Chapter 117: Dance session (2)

"Young Lady Rafine, you..." Zarak froze, staring at her in astonishment.

At first, he had assumed she was merely shy about responding to his invitation—that with a bit of coaxing, she would eventually accept.

But to his utter disbelief, she rejected him.

And to make matters worse, she chose the man who had humiliated him twice—Nolan.

It wasn’t just Zarak who was stunned. The young nobles surrounding him, all convinced he would win Rafine over, were equally shocked.

Still, deep down, they felt a strange satisfaction.

They had all been rejected by Rafine before, and it had stung.

Seeing the arrogant Zarak experience the same thing brought them a sense of comfort—especially after remembering how smug he had been earlier.

"Sorry, Prince Zarak, but this is my choice. I hope you won’t take offense," Rafine said firmly.

Zarak said nothing, but rage burned in his eyes. He glared at Nolan and growled coldly, "Nolan..."

Sensing the hostile gaze, Nolan remained silent. He didn’t even understand what was going on—why was he suddenly being treated like the villain?

He glanced at Rafine and saw her wink, her expression pleading—as if asking him to play along with the act.

I’ll help you, but you’ll owe me. I’ll collect it later. If you agree, wink your right eye.

Nolan’s cold voice echoed in Rafine’s head, making her eyes widen in shock.

Magic? Did he just use magic? How’s that possible? Isn’t Nolan just an ordinary prince?

Her heart pounded wildly.

According to widespread reports, none of the princes or princesses—except for the Third Princess—were capable of using magic.

That information had been confirmed directly by the Emperor himself, so its credibility was unquestionable.

And yet, just now, Rafine had clearly heard Nolan’s voice in her mind—there was only one explanation: he could use magic.

In that instant, her perception of him shifted dramatically.

If she had once thought of him as merely mysterious and unpredictable, she now realized he was dangerous—and not someone to be underestimated.

Even so, Rafine quickly composed herself. She blinked her right eye.

Seeing her signal, Nolan gave a slow nod of satisfaction.

As the heiress of the Austin family, a promise from Rafine was worth its weight in gold.

In a way, he had just struck treasure from the heavens.

With a sardonic smile tugging at his lips, Nolan wrapped his arm around Rafine’s waist and pulled her firmly into his embrace.

Rafine stiffened. Instinctively, she tried to pull away—but she couldn’t.

Nolan’s grip was unyielding. She couldn’t even shift her body.

The sight ignited fury in the faces of Zarak and the nearby young nobles.

Rafine was the most beautiful woman in the empire. Thousands of men like them had fantasized about holding that slender waist—yet those dreams had always remained just that: dreams.

Given her noble status and proud demeanor, which had always kept men at arm’s length, their hopes had never stood a chance.

Yet now, right before their eyes, Rafine was in the arms of a man.

And that man... was none other than Nolan Lorian—the so-called foolish prince of the Imperial Palace.

They clutched their chests with pained expressions, like husbands forced to watch their own wives betray them—completely helpless to stop it.

Zarak was no exception. His fists trembled at his sides, and his eyes bulged, as if ready to burst from their sockets.

Seeing all of this, Nolan nearly burst into laughter. For some reason, he suddenly felt like the villain in a royal-themed novel—the one who boldly steals the heroine from the protagonist.

"All right, gentlemen. Young Lady Rafine is mine tonight," Nolan said with a mocking smile, tugging at the corner of his lips. "So kindly stop fantasizing about my partner."

Zarak wanted to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He had argued with Nolan twice before—and lost a total of sixteen million sharn.

His grandfather had beaten him black and blue for it, warning him not to provoke or pick fights with Nolan again.

If he caused another scene, it was entirely possible he’d suffer an even greater loss.

Still, just imagining the two of them dancing in the center of the hall made Zarak’s face turn green with envy.

Beneath the piercing, reluctant gazes of Zarak and the other young nobles still refusing to accept reality, Nolan led Rafine toward the heart of the hall.

Their appearance drew gasps from all sides—especially from the young nobles watching from across the room.

They rubbed their eyes, as if struggling to believe what they had just seen.

"Shit! Is that really Young Lady Rafine? How is that even possible?!"

"Hiss! It is her! But why the hell is she with Prince Nolan?!"

"This is insane! Argh! My goddess has been tainted by that trash prince!"

"I don’t accept this either—dammit! But... but... they look so perfect together! He’s handsome, and she’s beautiful—they’re like a couple straight out of a fairy tale!"

The young men wailed hysterically, their faces twisted in anguish. And it wasn’t just them—the young ladies felt the same way, though for entirely different reasons.

To them, Nolan had suddenly become a new idol—even surpassing Adalen.

His appearance tonight shattered all the bad rumors. He wasn’t anything like the disgrace people had painted him to be.

In fact, he looked more like a misunderstood prince—one the world had wronged.

And for young women like them, such a man was too precious to leave to fate. They wanted to protect him—or, if possible, make him theirs.

"Brother...? How can this be?" Elina whispered in shock, covering her mouth with her hand.

She had never expected Nolan to step forward to dance—let alone with Rafine, the heiress of the Austin family.

Since when did they know each other?

She murmured softly, brows gently furrowed, a faint glint of jealousy flickering in her eyes.

In truth, she had planned to take her brother out to dance tonight. But it seemed she’d been a step too late—another woman had claimed him first.

Rudy, Orlan, and the surrounding noble family heads were just as stunned as Elina.

"Prince Nolan? So he really showed up—and with Young Lady Rafine of the Austin family, no less. Tsk! That boy’s quite the hunter," Rudy said with a quiet chuckle.

Orlan didn’t say a word, but the faint smile on his lips and a single nod made his approval clear.

Damn it... What did he do to win Rafine over?

Cedric muttered, his teeth clenched in frustration.

Just like Zarak, he had fallen for her—and was determined to make her his.

But she was too strong-willed—completely unfazed by his advances. And it was exactly that resistance that made Cedric want her even more.

He had planned to ask her for a dance during the third session, but the sight before him crushed those hopes in an instant.

Nolan and Rafine... They’re going to dance together? How is that even possible?

Evalyn’s eyes widened in disbelief.

A sharp pain pricked her chest like a knife, but she forced herself to stay composed, whispering quiet words of reassurance.

No... I can’t be jealous. Nolan and I are just childhood friends... nothing more.

Standing beside her, a tall, broad-shouldered man in black robes gently shook his head, a faint, wry smile tugging at his lips.

He was Luke Lionheart—Evalyn’s father and the current head of the Lionheart family.

Seeing his daughter continue to suppress her feelings, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of sadness.

This stubborn girl... if she keeps going like this, she’s going to break herself,

he thought helplessly.