The gallery was a place of silence, but not a calming one. Corin sat in one of the deep, velvet-covered chairs, cold tea in hand, his gaze fixed on a painting without really seeing it. The sounds of voices had stopped. The doors had closed. The family had spoken. Whether he was allowed to be part of it, that was not in his hands.
And then it came.
The door opened silently. Her footsteps on the marble were like the ticking of a clock, slow, controlled, final. As if the room itself had held its breath for a moment.
Viviana.
Not as usual. The black was gone. Today she was wearing red. Deep, velvety, dangerous, a red that was no longer fire, but embers under the ashes, darker. Her back neckline was wide as usual, her hair fell over it like silk in the night. Her eyes met his. Without a smile, but with something else. A wave that swept towards him, slowly, inevitably.
He put the cup down. Slowly. Almost reverently. Seeing Viviana alway did something to him.
"You heard him?" she asked quietly, as if it were a rhetorical statement. Not a question. Not a condemnation. Just a fact.
"Hard not to, with the volume." Corin's voice was controlled, but not cold.
Viviana stepped closer and sat down opposite him, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. Her hands rested folded in her lap, but it was the look that bored into him, as if she were searching for cracks in him.
"Ellion is..." she hesitated just a touch "...more direct than me. Less bound by etiquette."
"Impulsive, then?" He raised a brow, not quite suppressing the irony.
She smirked. Slightly. Only with her lips.
"A man who's been taught how to dance with knives. But sometimes he forgets that we're dancing here not tearing."
For a second, there was nothing but tension between them. Not hostile, not familiar.
"Will you let me in on it?" Corin finally asked.
Viviana leaned back slightly, as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, except she had it wrapped in velvet.
"Perhaps. But not today."
Then, with a sideways glance that was like a stitch:
"Strength brings knowledge, Corin. And knowledge brings weight. The more you carry, the less you have to ask."
"And the harder the path becomes." He said it without bitterness.
"Which is exactly why I sometimes wonder..." She leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp as a thorn. "How badly do you really want to walk it?"
There was no avoiding his gaze. No hesitation. No smile.
"To the end."
A moment passed, silent as the last heartbeat before the storm. Then she straightened up, elegant as ever, and turned to go.
"Then stay alert. You won't be receiving the next invitation in black."
Viviana was only a few steps away from the door when his voice stopped her.
"Viviana."
She stopped, her back turned to him. Her shoulders didn't slump, but something about the way she tilted her head slightly gave away that she was not expecting another request.
"You owe me a wish."
Slowly, she turned to face him. Her expression was, unusually, not immediately readable. Something flickered briefly in her eyes. Confusion? Surprise? Perhaps both.
"A wish? Now?" Her voice was soft, but alert. Like someone who was playing a game and didn't know which piece their opponent was moving.
Corin stood now too, very calmly. No mischievous grin, no empty phrase. Just this calm, clear gaze, which had only become rarer since his first day in this house.
"Teach me how to dance."
Viviana's eyebrow raised slightly, her lips opened a touch, but she didn't say anything. Not yet.
Then, with a hint of irony in his tone, almost teasing, but with an undertone that got through to her:
"I'll need it soon."
For a moment, the world seemed silent. Then she looked at him as if he had just opened a door whose existence she had almost forgotten. A smile crept onto her lips, barely visible, but genuine. Different.
"Dancing, then."
She stepped slowly back into the room, each step like a promise.
"You know, Corin... a dance with me doesn't always end in balance."
He replied quietly. "I know. But I'm a quick learner."
"Then you'd better wear shoes with soft soles."
She stepped closer, just an arm's length away. Her eyes sparkled.
"The first dance won't be at a ball, Corin."
And with one last look, half challenge, half promise, she turned to leave for good. But this time... the step was lighter. Almost light-hearted.
-----------------------------------------
The room was large, but Corin felt cramped.
Too many mirrors.
Too many glances.
Not that there was anyone there but Viviana, but her eyes were enough.
"Your posture is stiff."
Viviana's voice was amused as she strode past him. Barefoot, effortlessly, as if she were the rhythm itself.
Corin sighed. "You want me to relax in a room full of glass? Sounds logical."
"You're supposed to move. With me, not against me."
She turned to him and held out her hand. Fingers that didn't feel like an invitation, but like a challenge.
Corin took it. Reflex. A tug, then a jerk. Suddenly he turned with her, a step forward, then to the side. His body reacted as if he already knew the dance, but his head was still catching up.
"Interesting." Viviana eyed him with a wry smile. "You have a talent for this. Or are you cheating?"
"I'm not cheating."
"Hmm." She deliberately let her fingertips glide over his palm. "Pure talent, then."
Corin said nothing. But he could feel his body adjusting.
His balance was perfect. His step was springy but firm.
The same feeling as in battle, only without the blood.
Viviana noticed it too. Her grin widened.
"So a natural after all."
Then she pulled him with more force. The speed increased. One turn, then another. Corin's reflexes let him follow automatically, he adapted and turned Viviana back at the right moment.
She stopped for a split second. Then, a throaty laugh.
"Not bad."
Corin raised an eyebrow. "Surprised?"
"A little bit." She stepped closer, her voice softer. "You're good. But..."
Suddenly her hand was on his shoulder. A jerk. His foot was wrong.
Viviana released her hand from him, took a step back and Corin almost toppled forward.
"Well. Not perfect yet."
"You brought me out."
"I showed you that you can still learn." She winked. "Otherwise this is going to be boring."
Corin exhaled, straightened up. Viviana clapped her hands twice. "Let's start again, Raven. This time with more dedication."
She tested it out further, deliberately giving him a more difficult rhythm and yet he followed, almost effortlessly.
Viviana laughed quietly, almost enjoying it.
"Can you see that, Corin? Your feet already listen to me more than your head ever will."
"Or they've just decided you're a terrible teacher."
Viviana laughed, but her eyes sparkled defiantly.
"Oh? Then show me how you do it better."
And then there was this tiny moment when Corin, without thinking, actually took the lead. A deeper step, a precise twist that throws Viviana off balance. Her breathing stops for a split second.
Not because she is unsure. But because it surprises her.
A moment of silence between the two of them, then a small smile on Viviana's lips.
"Not bad... for someone who claims to know nothing about etiquette."