"Who is behind the Mermaid Queen?" Viserys asked curiously.
"The Preston family," Black Pearl whispered. "Braavos is full of secrets; you don't need to ask too many questions."
Viserys had also heard the name of this noble family; it was very famous in Braavos.
The Preston family was one of the ancient Sea Lord families, but now its power and prestige were weaker than the three great houses of Antaryon, Ferregan, and Zaynn.
Even so, it could still be considered one of Braavos's top ten great families.
They had tall, square towers built on the west bank of the Long Canal, stretching from the Palace of Truth to the north of the Sweet Water Canal.
Nightingale, Daughter of Darkness, and Moonshadow followed not far behind Viserys. These individuals did not seek dance partners, seemingly intending to watch Black Pearl and Viserys dance.
Viserys and Black Pearl stepped into the center of the dance floor together, and those who were already dancing unconsciously looked at them.
Viserys wore black clothes, and his silver half-mask and silver-white hair shimmered under the lights.
Aside from her mask, Black Pearl wore a low-cut, dark yellow silk gown that complemented her luminous brown skin.
Her black hair was tied up with a gold net, and a necklace made of black jade and gold hung above her full breasts.
The young Braavosi gentlemen who had been eager to see who Black Pearl's first dance of the night would be with found that someone had already beaten them to it.
They wondered who this silver-haired young man was, to be so bold.
"Honorable Miss Bellego, it is my honor to invite you to a dance."
"The honor is mine, mysterious knight, Silver Traveler."
Viserys and Black Pearl began to dance together, their movements slow and gentle.
Viserys took her hand, then embraced Black Pearl's waist. This was the opening move of a ballroom dance, though it could also involve some difficult steps.
The movements would become faster and faster.
"Your dancing skills are a bit rusty," Black Pearl said.
"Practice makes perfect," Viserys said with a smile. His strength and physique were much better than before, and now he only needed to recall the dancing techniques and rhythms of the past.
Moreover, Black Pearl was also a patient person, and their dance became increasingly graceful and captivating.
"You are truly a jack-of-all-trades. An ordinary person mastering one is considered a genius, but you are multi-talented," Black Pearl said curiously.
"I've paid more for this compliment than you can imagine."
"You're not being honest with me," Black Pearl complained, dissatisfied.
Although others could not clearly see Viserys's face, they could see his tall, agile figure, and his dance movements were graceful and gentle. The two of them were like a perfect pair.
Black Pearl was even more the absolute center of attention, appearing stunningly beautiful under the lights. Her figure was graceful and captivating, and her steps were light and elegant.
Viserys and Black Pearl began to hit their stride. Viserys and Black Pearl spun and swayed, even performing exciting moves where Black Pearl pushed away from his embrace and was then pulled back in.
Their brilliant performance drew widespread applause.
"Are there any more lyrics? A good meal would also work," Black Pearl asked.
"Yes, but I want gold and dragon bones. Besides dragon bones, Sea King crabs and purple lobsters would also work."
"You are quite greedy, but I like your frankness, wanting what you want. I will do my best to find them, but you must be prepared to exchange."
"Don't worry."
Who could win the favor of the Courtesan was always a hot topic at the ball.
Many young Braavosi nobles' eyes seemed to spit fire. This was their moment to make a name for themselves, but Black Pearl had been directly snatched away.
Mermaid had also entered, and dancing with the Mermaid Queen was a young man in brown clothes, with brown hair and sharp eyes.
Viserys noticed that the young man occasionally looked their way.
"Why do I feel like someone is watching me?" Viserys asked.
"You're not mistaken," Black Pearl said. "It's the young master of the Preston family. It seems he intended to invite me to a dance, but he didn't get the chance. This person is petty and values his pride and family honor greatly."
"So he dislikes me already?" Viserys was somewhat speechless. No wonder people said that lust was like a knife above one's head.
"Are you scared?" Black Pearl asked deliberately.
"Not really," Viserys said.
"People in the arena of power are like those who have entered a quagmire, unable to escape," Black Pearl said, looking into Viserys's eyes, which were like violets, or more precisely, lilac-purple.
A person in power, a warrior, a singer, or even a merchant or a Courtesan, always had to step over others' bones to rise to prominence.
"I'm very sorry," Black Pearl whispered, a faint fragrance emanating from her. "You've gained fame, but it doesn't seem to be entirely a good thing."
"Trouble always exists; my life will never lack trouble." Viserys put his arm around Black Pearl's waist and pulled her closer.
"You're truly a little madman," Black Pearl complained, her chest heaving.
"Very moist," Viserys commented.
This couldn't be blamed on Black Pearl, because this world was a dog-eat-dog world.
An innocent man is guilty only because he possesses something valuable.
As long as Viserys lived, he possessed considerable value, not to mention that he also brought two beautiful young girls, exiled true dragon descendants.
"Since there's no escaping it, I can only go all out. There's no other way; the world is inherently cruel. What is good will be taken by the weak," Viserys thought, having made up his mind.
Black Pearl's beauty had already caused great trouble, not to mention Rhaenys and Daenerys in the future.
Only the strong could protect them better.
Viserys looked again at the young man from the Preston family, who was dancing a lively dance with the Mermaid Queen, as if nothing had happened.
But Viserys remembered clearly that resentful look; trouble would always come knocking.
After the song ended, Black Pearl found a place to rest briefly.
However, Viserys noticed that Daughter of Darkness also walked over.
"Are you inviting me?" Viserys asked.
"Come," Daughter of Darkness replied simply.
Viserys and Daughter of Darkness began to dance.
"'No Meeting Again' is quite nice," Daughter of Darkness said. "Did you write it?"
"I did," Viserys said shamelessly.
Daughter of Darkness was somewhat like a cold beauty; her skin also had a cool feeling.
"Why do you like 'No Meeting Again'?" Viserys asked her.
"Because I, like this song, am a wanderer," Daughter of Darkness confessed.
The dance Viserys and Daughter of Darkness performed was like scattered stars. Daughter of Darkness's movements were fast, light, and elegant, making Viserys suspect that this Courtesan had also trained.
When the second song finished, unexpectedly, there was a third song with Moonshadow.
"How can he dance with three Courtesans?" some dissatisfied young Braavosi secretly began to ask each other.
"Silver Traveler, he's the one who wrote those wonderful lyrics," someone had already guessed Viserys's alias.
At tonight's banquet, whether it was Viserys's alias creating the three-fold singer, or Viserys becoming Black Pearl's first dance partner.
Viserys's alias had become an instant hit, but surrounded by beauty, trouble was also inevitable.
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