When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 5



Only Krnovel

#05. His Collection
2024.01.05.

‘… Huh?’

‘I think you’re mistaken. I offered you the contract, but you had no choice in the first place.’ A

low, bored voice mumbled.

‘I know you don’t mind supporting me since you’re running away, but don’t you realize that the plan would have been in vain since I found out?’

Emilia’s eyes gradually turned red. Her trembling lower lip and her eyes that seemed to be calling him a despicable person looked precarious, but her slender back straightened as if it were her last bit of pride. Eventually, Emilia clenched her teeth and clenched her hands.

‘It doesn’t matter. I can stay here and investigate.’

‘… … You?’

Enrico smiled, tilting his head askance. His eyes, which were based on contempt, leisurely scanned Emilia.

Emilia shut her eyes tightly in the humiliation that dominated her whole body. She felt her throat tighten even more because she knew what those eyes meant, looking down on her as if she was ignorant of the ways of the world.

Investigation was something that only those with money and status could do. The only money she had was the jewels she had brought with her when she was young, and that was just enough to buy a house and live off of for three or four months when she became an adult. It was a

vague amount of money that was barely enough to cover the funds she was currently running away with, so it was impossible to use it for investigation costs.

If she were to ask me to investigate something that happened seven years ago, not one or two years ago, she would naturally be charged a huge amount, and especially if it was a request from a woman with no status, she would be charged even more.

The words she had uttered in vain came back to her and choked her throat. If she stayed here, she would be taken away by her uncle and sold to a rich family, but would she really be able to go to that family and conduct the investigation she wanted?

‘… Please.’

Many thoughts crossed her mind in a short while. The answer was already out there, but her mind was becoming more and more complicated because she had a hard time accepting it. So in the end, all she could say was this.

‘Please give me time to think.’

In the end, Emilia just lowered her head as if to hide her sorrowful feelings.

Emilia shook her head violently at her endless thoughts.

“What are you going to do by just thinking about yesterday? You should think about what to do from now on.”

Emilia muttered as if sighing, tucking her disheveled hair behind her ear. Of course, she thought she should sign a contract, but on the other hand, the word sponsorship put the brakes on.

A person who treats people like expendable dolls is satisfied with dancing? How could that be possible? Emilia’s common sense did not allow it. Maybe it was because she had occasionally heard rumors about sponsorship at the art academy, but his sponsorship did not seem pure at all.

In particular, the last words he told her as if he was doing her a favor fueled her suspicions.

Dancing in his mansion. Usually, I only heard that pure sponsors would support me on stage and occasionally have a meal, but Enrico’s conditions were too suspicious.

‘I have to refuse… … . I have to figure out how to escape while I hesitate… … .’

Even though I knew it was a poisoned chalice, it was hard to refuse right away. What if there really was something behind my parents’ deaths? Even if not, wouldn’t it be right to find out at least? The faces of my parents smiling brightly as they looked down at me came to mind.

The warm hands that always held my hand, the affectionate kisses, and the affectionate eyes that watched me do ballet. Even after 7 years, the memories of the two of them were still vivid, as if they were pressed into my retina.

‘Is this signature okay?’

The faces of my parents who had carefully asked as they handed me the Royal Academy of Arts admission documents. The expressions of them briefly contemplating whether it was right to give me documents for a place I couldn’t go to as a birthday present.

‘Yeah! It’s okay!’

But soon, seeing the face of young Emilia smiling happily, she smiled back as if she had no choice. Everything passed by one by one like a panorama.

Emilia hugged her legs and leaned her cheek on her knees. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly along her painfully closed eyes.

‘… … It’s not okay at all.’

Now all she had left was ballet, but even that had become uncertain. An unpleasant sense of helplessness began to creep up from her toes.

‘Rather… … If it were going to end like this without doing anything… … .’

Wouldn’t it be better to use this ballet to do something? Her closed eyes opened. Her emerald green eyes sparkled. Even if Enrico Michele was a strange person, as long as she didn’t run away, her future would definitely be unhappy no matter who she met, so what was there to worry about?

Emilia’s head slowly rose. She wiggled her toes as if she wanted to run away at any moment, and then carefully turned her gaze to the door that was opening.

“Huh? You’re awake?”

It was her roommate, Giuliana. Juliana, with her cheeks as cold as an apple, was holding a newspaper in one hand and looking slightly surprised.

“I thought you’d sleep in late yesterday because you said you weren’t feeling well.”

“Ah. I guess it’s because I was a little nervous. But why did you come back so early? Didn’t you plan on staying at home until tomorrow?”

“There’s an audition coming up soon. It’s a bit unsettling to just stay at home and rest.”

Emilia nodded slowly. Most of the ballet dancers at the art academy are from commoners or fallen noble families, so they tend to encourage them to work.

Sometimes there are families that try to get married early, but fortunately, Juliana’s family wasn’t like that.

“When are you going to submit your application? Should we go together?”

“Yeah. It’s due the day after tomorrow, so let’s go tomorrow.”

“Okay! You said the audition was a week later, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But… … Emilia, what’s wrong?”

Juliana stared at her for a moment before asking.

“Huh? No, why?”

“You look strangely weak.”

Emilia smiled faintly and stroked one of her cheeks.

“I guess I’m just tired. Oh, was there an interesting article in the newspaper?”

“The newspaper? Oh! “A body was found floating down the Bahia River.”

“Huh? A body?”

“Yeah. But since it was found in the river that connects the slums to the west and downstream, I guess they won’t investigate it in depth. It’s an old body, so it’s hard to identify… … .”

Juliana trailed off, looking bitter. Since it was a slum, it was obvious that they had simply concluded that it was someone who had starved to death.

Since they couldn’t pinpoint the person even if they investigated someone from the slums, the police would have concluded it was just a waste of time and closed it. Normally, it would have been considered something that wouldn’t have even made a single article, but it was actually surprising that it ended up in the newspaper.

“A noblewoman must have found it and made a huge fuss.”

Juliana continued, as if she had noticed Emilia’s thoughts.

“And that noblewoman was meeting her lover there.”

“Oh. So… … .” So

there was an article. It must have been exciting news to those who like to gossip.

Emilia also let out a faint sigh as she laid down comfortably on the bed.

“Come to think of it, there was an article about Duke Michele.”

“… … An article about Duke Michele? What?”

Juliana blinked her eyes for a moment at Emilia’s sudden rise to her feet.

She was a person who seemed to be indifferent to other people’s business, so much so that she was a little embarrassed.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that almost all conversations began and ended with ballet, so much so that Juliana would be the one talking, and Emilia would only respond appropriately enough to make the other person feel comfortable.

“It’s nothing… … It’s just an article about you coming to our performance yesterday.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Huh? Huh… … .”

But this surprising interest? Juliana stared blankly at Emilia, who took the newspaper away as soon as she finished speaking.

Emilia’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she read the article’s title. There was no need to read the entire content. Enrico, who fanatically collected everything that caught his eye, whether it was art or people, was so famous that it seemed like there would be a lot of interest in what he would add to his collection wherever he went.

But who would have thought that even an art academy performance would be covered in an article? He wasn’t someone who didn’t usually go to see performances. Even though he was the younger brother of the king, who was much older than him, and had already stepped down from the throne after receiving the title of Duke, he was someone who drew attention wherever he went, so it seemed that such articles were published even for trivial things.

‘If we do end up signing a contract… … Will it be possible to keep it a secret?’

No matter how you look at it, it seemed realistically difficult. Not only would he immediately receive public attention, but he would also be labeled as Enrico Michele’s collection rather than ballet.

Emilia, who was naturally thinking about signing a contract with Enrico, flinched at the voice calling her, and slightly crumpled the end of the newspaper.

“Emilia.”

“Huh?”

“… … Are you interested in Duke Michele by any chance?”

“Just… … . I was surprised that everyone came to see the performance, but I didn’t know it would make it into an article. Sorry, it’s a little crumpled.”

Emilia pretended not to care, smoothed out the wrinkles, and handed it back. Giuliana, who had been accepting it with a bewildered expression, nodded with a face that said, “Well, that’s true,” and handed the newspaper back to me.