Mommy Elizabeth was a remarkable dancer. I said that before if my memory serves me justice. She learnt to dance when she was a Princess. It was different to the elves' innocent random bouncing around on the dance floor. Her dance prowess could be evaluated as superb. Her dance skills weren't affected in the least after going through so much bloodshed and baptisms with the flames of war.
I held Mommy Elizabeth's hand gently and wrapped her other arm around her waist. I followed along with her footsteps. My dancing was very stiff compared to Mom's dancing, because my dancing lessons were crash courses. I didn't get any further than the basics. Strictly speaking, I was lugged around by Mom as opposed to saying I danced the opening dance with Mom.
It was a ball for Elizabeth, so she danced the opening dance. Vyvyan refused to dance with anybody and was, therefore, left standing by the side watching us. Elizabeth's image shocked everybody. News of the North and South should've spread around by that point. As a result, Mommy Elizabeth's image as a tyrant reached the North. Everybody, therefore, thought she was an imposing and proud warrior, only to discover she was a goddess with a faint smile at my side.
That isn't the real Elizabeth. If they saw how she was on the daily at Hilles City, they'd know that wasn't how she was, especially when one committed a mistake in her presence.
I had my arm wrapped around Mom's waist. In the midst of the soothing music, I smiled and apologetically said, "Sorry, Mom. I'm not very good at dancing."
"It's fine, Son. You're not bad for somebody who has just started. After all, Mommy underwent special training in the past, just so that Mommy could dance well. I don't think you would've learnt to dance when you grew up with the elves. It's not bad that you can keep up with me, despite not having learnt it before. Moreover, Mommy doesn't mind how you dance. Mommy is happy just to be able to dance with you. I always dreamt of dancing with your father in this sort of formal setting. I don't ask for anything, but to dance in such a setting. To be able to dance with the one you love is the greatest bliss."
Slightly unhappy with what I heard, I pouted. What she thought couldn't be any more normal. I shouldn't feel this way when I hear that my mother misses my father, should I…? It was the equivalent of Freya bragging to me how great Gerald was. I couldn't accept it.
"But why do I feel this way now?" I wondered.
"Isn't it nice to dance with you, too, Son?" Elizabeth tilted her head with a smile. I noticed a crafty look in her eyes. She asked, "What's wrong, Son? Could it be that you're somewhat jealous of your father?"
I shifted my gaze elsewhere and pouted: "I don't think it counts as jealousy. I just don't think it's very nice to be mentioning a father who has never shown up or taken care of me before while you're in your son's territory… I have no feelings for my father. He's never taken care of me."
"The issue was he never had the chance to, Son. Your father really liked you after you were born, and I'm sure he felt the same way when you were with the elves. You're his only son. There's no way he didn't want to take care of you. The problem was he didn't get the chance too. He passed away too early."
I sulked, "Who said he's probably dead? He might be cosying up with a woman you two have never seen before."
"If that was true, Vyvyan and I would be very mad. Very, very, very mad," said Mommy Elizabeth, tightly clenching her teeth, and then sighed. She then continued in a soft tone: "Well, we wouldn't be that angry. Nothing would make us more blissful than to know that he's still alive. As for what he did, we can forgive him for all of it. If he can still return to our sid-, ah…"
Mommy Elizabeth reacted with shock. I used so much force that I nearly threw her out. Mom was probably distracted, since she spaced out when she remembered my father. We were at the part of the dance where we performed a big circle and then came back together in an embrace.
*Rip!!!*
It wouldn't have been a serious accident, but I was still tightly holding Mom's hand. As such, while she wasn't thrown away and hurt, the sound of her dress ripping froze my brain on the spot. Mom's expression froze stiff. She swiftly rushed to my side with her face white as a sheet. In a muffled voice, she exclaimed, "Son!! My chest… My chest! And my rear, too… My rear!"
I swiftly pulled her into my arms and locked her there with one hand. I used my other hand to press down where her dress ripped at the rear. Mom wore a distraught expression. Again, in a muffled voice, she said, "My chest… is exposed… Same with my rear… I don't think anybody saw me. I don't think so…"
"Yeah, I don't think anybody did."
If somebody saw her, the people around us couldn't possibly continue dancing here so calmly.
I checked at the nobles around us. They were still dancing normally. They weren't paying attention to us. I felt the gentle sensation of flesh in my hand. In the past, I didn't dare to touch that spot. I lowered my head and saw skin white as chalk pressed up against my body, causing it to change shape.
Mom was wearing a dress without shoulder straps. Therefore, if I took a step back, her dress would drop to the ground, since the parts hold it together had snapped.
"No, no. I can't let that happen," I said to myself.
I pulled mom up onto my chest tightly and whispered, "Mom, make sure your dress doesn't fall down. I'll hold the back of your dress together. Grab onto me tightly."
"All right." Mom nodded. She then looked to the other door and whispered, "We just need to get out of here. I'll go change once we get out, and then we can come back after."
"Uhm, uhm. Let's head to the entrance first."
Our bodies were glued tightly together. The scariest part was that Mommy Elizabeth's clothes were undone. I could feel her breasts pressed up against me and rubbing against me. Furthermore, Mom was clinging to me particularly closely. It was as though she had an overwhelming urge to glue herself to me…
I failed to resist…
"Mm…"
Mommy Elizabeth felt it. She went red in the face, but she couldn't let go of me in her current situation. My face was burning up, as well. I whispered, "Sorry, Mom… I…"
"It's all right. Let's leave first." Mom gave a simple response, and then continued heading toward the exit with me.
The door wasn't far away, but I felt as though it was the longest road I ever walked… Shame and the feeling of our bodies pressed tightly against each other virtually brought me to my knees…
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