Chapter 119: Situation Without Choice

At the sound of that voice, Nolan froze. He turned around and saw a stunningly beautiful young woman.

Her pink hair was styled in a half-up twisted bun, giving her an elegant and delicate aura.

A light blue gown hugged her figure, highlighting her curves, slim waist, and alluring bosom.

Her face was flawless, with a graceful jawline.

Long, lush eyelashes framed her golden-yellow eyes, which held a mysterious allure that was hard to describe.

Nolan’s expression stiffened as he recognized her—Seira.

"Sister Seira?" His heart pounded. "How are you here—no, I mean, since when have you been in this hall? Why didn’t I see you earlier?"

He tried to ease the tension with a falsely innocent look.

But Seira didn’t fall for it. She smiled playfully, folding her arms under her ample chest.

"Why are you asking me that? I’ve been in this hall for a while now, you know? And I’m pretty sure you were aware of it."

Her sharp gaze seemed to slice through all of Nolan’s pretense.

"Ahem!" Nolan coughed lightly, trying to mask his unease. "Sorry for not noticing. Well, you know I’ve been a little... busy."

"Busy? Heh..." She eyed him from head to toe, her smile widening. "By busy, do you mean spending time with that young lady from the Austin family?"

Nolan was cornered and speechless. He knew better than anyone how sharp his sister was—even he often struggled to keep up with her.

There was no way he could fool her.

"Anyway, did you need something from me?" Nolan asked quickly, eager to change the subject.

He knew that if the conversation dragged on, Seira wouldn’t let it go and would keep pressing him.

Seira simply smiled. She knew Nolan was avoiding the topic of Rafine—but she let it slide, for now.

There would be time later—tomorrow, or even the day after—to demand an explanation. For now, she had a different goal in mind.

"I want you to dance with me," she said firmly, slipping her hand into Nolan’s.

"Dance?" Nolan’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Yes, dance," Seira repeated coolly. A spark of menace flashed in her eyes as she added, "Why the silence? Don’t you want to dance with me?"

The corner of Nolan’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t even said anything yet, and she was already accusing him of being reluctant.

Truthfully, he was feeling too lazy to dance again. It was tiring and drained too much of his energy.

He just wanted to be alone, relax, and enjoy the delicious food waiting behind him.

But just as he was about to refuse, Seira pinched his waist with a faint smile.

"You’re not thinking of saying no, are you?"

Nolan swallowed his words, then let out a long sigh.

"Alright... let’s dance," he replied weakly.

He knew resisting was pointless—it would only push Seira to act out or do something unpredictable later.

It was better to go along with her now than deal with the consequences later.

A sly smile tugged at Seira’s lips as she hooked her arm through Nolan’s and rested her cheek playfully against it.

"Good!"

Together, they walked toward the center of the hall, where the other dancing couples had gathered.

Everyone was stunned to see Nolan again—but even more surprising was his dance partner: the First Princess, Seira.

"What are they doing? Aren’t they siblings?"

"So what? As far as I know, dance partners don’t have to be in love. If that were a requirement, wouldn’t it be discrimination against single people?"

"Huh, fair point. That actually makes sense."

"Tsk! I can’t wait to see Prince Nolan dance. It’s always so thrilling!"

"Same here!"

Whispers rippled through the guests.

Many had been enchanted by the earlier performance between Nolan and Rafine—and now they eagerly hoped this one would be just as breathtaking, if not better.

"I’m late again! Unacceptable!" Elina gritted her teeth in frustration.

She had been about to ask her brother to be her partner for the third session, but once again, someone beat her to it. And of all people, it had to be Seira. How annoying!

"Sister? What’s she doing with Nolan?" Adalen was stunned.

His jaw dropped as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Even the Singularity of Light looked surprised. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Have Seira and Nolan Lorian always been this close?"

Adalen snapped out of his daze and gave a small nod. He took a sip of red wine before speaking.

"Yes, Sister Seira has always been close to Nolan. That’s nothing new—they’ve been like that since we were kids. She dotes on him like he’s her own little brother."

"As for me, she’s always been distant and indifferent. That difference in how she treats us... it gets under my skin every time I think about it."

His grip on the glass tightened, and a flicker of anger crossed his face.

There was no use denying it—Seira’s constant attention toward Nolan made him jealous.

Of course, it wasn’t that he looked at her in any strange or improper way.

Still, it felt unfair. Why did his sister’s affection go to someone else—and worse, to Nolan, the reckless and unruly prince who cared nothing for rules?

The Singularity of Light didn’t respond. He remained silent, eyes locked on Nolan in the center of the hall.

Then, without warning, Nolan turned and met his gaze.

In those purple eyes, the Singularity of Light saw something dreadful—chaos... and a bottomless void.

What... How is this possible...?

He whispered, but before the thought could settle, Nolan looked away.

And just like that, everything felt normal again.

"Hah... hah..." The Singularity of Light panted, cold sweat sliding down his back.

Adalen noticed the sudden shift in his grandfather’s demeanor. Frowning, he leaned closer and asked quietly, "Grandfather, what’s wrong?"

The Singularity of Light took a deep breath, trying to steady his still-pounding heart.

"It’s nothing," he said casually, giving a slight shake of his head.

Adalen wanted to say something but held back. He simply nodded and turned his attention back to Nolan and Seira, who had just begun their dance.

The third session continued as before, with each couple showcasing their skill to the watching crowd.

Among them, Nolan and Seira clearly stood out.

Their movements were perfectly in sync—perhaps even more so than Seira’s earlier performance.

But on second thought, it made sense. They had grown up together and knew each other’s habits well—especially Seira, who clung to Nolan like a shadow.

When the dance ended, the guests burst into applause, and even Ragan found himself clapping in admiration.

He hadn’t expected his foolish son to dance so well. If he’d known this earlier, perhaps he wouldn’t have felt so embarrassed to call him his son.

"Nolan, want to dance again?" Seira asked brightly.

Nolan: "..."

Once was exhausting enough—more than that? No, thanks.

Just as he was about to decline, a sharp voice rang out behind him.

"No way! It’s my turn!"