When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 63
Only Noblemtl
#63. Encroachment
2024.03.03.
Enrico slowly got up from his seat.
He walked around the table, stood next to Christina, leaning his upper body slightly while supporting the table with one hand. Christina’s body trembled in fear as the shadow got closer.
“Okay, I was wrong. I really was wrong. I’ll kneel down to Emilia and apologize. I’ll take all the hits you hit me with! Ugh-!”
“Does this situation sound like child’s play? That fly is unforgivable even if it costs its life, and a mere knee?”
Enrico’s hand grabbed Christina’s hair and pulled it. Her head rose with the pain of her hair being pulled out.
Christina wanted to close her eyes as she looked down at him as if she was being crushed. Those emotionless purple eyes were filled with a cruelty that seemed like they could easily twist her neck at any moment.
“… Please, save me. Please save me. Please. Sob sob.”
“I actually considered killing her right away.”
Enrico whispered in a low, scratchy voice. Christina sobbed, her neck trembling as if it was painful to bend backwards.
“But I think it would be better to let you know that being alive is painful than dying all at once.”
With a thud, Christina’s head jerked forward as the hand that was shaking off her hair shook it off. Christina barely managed to breathe shallowly, as if she were frozen in her bent posture.
Enrico slowly turned around with a calm face as if nothing had happened and slowly took off his gloves.
“Oh, right. Since it’s the last time, I’ll tell you why Peter Puretto blew everything.”
I had thought it would be nice if he left quickly, but when I actually heard that it was the last time, it sounded even scarier. Christina looked at his feet as he turned around with trembling eyes.
“I heard you made an absurd promise to meet me when things were over… …”
With a thud, one of the black gloves fell to her feet. Her head slowly rose as he mercilessly threw it away as if showing his situation.
“Even that guy who loves you so much thinks his own life is more important.”
“… … Yes?”
“He didn’t have to do anything, and he started talking about you at the mere mention of death penalty.”
Christina’s two eyes opened wide. Enrico’s face, twisting his lips, was reflected in her yellow eyes that shook violently.
She had given that lowly brat who had been pestering her for a long time, saying that he was the only one, that he would do anything for her, just one chance.
How dare you, how dare you… … .
As the blood vessels in Christina’s eyes rose, the tears that had been flowing continuously gathered like tears of blood and then flowed down.
“No matter where you go, you won’t be the best.”
The moment he took off the last glove and threw it away, she heard a thud, the sound of her heart dropping. Christina’s breathing, which had been rushing forward, suddenly stopped as if all her functions had stopped.
Strangely, the words she had just heard hit her harder than anything she had ever heard before, and she felt like she had become worse than those falling gloves. The words that sounded like he would never achieve what he wanted no matter how hard he tried
, no matter what he did, were his true situation. Those words that sounded like he would never achieve what he wanted no matter how hard he struggled, just like Peter who had been so ignored, cruelly slaughtered his heart. “Try to do well in the workhouse. I told you so.” Enrico said dryly as he turned the doorknob. Light leaked in for a moment as the door opened, but as soon as the frightening back figure disappeared, a creepy darkness came. As Enrico came out into the hallway, Inspector Reid, who had been waiting in front of the door, bowed his head respectfully. Enrico nodded and slowly stepped out, suddenly hearing a painful scream and a dull sound like something hitting something from beyond the door. “Ah … As if nothing had happened. *** The wind occasionally knocked on the half-opened satin curtains and flowed into the room. Emilia calmly stared at the blue curtains swaying like waves and lowered her legs under the bed. She carefully stepped on her right ankle, and it still hurt a little. It was similar to the symptoms that sometimes appeared when she overdid it, so she roughly guessed that it hadn’t gotten any worse. Usually, if the swelling went down, there was no major problem with dancing. Emilia, who had been worried that it might be a major injury, breathed a sigh of relief. Since she usually stayed in bed except when washing or eating, her whole body ached more from boredom than from pain. The pain in her arm had also subsided compared to the first day, so it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t move. It was just a tear, so that was fortunate. “Why are you up?”
Suddenly, the door opened wide. Emilia, who was looking down at her feet, suddenly saw Enrico staring at her with his brows slightly narrowed.
“Ah… … .”
Emilia hurriedly found her slippers and put her feet in them. Then, a slight force was applied to her ankle, causing a brief pain. She staggered and regained her balance with her other foot, but the hand that was holding her waist was faster than that.
“What are you doing? I told you not to get up.”
“… … I’m stuffy. I want to sit by the window for a bit.”
“Then I’ll open the window more.”
Fortunately, Enrico didn’t seem to notice her feet and didn’t react at all. He didn’t let go of the hand that was wrapped around her waist, as if he was only concerned about his own behavior.
“No. I just wanted to sit on the chair. But the gown… … .”
Enrico looked down at her and lowered his other arm to her legs. He looked at him with surprised eyes as he suddenly bowed down, and his whole body froze at the sudden sound.
He carried her without saying anything and walked away. She didn’t say anything the whole way to the table in front of the window. She just smiled slightly and only regained her dazed consciousness after he put her down on the chair.
Her face grew hot belatedly.
When she danced, she didn’t hesitate to have physical contact with the ballerina and even when she was lifted into the air, but when Enrico hugged her, her heart started beating like it was broken.
‘You’re really crazy, Emilia.’
She closed her eyes tightly as her heart suddenly started beating like crazy and internally reproached herself as if she was trying to console someone.
She was the kind person who would end this kindness one day for no reason, but if she kept getting swayed by her emotions like this, there was no end to it. If
he found out, he would either use this as a weakness and manipulate her even more, or he would just throw her away because she was too much trouble. It was clear that there were only two options.
Emilia sat down on the chair, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes.
“Here’s the gown. Oh, I should have put it on before you sat down.”
“No! It’s okay… … .”
In the meantime, he returned to her with a gown that had been hanging somewhere. The gown with a large white flower design fell on her shoulders.
“Thank you.”
He nodded at her small voice and sat down next to her instead of across from her. He was sitting naturally in the middle of the table, looking down at her, not knowing when he had brought the chair. She
could see the wind caressing his slightly wet hair.
‘… … You already took a shower?’
As soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, Zabetta mentioned Enrico, who she hadn’t asked about, and told her that he had gone out early and that was why he hadn’t come to visit her in the morning.
At that time, she thought that he must be busy, but then she remembered that he had said that he would come by in the morning.
Was there a side to people who were sick that she was surprisingly generous?
She tried not to accept his kindness as it was.
And now, she swallowed dryly, thinking that he must have come to her for some reason, wearing only a white shirt and black pants.
‘But you came home early. It was just after lunch.’
The wind blew again. This time, it was a pleasant breeze mixed with the scent of sunlight and bushes. Emilia tucked her slightly swaying hair behind her ear and looked out the window.
In the distance, a large fountain was splendidly spraying water as if it were sparkling light.
Enrico, who had been quietly staring at Emilia’s chubby cheeks and fluttering eyelashes, slowly opened his mouth.
“I heard you didn’t have lunch.”
Her eyes turned to him again. Somehow, a sense of satisfaction spread from deep within his chest, and the corners of his mouth, which had been slightly stiff, loosened.
“I didn’t feel hungry because I was just in the room. I need to move around a bit… … .”
“I think I’ve been moving around a lot, so I think this is a good time to rest a bit.”
“Still. Oh, how’s the performance?”
“It’s been canceled, and the culprit has been caught.”
“… … Yes? The culprit?”
Her waist stood up stiffly at the unexpected words. He even leaned slightly toward her, and as if to calm her down, he gently grabbed her shoulder.
His hand, which had been resting on her round shoulder, slid down and stopped just above her elbow.
“Yes.”
Enrico held it there for a moment, then very slowly lowered his hand. Emilia’s eyes briefly glanced at the hand, but she spat out what she had to say right away.
“How could it be in just one day… … . So who did it?”
“As you guessed, it was Cristina Firdana who did it.”
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