If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 31

In the grand ballroom, where the massive chandelier glittered brightly, a beautiful princess and a prince danced hand in hand. It should have been a perfect dance with the prince from her imagination…

“I’m so sorry…”

Georgiana lost count of how many times she had stepped on Lockwood’s foot. He looked down at her with a smile, dimples forming as he grinned.

“Why didn’t you step on those mean people like this earlier?”

“What?”

“If you had, everyone would’ve realized just how fierce you can be.”

“No way.”

She gave a pouty reply to his teasing, which only made Lockwood laugh louder. His usually sharp eyes softened as his laughter filled the room, the amusement even reaching the corners of his eyes. For some reason, the way he was dressed today, brighter and more vibrant than usual, made him feel completely different.

Had something good happened that I don’t know about?

Georgiana was so absorbed in watching his smile that she didn’t notice when the music had ended. Even though the windows were open wide and there were blocks of ice placed around the room to keep it cool, she felt her body heat up, especially her face, which felt as if it were burning—not from the heat but from embarrassment.

Fortunately, the long hem of her dress kept anyone from noticing how many times she had stepped on Lockwood’s foot.

“Juliana! When did you learn to dance? That was so beautiful!” Sarah exclaimed as they returned to their seats, showering Georgiana with praise.

“Beautiful? I felt more like a swan—trying hard to keep my face composed while struggling beneath the surface. By the end, I was praying my feet would disappear!”

“Pfft, it didn’t look like that at all!”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. But why does it feel so hot in here? Is it just me?”

“Here, have something to cool down with.”

Sarah offered champagne from the table to both Georgiana and Lockwood.

“While you two were dancing, I tried a few drinks. This one’s the mildest and the smoothest,” she said.

The golden liquid went down smoothly, just as Sarah had described, not too strong but pleasantly cool as it slid down Georgiana’s throat. Having never tasted alcohol before, Georgiana found the champagne refreshingly sweet and kept reaching for more glasses. As the empty glasses piled up, her mood lifted, and the corners of her eyes turned into crescents.

“This might taste mild, but it can sneak up on you,” Lockwood said, slyly taking away her glass when she reached for her fourth—or was it fifth?—drink. She reached out for it, but he only pushed it further out of her reach.

“Give it back.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re acting like a child.”

“Who’s acting like a child?” She puffed her cheeks, feeling a little annoyed at being treated like one. But before Lockwood could stop her, Sarah handed her another glass.

Without giving him a chance to protest, Georgiana snatched it up and downed it all at once, figuring he would take it away if she didn’t drink quickly enough.

“One glass is fine. When else would she get to drink on such a special day? Besides, she’s with you—what’s there to worry about?”

“Right, Sarah,” Georgiana agreed, backing her up.

“And it’s fun to see Juliana so relaxed.”

“I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”

Even though she insisted she was okay, Lockwood sighed as he looked at her.

“It’s nice seeing you two argue over something so ordinary. Earlier, when I was watching you both, you reminded me of a princess and a prince. That’s when it finally hit me—I’m really at a ball. I hope one day I’ll get to dance with a prince too.”

Come to think of it, Sarah could dance if she wanted to. Even if she hadn’t learned, she would definitely be better than me, Georgiana thought.

She lifted her skirt slightly and playfully stepped on Lockwood’s foot. When he looked down at her in surprise, Georgiana gestured for him to lower his ear to her.

Though he gave her a bewildered smile, he leaned down without hesitation. She whispered quietly into his ear, making sure Sarah couldn’t hear.

“Please ask Sarah for a dance.”

“What?”

“Before the song ends, ask her to dance.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Lockwood’s confusion puzzled her. There weren’t any rules about dancing with just one person at a ball, were there?

But instead of agreeing, he shook his head. “Why should I leave my wife to dance with someone else? Besides, I don’t even like dancing.”

He seemed so adamant about not dancing with others that Georgiana began to feel anxious.

“Please. I’ll do anything you want later, Locke.”

“Really? You’ll do whatever I want?”

“Anything. Last time…”

Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but she brought up something she shouldn’t have.

“I paid the price you wanted last time, didn’t I?”

Lockwood let out a short laugh at her words. “It sounds like you’re offering a similar payment now. Is that what you mean?”

For a moment, he smirked like a mischievous villain. Something about it felt off, but as the music neared its end, Georgiana became more desperate and nodded.

“Yes. So please.”

“You promised.”

“Yes.”

With the deal sealed, Lockwood moved naturally toward Sarah as if he had intended to all along.

Sarah glanced at Georgiana with wide eyes, but Georgiana only smiled and nodded back.

This song was much shorter than the last, and with the length of Sarah’s dress, Georgiana couldn’t even see her feet, but Sarah looked like a much better dancer than she was.

‘I’ll get better with practice next time,’ Georgiana thought to herself.

Filled with a sense of determination, she downed two more glasses of champagne while watching them dance. It wasn’t until someone approached her that she noticed she had been lost in her own thoughts.

“Are you upset that Mr. Limberton is dancing with someone else?”

Before she could answer, Anthony appeared with a drink in hand, clinking his glass against hers.

“Upset? No, it’s just frustrating that I can’t dance well.”

“You weren’t bad at all.”

“You saw?”

“Not just me—everyone in this hall was watching you two dance.”

“Impossible. Please tell me you’re joking. Why would anyone watch something so awful?”

Anthony burst out laughing at her words.

By the time the music ended, Sarah and Lockwood had returned to their seats.

“That’s the man from earlier,” Sarah said, recognizing Anthony.

Lockwood’s expression subtly hardened as he noticed Anthony standing by Georgiana’s side.

“I couldn’t focus on my work knowing I’d left such beautiful women behind. People kept trying to hold me back, but I rushed over here as soon as I could.”

“You’re not thinking of pursuing someone who already has a partner, are you?” Sarah teased, implying that Anthony had come for Georgiana.

He quickly shook his head. “Not at all. It’s just that my mother was very tall.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I grew up getting scolded by her a lot. But that doesn’t mean we had a bad relationship.”

“So?”

“At some point, I developed a preference for shorter, more petite women, the opposite of my mother. And, well, my favorite animal is the cat.”

It was painfully clear whom Anthony was referring to. Sarah’s face turned as red as it ever had since Georgiana met her. Though they hadn’t known each other for long, Georgiana had never seen her friend so flustered.

Anthony bent down and offered his hand to Sarah. “So, Miss Kitty, would you grant me the honor of a dance?”

“You’re not my type.”

Though her face was flushed, Sarah kept her cool, rejecting him with a haughty air. But Anthony only dropped to one knee, his manner even more respectful.

“You know, reality and ideals often don’t align.”

“Well, I do have standards. But I suppose I can let this one slide.”

Feigning reluctance, Sarah took his hand, and the two began to dance.

Together, the gray-haired prince and the black-haired princess looked like a picture-perfect couple.

Though they were dancing the same dance, the atmosphere between them was entirely different from when Sarah had danced with Lockwood. There was something sweet, like biting into a piece of cake, about the way they moved together.

As Georgiana watched with a warm smile, she suddenly felt a burning gaze from beside her.

It was then that she remembered their earlier agreement, but she pretended not to notice, keeping her eyes firmly ahead.

Lockwood, lowering his head, whispered into her ear, “You haven’t forgotten your promise, have you?”