Blessed Time 4: Shattered Hourglass: A LitRPG Adventure by Cale Plamann

Author:Cale Plamann [Plamann, Cale]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2023-01-26T07:00:00+00:00

20

BALLROOM DIPLOMACY

Micah swayed in time with the music, a pained smile frozen on his face. The sound of violins swelled behind him as he did his best to follow Gwen’s practiced movements.

The Princess was gorgeous. Considering the number of servants that had joined Micah’s guild on their circuit of Sandrovok, it only made sense. He barely understood the unspoken rules of fashion and etiquette that bubbled under the surface at the balls and high society events that she forced him to attend, but Micah did see the hours of preparation she spent before ever touching a slipper to the dance floor.

From makeup to studying reports on the nobles that would be present, Gwen put as much effort into preparing for each ball as Micah did for his dungeons. It was an alien world, one that he wasn’t even sure he wanted to fully understand.

“How did the latest clearance and suppression mission go?” The Princess’ question snapped Micah out of his woolgathering as she pushed slightly on his right shoulder while pulling on his left hip.

Micah followed her direction, twirling the two of them just as the music flourished, drawing a scattering of applause from the crowd surrounding them. It was half-polite and had nothing to do with him. Some of the local nobles, largely manor lords managing country estates that rarely made it to the capital, were genuinely impressed by Gwen’s dancing. For most, their polite interest was a matter of calculation. Even if they didn’t really care about the dance itself, most of the nobles didn’t want to thumb their noses at the royal family.

“Pretty well,” Micah replied, ending the spin in response to a squeeze of his hip. “None of the men were hurt, and pretty much all of them have gained a level per dungeon so far. They aren’t quite where I want them yet, but they’re pretty close to combat ready.”

“Your entire organization is impressive.” Gwen jumped up into Micah’s arms, forcing him to catch and hold her for a second as the music paused. She dropped to the ground, smoothly resuming the dance just as the drums began to pick up. “Drekt has drilled your guild as well as any imperial training sergeant, and your siblings form an emotional core that keeps everyone’s spirits up. Even Esther and Leeka have grown into their own. They might not be the most powerful warriors in the organization, but they can certainly make their presence felt.”

“Thank you?” Micah tried to turn the words into a question.

She squeezed his bicep a half second before the song came to an end, giving Micah the notice he needed to take a half step back and bow over an outstretched arm. Around the dance floor, the other pairs of dancers mimicked his motion, but Gwen stood firm and imperious. Alas, one of the many minor benefits of being born to royalty.

“Just a compliment,” she said with a pleasant smile. “I can see why you have such faith in your people. I still

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.