When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 73
Only Noblemtl
#73. Burden of the Heart
2024.03.13.
Enrico, who had been quietly staring at Emilia, stood up from his seat.
“… … You really like contracts. Do you want to keep them so thoroughly even in this situation?”
He took out a cigarette from the gold case on the mahogany desk. He spoke with a cigarette in his mouth, his irritation evident. Soon, the red-tinted ash began to burn out with a hiss.
Emilia did not look back at him and just stared at the empty space. Her fists clenched and she crumpled the hem of her skirt.
“It’s my family’s business. If it’s gambling debt, it’s probably not a small amount. Can I get the loan certificate from Fabio?”
“It’s not a small amount, so you can’t do it. I’ll build up my pride when the time comes.”
Enrico sat down on the desk and took a deep breath. White smoke escaped between his lips.
“I know my place, so I can’t accept such a large sum.”
“… … What?”
“The Duke said that before. “I hate people who don’t understand their place the most.”
Enrico furrowed his brow. He didn’t remember saying that to her. He had talked to her a lot, but he knew that he had said many harsh things to her.
But even if he brought it up now, he didn’t know what to do. Right now, she was in a pitiful situation, and he was just helping her, but when he got angry like that, his temper that he had been trying to hold back began to flare up again.
“… … Don’t you think that rejecting my favor right now is because you don’t understand your place?”
Why did he lose his self-control when he was in front of this woman? He had always treated people indifferently, and when they said something ridiculous, he would just ignore them, but he couldn’t do that with Emilia. That’s
why he ended up being so angry at Emilia’s house and treated her roughly.
Her face, once pale, was still vivid in his eyes, and her face was so flustered that it couldn’t even compare to the times when she was surprised, and no matter how much he was a man who put his feelings first, he couldn’t help but be concerned.
While I was asserting my pride by asking why I had to care about that woman’s feelings, I began to think that I should stop this meaningless fight as I naturally worried about her physical condition and her feelings.
“I’m sorry. I think I’m too shameless to rely on you, Duke, for family matters. I really want to repay you.”
The end of her voice trembled. He took a deep drag on his cigarette as if suppressing the anger rising inside him.
“… … Do whatever you want.” He
had tried to end today on a good note by telling her about Giorgio, but this was the ending. He heard Emilia get up from her seat and leave . The
smoke from his cigarette spread out longer from his mouth.
Where on earth did it go wrong? It seemed like it was the limit of a relationship that had been bound by contract from the beginning.
Emilia, who was always more tied up in contracts than him, frustrated Enrico, and he would always get angry and say mean things to her to relieve his frustration.
He no longer wondered why this was mean, why this was something he couldn’t say. However, now all that remained was the question of why he had said such things in the past and made their relationship worse.
***
Emilia returned home with a sullen expression. Javeta was out shopping, so it was very quiet. Suddenly, the sound of Enrico’s clock ticking came to mind.
‘It’s too quiet… … .’
Instead of going straight to her room, Emilia sat down on the living room sofa, her face looking tired. Outside the window in front of her, a purple and red sunset was coloring the sky.
Even though the days were getting longer, the sky showed how quickly she had left his house.
Today, we broke up on bad terms again. She thought of Enrico’s face, smoking a cigarette with a stern expression before leaving the room.
‘He told me to do whatever I want, so I’ll prepare it.’
He told Fabio about the loan certificate, but the conversation ended with him saying that he would give me a precise answer later, saying that he had to talk to Enrico in detail first.
He didn’t know why he had to pay off Giorgio’s gambling debt, but he had no choice to prevent his family from disappearing.
It would be too sad not to be able to use the family name that his parents gave him.
He’s a nuisance even after death, really. He wasn’t even angry because Giorgio left so absurdly. All he could do was laugh in vain.
Knock knock-.
“Are you there?”
Emilia’s face hardened slightly at the voice coming from the front door. She hesitated, straightened her upper body, and then stood up again at the sound.
“Who are you?”
“Alessandro.”
Her hand that was holding the front doorknob froze. She was worried about what to do with him who came again even though she clearly asked him not to come last time.
I dare not treat His Highness the Crown Prince coldly, but after greeting him, I couldn’t think of anything appropriate to say.
“… … Emilia, I’m sorry. I came because I was worried.”
Emilia finally opened the door slowly at the sound of a voice from beyond the door. She couldn’t let him continue talking in front of the front door.
“His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Emilia.”
“I’m sorry, but is this important business?”
“… … It’s important to me.”
Alessandro’s blatant interest was revealed, as if he had no intention of hiding his true feelings. Emilia swallowed a sigh and took a step back.
He smiled bitterly at her attitude of building a bit of distance.
“I’m sorry. I just heard the news about your uncle, and I was worried about Emilia, so I had no choice but to come running.”
“Thank you for your concern. However, we weren’t on good terms, so you don’t have to comfort me.”
“I knew a little bit about that. How could you be on good terms with an uncle who suddenly showed up?”
“… … Yes.”
“I came here because I thought you might be worried about the existence of your family.”
“I’ll think about that issue later. It’s not something that can be dealt with right away.”
Emilia said calmly, looking down. Alessandro’s eyes briefly scanned her face.
“I understand. However, as time goes by, I might become anxious, so I’ll try to put off the issue of the existence of your family.”
“Yes?”
Emilia’s eyes turned to Alessandro at the unexpected words. His eyes met hers as if he had been waiting for them, and they gently curved.
“Actually, the part about the current system that I didn’t like was the inheritance part. Isn’t it so unfair that women, who were born with the same blood, are not qualified to inherit the family?”
“… … Yes.”
“That’s why I’m going to change that system this time, but it seems best to put off the family issue until it’s dealt with.”
Those were words that appealed to Gumi. Who could refuse someone who offered to fix the unreasonable things that had been taken for granted?
Enrico’s words that he had told her to be careful of Alessandro kept ringing in her ears.
“I am grateful, but isn’t this a nuisance to Your Majesty?”
“No. I am just doing it because I want to help you.”
Alessandro’s face, smiling with pure kindness, was so gentle.
However, Enrico’s words and the note he had written to his father kept coming to mind. Was that arrogant note asking for the jewel really something that could be considered a childish act? Could
his personality change like this as he grew older? Various thoughts crossed her mind.
‘But am I in a position to hide that?’
Emilia blinked her eyes slowly and lowered her head slightly.
“Thank you. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“Repayment. It’s fine.”
Was he really going to do it for nothing? Emilia was about to be slightly surprised when Alessandro continued carefully.
“I just have something to ask about Duke Michele.”
“Ah… … .”
“I don’t want you to tell me about him or anything like that. “I’m just curious if you have a weakness for him.”
Why was he so curious about his relationship with Enrico? He knew that Alessandro had feelings for him, but he already had a fiancée. He didn’t
understand why he kept trying to get so deeply involved.
“… … There’s nothing like that.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Alessandro’s lips hardened at Emilia’s firm answer, but he quickly relaxed.
“Then that’s fortunate. I was worried because I’m a self-centered person.”
“Yes… … Thank you for thinking of me.”
“No. It’s nothing.”
So is that the end of our business? I wish you had told me you were leaving first, but judging from Alessandro’s expression, he seemed to want me to buy him a cup of tea. However, there were too many things on his mind about letting him into the house.
Rumors that might arise, the crown prince’s fiancée, and Enrico’s misunderstanding.
Finally, Emilia bowed her head once again politely.
“Thank you for coming. If you have the chance, I would like to greet you outside next time.”
Alessandro’s smile gradually disappeared at Emilia’s greeting telling him to go now. She kept her head down as if she was not going to raise it until he left.
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