Chapter 004: Songs and Dances

As Du Fan spoke these words, the military generals in the hall all paled. The one who had already stood up turned even redder with shame, but after glancing at Garfield, he gritted his teeth and sat down angrily.
Leoport, on the other hand, smiled slightly and said, “Your Dukeship is joking. Every general in this hall is a pillar of my Lanni Empire. Your words are indeed excessive!”
Yet, given his relationship with Du Fan, Leoport had no choice but to drink the wine. With a bitter smile, he picked up the glass before him.
Only after drinking the wine did Du Fan smile faintly. He did not offer a toast to Garfield but returned to his seat before saying with a smile, “Your Highness Garfield, isn’t it boring for all these men to sit here drinking? Haven’t you prepared anything to liven things up?”
Garfield was indeed extraordinary. He had ignored Du Fan’s obvious provocation earlier. Hearing Du Fan’s words, a smile appeared on his handsome face as he replied calmly, “Of course I have. How could I neglect such distinguished guests?”
At that moment, Garfield suddenly clapped his hands, silencing the entire hall.
As his applause echoed, the sound of musical instruments came from all directions, followed by strange music that brought a sense of relaxation.
Along with the music, a slight noise came from the side of the hall, followed by a fragrant breeze. Soon, a dozen women dressed in strange robes began dancing gracefully, moving slowly until they reached the center of the hall.
Each of these women was tightly covered from head to toe, not revealing a single trace of skin. Even their faces were covered by veils, leaving only their captivating eyes visible.
After entering the hall, the women bowed deeply to Garfield but said not a word, remaining kneeling silently as if waiting for his orders.
Satisfied with this, Garfield nodded slightly and clapped his hands, saying, “Begin!”
At his command, the music resounded once more. Hearing the music, the women slowly bent forward and began dancing a strange dance.

The rhythm of this dance is strange, yet it is extremely pleasing to the eye. When these women dance, their coordination with each other is flawless. Though it’s just a simple dance, their performance captivates everyone’s attention instantly.

This dance is completely different from those popular in the Gavin Empire. Its rhythm and melody seem utterly alien to the Roland Continent, yet it still manages to draw people in irresistibly.

But the most important thing is that these women have not revealed a single trace of skin from beginning to end. Although their robes aren’t thick, allowing their delicate and perfect figures to peek through, even experts like Du Fan couldn’t see clearly what’s beneath the robes. Yet everyone knows that as a prince of a kingdom, Galfield surely wouldn’t present anything trivial.

This sense of mystery is utterly tantalizing. Though Du Fan wasn’t completely mesmerized, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—Galfield was truly cunning. What was originally a rather ordinary dance had become infinitely more interesting thanks to him. It seems men truly are greedy; the less they can see and the harder it is to obtain, the more attractive it becomes!

The other military officers in the hall were utterly captivated, each seemingly eager to throw themselves at one of the women. Even Count Christopher wore an expression of intoxication. But Du Fan secretly laughed at his expression. He knew Count Christopher well and realized his expression was likely pretense.

Over there, Galfield seemed quite satisfied with his arrangement. He gave Du Fan a slightly smug look before saying calmly, “Duke, does this dance satisfy your eyes?”

Du Fan smiled slightly and replied, “Prince Galfield, your arrangement is indeed fascinating… These women must not be ordinary, right? If I remember correctly, there’s a desert to the south of the Lanny Empire. It’s said that the women there are born knowing a strange dance, and their bodies are extremely flexible—making them rare treasures for men. But the people of that desert are extremely fierce, and capturing a desert woman is by no means easy. I wonder how Prince Galfield managed to get these women?”

Garfield laughed and said, “Your Grace truly has excellent eyesight. These are indeed desert women… However, I didn’t obtain them myself. They were given to me by the king of a certain kingdom in the desert. It is said that these women are already among the finest among the desert women. If Your Grace is interested, how about choosing a few of them?”
Du Fan shook his head slightly and said calmly, “Your Highness, you’re joking. These desert women must be your beloved ones. How could Du Fan dare to ask for them? There’s a saying in the distant Eastern Continent: ‘A gentleman does not take what belongs to another.’ Although I’m not a gentleman, I certainly wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Garfield pretended to look displeased and said, “What nonsense! Your Grace is a distinguished guest of the Laney Empire. How could I neglect you? Besides, I haven’t even touched any of these desert women. They are all pure and untouched. They’re not even my women, so it’s no problem giving them to you!”
Seeing Garfield’s sincerity, Du Fan thought for a moment, unsure of his intentions.
Although it wasn’t unheard of for nobles to exchange women, Garfield had tried to test him earlier but now seemed to have forgotten everything, only wanting to build a relationship with him…
Something didn’t seem right…
Thinking of this, Du Fan couldn’t help but glance in Leoport’s direction and saw that Leoport also had a complicated expression. When he met Du Fan’s gaze, he simply shook his head slightly without saying anything.
Garfield didn’t seem to notice Du Fan’s reaction. He cleared his throat slightly and suddenly said in a low voice, “Come! Serve wine to Your Grace!”
As soon as he spoke, one of the dancing women slowly stepped forward. At Garfield’s command, she walked over to Du Fan.
Du Fan knew he couldn’t refuse now. Besides, it was just serving wine, so it wasn’t a big deal. So he didn’t refuse.
But as soon as the woman reached the side of the seat, she suddenly twisted and rushed into Du Fan’s arms.
A scent of fragrance filled the air. Du Fan was too surprised to react immediately. He instinctively reached out, feeling softness beneath his hands. Soon, he had a delicate woman in his arms, with a gentle voice saying beside his ear, “Ouch—”

There was seven parts pain and three parts fear in that voice. Looking again, the desert woman who had been walking slowly earlier had already fallen into Du Fan’s arms. A corner of the veil covering her face was lifted, revealing startlingly fair skin. Her eyes, like autumn waters, stared at Du Fan, and her delicate hand naturally wrapped around his neck. She gasped softly, each breath carrying a faint fragrance, while her exposed eyes were filled with panic and sorrowful resentment.
Any man who saw such an expression would surely be disturbed.
“Lord… I… I… I accidentally bumped into you… I… I…” By this point, the veil on the woman’s face had fallen, revealing a beautiful, delicate face, though her expression was one of panic. Yet her eyes held a somewhat alluring gaze.
Du Fan was momentarily stunned, unable to figure out whether this was Garfield’s arrangement or if the woman truly had been careless. But under these circumstances, he couldn’t show any other reaction. All he could do was shake his head slightly and say, “I don’t blame you. Get up.”
“Lord, I… I… Ah…” The woman was helped up by Du Fan, but her legs gave way again, causing her to fall back into his arms, her expression even more panicked.
Du Fan snorted and asked, “What’s wrong this time?”
“My foot… it seems to be sprained…” The woman leaned against Du Fan’s chest, her face flushed with shame, yet her voice was extremely coquettish.
“Is that so?” Du Fan smiled slightly, clapped his hands, and said, “Since this young lady has a sprained foot, help her go rest… Prince Garfield, since she’s injured, I’ll ask for her to be exempt from dancing, okay?”
As he spoke, the two servants dressed like guards who had been standing behind Du Fan quickly stepped forward, pulled the woman up, and took her away. Garfield hadn’t expected Du Fan to react in this way. His expression remained unchanged as he simply said, “Since the Duke has spoken, it’s certainly possible.”
Yet despite his words, Garfield was filled with doubts. Hadn’t he heard that Duke Du Fan was known for his lustfulness? Why was he acting like this today? Or perhaps the Duke was too proud… and that’s why…