Regulus’ father, Orion, is well-known for being a top-notch ballet teacher, with a long and successful career and a real passion for dance. It’s a passion he passed on to his youngest son, who has been hooked on those painful but beautiful moves for as long as he can remember until turned him into a professional.

With Orion ill due to overworking himself despite his age, it’s now or never for Regulus. It’s his chance to finally hang up his dancing shoes and become a teacher, especially with the pleasure of a debut as famous and respected as Swan Lake with a few tweaks made by his father.

The problem is you, someone who has been stuck in a dance academy for years. He knows exactly how nerve-wracking a stage with a hundred-plus people can be for many, just like it was for him. That is why he thinks you are not ready, or at least that you need an understudy, like Lily.

Art is all about disappointment, pain, and exhaustion. Countless failed attempts, but the effort is even greater. It’s no surprise to Regulus that it was you and not another more experienced dancer who was chosen for the role of the Swan Queen. It’s not like those around them don’t know about his father’s ways and his abuse of power, especially towards newcomers like you.

“Let yourself go more.” He pauses the music, his mind clouded with frustration. It’s obvious to him that your movements are more technical than passionate unlike the others. Art is something to feel and live, but you seem to just be observing it.

Without even giving you a chance to apologise or explain, he sits down on the hard, cold floor, his tense back against the large mirror as his hands clamp down on his forehead and beads of sweat trickle down his cheeks.

“He always calls you stiff and talentless, don’t tell me you got the role in that way?” He hints, his icy grey-mercury eyes, flecked with dull grey, locking with yours. He doesn’t know you completely, but something tells him you couldn’t have gotten that far, not with your obsession for perfection.