When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 13
Only Noblemtl
#13. Casting
2024.01.13.
“You’ve received an order… … Are you talking about Duke Michele?”
“Yes. I will serve you with all my heart so that you won’t experience any inconvenience in the future.”
“Ha… … .”
A sigh of relief escaped her. It was absurd how he was supposed to manage this large house, even though it was only a single-story house, when he gave it to me, but it seemed like Enrico was already thinking of hiring someone to manage the house. She
was already fed up with Enrico, who pretended to be an equal contract but tried to manipulate her as he pleased. However, she was worried that if she refused, he would change his mind, and that she couldn’t say anything,
which was really complicated. At least give him a heads up. What kind of rudeness is that? Emilia slightly lowered her head and washed her face dry.
Did she not say anything on purpose? Was she trying to use the excuse of managing the house to spy on her? Or did she decide that it wasn’t worth talking about? To him, she was just another work of art without an ego. In an instant, many thoughts flashed through her mind.
“Shall I prepare the bath?”
Apart from Emilia’s complexity, Zaveta was simply calm. Emilia lowered her hand and raised her head at her attitude, which seemed to be asking her only about her own work.
“That’s okay. But are you going to stay here?”
“Yes.”
It was a short and clear answer. She must have been a woman who came under Enrico’s orders in the first place, so she wondered what more she could ask. Emilia shut her eyes tightly and opened them, turning her head.
“The bedroom is this way.”
Zaveta followed Emilia with quick wit. After passing the living room and walking down the hallway, she came across two rooms. Zaveta opened the door on the left and said,
“This room is the dressing room. Would you like to see it now?”
“… … There aren’t enough dresses to fit here.”
“Don’t worry about that. The Duke has already filled them all.”
As expected. I didn’t go in because I had a feeling that would be the case, but Zaveta’s words made me hate the sight even more. Emilia, feeling tired, put one hand on her forehead and pointed to the room on the right.
“Then is the bedroom this way?”
“Yes. The bed was just warmed up a little while ago. Would you like me to help you change?”
“No problem. But where is your room, ma’am?”
Emilia stopped as she opened the door and looked back.
“My room is this way.”
“That room seems too far out, but aren’t there other spare rooms? I think there’s one over there.”
“That room is enough. Thank you for your kind words.”
Zaveta’s expressionless face softened and a warm smile appeared. Emilia hesitated for a moment at that smile before turning around. She nodded slightly at the greeting she heard from behind her and entered the room.
The spacious room was softly lit by candles burning on the four walls. The room, which felt unfamiliar yet long-awaited, filled her field of vision.
The white lace canopy hanging over the soft-looking bed and the green curtain covering the large rectangular window on one wall. And the table in front of it and the small fireplace filling the other wall brought back a lot of nostalgia.
It felt like I was back in my old home in Barkorta. The interior of the two-story house where I lived with my family as a child was almost the same as it is now. The solid wooden floor, the warm ivory bricks, the small fireplace in each room. I could not help but think of my mother’s hands checking the bed.
The warm Barkorta that I had tried to forget as I fled to the capital made my heart flutter. Emilia pressed her trembling lips with the back of her hand as if trying to calm them down and muttered as if sighing.
“… … This is not the time to be sentimental.”
She closed her eyes tightly as if blocking her vision. However, her heart, which was heaving greatly, showed no sign of calming down. While the warm bed was cooling down.
***
Emilia, who arrived an hour before work, was stretching when she heard a commotion in the hallway and left the practice room. She noticed people gathered in front of the bulletin board on the central staircase. She
quickly pushed her way through the crowd. There was a casting list that wasn’t posted before.
“Huh? Emilia… … .”
Juliana, who had arrived earlier and was looking at the casting list, awkwardly looked back at her. Emilia looked at Juliana with a face that asked why, then turned her gaze to the casting list. She
slowly read the list of names, starting from the main role to the important roles.
‘I got in with Liz’s friends, and in the clogs… … . In the clogs, there’s nothing?’
Emilia’s face hardened slightly. Aside from the main character Liz, the important roles were the Liz friends and the clogs dance. These two. The rest were the group dances for the village women, but she was shocked to find that the clogs dance, which she had assumed would be there, was missing.
Was she being arrogant without realizing it? Why did I assume I would be chosen for sure?
Was this what Enrico said yesterday about not being able to play the part as much as he wanted?
I thought you’d be in two dances with Liz’s friends and the clogs…
“Emilia, you’re the only one among the new members who got into two corps dances.”
Juliana probably expected that clogs would be chosen as well. That must have been why she awkwardly looked back at herself. Nevertheless, she tried to comfort herself by wrapping one of her arms around me.
“Huh, what’s so special about that?”
“Huh… … Eva, don’t start a fight and just go.”
“Oh my? Juliana. Fighting? You’re just worrying. If you benefited from being the top student, shouldn’t the results have been better?”
Eva’s mouth twisted into an arrogant sneer as she looked at Juliana and Emilia in turn. She had never been able to take the lead role because of the overwhelming Emilia, so it seemed quite refreshing to see her standing in the same position as her at the ballet company.
“Anyway, cheer up. Come to think of it, we’re going on stage on the same day. Emilia, let’s do our best, okay?
“Okay. “ I have to work hard.”
“Yes. I have to work hard.”
“You.”
“… … What?”
Eva answered a beat late in response to Emilia’s indifferent words.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s exactly as it is. Since we’re going on the same stage, she’s worried about you and tells you to work hard.”
Emilia, who had been looking at the casting list the whole time she was talking, turned around without even looking at Eva as if she had finished what she wanted to say.
“Huh? I said let’s see. What are you worried about!”
“Eva! Stop it.”
At that moment, Eva, who was about to approach with a tearful face, was quickly stopped by another colleague. The colleague motioned to Eva to look around. Eva, who had been frowning and rolling her eyes at the gesture, flinched at the various gazes staring at her with uncomfortable expressions.
“Let’s go. Okay?”
Eva glared at Emilia’s back as she gradually moved away with a face of hurt pride. It should have been refreshing, but she turned around quickly and stamped her feet nervously as if she was left with an unpleasant feeling.
“Emilia, are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“… … There might be a mistake in the casting list. Everyone was looking at you on audition day, so there’s no way the results would turn out like that.”
Juliana fidgeted beside Emilia as she returned to the practice room. She spoke passionately, as if she was being wronged, with a face that genuinely thought it was ridiculous.
“No. I’m just… … I’m going to be content with just dancing for now.”
“Really?”
Emilia entered the practice room with a calmer face than before, and went closer to the wall and started warming up again.
In the first place, she didn’t even audition for the main role because she wanted to avoid getting noticed. It wasn’t bad to think that she would slowly work her way up.
“Um… … I’m a little surprised, actually. But what’s for granted in this world? I’ll just work harder in the future.”
Enrico, who wanted the value to increase, must have been dissatisfied, but what could he do? She had made a contract that she would go on the day she promised him and just dance well. Of course, if he asked her out of the blue, she couldn’t refuse for now, but that would be later, so she didn’t want to think too deeply about it.
Emilia spoke calmly and stretched. Seeing her like that, Juliana snickered and started stretching next to her. Just as Emilia was about to lift her legs while holding onto the barbell, the people in the hallway began to return to the practice room one by one.
“… … What are you going to do next?”
“Are you already thinking about your next piece?”
Most of the people were stretching on their own, but there were quite a few people here and there who were talking together. Since Emilia was sitting in a corner, there were only two people nearby, but they kept whispering, as if their purpose was more to talk than to stretch.
“You said you’re going to increase the number of pieces this season. Then there will be more roles for me to take on.”
“Well, I get extra money if I go on stage… … . I started this because I wanted to make money, but it’s still a bit ambiguous.”
“I guess that’s why everyone’s trying to find sponsors. Why, you secretly get invitations and join gatherings and such.”
“But aren’t those places a bit dangerous? Most of the sponsorship you get there is a bit…”
“Do you know what I’m saying? Clarice, who quit last year, went there for that sponsorship. I heard she was somehow connected to the Count of Vallemont and became his concubine?”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. You said she was sponsorship, but I heard you were practically lovers. You always sang about wanting to quit ballet and rest comfortably, and now your wishes have come true.”