When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 4



Only Krnovel

#04. Contract for Truth
2024.01.04.

Enrico’s gaze soon turned to the window. Through the slightly foggy window, the heavy snowfall that reminded him of the cold reality entered his field of vision.

If only he could show what he wanted to see when he was doing ballet, it wouldn’t really matter.

His eyes, which slowly closed and then opened, were filled with Emilia again.

“You seem quite busy at this hour.”

The silence that had been filling the air finally dissipated. Emilia’s two eyes shook briefly.

“The place for the after-party isn’t this way, and the luggage you’re carrying looks too big for a walk… … .”

“… … .”

“Are you running away?”

“… … No way.”

Emilia’s gaze shifted to the side with a dubious answer. Enrico, who had been staring at her for a moment, let out a snicker and took out a silver cigarette case with a fancy pattern from the storage compartment on the carriage wall. A cigarette was placed on his smooth lips, and a short spark from the lighter in his hand.

Paa, a small fire was created, and soon white smoke rose as if to cover his handsome face. The acrid cigarette smoke slowly filled the carriage.

“Let’s just say that. It’s not that important.”

“Cough. May I ask why Your Majesty, you have come to see me tonight?”

“Ah. To sponsor me.”

“Huh?”

“I really liked your ballet. I’d like to see it personally.”

“Are you saying you’re sponsoring me?”

“Hmm, did I make it difficult for you just now?”

Why didn’t you understand at first? Enrico’s words, flowing out with the white smoke, whispered like a sigh. She reflexively held her breath at his gentle but presumptuous appearance.

“… … I’m sorry. It’s something I never thought of.”

The window opened, and a cold wind blew into the steamy carriage. Enrico nodded very slowly, wiping the cigarette ash out the window with his long fingers.

“Then what’s your answer?”

“Thank you for giving me this great opportunity. However… … .”

Enrico’s eyes grew dim.

“I have personal circumstances that have made it difficult for me to continue ballet. Please forgive me for having to decline.”

“You’re not going to do ballet?”

“Yes.”

He took a deep breath.

“That’s strange… … .”

“… … .”

“You don’t seem to have much to offer besides ballet, and you’re not going to do that?”

His expression slowly hardened. A beautiful work of art can show its value simply by standing still, but the woman in front of him was a ballerina in a music box who could only be complete if she danced.

“I came here in person to make a good suggestion, but you’re spouting useless words with your pretty mouth.”

How dare a woman who can’t show her value by standing still say that she’s not doing that important thing? His gaze turned cold toward her, who dared to lower the perfect value that he had placed on her.

“… … I don’t think any suggestion would change my decision.”

Their gazes collided in the air. A blatant wariness was revealed in their slightly shaking jade-colored eyes.

“What kind of proposal is that? Will it really be true?”

Enrico’s eyes, which had been watching Emilia tightly shut as if insisting on her decision, suddenly relaxed. Enrico slowly opened his eyes as if enjoying this moment. Then he elegantly brought the cigarette to his lips and slowly inhaled. He could hear the sound of the red-tinted ash burning away.

“I was going to tell you about the deaths of the Viscountess Este and her husband.”

Soon, a soft whisper flowed out along with white smoke.

“Can you tell me again?”

Emilia’s voice trembled. A languid smile spread across Enrico’s lips as if enjoying her apparent confusion.

“Willingly. I told you that I had something to tell you about your deceased parents. More specifically, about their mysterious deaths.”

His tone was gentle, as if his sharp attitude from earlier had been a lie.

“… … “It’s as if you’re talking as if there was something about the carriage accident.”

“I understand you now. Are you starting to understand me now?”

Emilia’s face hardened. Who could stay still when someone suddenly came and tried to poke at her painful wound? Despite her attitude, which showed her discomfort with her whole body, where she had cowered a moment ago, Enrico smiled faintly as if it were nothing.

“Your Majesty. They passed away a long time ago. I hope you didn’t say that lightly.”

Even as she continued to speak boldly, Enrico’s expression remained the same. As if he was just leisurely going about his business, he threw his cigarette out the window, rested his chin on the windowsill, and closed his eyes lazily for a moment before opening them again.

“I came here to propose a contract, so it’s not exactly light. It could be light depending on your choice.”

Emilia bit her lower lip. She looked deeply conflicted. She was clearly reluctant to respond hastily to his words mixed with warning, but she seemed cautious about asking about the contract right away.

A man who suddenly came in the middle of the night. A man who mentioned his parents who had passed away long ago. Everything was suspicious, but it was hard to ignore. Silence flowed and Emilia’s lips moved several times.

The silence that filled the carriage was occasionally broken by the sound of the wind coming in through the slightly open window. Enrico’s fingertips, which had been naturally tapping on the window frame at some point, gradually slowed down, and boredom began to show in his eyes.

“… … What kind of contract do you want?”

Emilia finally spoke, judging that she could no longer delay. It was a question too simple to be considered a question that she had pondered for a long time. But even that was as if she had made a big decision, Emilia’s two fists were shaking.

Enrico’s long fingers moved slowly as if they were wandering around the window frame. His hand, which had been moving as if it was wandering around the space, soon closed the open window.

After the sound of the slam shut, the sound of the clock’s second hand began to flow inside the carriage, barely filling the silence.

Enrico closed his eyes tightly as if enjoying the sound of the second hand heard at regular intervals.

The slightly downturned eyes under his thick eyebrows made him look even more languid, and his sharp nose and jawline combined elegantly to create a sensual atmosphere.

Anyone who had seen Enrico’s appearance even once would have groaned involuntarily, but Emilia simply swallowed dryly as if she was impatient with this silence and waited for his eyes to open again.

“My condition is simple.”

It was the words that came out after a long time. Enrico’s amethyst eyes, which slowly raised his green eyelids and raised the corners of his mouth, shone dimly.

“You just dance. Like a living doll.”

His gaze, looking down at her arrogantly, revealed the appearance of a man who had lived at the top all his life. Emilia’s face, which was still flushed from the cold, instantly turned as pale as moonlight. Shame flashed in her eyes, which shook like trees in a strong wind.

“Then I’ll tell you about your dead parents.”

He simply blurted out sharp words in a soft voice, as if he had no interest in her changes.

“Don’t you want to know the truth?”

Her intense gaze that he had seen on stage was finally revealed. Her eyes, which seemed to sparkle like starlight, changed her atmosphere, which had been like delicate flower petals fluttering in the wind and rain.

Now I like it a little, Enrico’s lips belatedly showed a satisfied smile.

***

The snowstorm that had come last night had left behind only a soggy trace under the sun. Emilia, who had been staring blankly into the sky with a face that had not slept a wink, turned her head at the sound of the rattling window.

The bare branches of the trees, banging against the strong cold wind, shook as they dropped the snowballs they had been carrying. In the summer, the trees would burst into purple buds and give off a strong fragrance, but their shabby appearance made her feel even more depressed.

‘It’s just like me yesterday.’

She recalled herself trembling in front of that arrogant man, unable to say a word. Enrico Michele, who had left her with a brief encounter but left her deeply confused, tormented Emilia all night.

‘Do you want to know the truth? … .’

It was a short statement, but one that she could not ignore. She had lived her whole life thinking that her parents had died in an unfortunate carriage accident, but suddenly it wasn’t like that. Even in the words that insulted her, telling her to become a dancing doll, the two letters of truth held her ankles like a swamp.

‘… … Can’t you tell me even a little bit of the truth?’

If it weren’t for the faint string of reason that remained yesterday, it was a proposal that made her mind dizzy enough to sign a contract on the spot. Emilia glared at her eyes that were becoming increasingly cold and asked.

‘Well. I only know a little bit, so it’s hard for me to tell you.’

‘Huh? Just a little bit!’

‘However, if the contract is signed, I think what I’ll do for you is a detailed investigation into the accident.’ ‘

No. I don’t think that’s right. How can you blindly sign a contract if you know what that little bit is about?’

‘You’re talking too much about disbelief.’

‘T-Than, wouldn’t it be better if I knew at least a rough outline of the content so I could agree to the deal?’

Enrico stared at Emilia for a moment before blurting out.

‘What did you say?’