It was a simple dance really, one she had perfected by the age of seven. She had always been on the receiving end of various compliments but she never took them to heart. It was a fickle society they lived in, betrayal hidden behind compliments. And thus, she understood the point of these balls that her father had forced her to attend, and the reason why her mother spent hours upon hours choosing dresses, jewelry and accessories. She was to marry to secure their family's wealth and honor. So as she was twirled around the room by various young lords of the kingdom, she knew better than to wear her heart on her sleeve.

At the end of the dance, her hands quickly withdrew themselves from the young lord's who had tried to keep her attention for the last couple of minutes. With a perfected smile and a small curtsy, she excused herself, purposely ignoring the guilt she felt for leaving him when she recognized the disappointment in his eyes. Her footsteps were graceful but brisk, from the years of etiquette courses she was forced through, as she made her way through the maze of people engaging in polite conversations. Her head was held high with eyes looking straight, it would reflect badly on her if someone realized she was wandering.

But from the corner of her eye, she finally saw where her destination was going to be. For the first time that night, a real small smile appeared on her face as she sauntered over. There weren't words of greetings exchanged as she sat down in the remaining empty seat, just small smiles of understanding. The young lady sitting next to her was only one she had close enough to be considered a friend. They had grown up together and shared the same annoyance of their presence being required at these balls. As she looked out at the center of the room, she could only turn back and smirk at the girl next to her. Their location was practically concealed by the flowing curtains blown by the wind from the opened window next to them. Unless one was to really look, most would overlook their little alcove. Yet they were able to watch everything unfold before them. It was the perfect place to sit and relax but also enable them to answer questions about who danced with whom and for how long when their mothers questioned them later.

"Don't look at me like that," the lady snapped, the blush appearing on her cheeks betrayed her embarrassment. "It's the third day in a row that we're at yet another ball. I don't think I can take anymore of this fake smiling."

"Belle, I was only planning on thanking you for finding this place," she smiled with a small roll of her eyes. "It's not like you don't know how much I enjoy get twirled around for hours on end." Sharing soft laughter, the two continued to watch the dancing unfold. She knew that if her parents found out that she wasn't following their wishes of flittering around trying to get all the young earls and dukes' attention then she would get a scolding but she couldn't bring herself to get up. Just like Belle had said, it was their third night straight attending another ball and her feet were aching. Her mind began to wander as her eyes looked towards the scenery outside the window. It was a clear night and the stars were shining brightly, all vying to outdo each other. She could smell the faint scent of pine and honeysuckle mingling with the wind that wafted through the window. Maybe if she closed her eyes and listened hard enough, she could hear the stream flowing gently outside the castle. But before she could hear the sound of the stream, all she heard was a scoff from Belle next to her.

"Look at Lady Adrianna out there, practically trying to glue herself to the poor lord out there," Belle sneered. "You would think she would know better as she is the king's niece and her actions would reflect badly on His Majesty."

When her eyes followed Belle's gaze to the center of the grand ballroom, her eye could only narrow at the sight before her. Lady Adrianna was a renowned beauty of the kingdom. Her hair was golden like a field of wheat shimmering in the sunlight, tresses curled and flowing down like a waterfall. Her eyes glimmered from the gold specks in her expressive brown eyes. Her skin was fair and almost glowed from the contrast her deep red dress provided. What should've caught people's attention was the way the dress hugged Lady Adrianna's curves. However, rather than the way the dress hugged her, everyone's eyes were focused on the way Lady Adrianna had wrapped herself around the young lord leading her. It seemed as though Lady Adrianna was pressing herself ever more closely to him with each passing second. She was surprised that the two were not stepping on each other's feet from the lack of distance between them as the lord waltzed Lady Adrianna around. But when the two turned and she was finally able to see the lord's face, she didn't recognize him. "Who is Lady Adrianna dancing with? I don't think I've ever seen him before."

"Lord Aiden Jerymin, Earl of Coventry, who arrived here early this morning" Belle replied. "The youngest lord to earn the title in his own right, might I add. I have yet to hear any complaints about him and it seems as though all the ladies have took quite the interest in him. Expressive eyes and a voice like velvet is what the gossip has said, a true gentleman."

She could only nod as she heard Belle speak about this earl of Coventry. Despite Lady Adrianna pressing her body closer and closer to him, Lord Aiden's hand remained surely along her shoulder blades and hadn't moved an inch. His shoulders looked wide and dependent; and his posture, straight and strong. She watched the views and murmurs of appreciation the other court ladies were expressing and her mind could only wonder how a single man was able to turn the court upside down in a single day.

She continued to watch different couples spin around the room, some engaged in conversations while others seemed to just dance the way she had just moments before. But her eyes seemed to always be drawn back to the couple who had everyone's envy. "That's apparently the third time tonight Lord Aiden and Lady Adrianna had danced together. However, one must admit that they look good together." Her eyes looked back at her friend, trying to decipher Belle's tone of voice. What she originally thought was envy wasn't seen in her clear, blue eyes. Belle's expression was one of boredom as though they were talking of something as trivial as the weather.

A small giggle escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Belle often surprised her with thoughts contradicting that of most people at court. Of course while everyone was envying Lady Adrianna for having the popular Lord Aiden's attention, Belle would be shrugging him off as another tree in the forest. But when she saw Belle turn to her with concern marring her expression, the smile died off. "What's wrong?"

"Leila," Belle started slowly as her eyes shifted from the dance floor back to her, "Lord Aiden's gaze has been following you."

When her eyes swept through the room, they stopped immediately at a pair of piercing gray eyes staring back at her. She could feel the breath get caught in as he winked at her. Leila felt a blush form on her face and knew Lord Aiden understood he was the cause of it if the way his charming smile widened was any indication of it. She turned away from him to gather herself, mentally scolding herself for letting a mere wink break through the façade of indifference she took years to perfect. Rather than feeling pleasure for his attention being on her, Leila felt annoyance course through her at the lord's audacity. As she turned back to face him, she could only scowl seeing his lips curve into a smirk.

His attention only shifted from her as the dance came to an end and he smiled down at Lady Adrianna. Leila watched as he led her off the dance floor, turning back to the gentleman she had thought he was. She could only scoff as she turned back to her companion whose eyes were narrowed. "What was that? You and Lord Aiden…" Belle trailed off.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leila replied. And she honestly didn't understand what had just happened. Compared to the Earl of Coventry that had danced with Lady Adrianna, the Lord Aiden whose gaze met hers seemed like a different man.

"Well, I suggest you figure out something since he seems to be walking towards our direction," Belle whispered urgently.

When she turned to the direction, Leila became flustered as she realized Belle was right. Lord Aiden was coming towards their direction with a determined glint in his eyes. Her mind told her not to worry since it could be Belle that he was coming for. Belle was the image of a classic beauty: her features were soft and symmetrical, her eyes twinkled when she smiled, and she carried herself with grace. To think that Lord Aiden was coming for her would be regarding herself too highly. Yet she knew that if he really did ask Belle to dance then she knew she would feel betrayed. All he had done was wink at her though, that shouldn't mean a thing. Her eyes dropped to her lap where her hands were clasped together as she tried to sort out her contradicting feelings. But before she could reprimand herself any further, a hand filled her view. "May I have the pleasure of this next dance with you, milady?" a smooth voice asked.

Leila's eyes followed the hand up to find Lord Aiden smiling at her. She was taken aback by the intensity of his gaze before looking behind him to see that the rest of the guests' eyes seemed to also be on her. She knew that she couldn't refuse this dance but the implications of accepting might be more than she could handle, especially since Lady Adrianna now seemed to be staring daggers at her. As she turned back to him, she saw that Lord Aiden's gaze never moved from her. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out and placed it in his.

She wasn't ready for the spark that jolted her when their hands touched, but his large hand caught hers before she could withdraw. His smile widened as his hand enveloped hers and lead her to the center of the room. She didn't realize how much taller he was until she was walking beside him. Leila glanced up at his side profile to see a strong jaw line, a straight nose and long lashes. He suddenly turned to her and chuckled softly seeing her cheeks flush with embarrassment that he caught her staring.

When they reached the center of the room along with the other dancing couples, she gently put her left hand on his arm as he placed his hand on the middle of her back. Her eyes widened slightly as the heat his hand brought seemed to burn through her dress as he pulled her closer to him. Her left hand gripped his arm to keep herself from falling into him and she could feel the muscles ripple under his midnight blue tunic. Her eyes glared up pass his wide shoulders at him but he just smiled innocently down at her. "It appears I haven't properly introduced myself yet." His voice was deep with a husky tone that brought a shiver down her spine. "Lord Aiden Jerymin, Earl of Coventry."

Just like the rumors had said, Lord Aiden's voice had the texture of velvet, both warm and smooth. It was deeper than most males she knew and held a commanding tone that caused everyone to hang onto his every word. And his eyes were surprisingly gray with flecks of violet that seemed to hold a person captive when looked into. His shoulders were broad, giving the impression he could hold the weight of the world. As he led her through the dance, she could feel the eyes of many follow their movement, just waiting for her to slip and make a mistake. "Leila," she returned, "Leila of Normandy." 

--

Inspiration: JJ Lin's "Romantic Mystery" 

[first half of] character sketch: four 

I'm not quite finished with the second half, but if you want me to post it when I do finish it then let me know.