"Mia, don't overthink it, just follow my rhythm…" Mike reminded the girl after her foot had been stepped on countless times.
Genovia dance is a type of dance used to make friends at balls; it offers a great deal of freedom, and one can dance as long as they master the basic steps.
However, the girl was currently overdoing it; she paid too much attention to her footwork, which caused her to lose her rhythm.
This was a situation where the more she focused, the more mistakes she made, and the more mistakes she made, the less she knew how to dance.
A vicious cycle.
"Sorry, I'll try my best." Mia, who had stepped on Mike's feet many times, had an embarrassed expression on her face.
"It's okay, you're doing very well for a beginner." Mike encouraged the girl, then continued, "Now, you need to learn to enjoy the music and the dance; relax your body…"
With Mike's hands-on instruction, the girl soon found her rhythm.
This novel experience filled the girl's heart with joy.
It was also at this moment that the girl noticed, due to the dance, her face was very close to Mike's.
The warm afternoon sun shone through the glass window onto the boy, making him seem as if he was bathed in a layer of holy light.
Handsome features, deep eyes, flawless skin…
If angels existed in this world, they would probably look like this.
The girl was struck by his beauty, and a blush instantly rose on her cheeks.
Sunlight, music, dance…
With her mind cleared, Mia seemed to understand what Mike had said: enjoy the music, enjoy the dance.
Beside them, Mr. Joe, who had been guiding Mia's dance moves, quietly retreated to the side once he saw the girl getting into the groove.
He left the space for the youthful pair, dancing.
After a few more rounds of dancing, Queen Renaldi, who was sitting on the sofa, put away her doting smile and called a halt to Mike and the girl.
"Mia, you've done well; your dance learning today is satisfactory." After affirming her granddaughter, Queen Renaldi then said to Mike, who was standing quietly beside her, "Mike, thank you for your help as well."
With Mike present, the girl's learning progress was significantly faster.
Afterward, Her Majesty the Queen asked Mr. Joe to prepare some small desserts and tea to entertain Mike and the girl.
It wasn't until they had eaten and rested that Mr. Joe escorted them out of the villa.
Standing at the villa entrance, Mia still felt a bit unsatisfied.
The girl's daily progress in learning etiquette had a quantitative regulation.
In the past, to complete her tasks, Mia had to spend a lot of time, and the process felt very painful.
However, learning with Mike today made the girl feel that learning etiquette was not so difficult after all.
"Mike, do you have any plans this afternoon? Do you want to come visit my house…" Mia excitedly extended an invitation.
Meeting the parents again so soon?
Over this past week, Mike had basically grasped the girl's family situation.
Because her parents divorced, Mia, who had lived with her artist mother since she was very young, actually did not have a good childhood.
And her mother, Helen, dreamed of becoming an opera dancer.
Having no other survival skills, she once gave up her dream to raise her daughter, often taking on sewing jobs to supplement the household income.
"Sure, I don't have anything planned this afternoon anyway." Mike thought for a moment and then accepted the girl's invitation.
The distance from here to Mia's home was not far, only about ten minutes on foot.
So the two walked towards their destination.
Meanwhile, Mr. Joe, who had returned to the villa's living room, saw the Queen's forlorn side.
It is always more difficult for a Queen to govern a country well than for a man. In public, she always had to project an elegant and strong image.
Therefore, the position of Queen was more of a burden for Queen Renaldi, or rather, a responsibility towards her people.
"You've worked hard." Mr. Joe went behind the Queen, moved by her plight, and helped her relax by massaging her shoulders.
More than ten years of companionship had made Mr. Joe, her private assistant, and the Queen more like family.
Moreover, Her Majesty the Queen actually knew Mr. Joe's feelings.
However, as the saying goes, every word and action of Queen Renaldi, as Queen, would be scrutinized by her people, so she could not do anything that would tarnish her status.
"Have they left?" Queen Renaldi did not refuse Mr. Joe's massage; she chatted with her eyes closed, "What do you think of Mr. Mike?"
Mr. Joe and Queen Renaldi had long since thoroughly investigated Mike's past.
What Her Majesty the Queen wanted to ask now, of course, was Mr. Joe's impression of Mike after meeting him.
In fact, the purpose of inviting Mike today also included observing and testing him.
"He's very handsome and excellent enough… but I'm a little worried whether Princess Mia can hold onto him…" Mr. Joe gave his assessment.
Sometimes, being too excellent is also a fault.
As for Mike's performance today, Mr. Joe could almost give him a perfect score.
However, considering his lifestyle issues, the butler couldn't help but feel a headache.
It was a complex emotion, like a parent worrying that their junior might fall in with the wrong crowd.
Yes, Mr. Joe had already recognized Princess Mia's status and treated her as a junior to be protected.
"That child is indeed very handsome, more excellent than any prince from other countries I've met…" Queen Renaldi smiled.
Mike left a very good first impression on the Queen today; he was intelligent, quick-witted, and knew when to advance and retreat.
Someone with these qualities is at least not useless.
"Do you think it would be good if we invited Mr. Mike to join Princess Mia's lessons in the future?" Queen Renaldi asked, having made up her mind.
As Queen, Queen Renaldi deeply understood that to become a qualified Queen, one needed to experience many things, and emotions were an indispensable part of it.
With this understanding, her attitude towards Mike was easy to determine.
"As you wish…" Mr. Joe smiled, guessing the Queen's thoughts.
Moreover, this versatile butler also had his own confidence; he firmly believed that with himself helping to keep an eye on things, Princess Mia would certainly not suffer any disadvantages.
"Then it's decided; you will invite him on weekends from now on. If Mr. Mike is free on weekdays, you can also pick him and Mia up together." Queen Renaldi said, as if a burden had been lifted from her mind.
Transforming a country "wild girl" into a princess, both internally and externally, in three months, was obviously very difficult.
But Mike's role today showed the Queen the possibility.
Although it might sound impolite to say so, Mike was indeed a very useful tool for Mia to become a princess.
"As you wish, Your Majesty—"
Seeing the relaxed expression on the Queen's face, Mr. Joe also showed a hint of a smile.
Then, Mr. Joe opened his mouth and invited, "My Queen, may I have the honor of inviting you to dance?"
The Queen's work was not as easy as it seemed to outsiders; constantly tense, she desperately needed some relaxation time.
"Of course, you have that honor. And I haven't danced in a long time either." Queen Renaldi said with a sigh, looking at the man who had accompanied her for over a decade, then elegantly stood up.
Companionship is the longest confession.
After such a long time of companionship, it was impossible for Queen Renaldi to have no affection for Mr. Joe.
As the soothing music started again, the two in the room leaned against each other slowly, like an old married couple.
"Mia, what kind of fruit does your mother like?" Mike asked, looking at the small market in front of them.
The two were now almost at Mia's house, and not far away was a large old town area. At the entrance of the old town, there was a very lively market.
It would be somewhat impolite to visit the girl's home for the first time without bringing a small gift.
"Apples, I know a fruit store that has delicious and cheap apples." Mia, who had pretty much grown up on her own, wasn't so finicky.
Then, the girl led Mike to a friendly fruit stall.
After some bargaining, Mike had a bag of red apples in his hand.
A few minutes later, the two crossed the main road and, after several turns on the small paths within the old town, arrived at the side of an old residential building, separated by an iron gate.
"This is a shortcut; as long as we squeeze through this small iron gate, we'll be at my house." Mia's carefree personality meant she didn't realize there was anything wrong with taking the boy she liked through an iron gate.
Or rather, the girl subconsciously showed her true self in front of Mike.
After all, she was a child who grew up in Texas.
Unlike her timid demeanor at school, the girl's personality outside of school was somewhat bold and uninhibited.
"I'll show you first." Mia disregarded her fancy long dress, pushed the iron gate open a crack, and bent down to squeeze through the opening.
This iron gate was locked with a chain, but it didn't close tightly; with a forceful push, a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through would appear.