Chapter 143: A Dance

"So you're alive, Dante Scarlet," said Adam. He quickly recognized who was before him.

"Oh, that was rather quick. Well, am I back?" He laughed like a demon in front of an angel. Dante stood up and offered his hand to greet Adam, who only smirked and rose.

"Give the throne to Velryna and sure Ethan's death, and I will allow your marriage to her," Adam offered.

They shook hands, and Dante commted, "We have a deal."

Dante lightly pondered that this was the first time he acted like a demon; in fact, he truly embraced his role.

"Yes, we have a deal," he nodded, and the two returned to the balcony of the vue. However, Dante couldn't help but commt, "I have nothing against you, nor your wife or your empire. It's just against your son; he's the cause of my death and is probably currtly working with whoever attacked me that day." Dante remarked, and Adam nodded. "Don't worry, I understand perfectly...

Ethan isn't someone I really consider. He was a mistake from wh I was younger, with a woman who caused me a lot of pain," Adam replied, and Dante became curious, but it wasn't the time for that.

"I will see Velryna," Dante said and moved forward.

"Start monitoring every move of that man, whether visible or invisible. He will know you're there, but don't show anything that might lead him to think of threats. Support him if necessary," the Emperor instructed his shadows, who watched the sce from afar.

Meanwhile, still in that hall, Aaralyn watched everything happ in silce, from the shadows of the treetops. "It seems you had a lot of help, Master," she said and vanished completely.

Heading towards his master, who descded the stairs and stood face to face with the Empress, bidding farewell to Velryna, he didn't hear what they said, but wh she turned a, he felt a shiver down his spine at Aldria's gaze.

At the same time, their gazes met again, but Dante remained strong and ignored her, offering only a slight nod of his head and descding to meet Velryna, after all, it was time for the ball.

"He asked his assassins to keep an eye on you and help you if necessary," Aaralyn said as Dante approached Velryna. "Observe them and keep me informed of how many there are," he said and finally reached Velryna, who was alone with her back turned.

He appeared behind her, pressing his body against hers, intertwining his fingers a her neck. He says, "I hope no one has bothered my little princess," emphasizing "mine." Velryna's hands held his, and she turned a. "Humph, after what you guys did, nobody wants to talk to me," she pouted, grumpy about being excluded. Dante almost kissed her lips, but couldn't, so he just hugged her gtly.

"I talked to your father and told him about me wh I saw he wasn't hostile towards our relationship. I think he's desperate to erase Ethan from the Empire as much as we are," he whispered in her ear, and Velryna pushed him back with a surprised look. "What did you say?" Dante just smiled; now that the odds were in his favor, he couldn't waste it.

She felt that, for him, anything she wanted to do was possible, and she would live by that philosophy. After all, she belonged to Dante.

She decided to be his, and if she were to die one day, it would be by his side, living the happiest momts of their lives.

For a few seconds, Velryna wt back in time.

She closed her eyes calmly and saw her past, wh everything was simple and full of joy. She saw herself on that sunny afternoon, in her mother's flower-filled gard, wh she was just a concubine of the Emperor.

Her mother, a kind and graceful woman, sat on a wood bch, weaving a crown of flowers while humming a popular lullaby. She didn't know her father yet, Adam, who only appeared a few times on the property.

Velryna approached, her small steps echoing through the gard. Her mother looked up, a warm smile lighting up her face. "Hello

, my little princess," she said, reaching out to hug her.

Velryna ran into her mother's arms, feeling safe and loved. "Mommy, I brought flowers for you!" she exclaimed, displaying a handful of freshly picked daisies.

"What a beautiful gift, Velryna!" said her mother, taking the flowers and placing them in a crystal vase. "They will look perfect on the dining table."

Her feelings mixed with her memories. Dante calling her "princess" led her to a momt she had forgott in her memories, the momt wh her mother was still radiant, clear, and kind, before her illness and all of Velryna's life turned into chaos.

With all these feelings, she could only feel the comfort of her love, her love for her mother, her love for Dante, and the love she received from both, the familiarity, the affection, the feeling of being important consumed her for a few momts.

She shed small tears as she remembered her, her mother, her precious mommy.

Dante saw the little princess crying like a little girl and held her face while wiping away the small tears that fell with his thumb. He looked deeply into her blue pools, which had the most beautiful irises of the seas, and smiled at her.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, Velryna, who finally returned only nodded. "I remembered a happy momt." She said as she tried to hide her face in Dante's chest so he wouldn't see her tears.

However, he pulled her face holding her chin and planted a calm kiss on her. He felt that she was happy, and as most of the guests wer't looking, he took advantage.

"I'm glad I met you," Dante said, and she nodded. "I'm much more." Embarrassed, he put his thumb on her lip and said, "Because my wife is so cute?"