasoning made him chuckle, and he ignored the aching pain in his sighing heart.

Aizen looked her in her beautiful eyes and then leaned in, softly capturing her lips in a light sip. He gently sipped her lips a few more times before pulling her closer to him and locking their lips in a deep kiss.

The warmth and softness of her lips were intoxicating, and his heart was beating in excited rhythms. It just felt so right to him, like they belonged to each other. The thoughts of her not having her emotions vaporised from his mind, and he just felt blessed to have her in his arms.

And when they finally separated, he pressed his forehead against hers and stared in her beautiful eyes.

"Open your mind to me." He softly whispered.

The last Moonheart was genuinely curious at his request but did not hesitate to do as he asked.

A stream of memory entered her mind. It was Aizen's memory of what they had just shared, and it was filled with all the emotions Aizen had felt during their kiss.

Her eyes quivered at the beauty of the memory and the sensations her mind experienced.

"How did you do this?" She was surprised that he could even transmit emotions through sharing memories.

Sabrina could not really comprehend his emotions, but she found an interest in something for the first time in a long time. And the sensations her mind had basked in was something she had never before experienced.

"Did you like it?" He asked lightly.

The Moonheart subconsciously nodded her head, but her eyes were still waiting for him to answer her question.

"It takes a lot of fine control to save the memories as bright as possible in the back of your mind. Usually, the memories we can watch in another's mind lack feelings and emotions. They are just blank images, and we have to deduce how they must have felt at that time. However, if a memory has been preserved in your mind fresh as ever, then someone who has perfect control over their Psychic Power can read it with its feelings. But since you don't have perfect control over your Powers, I helped your mind assimilate the memory."

Sabrina tried to read through the memory that he had implanted in her mind, but she could not feel the same sensations she had felt before. It was blank to her.

"Can you do it again?"

Aizen smiled at her request and shared his emotion-filled memory with her again, and Sabrina felt the same sensation in her mind once more.

He left her to her thoughts as she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed in each other's arms for a while, not caring about dancing anymore, and just lightly swayed to the music for the rest of the song.

"Your warmth is comforting." She whispered when they separated at the end of the song.

Aizen planted another kiss on her forehead, and this time, there was no frown on her face.

The two of them were very oblivious to the feelings of a certain orange-haired girl, who had watched everything that had transpired between them. And her beautiful blue eyes were misty as her heart ached in the turmoil of her emotions.

But then everyone's heart skipped a beat when a soothing sensation washed all over them, freeing them from all the negative feelings that haunted them.

No one noticed that the stars in the sky had suddenly brightened, and the moon seemed excited as well.

There was a Fairy Maiden present in the centre of the Dance Floor on the top deck, and before the watchful eyes of everyone, she accepted Aizen from the arms of Sabrina, and then the two of them started swaying to the music that had suddenly resumed.

Her long crimson hair was sparkling in the starlight, and the beautiful red dress she wore was something no one had ever seen before. She was tall, fair, and graceful, and even if her face was hidden behind the beautiful butterfly mask, everyone instinctively knew that she was the most beautiful lady in existence. There was an air about her that made everyone lower their eyes in reverence and worship.

The guests were not aware that their minds were being influenced. No one even raised a question about who she was, how she appeared there, or even had the thought of approaching her. They were soon busy with what they had been doing, taking their eyes off the pair of love birds dancing under the starlight. They even forgot to pay attention to all the Pokemon on the ship, who were on their knees with their heads lowered.

"I missed you, Lyla." Aizen brightly smiled as he stared into her beautiful crimson eyes.

The enchanting smile that bloomed on her face made the stars in the sky shimmer in happiness.

[I missed you too, my love.]