The next morning, Rynhara groaned as she shuffled into the royal ballroom. Her newfound "success" in acquiring the Etiquette skill had apparently earned her an upgrade to "Dancing Lessons" in the curriculum. She wasn't thrilled.
Lady Vaelith stood in the center of the grand room, her posture ramrod straight, a long pointer stick in her hand. Kaelira lounged against a nearby column, clearly there to enjoy the show rather than help.
"Today, Your Highness," Lady Vaelith began, her voice as sharp as a blade, "We will tackle the art of ballroom dancing. A skill every princess must master to avoid disgracing herself at royal functions."
"Or tripping and face-planting into a duke," Kaelira added helpfully.
"Kaelira, silence," Lady Vaelith snapped without looking at her.
Rynhara sighed. "Can we skip to the part where I set the dance floor on fire and call it a day?"
Lady Vaelith's eyes narrowed. "No. You will learn. Your mother specifically asked me to be more thorough with this lesson.Now, stand up straight."
Lady Vaelith clapped her hands, and a small orchestra in the corner of the ballroom began to play. "First position, Your Highness."
Rynhara stood awkwardly, her tail swishing behind her. Her horns almost grazed the low-hanging chandelier, and her wings rustled nervously.
"Posture!" Lady Vaelith barked. "Imagine a string pulling you upward. You are a princess, not a ragdoll!"
"Ragdoll sounds easier," Rynhara muttered but straightened up nonetheless.
"Good. Now, extend your arms. Imagine you're holding a partner. And... one, two, three, one, two, three..."
Rynhara stumbled almost immediately, her tail getting caught under her foot. She yelped and nearly toppled over.
Kaelira snorted with laughter. "Graceful as ever."
"Shut up!" Rynhara snapped, her cheeks burning.
Lady Vaelith pinched the bridge of her nose. "Again."
This time, Rynhara managed a few steps before her wings reflexively flapped, knocking over a nearby candelabra.
"Do I get points for improvisation?" she asked sheepishly.
Lady Vaelith's glare could have frozen magma.
---
An hour later, the scene was a disaster. Rynhara had tripped three times, knocked over half the orchestra's music stands, and accidentally incinerated one of the training mannequins with an overzealous tail swipe.
Lady Vaelith stood in the midst of the chaos, her patience visibly fraying. "Your Highness," she said through gritted teeth, "Do you not understand the importance of this training?"
"Oh, I understand," Rynhara said, leaning against a column. "I just think the floor hates me."
Kaelira chimed in, still laughing. "Maybe the floor's part of a conspiracy to overthrow the dragon princess."
Rynhara shot her a look. "Not helping."
Just as Lady Vaelith looked ready to quit, Tiamora strolled into the ballroom. Her regal presence immediately silenced the orchestra and even made Kaelira straighten up.
"Ah, my darling daughter, how goes the training?" Tiamora asked with a smile that promised she already knew the answer.
Rynhara gestured to the wreckage. "Fantastic. I'm clearly a natural."
Tiamora chuckled, walking over to her daughter. "Allow me to demonstrate." She took Rynhara's hands, her movements fluid and elegant as she guided her into the proper stance. "Relax, darling. Dancing is as much about confidence as it is about technique."
With Tiamora leading, Rynhara managed to stumble through the steps without knocking anything else over. By the end, she was even starting to enjoy herself.
"You see?" Tiamora said, stepping back. "It's not so difficult."
"Sure, when you're not a clumsy dragon child," Rynhara muttered, though her smile betrayed her.
"It's beautiful! As expected of you ,your Majesty! Such elegance!" Lady Vaelith exclaimed whith tears in her eyes.
Outside the ballroom, two maids peeked through a crack in the door, watching the chaos unfold.
"Honestly, I feel bad for Lady Vaelith," one of them whispered. "But you have to admit, it's kind of funny how hard she's trying to get her to learn isn't it."
The other maid nodded. "I never thought I'd see the day when the Incarnation of Evil was tripping over her own tail during a waltz."
"Still, she's trying," the first maid said. "And Lady Tiamora seems proud of her. That's something."
"True. But I'm betting five gold she burns something else down by the end of the week."
"You're on."
Later that afternoon, as Rynhara slumped into a chair in her chambers, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in her mind:
"Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Basic Dance (E)."
She groaned. "Great. I'm officially a beginner at not falling over."
Kaelira peeked into the room, smirking. "Hey, progress is progress. At this rate, you might even survive your first royal ball."
"Fantastic," Rynhara said sarcastically. "I'll be sure to celebrate by not setting anything on fire."
Kaelira laughed. "Now that's progress."
Rynhara couldn't help but smile. Maybe, just maybe, she was starting to get the hang of this whole princess thing.