When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 27



Only Noblemtl

#27. Secret Ballerina
2024.01.27.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

When I left the room, Enrico was drinking coffee and reading a newspaper as if it were his own home.

“… … What are you doing this morning?”

“It’s almost lunchtime, but it’s morning.”

“That’s true. Anyway, it’s so sudden and without notice.”

“Don’t stand there and talk uncomfortably. Come and sit down.”

Emilia sighed and sat down across from him. Then he put down the newspaper he was reading on the table and pushed it in front of her.

At his gesture of telling her to look, she slowly picked up the newspaper with a trembling look. She didn’t even need to look at the back pages. The article on the very front page caught her eye.

It was about the director Carlo and Eva.

The reporter who had been waiting after receiving several reports also witnessed the affair between the two and found out about it, and upon learning of it, the theater director applied the internal rules without exception and immediately notified the person who brought shame upon the theater’s reputation.

If the theater director had not come yesterday and handed over the notice of dismissal, it was obvious that it would not have ended as cleanly as the current article.

Emilia quietly looked down at the newspaper with a thoughtful face and put it on the table.

“This situation must have been more interesting than yesterday’s audition.”

“… … It was surprising. But did you come here for this?”

“No. Let’s go eat.”

“Outside? The two of us?”

“Then let’s eat together. Is there anyone else you would

like to invite?” Enrico acted as if he had made a suggestion that was too obvious. Since when did we start eating outside? Sometimes eating together at the duke’s residence was uncomfortable, so why was he doing this?

A few days ago, he had said that he would show off his skills in other ways besides dancing on stage, and this must have been part of that. Emilia’s face hardened slightly.

“Duke, I want to stay quiet. The moment I go out with you, you’ll naturally attract attention, but what about the knights?”

“Ah- is it because you’re worried about the sponsorship?”

“Yes.”

“But when I looked into the sponsorship relationship, they all said that they basically have meals together. Am I mistaken?”

Enrico raised the corners of his lips gently. It was a smile of someone who knew that he wasn’t mistaken. Emilia

bit her lower lip. He stared at her, resting his chin on his hand, as she looked embarrassed and unable to say anything.

“But why do you want to hide the sponsorship?”

“… … Isn’t that better for you, Duke? That’s why there haven’t been any rumors until now.”

“Well. I only told you to keep your mouth shut because it was a short period of time to spread rumors. But you’re different.”

A strange feeling passed through Ja-an, who had been radiating indifference. It was probably about a long-term contract, but for some reason, the words sounded strange. She, who had been quietly making eye contact, eventually looked away with an uncomfortable expression.

“Don’t avoid it.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t avoid eye contact like that. It makes me feel dirty.”

It was a cold and overbearing tone.

“Are you forcing me to

look at you now?” She muttered as if sighing, looking at him again. It would have been better to continue to treat him coldly. With him constantly changing from affectionate to indifferent, it felt like there were deep puddles everywhere, making it hard to move.

“Of course. You are mine during this contract period.”

“I wonder when my contract changed like that.”

“Well. I don’t know.”

“It could change again in a few days.”

“Yeah. It’ll change when I lose interest.”

It was a familiar phrase by now. Emilia quietly kept her mouth shut. Since she was still here, she would have to do whatever he wanted anyway, so she thought it would be better to just give up and go quickly.

He got up first. Putting back on the coat he had taken off for a moment, he motioned for her to come out.

“We’re going to a private place, so don’t worry about being exposed. I don’t want unnecessary articles about it either.”

And then he muttered softly and went out. In the end, Emilia let out a deep sigh.

On a Sunday afternoon, Perrine Street was surprisingly quiet. Since it was a boutique street mainly frequented by the upper class, most people were out late in the afternoon or partying late at night on weekends, so fortunately, there weren’t many people walking around the street at this time.

Emilia felt a sense of relief as she looked out the window. She

was going to wear a hood, but if anyone saw her going into a restaurant with Enrico, it would definitely make the front page of the newspaper, but since she was going to a private place, she figured she would take care of it herself.

‘Then I should have just said so from the beginning. Hoo… … .’

Since there was no way to escape, she tried to endure it, but there was no way to help the emotions that were welling up inside her. If she responded calmly, she would talk as if she was deliberately scratching people’s insides, and if she responded, she would ignore it as if it was nothing.

Emilia thought that Enrico was just as good at turning people’s insides upside down as Giorgio, and stared at the white iron gate that was getting closer. The employee who opened the iron gate and came out checked the paper and carriage pattern in her hand, perhaps confirming the reservation, and opened the gate wide.

‘I have to meet this man until my day off.’

The carriage stopped in front of a white building with a gold-banded sign that said ‘Maison Grand.’

It was famous as a high-class restaurant that was difficult for even the upper class to make a reservation at, and it was often featured in the newspapers, so everyone knew it, but it didn’t matter to her at the moment. As

long as she went without meeting a single person, it didn’t matter where it was.

Emilia absentmindedly looked at Enrico, who was sitting across from her while wearing her hood, and their eyes met. He must have been staring at her the whole time, because he just met her gaze with an expressionless face.

It was a gaze that she wanted to avoid. Emilia unconsciously avoided looking at him because his eyes seemed to penetrate deep inside her.

Soon, a knock was heard on the carriage door, and soon the door opened. Enrico leisurely got up from his seat. Emilia waited for him to pass her by, then got up and stood in front of the door.

A hand wearing black leather gloves was extended in front of Emilia. After hesitating for a moment, the white hand slowly placed its hand on top of the gloves.

“Why didn’t you wear gloves?”

Enrico raised one eyebrow.

“Oh… … . I forgot.”

“Careless.”

His short tongue-click was clearly displeased.

“What would you do if your hands cracked in the cold?”

The problem was that the speaker was Enrico, making it difficult to accept as genuine concern. Emilia rolled her eyes, not knowing how to react.

“It seems like your skin is delicate because it turns red even with the slightest force. It looks weak even to dryness.”

“… … “ I’ll make sure to take care of it next time.”

“Take good care of it. Isn’t it the part that gets used the most on stage, just like your feet?”

Of course it was. It was a typical comment from him who focused solely on art. Emilia laughed bitterly.

Even with just her hands, she couldn’t imagine how much he would be shocked to see her feet, which were bumpy and covered in blisters.

“When the contract ends later, I’ll show you these feet.”

To Emilia, her feet were a sign of her hard work, so rather than being embarrassed, they were a proud part of her. However, he would definitely hate such a place, so he was truly a man who didn’t fit in many ways.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Ah… … . If someone heard, they’d misunderstand that the Duke was worried about me. That’s not true.”

She covered her mouth as if embarrassed by his indifferent question and muttered.

“Why not? Isn’t it right to be worried?”

Yes, she must be worried about the things she owns. Emilia held back her laughter and answered a beat later.

“… … Is that so?”

“Yes. Where else can you find a sponsor who cares this much? He supports everything without reserve, thinks about your condition, and even leniently overlooks your annoying aspects.”

There was not a single person in the hallway that the employee was guiding you through. She was worried that the employee might have heard his lowly whisper,

so she narrowed her brows slightly at his last words. Enrico’s lips curled lazily at Emilia’s change.

“I’m lenient on your whining because you have something to show for it.”

Was he ever lenient? All I remember is him always trying to do whatever he wanted. It felt like a lump in my throat.

“But you can’t meet my expectations and just talk? I hate people who don’t understand things the most.”

Every single word that poured out was humiliating. However, she was more afraid of the sight of him turning away the moment he was disappointed by his words that seemed to be warning her in advance.

All she had left was ballet, and what she was most confident in was ballet, but the reality that ballet was nothing more than a means to achieve what she wanted was truly bitter.

Emilia lowered her head slightly, hiding her face that was about to turn red.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have lowered your head. You can be confident. You still satisfy my eyes.” She

wasn’t so ignorant that she didn’t notice the coldness hidden in her affectionate tone. Emilia nodded slowly and kept her mouth shut.