The Crown's Obsession (WN)

Music Recommendation: Memento by Keith Merrill

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For a moment, Lucy felt like her head was about to spin because of the sudden closeness she shared with Theodore, not expecting him to pull her the way he did just now. She could feel her heart beating quickly as she stared into his red eyes that peered down at her.

The men she had danced with were all tame in their movements, not that Theodore wasn't with the way he held her back and hand. But there was something very dangerous and daunting that she could now see very clearly in his eyes. Because of standing in the tower, his hair from neatly combed had turned dishevelled.

When Theodore stepped back, Lucy followed him closely as if her body was glued to his. Lucy was slightly nervous as they moved back and forth, occupying the tower's entire open space.

"How come you didn't dance like this with Lady Adrienne?" inquired Lucy, noticing how smooth his movements were.

Theodore released his hand from Lucy'sher waist, and she felt him jerk her away from him, "I thought it would be impolite to correct her or bring attention to myself, Lady Lucy. You must know how it feels to have too much attention?" and he tugged her back towards him. She swirled right into his arms, and she was back to looking up at him.

"I thought you were enjoying the attention that you received this evening. It seemed like you were having a lot of fun," said Lucy, a hint of jealousy escaped her mouth, and she tried to hide it.

"That is a very strong opinion of how I felt. If I may ask, how did you know I was having fun?" Theodore asked her, his voice was ever so polite.

Lucy didn't want to confess that she had been looking at him almost all the time when they were in the Barnes' mansion. Truthfully, she didn't know how much Theodore had deciphered her poem. It would have been easy to brush it away by telling it wasn't for him, but her actions and gestures this evening told everything that needed to be conveyed by words.

"I just thought you did. You seemed happy," Lucy breathed the words as she felt Theodore slide his hand away from her back to place it on the curve of her waist. She was nervous, but not the wrong kind.

"You seem to be an expert when it comes to reading people's emotions. What do you think I feel right now?" he questioned her, the pressure of his hand increasing on her waist.

Lucy, who was unknown to a man's touch, quickly jumped away from Theodore and stared back at him. Her breathing turned heavy.

He slightly tilted his head as if questioning her silently if she was scared of him.

"I don't know," she whispered, not knowing what was going in Theodore's mind. When Lucy was about to turn and ready to tell she was going to leave, Theodore caught hold of her hand and pulled her back to him and said,

"Didn't you know that leaving a person half-way while dancing makes it impossible for them to dance again?" he asked her.

Lucy doubted she could resist not telling or letting him know how she felt for him. She felt like her heart would burst at any moment. "Wasn't aware of it."

"You didn't tell how your suitors were. You seemed to have spent a lot of time with the last one. Mr. Gerville was it?" questioned Theodore.

Somehow Lucy's hand had ended up on Theodore's chest, and she could feel his taut muscles underneath his nightshirt. How strange, thought Lucy to herself, that they both were wearing nightclothes and dancing under the moonlight.

"Why did you find someone to be interesting?" Lucy raised her brows, wanting to know what his thoughts were about them.

At Lucy's words, Theodore cracked a smile on his lips, "I don't swing that way, milady. But then truth to be told, I don't think any of them is worth to be your husband."

Her eyes slightly widened, and she tried to fish for more meaning behind his words. "W-why do you say that?"

They were swaying, moving from one place to another, and Theodore didn't answer her question. Instead, he twirled her out of his hold and brought her back with her back, this time facing his front.

Lucy didn't know how she ended up having her back facing Theodore's front, but when she was about to turn around, she felt both his hands on her waist.

"It isn't hard to know what a man wants from you. If he really wants you for you, his hands and his breath will move fervently," whispered Theodore next to her ear.

Lucy was sure she was going to combust into flames before being reduced into ashes. This feeling that she had and felt, it was something incomparable and she could feel it coursing through her veins.

"Like the way you danced with the lady?" asked Lucy, feeling his hands on her waist and his breath not too far away from her neck.

A chuckle escaped Theodore's lips, "It seems like your eyes were not where it was supposed to be. Have you been watching me, princess?"

Blood suddenly rushed up Lucy's face and she turned around to once again meet Theodore's gaze. She knew he knew, yet he wanted her to confess. The question was what after she confessed. As eager as she had been to convey her feelings, there was a sliver of nervousness that was filled with uncertainty of what might happen.

"Hasn't everyone?" Lucy questioned back, and she finally looked away. Pushing one piece of her hair that had moved to the front of her face because of the wind.

Theodore watched Lucy who looked out of breath and too shy to meet his gaze right now.

"I don't know about others because I couldn't shake off the feeling of someone looking at me with every opportunity," said Theodore.