The bright noon light gradually faded. The audition, which had been suspended for a short lunch break after the announcement of the successful applicants, was resuming.
“Phew – I’m shaking again.”
“Why don’t you drink some water?”
Since it was a role audition conducted by both existing and new members, it proceeded quickly, and among them were those who had previously been watching the evaluation. The sound of pointy shoes hitting the wooden floor and the sound of piano accompaniment filled the interior.
Emilia gently stroked Juliana’s back, who was breathing deeply with a nervous face. Juliana, who had made it onto the list of regular members, was overjoyed as if she was about to jump, but the tension that had been relieved during the afternoon role audition became more serious.
“Just do it like you practiced.”
She whispered softly and handed her the water bottle she had placed next to her. At that moment, the sound of the piano stopped and the evaluators moved to the side.
“You’ve worked hard. We’ll proceed with the next order right away! Juliana Ferilli, Mandra Are…”
Juliana, who was reaching out with trembling hands, jumped up at the sound of her name being called one by one. Emilia looked up at Juliana’s back as she walked away, sending her a worried look, but a cold voice came from behind.
“Geez, how can she do ballet while being so nervous? She’s only got mediocre talent and just happened to be lucky.”
It was Eva Fabre. One of the 12 regular members, she was wearing a very proud face that it was very humiliating to be in this place with Juliana.
“Are you talking about yourself when you say mediocre?”
Emilia whispered bluntly.
“What? What did you just say?”
“If you didn’t hear it, it’s fine.”
“This… are you really pretending not to hear me now?”
People waiting next to her looked over at the raised whisper. It was important to watch how others were dancing, but there was a lot of displeasure in the sound that broke their concentration. No matter how brazen Eva was, she must have found these gazes unbearable, as she stared at Emilia and shut her mouth tightly.
Emilia, whether Eva was looking at her or not, watched Juliana, who was diligently taking the test. There was not a trace of tension on Juliana’s face as she finished the assigned choreography and followed the choreography shown by the chief choreographer. The corners of Emilia’s graceful lips rose slightly.
Soon, the piano accompaniment stopped again and the next order was called.
“Eva Fabre, Emilia Este, Monica Bert…”
Emilia met Juliana’s eyes as she wiped away her sweat and walked calmly to her designated spot. Eva’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she watched her.
She wondered why she had applied for the ensemble role when she thought she would audition for the lead role. Although new members could also participate in the role audition, only existing members and head graduates could participate in the lead role audition, so Eva’s blue eyes were stained with envy and irritation.
“Let’s start.”
After a while, the sound of the piano flowed out. Eva and Emilia, who began to dance to the signal of the chief choreographer, had smiles on their faces right away. Moving lightly as if they were excited about this situation like people in a drama, their movements were very graceful.
There were no particularly difficult moves, but it wasn’t easy. The judges, who were seriously watching them turn every fingertip and toe to the beat, nodded their heads and wrote down their thoughts on the paper in front of them.
The chief choreographer, who had been standing still while giving instructions, approached the sub-director and whispered softly.
“Surprising. I thought they were auditioning for lead roles.”
“Yeah, definitely. They’re doing really well. However…”
“She’s got something special.”
All eyes were on Emilia. Her every move was effortless and graceful, her timing impeccable, and her movements smooth and precise. As she pirouetted elegantly, one by one, the eyes of the others were drawn to her.
“It won’t be long until break time, right?”
“Yeah. But that doesn’t mean her tempo is off.”
“She really seems light on her feet. She must have great elasticity.”
Whispers could be heard from the contestants, who seemed to have momentarily forgotten they were at an audition. Even though they had rehearsed their own dances, something about hers felt different.
It was as if Emilia was the star and the others were just her supporting cast, and as if all the attention and lights were slowly being focused on her. Even the others who were dancing with her could feel this shift.
Eventually, Eva, who had been smiling brightly as she danced, had a slight grimace on her face. She had been worried about auditioning with Emilia because of her pride, and now she was even more worried because they were in the same order. She was sure that Emilia had done this on purpose to get attention.
‘Disgusting…’
Despite Eva’s burning jealousy, the piano continued to play and the attention on Emilia showed no signs of waning.
“Should we just ask her to audition as the lead?”
“Well-”
“What are you talking about?”
The Director, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between the sub-director and the chief choreographer, interrupted them disapprovingly.
“It’s over once you apply, so no exceptions.”
“Director, you’ve recommended this kind of thing before.”
“It’s not a common thing, is it?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“So let’s do it thoroughly this year, that’s what I’m saying. The ballet company has been heavily invested in, so we won’t tolerate any discord.”
The chief choreographer clicked his tongue in disappointment at the director’s unwavering tone. The sub-director turned her head to face the director who was looking down at her, stroking his mustache proudly. Emilia’s dance was still beautiful, her expression not changing even though she must have been out of breath.
* * *
Stepping out of the carriage, the wind blowing as the sun set struck her cheeks coldly. The place Enrico had given her in passing before she had even unpacked her belongings from the dormitory was a mansion built neatly with ivory bricks that didn’t look very old.
Emilia frowned slightly, her forehead creased at the appearance of the mansion, which was single-story but seemed larger than she had expected.
‘It’s good that there are no other mansions nearby because it’s on the outskirts, but… .’
It was still a burden. All she wanted in return was the truth, but receiving this kind of material support made her feel even more that she was tied to a relationship bound by sponsorship.
“Are you here? I thought you might not want to be escorted, so I’ve been waiting here.”
The streetlights placed in front of the mansion cast another shadow. Emilia, who had been looking at the exterior of the mansion without even thinking of going in, opened her eyes wide at the sight of Fabio, the aide, who suddenly appeared in front of her.
Fabio took off his hat and bowed politely before pointing politely to the side of the mansion.
“Duke Michele would like to see you. The carriage is parked over there.”
“……now?”
“Yes. He asked to discuss when exactly the transaction will take place after you confirm the mansion.”
Isn’t that what we should have done on the day of the contract? Anyway, she was in a position where she had to visit Enrico’s mansion often because of the contract, but she didn’t like him coming to visit her out of the blue like this.
‘I’ll have to tell him to refrain from visiting me out of the blue while he’s here to discuss.’
Emilia sighed and turned her back.
“Don’t you have to check the inside?”
“I just came to see what kind of place it is, so I don’t need to see the inside.”
“I see. I’ve prepared everything so that you don’t have to bring anything else, but please let me know if you need anything.”
Emilia’s forehead wrinkled even more at Fabio’s smooth words. She felt like she was accumulating debts she didn’t want to pay.
* * *
Emilia was led to the dining room. A variety of food was laid out on the empty table.
A golden-brown salmon pie, a thick piece of meat that looked good in quality, and a fresh salad with white asparagus were placed in the middle of the table in such a large quantity that one would think more guests were coming.
“Why are you standing like this?”
At the sudden whisper in her ear, Emilia covered one ear and turned around quickly. She didn’t sense any presence, but Enrico was already standing close behind her, looking down at her.
As she stepped back in surprise, a gentle hand grabbed her elbow. Enrico’s eyes, which were slightly downcast, narrowed as he watched her fluttering eyelashes, looking at his face and hand in turn.
“Are you waiting for me to seat you?”
“Oh, you misunderstand. I was just waiting for the Duke because-”
“Oh, Oh, really? Then I’ll just have to seat you myself.”
As if he had no interest in Emilia’s intentions, Enrico cut her off and moved his hand as if sliding it down her elbow. His large, veined hand enveloped her petite, smooth one.
Startled, Emilia tried to pull her hand away. But before she could, his hand tightened and pulled her towards him. He stopped just before her nose touched his broad chest.
The top button of his untied shirt was loosely undone, revealing his bare skin. Her mind became hazy for a moment with his heavy yet gentle scent.
What kind of situation is this? Feeling very embarrassed, her body stiffened, his other hand came to her shoulder, and then, as if turning the key on a doll, his languid hand changed direction.
Emilia’s mind, which had been dazed for a moment, came back to her senses. He placed her on the chair without any reaction, as if dealing with an ant wriggling, to her gesture of shrugging her shoulders as if she was uncomfortable with the unnecessary contact.
“Your Grace!”
* * * *
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