When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 113



Only Noblemtl

#113. May the New Shoots Grow
2024.04.22.

I don’t know what kind of mind I had while I was spending the day. Compared to the long time we had been apart, the time it took for me to accept him again was so fast. Was it impulsive? If someone asked, I could definitely say no.

It seemed more accurate to say that I just gained the courage to look at something I had ignored for a long time.

Emilia sat in front of the fireplace and stared blankly at the burning wood fire. Her body felt very tired, perhaps because she had relaxed.

Her hair, which had been damp just a moment ago, had dried out significantly, and her face, which had been filled with deep worry, was noticeably relaxed.

‘… … I guess I should sort things out here first. What should I do when I return to the capital?’

Emilia pulled the leg she was hugging closer to her chest and rested one cheek on her knee.

Her mind was complicated, but she didn’t feel as daunted as before.

Perhaps she had escaped the obsession that she had to do ballet herself, and it seemed okay to teach children or help out aspirants in the capital, just like in this town.

“Emilia? Emilia!”

A voice called her urgently from afar. Emilia pulled her body slightly to the side and looked at Enrico, who was looking around the room with an anxious face.

“I’m here.”

Enrico let out a deep breath as soon as he heard her voice, perhaps because her body was obscured by the chair. It seemed like he stopped breathing in shock for a moment.

“I told you I’m not going anywhere.”

“… … Emilia.”

Enrico quickly approached her and knelt down to hug her. He called her name over and over again as if all he could think of was her name. The call mixed with a sigh of relief tickled the back of her neck. Even though

she had directly told him that she would become his lover, Enrico’s wounds must have been deeper than she had thought. She had thought he would be happy, but words alone were not enough, and he still seemed to be in a state of confusion.

Emilia slowly stroked Enrico’s stiff back, pretending as if nothing had happened.

“What if I catch a cold like this?”

His hair was damp like yesterday, as if he hadn’t washed off the water properly after taking a bath.

Enrico in the past would have been healthy enough to chew on iron, but now he had lost weight noticeably and looked gaunt, which worried her.

Emilia looked worried and hugged Enrico, who was hiding his face in her neck.

Enrico, who she just had to look up to and never get close to, was holding his breath in her arms like this. It was something she couldn’t even imagine before.

“I’ll go back to the ducal palace.”

His shoulders trembled. His head, which had been buried in the hollow between his neck and shoulder, lifted slightly.

“… … Really?”

“Yes. I’ll go as soon as I finish organizing this place.”

So she tried to tell him that he could go first, but he spoke first.

“Come with me.”

There was no room for compromise. As soon as he raised his head, his purple eyes trembled slightly as they met his gaze.

“I can wait as long as I want. Just don’t tell me to go first.”

“Duke.”

“I can’t do anything until you come anyway.”

A drop of water fell from Enrico’s hair and ran down Emilia’s cheek. Emilia took a deep breath as if sighing, then exhaled and slowly released the hands that were wrapped around him.

He urgently grabbed Emilia’s right hand, as if he thought she would move away. “… … I won’t leave.” Emilia looked down at her right hand that was caught for a moment and then looked up at him again. She put her hand on his cheek, leaving her wrist still. She gently stroked his messy hair and naturally touched his thick eyebrows.

It was the same scent as her own, but perhaps because of her high body temperature, the scent emanating from him felt stronger. The scent of his body lingering on the tip of her nose slowly eased her chest, somehow. “No matter what happens, I’ll stay by your side.” Enrico slowly lowered himself and leaned his head slightly on the small hand that was cupping his cheek, closing his eyes tightly. “I’m sorry. I want to tell you that I believe you, but… … . I think I’ll be able to believe you when I see you by my side every day.” “… … Duke.” His long eyelashes fluttered and slowly raised his eyelids. His deeply sunken purple eyes gradually revealed themselves, revealing Emilia transparently. “Let’s go together. I don’t want to be alone.” His cheek that had been touching his hand fell away, and his head tilted towards her. Their noses brushed slightly as they turned at an angle. This time, she closed her eyes as her breath spread across her lips.

It was a careful kiss. The kiss that started with a light touch gradually bumped into their lips several times, and the hand that had been holding her wrist was now wrapping her cheek.

When she was naturally pushed back, he turned his body slightly to the side to create some distance between them and the fireplace.

The sound of the firewood crackling and the sound of their lips colliding mixed together. His hand on her cheek naturally moved to the back of her neck as if supporting her weight that was gradually falling backwards.

Bright blond hair poured down on the carpet that was a mixture of brown and red. The kiss stopped for a moment, and he met her eyes from a close distance, foreheads touching. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long time without saying a word.

Now there was no sound. It seemed like the world was all about the sound of each other’s breathing.

Soon, the affectionate kiss fell again like a shower on dry ground, and his longing hands gradually swept down the lines of her slender body. Finally, a warm night began that did not need the fireplace.

***

The cool temperature brushed against my shoulder, and I pulled the blanket that was covering me up to the tip of my nose. Then, feeling somewhat empty, she reached out her hand.

Then, she felt the blanket lift slightly with a rustling sound.

Emilia squinted one eye slightly and then slowly opened it. Enrico, who was coming into the bed, appeared dimly.

“Sleep more.”

“Ah… … . The fireplace?”

“Yeah, I think you’re cold.”

“… … I think it’s snowing.”

Emilia slowly rubbed both eyes and said as she looked toward the window. The scenery outside the window, visible through the gap in the curtains, was completely white.

Enrico naturally put his arm around Emilia and languidly stroked her hair.

“It’s been snowing all morning. It looks like it’s going to snow a lot tomorrow. Should I go to work?”

“Well, I don’t know. We did talk about taking the day off when the snow reaches my calves. I guess we’ll have to see how it goes in the morning.”

Emilia leaned comfortably between his shoulder and arm and muttered softly. Her slightly hoarse voice showed traces of the fatigue that had accumulated all night.

“Then I’ll rest. It looks like it’ll be down until morning.”

“Hmm, then I guess I can take it easy.”

“Are you very tired?”

He whispered, pressing his lips against his round forehead. She frowned one eye and lightly placed her fingertips on the tip of his chin, as if her mouth was moving against his skin.

“… … Don’t ask when you know.”

“Well. I don’t know.”

Enrico grabbed the hand that was pushing him away and kissed his finger. Where did the haggard-looking person go, and where on earth did the strength come from? It was truly surprising that he was so tirelessly clinging to her.

“Oh, don’t.”

Emilia wanted to avoid it, but she didn’t want to shake it off. It was contradictory, but for now, all she could do was giggle because her breath and lips were tickling each other so much.

The atmosphere between them became much lighter as the worries that had been bothering her for a long time disappeared. His anxious expression had largely disappeared, and her heavy heart that had pitied him had disappeared without a trace.

Emilia quietly accepted the soft kiss and muttered softly.

“… … I don’t think it’ll be easy to clean up this place in one day.”

His movements stopped.

“I’ve been here for three years, so I don’t want to run away.”

“Emilia.”

“Please trust me just this once.”

“Ha… … .”

“If you’re worried, you can leave someone behind to watch over me. But I think it’s right for the Duke to go back first.”

Enrico’s throat slowly moved up and down. His confused breathing brushed past his ears, and his hand holding her tightened.

“… … Do you really have to do that?”

“You’ve probably been gone for a long time already. Let’s clean up in our own places and start anew.”

Emilia lifted her head slightly and lightly kissed the tip of his chin, which was right in front of her. At that kiss, he pulled his head back slightly and looked into her eyes.

“Me. I have something I want to do.”

The stars that couldn’t be seen in the sky beyond the window twinkled as if they had seeped into Emilia’s eyes.

It seemed as if the warm season, when new buds would sprout and a gentle breeze would blow, was glimpsed in her emerald eyes.

Enrico opened his mouth with a strange expression.

“What?”

“I’ve been thinking about it while teaching ballet here. I think it would be okay to try it when I return with the Duke this time.”

Emilia smiled. Brightly and without a trace of guilt.

“I’ll tell you what it is when I return to the Duke’s residence. So please wait a moment.”

How could he refuse that? In the end, Enrico sighed.