·?*????????*?????。? .?。? .?*?????????*?????

  Dainty footsteps across the ballroom treading lightly as if mimicking the sounds of their heartbeats; his velvety voice laced with confusion and astonishment vividly rang in her ears, halting their performance at the center of the crowd.

  "Who...are you?"

  His pupils trembled like earthquakes. His grip on her hand slightly tightened in hope and anticipation as he waited for the lady's answer.

  Their gazes interlocked. The dancing glimmer within their eyes held inexplicable emotions so deep they were hard to convey.

  She cast him a faint smile; the flicker of sadness in her eyes was evident. It was an expression he was all too familiar with. She opened her mouth and spoke, "I've heard whispers of the imperial palace's garden, a place of magic and tranquility. It would be my deepest pleasure, my lord, to experience those rumored feelings it has to offer."

  Left speechless, he found himself unconsciously leading the mysterious lady to the garden, as if he was lulled to go there by a spell. But it was not something he cared for at the moment. All he wanted to do was find out if what his intuition was telling him was true.

  "Certainly a sight to behold," she breathed, her obsidian eyes gleaming as they swept across the lush green vines and bushes, dimly bathed by the silver rays of the moon. "The rumors about its grandeur were false, for they couldn't even do justice to its true magnificence."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Her face a smiling grace.

  A light breeze blew past them, adding just the right element to enhance the mystical and curious atmosphere around, with a little whiff of romance.

  He didn't know if it were her eyes reflecting the starry night sky above or if it was their natural glimmer, but regardless of that, he was mesmerized by them as if they were a pair of black holes reeling him in with this strange sense of familiarity that he couldn't quite explain.

  Gulping in suspense and anticipation, he took a step forward. Beyond his broad chest adorned with red silken fabric and golden threads embroidered intricately, his heart hammered loudly. Everything around him seemed to have been frozen in time.

  He stared at her locks tied up in a bun as dark as the shadows casted from the evening sky. Then to her face; her skin exhibiting a lustrous sheen and her smooth cheeks a pinkish glow. Then finally, her lips; so red like blood, so captivating and inviting. He gulped once more, attempting to hold himself back from pulling her in his embrace.

  Dazed from the rush of anticipation racing through his heart and in his head, his hands slightly trembled and the corners of his eyes burned from the impending tears. He opened his mouth and asked,

  "Who are you, my lady?... No. Let me rephrase that... Would you be so kind enough to tell me your name?"

  He extended a hand to which she stared hesitantly and replied,

  "I..."

  ·?*????????*?????。? . to be continued .。? .?*?????????*?????