Several minutes passed while Esther danced with Ulrich, following the slow rhythm he had chosen for her with growing ease.
By the second minute, she had already forgotten the humiliation from before.
Or rather, it was not that she had truly forgotten. It still existed somewhere at the edge of her mind, along with the sneers, the whispers, and the cold space the other nobles had carved around her and her sisters. But none of it could reach her properly anymore. Not while she was there in the middle of the hall, moving under the chandeliers with Ulrich leading her, the music wrapping around them in soft turns.
She did not remember the last time she had enjoyed something this much.
At that moment, Esther did not see the nobles around them.
She did not hear the gossip curling between the other couples, or the whispers drifting from the edges of the floor, or the curious glances still following them.
She saw only Ulrich.
Or rather, she tried not to see too much of him at once.
