When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 42
Only Krnovel
#42. Portrait
2024.02.11.
His head tilted obliquely, and his reddish black hair swayed in the wind. For a moment, I wondered why the wind had died down, but it turned out that the train was slowing down. Emilia muttered with a half-given face as she looked at the distant Barco Station.
“I hope you’ll be satisfied with just staying at my mansion.”
“I’ll judge based on what you do while you’re here.”
She had planned to spend the whole day searching around the mansion until the day she returned, but she felt she couldn’t leave him in the back. She paused for a moment before speaking.
“What should I do to make your judgment positive?”
“Well. I think it would be best if you thought about it yourself.”
“I’d like to, but there’s really no place worth going to in Barco. To be honest, I’ve only lived here since I was young, so I’m basically an outsider.”
“Then let’s take a look around, since we’re both outsiders.”
Was she doing this on purpose? Why did he keep talking about the outside when he obviously knew that her interests were only inside the mansion? Emilia kept her mouth shut and looked at Enrico, who was smiling mischievously.
“… … Duke, I’m more curious about the inside of the mansion. How about we take a look around together?”
“Inside the mansion… … . Is there anything more worth seeing than my mansion?”
How could there be? Where in the world would there be a mansion that could compare to the collection of all kinds of art that rivals the national museum? I heard that even the things in the mansion are just a part of it, and the old ones are stored in the exhibition hall at Michele’s estate… … .
Emilia turned her head with a resigned expression and looked straight ahead.
“I’m sorry, there’s nothing like that, but I think it’s just full of traces of my childhood.”
“For example?”
“Like my room when I was young, or my collection. Oh, if they didn’t take down my portrait, it would still be hanging there.”
“A portrait. A young Emilia. That’s interesting.”
Enrico tilted his head toward her and smiled as if melting away. The distance had become closer, so the afterimage of the sunset reflected in his purple eyes was clear. His face looked particularly bright, perhaps because of the scenery.
“Let’s be satisfied with that for now.”
They arrived at the Barcorta station a while later, but Emilia didn’t have to do anything. The coachman, who had already prepared everything in advance, brought the carriage and set off for the mansion on his own, dropping the group off in front of a wall covered with yellow climbing roses.
Emilia slowly looked around the mansion with sentimental eyes. The mansion, which had not changed since she was young, only showed traces of time. Soon, someone came out of the mansion and opened the front door.
“… … Butler?”
It was Domenico, the butler who had been with the Count for a long time. He had a few more wrinkles, but he was still looking at her with affectionate eyes.
“Miss! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. You’ve grown up so beautifully.”
Domenico hurriedly opened the door. Tears welled up in his eyes. Emilia’s eyes also filled with tears as she watched him express his joy with his whole body, as if he didn’t know what to do. She tried to hold it back and frowned as she grabbed Domenico’s hand.
“You’ve been here until now? Thank you so much. I was worried that no one was there or that there might be someone who didn’t know…”
“Where should I go? This is where I should always be.”
The two, filled with emotion, held each other’s hands tightly, but they fell apart as Enrico tried to pass between them naturally.
As if to prove that the path he was taking was the path, he let go of Emilia and Domenico’s hands and walked between them, heading toward the mansion.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You came with a guest, but you started talking first.”
Emilia ran to Enrico and opened the front door, looking at Domenico with sad eyes. It had been a long time since she had seen him, but she felt a little sorry for bringing such a troublesome guest.
The interior was a bit empty and shabby, but the large furniture was still there, so it was okay. Domenico had probably been the only one managing it, but it seemed to have gotten cleaner thanks to the cleaner Enrico had hired.
“It looks really empty, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. It looks like something is missing… … .”
“That’s where the artwork used to be.”
“Oh. Did your uncle sell it?”
“Yes… … .”
Domenico lowered his head as if in sorrow.
“As soon as the young lady left for the art academy, she ransacked this mansion, sold everything of value, and went to the capital.”
“Ha… … . So you haven’t heard from her since then?”
“She asked me to contact her only when the mansion was sold.”
“You put the mansion up for sale?”
“Yes, but no one has ever come to see it.”
“Huh? Really… ? That’s fortunate, but it’s a bit strange.”
“There must have been some who wanted it, but since the price was so high to begin with, it seemed like they had no intention of even looking at it.”
Domenico said confidently, puffing out his chest. Emilia burst into laughter for a moment.
“What? Is that okay?”
“Yes. He just told me to sell it myself, but he didn’t specify an exact price, so it’s okay. And I haven’t asked your permission yet, right? If you gave me permission, I would have put the mansion up for sale then.”
Emilia’s mouth twitched. Her jade-colored eyes flickered for a moment.
“Young lady, I’m finally going to ask you.”
“… … .”
“What do you want to do with the mansion?”
“… … Don’t sell it.”
“Yes. I will do as you say.”
Domenico smiled as if he had expected that, lowered his head, and took a step back. Emilia slowly looked around the interior with a strange expression.
Then she noticed Enrico standing in front of the stairs, looking at her, and she moved her leg in a jerky manner.
“I’m sorry. “ It’s been so long since I’ve been here that I’m late in guiding you to your room.”
“Now that you’ve calmed down, go ahead. Judging from the state of the living room, I’m quite curious about the state of your room.”
It was a sarcastic remark that wasn’t new. He was grateful that you had kept quiet until now, so he said everything.
Emilia ignored his words for a moment and nodded to Domenico.
“Where did you prepare your room, Duke?”
“I prepared it across from your master’s bedroom.”
If it was across from his parents’ bedroom, it was on the side where his room was. That was the second largest room, so I prepared it, but it was a bit odd that it was the next room.
Emilia controlled her expression and walked toward the stairs.
“I’m sorry I’m late. As an apology, I’ll show you to your room.” Instead
of answering, Enrico held out his hand. She absentmindedly placed her hand on top of his. Their fingers tangled slightly as she felt his warm body temperature.
“Is there a place to eat out?”
“There are quite a few stores if you go downtown. “ It won’t be as fancy as the store in Deshiro.”
“I didn’t expect that.”
Enrico glanced around the mansion.
“I heard that it’s a wealthy family that invested a lot in cars, but the mansion is surprisingly simple.”
“Oh, it’s a mansion that’s been passed down since my ancestors, so we’ve always lived there. They said that we should move to the capital when I get close to the age where I should debut in society.”
Emilia’s voice was flat. His gaze glanced down. I thought he’d feel like dying if I mentioned his family, so he’d become hazy again, but his face surprisingly looked calm.
“Then let’s just check the room locations and go eat.”
“Yes. The Duke’s room is this way.”
“Where is your room?”
“… … My room is right next to it.”
“Hmm… … .”
Enrico stopped in the hallway on the second floor and stared blankly at the room.
“The location isn’t bad.”
“Huh?”
Then, his gaze moved along the wall and stopped in a corner. She followed him, looking at him strangely as he suddenly went the other way, and her eyes widened when she saw a frame on the corner wall.
“The portrait really was there.”
It was a portrait that was cleverly angled so that it was not easily visible, as if it had been secretly hidden. A young girl who looked to be about six years old wearing a white lace dress, a beautiful woman sitting the girl on her lap, and a gentle-looking man standing behind her were in the frame.
“… … Actually, I thought they had all been thrown away.”
It had been a long time since she had seen her parents. She guessed that Domenico had hidden them and then secretly hung them up again after Giorgio left the mansion.
“This time, you really look like a doll.”
Enrico narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to look closely at himself in the frame.
“You look a lot like the countess.”
“Yes, that’s why my father liked you better. He said that you would have loved someone who looked like the woman he loved much more than someone who looked like him.”
Of course, he did say at the end that he would have loved you no matter what you looked like. In any case, Emilia stared at the portrait for a moment, thinking that it must mean that her father loved her mother that much.
I was so young that I don’t quite remember how I drew this, but anyway, the three people in the frame looked very happy.
“Is this all there are to the portrait?”
“Originally, there were many hanging on the wall, but I think my uncle sold or threw away most of them.”
“You said there would be a lot to see on the train, but was that a lie?”
“You did say that if you hadn’t taken it down… …”
He chuckled and straightened his slightly bent back.
“Let’s go. Ask your butler. He’s got more than just those.”
“Oh, yes.”
Emilia followed him as he turned around, then glanced back and briefly glanced at the portrait.
“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to eat at this mansion.”
Her feet, which had stopped at his words, started moving again.
Did he hire a chef? She had planned to stay alone and get by, but somehow the number of people kept increasing.
Why don’t you just go to a hotel and relax? Well, if you were going to stay at a hotel, you wouldn’t have followed me in the first place. Emilia nodded in agreement. And now, she glanced at the portrait that was no longer visible.
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