When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 43



Only Noblemtl

#43. Vacation for Two
2024.02.12.

The city center that I visited after a long time seemed no different than before. The lively merchant street and the boutique street were divided by a fork in the road, and the people seemed to be people who had lived in the same neighborhood for a long time, so they didn’t seem shy.

That’s why the appearance of strangers inevitably caught people’s attention right away. In particular, the glances glancing at Enrico and himself were very annoying.

I thought that no one would recognize Duke Enrico Michele because he was from a distant place, but if there was a problem, his appearance was too conspicuous, that was the biggest problem.

People would glance at him, even staring at him, as if he had a halo around his appearance, and I was worried that Enrico would tell me to get rid of him because he was annoying.

‘Thank goodness he hired a chef… … .’

It would have been best if he hadn’t come, but he came and prepared for me, so I was relieved. Emilia guided Enrico to the restaurant with the best reviews, where they had a simple dinner and headed to the nearby promenade.

Originally, they wanted to go straight to the mansion, but Fabio told them that he had found a path that was not frequented by many people, so they had no choice but to walk.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be busy searching the mansion, but let’s go to the beach the day after tomorrow.”

Enrico, wearing a light gray coat in keeping with the changing seasons, walked leisurely along the promenade.

“The beach? The two of us?”

“Yes, the two of us. Don’t keep asking the wrong questions.”

“No, it’s just sudden.”

Emilia shrugged her shoulders, letting the familiar sarcasm slip out of her ear.

She had taken off her coat entirely, and was wearing a purple zouave jacket and skirt. With the temperature dropping along with the darkness, her outfit, which had been perfect for the weather, was starting to get colder.

It seemed a bit cooler because the beach was nearby.

“What’s so sudden? Then did you plan on staying inside the mansion all day?”

“Since I don’t know what my parents left behind, I have to look for it thoroughly. They might not have left anything behind, but…”

“Even if it’s vacation, move around a bit. Be thankful that I don’t make you prepare for the stage here.”

Now that I think about it, I realized that I brought up the vacation without telling him that I was taking a break from my schedule. Emilia blinked. It felt like they were naturally meeting each other, even outside of contract issues, as their performance schedules overlapped and personal circumstances got in the way a few times.

The occasional streetlight illuminated the road. The sound of the bushes swaying in the wind could be heard softly.

Now that I look at it, it may seem like a quiet town with nothing to do, but when I was young, it was so vast that it felt like the whole world. While breathing in the cool air mixed with salt, I would play with my mother on the sandy beach in front of the vast sea, and before I knew it, my father would come home from work to pick me up.

This path, which we would walk along while holding hands or occasionally eating out, was vividly drawn before my eyes as if it were pressed into my retina.

When I was young and found a cat lying on the grass, I would sneakily approach it and stroke it while playing, but the cat would run away at the sound of my parents getting closer.

Then, I would pout for no reason and turn around, and when I saw my parents reaching out their hands affectionately, I would quickly smile bashfully and hold onto it with my small hand.

“Ah… … .”

As if realizing reality, a cool breeze brushed the back of my hand, and I saw the cat lying on the grass again, just like when I was a child. For some reason, I felt like the afterimages of my childhood were overlapping, so I stared blankly at the cat, and suddenly I felt something warm on my shoulder. I flinched and looked down to see a gray coat wrapped around my shoulders.

“Let’s go back. The wind is chilly.”

The coat was too long and big. Her ankles were so loose that she had to be thankful that they weren’t dragging on the floor, and her shoulders slumped to the sides, making her look like a young girl wearing her father’s clothes.

Emilia’s gaze rose. An indifferent but elegant profile came into view. The clear moonlight left an afterimage on her sharp nose.

‘… … I don’t want things to get broken.’

Emilia turned her head again and looked straight ahead. The spot where the cat had been earlier was now empty. She

crossed the front of her coat and held it open. The sound of cicadas, distant voices, and the gentle sound of the wind. It was a night so peaceful that it gave her goosebumps.

***

“There was definitely a basement… … . How did you get there?”

As a child, she had often played hide-and-seek and wandered around the mansion, so she remembered that there wasn’t really a place on the ground floor where she could hide. Rather than waste her energy searching aimlessly elsewhere, Emilia thought of the basement, which seemed like a secret place. Just once, that day, her parents had taken her to the basement. It

must have been the last night in the mansion before they died in the carriage accident. She remembered crying without even eating dinner, complaining about her parents leaving her behind.

Emilia stood still, biting her lower lip. Was it because she was so shocked by her parents’ death? She couldn’t remember the details of that time.

Was it the study? Or the office? She stood still and tilted her head back as if she was frustrated.

She didn’t even remember the place, and she had no idea how to find the passageway down to the basement. She came here with great interest, but she couldn’t do anything. Emilia sighed and headed to the office.

‘First of all, this is the most likely place since it was the room my father used the most.’

When she opened the office door, the first thing she saw was a bare wall. It seemed like they had taken out every single piece of art in the mansion, and none of the decorations on the bookshelf were there.

Emilia cursed Giorgio inwardly and moved diligently. First, she went to the desk, opened all the drawers, and pressed the insides with her hands to observe if there was any reaction.

‘Ha, I don’t remember if I entered through the floor or if there was a passageway connected to the wall.’

Her father had carried her while she was sobbing,

so she buried her face in his chest, which was the problem. After searching the office for a while, there was a knock all of a sudden.

“Is there anything you want?”

She turned her head and saw Enrico leaning against the open door, still in the same position as when she knocked. The door was closed, but she must have missed the sound of it opening while moving around absentmindedly.

Emilia opened her mouth slowly.

“Ah… … I don’t know.”

For a moment, she worried about whether she could share all of this with him, but the moment she invited him to this mansion, she realized that her worries had become meaningless.

“I remember going to the basement when I was little. I was trying to find a passage.”

Emilia muttered, wiping her chin with the back of her hand. She could feel his soft skin because he hadn’t sweated a single drop.

Enrico leisurely entered with his hands behind his back. He tilted his head, stopped abruptly, and tapped the floor.

“Is this the right room?”

“I don’t remember that well.”

“Where is the room you suspect?”

“For now, the office and the study.”

Enrico’s deep purple eyes stared at Emilia calmly.

“Do you want to find it by yourself?”

“… … If possible.” It

was our family’s secret. He knew that everything would be revealed once he opened it anyway, but he just wanted to be the one to do it at the moment of opening it.

At some point, the hand that had been holding onto her skirt began to tighten. From his perspective, which he hated unnecessary waste, it was an absurd thing to say, so I thought he was asking if I was going to do something so ridiculous first.

But surprisingly, what he got in return was a clean affirmation.

“Do that. If you can’t find it by the last day, then let’s look for it together.”

Emilia blinked. Enrico turned around leisurely again and headed toward the door. Before leaving the room, he turned slightly and looked back. His eyes, unable to read what he was thinking, looked her up and down.

“Make sure you don’t get scratched.”

The door closed again. Ha, a breathtaking laughter filled the office.

***

She searched the office all day, but nothing came out. Emilia sighed as she soaked her tired body in the bathtub.

‘I’ll search alone until tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, we’ll all just search together.’

Somehow, her memory pointed to the office or the study, so she thought she would look for the basement passage tomorrow. The faint scent of perfume lingered on her skin, and the hot water gently relaxed her tired body.

Since it was almost time for dinner, Emilia got up from the bathtub with a regretful expression.

“Should I suggest that we go for a walk by the sea today?”

If she were to find the basement tomorrow, she would have absolutely no time to search inside, and if she couldn’t find it, that would be a problem in itself, so she didn’t feel like going anywhere.

Emilia went downstairs wearing a simple yellow dress. Enrico was coming down as well, so he was seen sitting down at the table first.

The chef who had been urgently called to Barcota was the main chef of the Duke Michele’s residence. There was no sign of discontent on his face, who had come on a business trip that was not in his fortune to cook.

On the contrary, as soon as Emilia sat down, he began setting up the food he had prepared with a proud expression.

“I guess you couldn’t find it. It’s quiet.”

“Yes, I’m going to look for the study tomorrow.”

Emilia looked at the soup in front of her, picked up her spoon, and then stopped and raised her head.

“Oh, by the way. How about going for a walk along the beach today?”