“I didn’t like her from the beginning. How dare such a child dare to talk back to me? It’s rude! When a superior says a word, she should humbly say yes, but she always stares straight in the eye and talks back at the end of every sentence. That’s why she can’t get married!”
“Director, your words are too harsh!”
“Chief Choreographer, just Let it be. Let’s see how far she’s going to spit out shit.”
“W- What? Shit? Are you calling my words shit right now…?”
There was no separate scene. The dancers were buzzing and the superiors were busy trying to stop the fight. Just as I was wondering how this hot mess would end, the door burst open with a bang.
Bang-!
An old man appeared with a sound like the door was going to break. Unlike his white hair and wrinkled face, the old man was very dignified, banging his cane on the ground and striding inside.
“Th-Theater Director?”
I wondered where I had seen him, but it seemed like he was the theater director I had seen in the newspaper.
Emilia glanced at the judges who had suddenly become quiet, then at the angry theater director.
Director Carlo, pushing aside the chief choreographer who was blocking his way, bowed and stepped forward.
“Theater Director! What brings you here?”
“Is this a marketplace?”
“I’m sorry. It seems that my voice got louder as I was educating my subordinates.”
As if to attest to his thick face, Director Carlo naturally glanced at the disheveled Sylvia with an embarrassed expression. The theater director, who had been watching him silently, flushed his cheeks and gritted his teeth with a face full of anger.
“Such a director shouldn’t be in a position to educate anyone, should he?”
“Yes? What do you mean? If not me, then who…”
“How dare you raise your voice when you can’t even conduct yourself properly!”
At his sudden words, Director Carlo raised his eyes wide and raised his voice.
“How am I not conducting myself properly? Where did you hear such nonsense?”
As if to say that Director Carlo was full of energy, the theater director let out a dry laugh and gestured to a staff member who had followed him in. The staff member quickly handed one of the papers he was holding to Director Carlo.
Director Carlo, looking suspiciously at the staff member and the paper alternately, lowered his eyes with a trembling expression.
“This is a dismissal notice. The reason is written there, so please look at it yourself.”
“Wh-What do you mean a dismissal notice? It’s nonsense! What on earth is the reason for this? I’m innocent…?”
Director Carlo, who was shouting only the part about the dismissal, read the reason written below and his face hardened.
“Eva Faber, you come here too.”
“…Yes? Are you calling me now?”
You’re calling Eva? At this timing? Emilia had a feeling she knew what was going on. With an anxious face, Eva, who was touching her chest, was pushed forward by the dancers standing around her.
“Come here.”
The theater director clicked his tongue at Eva, who was standing far away. Eva, with a face completely different from the person who was excited earlier, shrugged her shoulders.
The theater director, who had Eva standing near Director Carlo, who had turned into a statue after seeing the dismissal notice, gestured as before.
The staff member handed the paper to Eva, who had turned pale.
Shaking her head, she hesitantly took the paper from the staff member’s hands, her hands trembling like leaves in the wind. With a face filled with dread, she slowly raised the paper.
“Gasp…!”
Eva covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widening in shock. The watching dancers started to murmur in confusion.
“Is Eva getting fired too?”
“What’s going on? Does anyone know?”
The coaches and choreographers were watching in stunned silence, with the only calm person being Sub Director Sylvia. This made Emilia suspect Sylvia knew more about the situation. It was astonishing that the theater director would intervene during an audition. Emilia glanced between Eva and Director Carlo, puzzled.
“I am innocent! This must be someone’s plot against me! Who says I was meeting with Eva? Do you have any proof?”
“Director, how can you say that out loud now?”
“Shut up! If I don’t clear this up right now, I’ll be humiliated in front of everyone. Unlike you, I have a social reputation to uphold!”
“What did you just say?!”
Eva screamed, her face flushed with anger. Ignoring her, Carlo approached the theater director, pleading his innocence.
“Director, this is a mistake! How can you dismiss someone who has devoted so many years to this place like this?”
“I made it clear when I set up this theater. I don’t care about personal sponsorships, but I will not tolerate any scandals within the theater. I have told the senior directors this many times. Especially you, Carlo, who has been here the longest. How dare you have an affair with a ballerina in my theater!”
“That’s why I’m saying we need proof. How can you believe baseless accusations? There’s nothing between us!”
“You’re shameless. There are several witnesses! How careless were you to be caught so easily? Do you know where I came from just now? The newspaper office! They showed me an article about to be published tomorrow. Can you imagine my shock?”
TL/N: WAHAHAHAHAH.
Carlo’s arrogant expression disappeared as he realized the gravity of the situation. If the newspaper was involved, it made sense for the theater director to act swiftly to manage the crisis.
Eva collapsed to the floor, her face blank with shock. The two people who had been so confident moments ago now looked like they had seen a ghost.
“Both of you, pack your things and leave immediately. This area is off-limits to outsiders.”
Thud, Carlo’s legs gave way, and he sank to his knees.
* * *
The audition resumed as soon as the two people were dragged out by the guard under the instruction of the theater director.
Sub Director Sylvia, with a calmer face than anyone else and a relieved face at the same time, smoothly conducted the audition, and the rest except Emilia barely finished the audition in a chaotic atmosphere.
And that was just yesterday.
Emilia came out of the room wearing a blue indoor gown, her face tired. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the house, indicating that breakfast was being prepared.
Although Emilia always woke up late on Sundays, it had become a routine for Zaveta to have breakfast ready around that time.
“Good morning.”
“Lady, are you awake? How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I don’t have any sore spots.”
Zaveta’s question has been the same since the day she visited the duchy. Suspecting that Enrico might have said something to her, Emilia felt a bitter feeling that she was being watched by Enrico even when she was home.
Emilia watched Zaveta moving busily and then turned her head. She thought that it was natural for her to follow Enrico’s orders, so she walked towards the sink with the thought of helping with the meal preparation.
But then she heard the sound of a carriage from outside the house. As it was a place where people rarely came because it was on the outskirts, Emilia turned towards the window with a puzzled face.
“Huh…”
A gasp escaped her lips. Enrico, who should never be here, was getting out of the carriage.
Enrico, getting off the carriage with his long black coat fluttering, looked like a painting. Whether it was because of his sculpted face exposed to the bright sunlight or because her mind, which refused this reality, wanted to see him as a mere painting. Unfortunately, as Enrico spotted Emilia through the window, she had to accept that this was indeed real.
Even though this was a decent house, its appearance seemed to diminish with Enrico nearby. Enrico approached the door quickly with his long legs.
Knock, knock.
Emilia swallowed hard at the sound of a polite knock. Zaveta, who had been working busily behind her, belatedly noticed the carriage outside the window and approached Emilia with a surprised face.
“Lady, please change your clothes first.”
“Ah…”
She had washed herself roughly, but she looked like someone who had just woken up. Emilia nodded roughly and headed to her room. She heard Zaveta opening the door and Enrico’s voice behind her.
“Emilia is?”
“She went to change her clothes.”
“Ah…”
Emilia thought for a moment whether to change slowly, but she decided to say hello quickly and send him off rather than risk annoying him and creating a tiresome situation.
She took out a two-piece dress made of a white blouse and a long green skirt from her closet. As it was an easy dress to wear alone, she changed quickly and tied her hair up in one.
For a moment, she felt ridiculous that she had to do this. However, knowing Enrico’s obsession with art and beauty, she didn’t want to give him any reason to frown or regret their contract by appearing disheveled after just waking up.
* * * *
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