Draco laughed. "You're asking a question you already know the answer to," he said, but instead of directly answering Trillian's question, he countered with:
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"No!" Trillian pretended to be naive. "Young Master, didn't you say you were going to follow my rhythm? I followed your rhythm the whole time! When you retreated, I followed; when you pulled back, I stayed close. Isn't that exactly the tacit cooperation you taught me?"
"Don't follow so closely behind... For me, just standing still is the biggest help you can give me." Actually, Draco had already figured it out; this girl wasn't there to dance at all, she was there to give him Fawley.
Draco patiently accommodated Trillian's clumsy and disorganized dance moves, repeatedly helping her to regain her balance when she nearly lost it. After several attempts, Draco jokingly remarked, "With your skills, why are you so enthusiastic about dancing? You've stepped on my feet several times."
"Whether you dance well or not is one thing, the main thing is who you dance with." Trillian wasn't embarrassed at all. She said slyly, "Besides, young master, haven't you enjoyed all sorts of Fawley?"
"What Fawley can you get out of this public dance floor? You can't even touch me." Draco certainly couldn't admit to taking advantage of anyone.
"Oh." Trillian's lips curled up disdainfully. "Young master, you're just a big talker. Even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't dare take it."
"Of course you have to be careful, and I'm just covering for you, yet you don't appreciate it."
"Then I really thank you, young master. You've covered for me so thoroughly, it's truly touching." Trillian rolled her eyes, her tone of gratitude perfunctory.
"You know that much," Draco replied casually.
"Young Master, you really dare to admit it." Trillian rolled her eyes again.
Why not?
Trillian scoffed, exposing him. "Come on—you're the one who's scared, aren't you? Afraid the young mistress will punish you later."
"What a joke! Me, afraid?" Draco declared emphatically.
After a brief moment of joking, Trillian stopped her playful antics. "Young Master, let's dance the last half of the song seriously."
"Huh?" Draco looked at her in surprise.
In that instant, Trillian changed her demeanor.
Her steps became precise and fluid, her skirt tracing graceful arcs as she spun, her movements perfectly in time with the beat, and her coordination with Draco became seamless. She was no longer the clumsy dance partner who frequently "made mistakes," but the one who truly danced.
"I never imagined you were just faking your inability to dance."
"How could a thief not know how to dance?" Trillian smiled faintly. "It's one of the basic skills."
"So you've skipped with a lot of people?"
"No," Trillian shook her head, "Most clients can get what I want with a little effort, and so far there haven't been any clients worth approaching by dancing, of course..."
He glanced at Draco, a smirk playing on his lips, and said, "If we're really talking about it, young master, you're the first, and the last."
"Do we really have to emphasize this?"
"Of course I must emphasize. Young Master, your possessiveness is not much less than that of the Young Madam." Trillian's smile widened.
At that moment, Draco's hand slid down her waist and gave it a light squeeze. Trillian was genuinely surprised by Draco's boldness. Her body trembled, and she let out a short, suppressed gasp, as if she had been struck by an electric current.
Draco quickly withdrew his hand, his expression unchanged, and continued his previous statement in a flat tone as if nothing had happened, "Then you'd better watch yourself, and don't go around flirting everywhere."
After a moment of stunned silence, a look of surprise flashed in Trillian's eyes. She lowered her voice and asked incredulously, "Young Master, how dare you? This is the dance floor! There are people all around!"
Draco's lips curled into a smile, "For a fleeting moment, I blocked the senses of everyone around me—maybe a fraction of a second, enough to do what I wanted and then return to normal."
"It's so great to have magic. You can do whatever you want, and you can even be a scoundrel openly," Trillian said with a mix of admiration and envy.
"Stop lamenting, young master. I'll try to see if there's any way to turn Muggle into a wizard."
"Thank you, young master~" Draco's formal promise delighted Trillian, who then touched his chest and said seductively, "When the time comes... should I offer myself to repay him?"
"Give you my foot! I'm not helping you for your body!" These blunt words almost made Draco choke.
"Really not?" Trillian stared at him mischievously.
Draco's eyes darted around for a moment, then he finally admitted, "Okay, maybe a tiny bit... but not much!"
"Young Master, do you know?" Trillian asked with a smile.
"Um?"
You're quite cute!
Draco nearly stepped on her skirt, replying in a deliberately lowered, domineering tone, "Woman, you're playing with fire—"
Hearing this, Trillian chuckled, "Young Master, the way you said that... it doesn't sound like a domineering CEO at all. It sounds like you're reciting lines, so stiff."
"Alright, alright, I can't beat you. But I do have a question for you—you say you're still in the No Man's Land, so how come your technology is so advanced?" Draco could be a bit domineering when dealing with his wife, but he seemed powerless against Trillian.
"Because I'm a female thief!"
Trillian emphasized this again.
"Alright, everything can be explained as 'thief'." Draco didn't say anything more, just quietly accompanied her to finish the last half of the song.
The gentle dance music slowly came to an end. As the last note faded, the two finished their steps perfectly, their posture upright and elegant. Draco released his hand and walked off the dance floor side by side with Trillian.
The two returned to their seats. Hermione was chatting with Becky when she saw Draco approaching. Becky stood up.
"My turn!"
Draco hadn't even had a sip of water when she said something that nearly made him choke, "What? You want to dance with me too?"
"Yes!" Becky nodded generously. "I just watched the whole thing. You were able to dance so well even with Trillian, which means your technique is really good. Can you teach me too?"
"Can't I just rest for a bit?" Draco said, looking utterly defeated. "I've already done two dances tonight, and I'm not a portable charger that anyone can just come and recharge."
Becky was amused by his reluctant expression.
"I've already humbled myself to invite you, can't you at least give me the courtesy?" Becky pouted and said discontentedly.
" Hermione is my wife, Trillian is my maid, it's only natural for me to dance with them, so who are you?"
"I..." Becky hesitated for two seconds, then, as if remembering something, said matter-of-factly, "I'm your personal tennis partner."
"You're definitely a buddy," Draco nodded in affirmation, then precisely countered, "But isn't a buddy's job to play basketball with me? Since when did it come with the added task of dancing with me?"
"Fine, I won't jump then! Who cares!" Becky turned her head away, feigning anger, "I'm tired too!"
They all laughed.