When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 23



Only Noblemtl

#23. The Broken Doll
2024.01.23.

Giorgio, who was brought in after arrogantly mentioning the cancellation of sponsorship, fell to his knees and trembled all over.

‘I’m sorry. I think there was some kind of misunderstanding, but that’s not what I meant!’ Although

pests would occasionally attack, that level of management wasn’t difficult. All he had to do was keep them in a bottle and watch to see when they would die. However, if they kept escaping from the bottle and flying around him annoyingly, even if they were of use, he would have to shorten their lifespan.

‘Then tell me.’

‘Uh, yes?’

‘Tell me why you want to take the money and wipe your mouth.’

‘I’m not wiping your mouth, I can return the deposit! I just thought it would be better for that child to get married quickly and live a stable life.’

‘Hey.’

‘… … Yes?’

‘No one can take what’s in my hands without my permission. Did I think I’d dare let something like you take what’s mine?’ ‘

I’m sorry, I’m sorry… … . ‘

‘But were you in a position to pay the penalty? That must have been a huge amount that no one in this country could afford.’

‘What are you talking about? The penalty is usually-.’

‘You didn’t even read the contract?’

‘I did, but… … .’

‘Go back and read it carefully. That’s more money than you could pay back even if you worked for hundreds of years. There’s no way I’d just give you all that fertile land, manpower, and massive investment for free. You gambled away all that money that shouldn’t have been used for personal use, so you could end up a slave for the rest of your life because of that little moment of pleasure. Are you going to keep doing it?’

‘… … I’m sorry. I’m really sorry! Please spare me just this once for my mortal sin!’

‘It seems like you don’t want to die, even if it’s just empty words. Then tell me. Who put such a useless hope in you?’

‘Oh, no. I really thought it would be better to marry Emilia off at a younger age… … . Argh-!’

How could he not resemble Emilia at all? Enrico was truly offended by Giorgio’s miserable face.

For a moment, he wondered if he had ever been this annoyed in his entire life, so Enrico stretched out his leg and trampled Giorgio’s thick thigh with his heel.

‘Gasp, please… … !’

‘Ha… … . Go back and look at the contract again. And don’t come near Emilia from now on.’

‘Ah- Yes, yes! I will definitely do that! Please… … .’

‘I will watch. Remember that.’

‘Yes! Ugh… … !’

Enrico lifted his foot and kicked the other person’s chest. Giorgio fell backwards awkwardly, and ordered Fabio, who was bringing new shoes, to keep an eye on the pests, but his unpleasant feelings did not go away.

Perhaps because he dared to treat his own as if it were his and tried to sell his dowry, his complicated feelings continued until the evening he met Emilia. As he watched Emilia shedding tears while talking about her family, he quickly forgot about Giorgio, but what he had in his place was Emilia’s attachment to her family.

He couldn’t understand how she could make such a contract because of her family when she couldn’t even take care of herself. It was an emotion he couldn’t understand because he didn’t have anyone by his side. Even if he made this contract because of her family, it was something he considered a natural contract, so at first he just felt sorry.

“I’m just a little feverish. I have no problem dancing.”

But why did he feel bad about something like that? In fact, he said he was fine, and as long as he could show off his stage to his liking, it didn’t matter if he was sick or not. But why did those words bother him so much? It was strange.

Enrico crossed his legs and tilted his head back. He leaned back comfortably against the backrest, but the gorgeous chandelier was so bright that he thought he was going to go blind.

In the end, he closed his eyes. He thought of Emilia moving beautifully on the stage right in front of him. Her face, smiling happily and dancing under the splendid lights, and her light gestures as if she were about to fly away were vividly imprinted on my retina.

Emilia, who calmed her raging breath after the stage ended and stared blankly with her large eyes that seemed like they would burst into tears at any moment, as if hiding her wounds, and Emilia, who looked up at him with her peach-pink cheeks that were wet from the tears that shed.

My beautiful Emilia.

‘… … I’m not tired of it yet.’

That must be why. It wouldn’t be good for something that wasn’t even tired of to break already. She had to exist flawlessly in front of me until I threw it away first.

Eventually, Enrico reached for the table next to him, but when he felt it was empty, he called out to Fabio.

“Here you are.”

As soon as Fabio came in, he noticed Enrico’s hand and took out a cigarette, lightly placing it between his fingers. Fabio, who soon lit the end of the cigarette in his mouth with elegance, took a step back after checking the burning ash.

Enrico languidly lowered his eyes and exhaled a long, hazy puff of smoke.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“… … Emilia guided me to the guest room on the second floor. The doctor said that you have a cold so I’ll take some medicine and get some sleep and you’ll be fine.”

“Tell him to examine your entire body.”

“Understood.”

“And bring Zabetta.”

“Zabetta? Ah! I guess it would be better to have someone familiar take care of you. I’ll bring her right away.”

Fabio felt that Enrico’s heavy mood had eased slightly when Emilia said that it was just a cold, so he carefully took out the invitation from his inside pocket.

“By the way, there’s an invitation to a masquerade ball from the palace.”

“A masquerade ball… … . I guess the guest likes provocative things. It’ll go well with the crown prince.”

Enrico smiled obliquely without even glancing at the invitation. As expected, seeing that he didn’t show any interest, Fabio spoke carefully.

“I’m sorry, but His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to make sure you attend.”

Only then did Enrico’s eyes turn to the invitation.

“Hmm-. Didn’t my nephew like it when I didn’t go to the ball?”

Alessandro, who had been secretly keeping Enrico, who was not much older than him, in check, came to mind.

He smiled leisurely, but sometimes showed his thorns that he couldn’t hide when looking at him.

The king, who had been at ease with Enrico, who was solidifying his position as a duke and accumulating wealth, belatedly became nervous, but he judged that if he provoked him now, it would only provoke him, so he stayed quiet.

However, Alessandro couldn’t have been unaware of the situation, and it seemed that our brother’s son had great anxiety about the throne.

“It might not be a ball for the second prince. What do you think?”

“I will investigate all the people attending and the preparations for the ball without fail.”

“Good idea.”

Enrico put his half-smoked cigarette on the invitation Fabio was holding and put it out while squeezing the paper.

“… … What do you want for dinner? Should I prepare a meal?”

Originally, he had planned to enjoy Emilia’s performance and have dinner together, but perhaps because of the lingering taste of cigarettes, his mouth felt rough and he had no appetite.

Enrico got up from his seat and brushed away his disheveled hair.

“No. Let me wait.”

I guess I’ll just have to run for a bit after a long time.

***

A golden music box was emitting sad music. A doll standing in the middle of the music box stretched its fingertips toward the sky, crossed its feet elegantly, and spun in place, vaguely raising its head.

The doll spun endlessly like a winding spring being turned by the owner of the music box. Then, the smooth movement stuttered slightly, and eventually became stiff, and the hand that was winding the winding dropped the music box in midair.

Bam- The doll’s ankle, separated from the music box due to the impact of hitting the ground, broke. Tragically, to the point where she could never get up again.

And that doll was none other than herself.

“Huk-!”

Emilia took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. Her dilated eyes were filled with fear and moisture. Her eyes, which had been blankly blank as if she had not grasped the situation for a moment, with her heart constantly heaving, belatedly entered her field of vision when an unfamiliar ceiling painting came into view.

‘Here… … . Oh, right. I fell asleep after getting examined.’

Emilia, who belatedly remembered that she was in the duke’s house, slowly raised her upper body. Perhaps because she had taken the medicine and fallen asleep, her body felt much more refreshed.

‘Is it because I’m tired? My dreams are also hazy.’

Emilia frowned and lowered her feet under the bed, her sweaty nightgown fluttering. She thought she should drink a glass of water and wash up, so she carefully picked up the glass on the nightstand, but the door opened carefully.

“Oh… … . You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Zabetta, who should have been at home, came into the room.

“Madam? Why are you here? Have you returned to the ducal residence?”

“No. The duke called me in for a moment to take care of the young lady. I thought you’d sleep until morning, but you woke up too early.”

Enrico? She remembered the cold gaze he had given her earlier. Was it because it would be difficult to continue fulfilling the contract if she wasn’t feeling well?

Emilia blinked and turned her head toward the window. The doctor’s words about stopping her and asking for a full checkup weighed on her mind.

‘… … I guess it’s better to keep my ankle a secret for now.’