Chapter 669
Dominick inaugurated the festival by lighting the scared lamp in the moon temple. The people gathered in the temple and even outside began singing the prayer they dedicated to the Moon Goddess.
He kept his hands joined in a respectful gesture until the final note faded, thus officially marking the start of the festival.
As he walked out of the temple with Evan, the vibrant energy of the crowd hit him. Stalls were overflowing with moon-cakes, handmade lanterns, and silver trinkets. Yet, even as he watched children laughing in the snow, Dominick couldn’t shake a bitter realization. Gridlock was a culturally rich and spiritually deep land, yet beneath the surface, it was rotting with corruption.
The commoners were kind, hardworking people, but he knew that a handful of elites at the top were treating this city like a chessboard, manipulating the very people.
“Where’s Jeniva?” Evan asked, his head pivoting as he scanned the vibrant, crowded plaza.
“She came with us,” Dominick murmured.
“Yes, but as we went to the Moon Temple, I didn’t see her around. I thought she was following us closely,” Evan remarked.
“Maybe she was behind us, then decided to go separate ways,” Dominick replied. He wasn’t in the mood to track her movements.
His attention was pulled away by a group of local children nearby. They were ducking behind wooden stalls, shrieking with laughter as they pelted each other with fresh snowballs.
For a second, he saw himself and his siblings in those boys, recalling the rare, rowdy childhood days spent in the palace gardens before the burden of leadership had settled on their respective shoulders. A genuine smile touched his lips as their sight made him happy.
As they walked further into the heart of the plaza, the rhythmic drone of bagpipes and the steady beat of drums pulled them toward a large, cheering circle.
“We should go over there,” Evan said, his professional guard slipping into genuine curiosity. He grabbed Dominick’s arm and pulled him through the crowd until they reached the front.
“Oh! Jeniva is there!” Evan remarked, pointing into the center of the ring.
Dominick glanced in that direction and froze. Jeniva was in the middle of the whirling dancers, her ivory coat discarded to reveal a simpler dress beneath. She moved with a fluid grace, her boots hitting the cobblestones in perfect sync with the complex, traditional rhythm.
’Did she rehearse for this?’ he wondered, mesmerized by the precision of her footwork.
She caught the light of the lanterns as she spun, her hair flying, passing a radiant smile to the onlookers. Seeing her showcase such vibrant energy, Dominick felt a strange in his chest.
He looked down at his own gloved hands, then back at her. Only one question echoed in his mind: How could she be so carefree? It felt like she belonged to the music itself, entirely detached from the darkness he saw everywhere else.
“She’s actually quite good,” Evan shouted over the music, grinning. “Maybe you should join her, Dominick! The people would love it p>
“Why would I do that? You go and dance!” Dominick said, giving his Beta a light shove.
Evan laughed, ready to retort, but the music suddenly moved into a faster, more driving tempo. Before Dominick could step back into the shadows, a young couple in traditional dress broke away from the inner circle. With bright smiles and a gentle but firm grip, they grasped his hands and began pulling him toward the center where the professional dancers were performing a complex set.
“No! No!” Dominick shook his head. He was trained in ballroom etiquette and the rigid steps of a royal gala, not this wild, rhythmic footwork.
The crowd, recognizing the Alpha Prince, began to clap in time with the bagpipes, cheering him on. He looked around frantically for an escape, but the circle had closed in. Just then, Jeniva spun past him, her face flushed from the exertion. As she looped back around, she caught his hand, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Don’t think, Alpha Prince! Just move!” she laughed, tugging him into the rhythm.
Dominick stumbled slightly, his heavy boots feeling clumsy compared to the light-footed locals. He looked like a stoic statue being forced for such a dance. Despite his internal protest, he started mimicking what the others were doing.
The rhythmic pulse of the bagpipes finally worked its way into Dominick’s blood. The weight of the palace, the lingering ghost of Juniper’s sweater, and the bitter thoughts of corruption all seemed to dissolve into the cold night air. For a few rare minutes, he wasn’t the Alpha Prince; he was just a man moving to a beat, his heavy wine-colored coat flared out as he spun.
As the music reached its crescendo, the local dancers froze in their traditional poses, hands on hips or arms raised to the moon. Dominick, acting on muscle memory, finished with a deep, graceful ballroom bow.
The crowd went wild. Roars of approval and rhythmic clapping erupted, echoing against the temple walls. Dominick straightened up, feeling slightly lightheaded and remarkably happy, a genuine glow on his face that even the freezing wind couldn’t dampen.
The lead dancer moved through the circle, holding out a weathered cap for contributions. Dominick didn’t hesitate; he reached into his pocket and placed a generous stack of bills into the hat, earning a stunned and grateful bow from the performer.
“What a great performance, Your Highness!” Evan teased him as Dominick walked to his beta with a flushed face.
“You should have joined too,” Dominick said. He turned to share the moment with Jeniva, but his smile instantly vanished.
She was gone. Again.
“Let’s go ahead,” Evan said, already looking toward the next row of lantern-lit stalls.
Dominick hummed a reluctant response, his jaw tightening. This time, the disappearance bothered him. It didn’t feel like she was lost in the crowd; it felt intentional. Was she running away from him? The thought sat heavy in his gut, replacing the warmth of the dance with a suspicion. He strode ahead with his Beta, his eyes scanning the periphery but finding nothing.
Behind the stage, hidden by the broad shoulders of the celebrating performers, Jeniva finally came to the front. She watched the Alpha Prince disappear into the throng of people.
’I can’t stay near Prince Dominick. Not after what he does to me,’ she thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. Every time he looked at her with that softened gaze, it felt like a trap she wasn’t ready to fall into. And the scent, she didn’t want to feel it or even recall it.
She adjusted her scarf, pulling it higher to hide her face, and turned toward a narrow side street that led away from the festival’s center.
Stopping near a stall, which was selling the hot steam chocolate buns, she bought one and ate it slowly. “Mm… This is delicious!” she murmured, her shoulders slumping as the chocolate melted in her mouth. She finished it quickly before she felt a presence behind her.
“You’re eating these alone,” Dominick spoke, causing her to turn around promptly. Her cheeks were filled with the bun while her lips smudged with the chocolate.