Chapter 15: Dancing Across the World

The afterglow of the sunset gradually faded, and stars began to dot the sky. Unlike Earth, the planet Hailan was still in the Middle Ages. Even as the imperial capital, the nightscape of Alsace City held little beauty, yet the palace was brightly lit, with giant candles and magic bathing the beautiful structure in light, making it as bright as day.

Outside the palace gates, luxurious carriages were already parked, their crests representing numerous illustrious families. The empire's nobility had all gathered—what major event was this?

"Viscount, Your Lordship."

Xu Feng turned around and saw a middle-aged man walking briskly toward him. It was Count Royt, the Court Chamberlain. Xu Feng smiled and nodded, "Lord Count."

Over the past few days, Xu Feng had either been reading or studying magic, rarely leaving his residence. This Count was arguably the only noble he was acquainted with.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two entered the palace together. This was Xu Feng's second time entering the empire's seat of power, but unlike his previous nervous apprehension, this time he could leisurely take in the splendor of the architecture.

The marble floors were smooth and polished like jade, and the vaulted ceilings stood seven to eight meters high, adorned with latticework patterns and exquisite carvings. The furnishings were also extremely luxurious. Along the corridors, every ten meters stood a maid on each side—all young girls around twenty years old, with lovely features and shapely figures wrapped in sheer gauze dresses. The air carried a hint of their fragrance.

The count clearly intended to draw Xu Feng to his side. Seeing his interest in the palace, he launched into a detailed account of the history of this great structure.

"Speaking of which, the palace hasn't held such a grand ball in a long time. This time, we have you to thank for it."

"What?" Xu Feng was taken aback, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"Since Princess Ailiya fell ill, His Majesty has been greatly distressed. Looking across the noble circles of Alsace City, who would have the poor judgment to hold a celebratory event like a ball? Today is to celebrate Her Highness's recovery." The count glanced at Xu Feng. That day, the young man's miraculous medical skills had left a deep impression on him.

Xu Feng demurred politely. As they spoke, the two arrived at their destination—a massive hall spanning several thousand square meters. Its ceiling was even higher than the other buildings, and at its center was embedded a gemstone the size of a basketball—similar to a chandelier back on Earth. The gem emitted a soft glow, illuminating the entire hall.

Clearly, many had arrived earlier than them. Both men and women were dressed splendidly. Today's ball was a veritable who's who of the empire's nobility. People formed small circles, discussing topics of interest to them.

Count Royt was soon pulled away by a few familiar nobles. He shot an apologetic look at Xu Feng, but Xu Feng didn't mind. He had no interest in mingling with these middle-aged men and slowly made his way toward the edge of the ballroom.

Around the hall were specially crafted long tables covered with white cloths, laden with pastries, fruits, and all kinds of tempting delicacies. Comely palace maids, dressed in form-fitting attire, carried trays of fine wine, threading their way through the guests.

Approaching a table, Xu Feng quietly sampled the pastries—they were quite delicious. The voices of those around him occasionally reached his ears.

"I heard it was a young man who cured Her Highness."

"I heard that too, and he's a very handsome young man. His Majesty even granted him a viscountcy."

"Truly, heroes emerge from the young. It would be wonderful to meet him."

...

Xu Feng followed the voices and saw several noble girls. Unfortunately... they were somewhat plain-looking, not even as pretty as the maids nearby. Xu Feng shook his head, abandoning any thought of approaching them.

Feeling a bit bored, Xu Feng swirled the fine wine in his glass. Just as he was growing restless, a group of knights entered, all clad in silver armor, their swords gleaming with a cold light. The leader stepped forward and announced, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Instantly, the entire hall fell silent. The nobles bowed in respect. Xu Feng, unimpressed, quietly glanced up. Baphia XV walked in, accompanied by a radiantly beautiful girl—the empire's pearl, Princess Ailiya.

Her stunning complexion, compared to their first meeting, looked much healthier. Dressed in magnificent court attire, her exposed skin was as smooth as jade, utterly captivating. Truly worthy of being called the First Beauty of Mankind.

"Rise, my lords!" The emperor smiled broadly, clearly in excellent spirits.

The band began playing a melodious tune, and the ball commenced. The young wolves... no, the nobles, their eyes gleaming, gathered around the young princess like moths to a flame. Unfortunately, their invitations were all politely declined by the girl.

"Liya, what's wrong? Don't you want to dance?"

"No, Father. It's just that for the first dance, I'd like to dance with my savior!"

"Savior?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of the emperor's lips. He turned to a nearby attendant and asked, "Has Viscount Xufeng arrived?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the heaven-blessed girl, Princess Ailiya, slowly walked over to Xu Feng. On her stunning face appeared two faint blushes, and her voice was more melodious than a lark's: "Viscount, would you care to dance with me?"

A murmur ran through the crowd.

The crowd was stunned, whispering and murmuring among themselves. Besides shock, there was only shock. Who was this young man? Princess Ailiya actually...

The noble youths were especially jealous, their eyes burning with envy as they looked at Xu Feng.

"It would be my honor."

Xu Feng completely ignored the expressions of the flies. Gently taking the girl's arm, he thought to himself, *Only an idiot would refuse a dance with a beautiful princess.*

However... Xu Feng soon discovered a headache-inducing problem. The court dances of the Tango Empire were completely different from those on Earth. It seemed... he didn't know how to dance them.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and avoided stepping on the princess's feet, but snickers already arose from the nobles around them, especially the young wolves, whose eyes gleamed with schadenfreude.

*Damn it!*

How could he let these people look down on him?

Xu Feng leaned in slightly and whispered, "My apologies, Your Highness. I'm not familiar with this dance, but there's another dance I'm quite good at!"

It must be said that heaven favored Xu Feng. Aside from her beauty, what most captivated people about Princess Ailiya was her dancing. The little princess had an unparalleled talent in this area and was deeply passionate about it. Hearing his words, she blinked and asked, "What dance?"

"Waltz."

"What kind of dance is that?"

Aelia was curious. She had never heard of such a dance.

"Well, it's a dance from a very distant place. If you'd like to learn, I can teach you."

The mockery in the nobles' eyes soon vanished, replaced by astonishment. They stared dumbfounded as Xu Feng and the little princess danced gracefully across the ballroom. Before long, everyone else had stopped. In the dance floor, only that handsome young man and beautiful girl remained. In dancing, the little princess was indeed a genius. In a very short time, she had mastered the essence of the waltz...