“…Yes?”
“You’re finally looking at me again.”
He chuckled briefly, brushing his hair back from his face, which had lost some of its earlier dampness. She frowned at his incomprehensible words, feeling his suddenly dangerous aura and nervously closing her mouth.
“As you said, it’s late at night, so I’ll be going now.”
He stepped back neatly. She watched his broad back as he turned around after meeting her eyes once, quietly observing him as he paused at the door.
“But earlier, you said it was late at night.”
Emilia, who had been expecting him to say something to irritate her, blinked her eyes at his unexpected remark.
The sound of the door opening made her turn slightly, revealing his profile in the light, his violet eyes gleaming.
“Does that mean it’s okay during the day?”
* * *
Having had a restless night, Emilia left the Duke’s mansion early at dawn. Although she was conscious of the surrounding eyes, she mostly wanted to avoid staying any longer in his uncomfortable residence.
His nonsensical remark had left her momentarily speechless. Asking if it was okay during the day—was that even a question? In any case, it hadn’t seemed like he was genuinely inquiring. He had likely intended to provoke her.
‘Strange, rude, and utterly arrogant man.’
Although he appeared to dislike her retorts, he would provoke her if she remained silent. Her emotions seemed particularly volatile whenever she was around Enrico.
She sensed Zaveta, sitting beside her, quietly observing her. Although she planned to stop by her home before heading to the opera theater, Zaveta had somehow known to wait by the front door at such an early hour. The carriage had already been prepared, making the journey back quite smooth.
“Um… when should I tell the doctor to visit?”
She looked at Zaveta, who had asked the question cautiously. After lowering her gaze in thought for a moment, she looked back at Zaveta and asked quietly,
“Do I have to go to the Duke’s mansion to be examined?”
“No, he can come to your house.”
“Then, can I request him to come on Sunday, since it’s my day off?”
“Of course, that will be fine. He said he could come any time, as long as it’s soon.”
“Please schedule it for Sunday, then.”
“Understood.”
Emilia turned her head to look out the window. The dark blue dawn was peaceful. Perhaps it was because she was away from the Duke’s mansion or the fresh morning air. Forgetting about the cold from the previous night, she found the breeze coming in through the crack in the window refreshing and enjoyed the changing scenery.
She decided to put the events at the Duke’s residence behind her and focus on the upcoming audition. In the distance, a crimson hue was spreading across the sky.
* * *
Emilia tapped her toes shod in pointe shoes on the floor. The uncomfortable but familiar sensation felt just right.
“Emilia, have you submitted your role application?”
“Yeah. What about you? I didn’t see you earlier, so I went alone.”
“Good job. I submitted mine too.”
Juliana stretched languidly and let out a sly chuckle.
“Oh, what role did you apply for? Don’t tell me you put yourself in the corps de ballet again?”
“Yeah. I applied for the solo part.”
“For which role?”
“Effie.”
“Oh… what?! Not Sylphide?”
At the raised voice, Emilia glanced around. Fortunately, everyone was stretching and chatting, so they weren’t paying much attention. Juliana quickly covered her mouth and whispered again.
“Why didn’t you apply for the lead role?”
“I wanted to try Effie once. I did Sylphide for my graduation performance.”
“Doing it at the academy is different from doing it here!”
“That’s true, but…”
It seemed like it wasn’t time to audition for the lead role yet. If she was lucky enough to be cast as the lead, she would be a prima ballerina who would be in the spotlight as she took on the role of first soloist in a short period of time.
TL/N: Prima Ballerina: the chief female dancer in a ballet or ballet company.
Fortunately, Giorgio hadn’t shown his face since that day he showed up unexpectedly, just as Enrico had said.
But he was the kind of person who might show up again if he even heard her name. Moreover, her sponsorship relationship with Enrico still weighed on her mind, making her cautious.
“I told you before. I’m going to take it slow. It’s not urgent.”
Emilia said this nonchalantly, even though she was more anxious than anyone else. Juliana seemed to not understand her, but she didn’t pursue the matter further. Juliana, who was scratching her cheeks and rolling her eyes as if she was troubled, frowned as she saw Eva who caught the corner of her eye.
“…Why is she in such a good mood these days? It makes me feel bad just looking at her.”
Emilia followed her gaze to Eva. Eva was sitting in the middle of the group on the opposite side, laughing heartily. The relationship between Eva and Director Carlo, which she learned about on the emergency staircase, was kept a secret from Sub Director Sylvia, but it was unavoidable that she felt uncomfortable.
TL/N: I’ve decided that I’ll be typing her name “Sylvia” instead of “Silvia” from now on.
Sylvia had said she would handle it, so Emilia found herself reluctantly turning a blind eye, though she wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do.
If Carlo weren’t a married man, it wouldn’t have bothered her so much, but of all people, Eva had to get involved with him. Emilia looked at Eva with disdain.
Did Eva sense her gaze? Eva happened to look at Emilia. She seemed uninterested in how Emilia was looking at her and just smirked, curling one corner of her mouth. Was Director Carlo that strong of a backer? Emilia sighed and turned her head away.
‘Let’s just think about the audition.’
She diligently stretched and waited for the door to open.
Eventually, the door opened and the judges entered the rehearsal room. The procedure was to watch the entire dance first, and then proceed with the audition sequentially, starting with the smaller roles.
As the turns dwindled, it was finally Emilia’s turn to play Effie, the fiancée of the male protagonist in [La Sylphide].
Effie was a happy bride-to-be looking forward to her wedding with the male protagonist, but she was almost a tragic figure because the male protagonist disappeared on the wedding day after falling in love with the sylph.
The witch who appeared at the beginning told her that the man she was going to marry was someone else, giving hope to the village young man who had been in unrequited love with her, and when the male protagonist disappeared, he finally confessed his love to Effie and they were able to finish the wedding ceremony with a smile.
The contrast between the male protagonist, who was crying in pain after losing the sylph to the witch’s trick, and Effie, who was smiling brightly, was quite interesting, so she also wanted to play the role.
TL/N: YOU’LL FIND A MORE DETAILED STORY OF [LA SYLPHIDE] AT THE END OF THE CHAP IF YOU WANNA LEARN MORE ABT IT 🩰.
“Okay, let’s get started.”
Emilia began to immerse herself in the role of Effie, not a fairy who was unrealistic, but a kind and lovely one.
She worried about the male protagonist and offered thoughtful consideration to the stranger who asked to rest for a while inside. The dancers watching Emilia’s graceful steps, smiling like a happy woman about to get married, had envy in their eyes.
She seemed to be a good fit for the role of a fairy, but she was able to blend in both dance and acting as if it didn’t matter what role it was, and everyone couldn’t help but admire her.
“You did a great job, Emilia.”
“Your dance is so arrogant!”
Sub Director Sylvia spoke first. Everyone’s eyes widened at the sudden shout of Director Carlo, who seemed to be cutting off her words.
“You seem too self-absorbed. Of course it’s right to dance beautifully, but you have to do it in moderation. If you overdo it, it becomes off-putting.”
Emilia just blinked at the criticism, which could not be called criticism.
“Director, you are going too far.”
“What am I talking about? I heard that she is the top student, so I watched her closely, but how did she graduate as the top student? It doesn’t seem to be that good no matter how I look at it. It seems like her grades are inflated too much.”
“Director!”
“……Sub Director, did you just yell at me?”
“Yes. I can’t just stand by and watch.”
“What?”
“If you’re going to evaluate, you have to do it objectively and accurately. Is it the job of a Director to criticize the ballet dancers indiscriminately for no reason?”
Sub Director Sylvia looked at him coldly with a disappointed expression.
“In my professionally trained eyes, no one can execute the movements as perfectly as Emilia. Do you know how each movement is made?”
“W-What? Are you trying to teach me now? I’ve lived on this floor for years. Unlike you, who only danced on stage, I know the ecosystem here like the back of my hand!”
“Did you penetrate a different ecosystem? No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem to have an eye for ballet.”
Kwaang, the chair behind Director Carlo, who jumped up from his seat, fell to the floor. The coaches and choreographers who were nearby rushed in between the two of them in a hurry, along with the commotion and his threatening face.
“Please stop it. Why are you doing this in front of everyone?”
“Didn’t you guys hear that arrogant tone just now?!”
“Let’s talk after it’s over. The audition is still in progress!”
“Audition or not, come here and apologize right now!”
Emilia let out a disbelieving breath as she watched at Director Carlo, whose face was turning red as if it would explode at any moment. It seemed like he was deliberately picking on her. If it hadn’t been for Sub Director Sylvia, he would have continued to talk nonsense and humiliate her in front of everyone.
Instinctively, she looked towards the group of dancers. Among them, Eva, who was standing in the corner, was looking at her with a smirk, as if trying to hold back her laughter, and with eyes that seemed to be mocking her.
* * *
LA SYLPHIDE
The story of La Sylphide concerns a young Scotsman, James, who is about to be married to Effie. The morning of the wedding day, James is dozing in a chair by the fire when a Sylphide appears beside him and wakens him with an airy kiss. She dances for him before she vanishes up the chimney.
As he greets his lovely bride and her friends, James tries to forget the enchanting Sylphide. Among the neighbors James has a rival, his cousin Gurn, who is also very much in love with Effie. During the preparations for the wedding an old fortune teller, Madge, enters and huddles before the fire, trying to warm herself. James orders her out of the house, but Gurn befriends her and offers her something to drink. Madge reads Effie’s palm and prophesies that the young girl will never marry James but will become the wife of Gurn.
When James, puzzled and disturbed, is left alone again, the Sylphide appears at the window. She tries to persuade him to follow her to the forest where she lives. Gurn returns in time to see James chasing the empty air. He runs to fetch witnesses to James erratic behavior.
The festivities begin, and the guests dance an exhilarating Scottish reel. In the midst of this rollicking dance the Sylphide flies across the room, invisible to all but James. He deserts his partner to follow her, but she has disappeared. Finally, everything is ready for the ceremony. James is holding the
ring with which he is to marry Effie when the Sylphide reappears and swiftly seizes it. He pursues her out of the house and into the forest. In the meantime toasts are being drunk, but when Effie turns to touch glasses with James, he is not there. She collapses in tears while Gurn, jubilant, leads the other men in search of the missing bridegroom.
The second act opens on a forest scene. Madge and the grotesque demons who are her attendants are concocting a poisonous brew in which they soak a scarf. With it Madge plans to wreak her vengeance on James.
The witches vanish, and day breaks on a lovely woodland glen. There is a dance of many sylphides, and then they disappear. The Sylphide enters, followed by James. She tells him that this is her home; she brings him wild strawberries to eat, cool spring water to drink, and floats up to the branch of a tree to show him a bird’s nest. But when he tries to capture and hold her, she slips from his grasp and flies away. He tries to follow.
Gurn and the other wedding guests arrive, looking for James. Gurn finds James’ jacket, but on the advice of old Madge, he conceals it and tells Effie that he has found no trace of her fiancé. She reluctantly listens to Gurn’s ardent suit. They abandon the search for James. James returns to the glen, disconsolate because of the Sylphide’s elusiveness. The witch approaches and offers him the magic scarf, promising that with its aid he can capture the fragile creature and hold her close forever.
When the Sylphide reappears, James draws out the gossamer veil. With a childish delight, she leaps to catch it as he tosses it into the air. He swears that she shall have it if she will kneel and promise to remain with him always. As she happily agrees, he twines the poisoned scarf around her shoulders. Her wings drop softly to the ground.
James tries to comfort her, but it is too late. She dies in the arms of her sister sylphs. As they bear her upwards beyond the tree tops, the wedding procession of Effie and Gurn passes in the distance. James falls unconscious. The old witch Madge is left alone, exulting in her triumph.
* * * *
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