When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 96
Only Noblemtl
#96. Don’t Go
2024.04.05.
“… … I’m sorry. But I think it’s right to break the contract.”
“Do you want to say that even in this situation?”
“Yes. Because of this situation, my thoughts have become more solid.”
“Emilia.”
A spine-chilling low voice called her name as if warning her. However, she didn’t care at all and tried to push his hand away.
“Your Majesty, didn’t we make the contract for our mutual benefit?”
He let go of her wrist and turned around, grabbing her right hand tightly and distorting his face. A confused light seeped into his eyes as he glared at her fiercely.
“Your Majesty is suffering great losses because of me.”
“I’ll decide that.”
Although her body was hotter than usual because of her injury, today, her hand, trapped in his grasp, felt particularly cold.
If it weren’t for her expressionless face, I might have thought she was extremely tense.
“And my ankle is not feeling well. “You must have already heard from your doctor.”
While Fabio was taking Emilia away, the doctor came back to the bedroom. He had heard everything she had to say about Emilia’s condition while checking her condition for the last time, so he knew what she said.
But what did that matter? He had originally planned to keep her in his mansion. Her ankle could be slowly treated in the meantime. When it got better, she could go up on the Duke’s stage. However,
unlike his thoughts, his mouth did not open right away. The sight of her calmly looking down at him with dry eyes that made it hard to read her thoughts felt somehow unfamiliar.
She had demanded that he break up and showed her calm demeanor countless times before, but now, at this moment, she seemed qualitatively different from then.
“I am no longer useful as a work of art. But you still have no intention of letting me go, Duke?”
“… … Yes.”
Emilia was his. Now that he had acknowledged her as a precious piece of art itself, how could he let her go so easily? He had no intention of letting go until this feeling was over.
“Duke, what on earth do you want to do with me?”
But that monotonous voice kept causing ripples in his chest. Enrico’s lips twitched.
“… … What do you have to do? Why do you have to seek justice unconditionally?”
Enrico’s rib cage swelled and sank.
The stabbing pain in his head continued, but he couldn’t end this conversation. He felt anxious that she would disappear from his sight the moment he sent her away, saying he was tired.
And he also wanted to stop repeating this boring conversation.
Even though his face was paler than usual and he was having trouble even sitting down, she didn’t back down.
If it were Jeon, she would have left to avoid the situation, but it was clear that she wanted to end this argument today.
“It’s important to me. If you want me to be a doll that just breathes quietly and does nothing, I can’t do that.”
The words he said to her always held her back. Artwork, dolls, what else did she say? If you find her words annoying, you think they are all her own words.
At first, it was annoying that she kept bringing it up, wondering why she had said those words
back then. But now, he was worried about why she kept saying those words. Did those words hurt you? Is that why she keeps demanding that we break the contract?
Then, if you apologize for what happened back then, wouldn’t you say you’re leaving?
‘Then… … . Ugh.’
Suddenly, an indescribable pain, as if a knife was cutting his right temple, overcame him. The hand that was holding her loosened on its own and one eye squinted.
Emilia’s fingertips twitched, but she quickly clenched her fist as if to hide it. He placed his hand on his head and took a deep breath.
“… … I don’t need the doll anymore.”
Enrico blurted out. He had to lie down right away, but he couldn’t let her go like this.
Before, she had extended her lovely hand to worry about him and even tried to apply medicine, but now, seeing her not even approaching him, he felt a strange sense of crisis.
“So, what do I have to do for you to stay by my side?”
Emilia slowly raised her head. Her face was still expressionless, but perhaps because of the shadows from the candlelight, her emerald eyes looked strangely gloomy.
“If you had wanted something in the first place, you wouldn’t have just demanded that the contract be broken.”
“Emilia.”
“Then let me ask. Why do you want me by your side, Your Majesty?”
… … What?
For a moment, he was speechless. He only thought that he wanted her to stay by his side, but he had never thought of anything specific.
No, I had thought about this before. It’s not bad to be a lover beyond a sponsorship relationship, but I stopped because I was reluctant to develop a serious relationship.
But now, in order to keep Emilia, it was clear that we had to make our relationship clear in order to talk. The only problem was, was there a need to lie and bring up marriage in order to appease her right away? …
“… … .”
Emilia’s eyes, looking down at Enrico who suddenly became silent as if he had lost his voice, were filled with a mixture of resignation and pain.
As even the faintest of expectations disappeared like dust, she immediately thought, “Well, then, then,” and slowly took a step back.
“… … No. Why would it be a lie?”
As soon as Enrico saw Emilia moving away, he wondered why he couldn’t get married. On the contrary, if he wanted to keep her by his side, there was nothing more perfect than the institution of marriage.
A relationship where they could see each other every morning and stay together until they fell asleep without having to forcefully hold her to the mansion.
Although he was a little worried about having to lower his position and get married, it seemed better than letting her go like this. He
could just trample down the rascals who were talking nonsense so that they would never talk again, and raise Emilia to her noble position.
If her job was the problem, he could just change his perception of that job.
‘A lowly ballerina? What’s the big deal?’
In the past, he had thought that he would just lock her in a cage and keep her by his side. However, as if he was laughing at that thought, he now deeply agonized over the fact that he hoped her gaze would stay on him. He
continued to rationalize in his head as if he was following his desire to keep her by his side, while going through a series of thoughts that he would never have done in the past.
“Get well soon.”
At that moment, Emilia’s calm voice interrupted his thoughts that had been continuing.
“I meant it when I said I hoped you weren’t sick.”
Enrico opened his eyes wide and quivered his lips as if he was anxious about Emilia, who was acting like she was going to leave at any moment.
“… … I’ll marry you. Is that okay?”
Those words should have been sweet, but they were buried in Enrico’s arrogant tone and became a favor. She thought it was just like him. At the sharp words, Emily finally squinted one eye and smiled faintly.
He hesitated and got up from his seat at that strange smile that seemed to hurt somewhere.
“… … !”
One ping- her head spun and she felt dizzy. She shook her head very slowly from side to side as she saw him staggering and getting down on one knee, barely holding onto the side table.
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
“What do you regret, ugh… … .”
“Thank you for everything.”
“Emilia.”
He grabbed her hand urgently. One blinked her eyes several times in the dizzying vision, and her hand let go in vain.
“… … Don’t go.”
Enrico waved his hand in the air and barely managed to mutter in a hoarse voice. Before he knew it, cold sweat was soaking the bandage wrapped around his forehead, and the sweat running down the back of his neck was dampening his shoulders and collarbone.
“Don’t go, stay by my side.”
The headache that he thought had subsided came back strongly, making him confused. His appearance, gritting his teeth and muttering as if he had lost consciousness, looked unusually miserable.
Sweat ran down his nose and dripped from the tip of his nose to the floor. Emilia’s eyes, seeing the traces of moisture spreading like tears, were extremely dry.
Her face, which looked as if she had killed her emotions, was clearly visible through his shaking vision. His lips moved a couple of times.
What should he say? It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to catch her no matter what he said.
For some reason, his heart ached more than the pain that was racking his brain.
Her emotionless face, which showed no trace of emotion like sand slipping through his hands, made him feel like he was looking at his own face from long ago, and it made him feel sick. Was it that he had seen her with such eyes?
“Eh, hmph… …”
He wanted to call out to her as she turned away, but that was his limit. As if weights were hanging from his entire body, his body gradually sagged and his eyelids became infinitely heavier.
Was he really going to keep going like this? Leaving him like this?
Enrico barely managed to reach out with one hand to her. However, her gaze, devoid of even a shred of emotion, did not reach his trembling fingertips. He
thought he saw moisture where she passed, but he could not discern it due to his collapsing vision.
“Don’t go.”
Enrico could barely keep an eye on the hem of Emilia’s skirt as she walked away. Just before he collapsed on the floor, he heard Fabio running into the bedroom and the world soon went dark.