Sub Director Sylvia sighed with a troubled expression.
“But the former director, while not a ballerino himself, wasn’t someone who lacked an eye for talent. When I saw him nitpicking at you for unreasonable things, I knew something was up. So I asked Duke Michele what conditions would apply if I accepted his help.”
It seemed Enrico’s influence extended not only to her but also within the ballet company.
“He told me to judge fairly. He said there was no need to worry about anything else and to focus only on what’s in front of me.”
Given that he had once told her to take the lead role, his intervention wasn’t surprising. Still, the realization that she couldn’t achieve anything in ballet solely on her own merits was disheartening. No matter how skilled she was, without support, she felt like nothing more than a doll in a music box, as he had said.
She had always believed that ballet was something she achieved on her own…
Emilia lowered her head slightly and smiled painfully.
“Emilia?”
“…But, is it okay to tell me all this?”
“Oh! Of course. If you’re worried, I had already asked Duke Michele for his consent to inform you.”
So, she had even gotten his consent. That meant Enrico knew she would hear about this.
Although the troublesome issues were resolved thanks to his help, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being manipulated. Her emerald-colored eyes, which had once wavered like a raging storm, now settled like a deep and tranquil lake.
“Thank you for telling me. I might have remained unaware otherwise.”
Emilia raised her head and smiled slightly. Sylvia, the sub director, looked momentarily puzzled at her empty expression but quickly attributed it to stress and continued.
“I want to not only grow this ballet company but also improve the perception of ballet in the kingdom. For that, we need a talented star ballerina like you.”
A spark of light flickered in Sub Director Sylvia’s eyes as she spoke of the future.
“I’m sorry that various circumstances seem to be drawing you in, but don’t doubt the casting. I’m a strict meritocrat.”
Despite the hopeful words, Emilia’s expression remained serene.
* * *
Emilia’s mood didn’t improve even the next day. The gloomy sky outside, as if it would rain, was reflected on her depressed face, which was devoid of energy.
As if that wasn’t enough, it was the day she had to meet Enrico.
She sighed as she got into the waiting carriage. For some reason today, she had a strong desire to find out the truth quickly and end this relationship. She was scared that if she stayed like this, she would become someone who couldn’t do anything without his help.
‘As expected, I have to go to the masquerade ball.’
Just waiting for the information he gave her and accepting it was eating up time. She wanted to increase the number of times she stood on his stage, but the night practice time was also a problem, and from Enrico’s point of view, who wanted everything to be perfect even for one performance, he didn’t seem to be very interested.
‘A masquerade ball wouldn’t be bad, would it?’
In fact, even if she met someone suspicious at the masquerade ball, she wouldn’t be able to do anything, but if it was someone related to her parents, there might be some traces left.
Since Giorgio had been living in the capital ever since becoming a viscount, he likely hadn’t meddled with her family’s estate. Even if he had searched everywhere for valuables, it would be difficult for him to find places known only to her and her parents.
She had never been near Vacorta since she ran away to the art academy, but she thought it would be good to go there once during Easter. While she was thinking, her long shadow was completely covered in darkness.
* * *
Enrico did not interfere with whatever she was dancing on stage. So Emilia chose a piece that she was practicing for a performance on stage, and also showed him a creative ballet that she had made in the past. If he had been picky about the choice of pieces, she wouldn’t have been confident that she could keep this contract going for long, so it was a good thing.
‘Let’s finish this quickly and go.’
As soon as Emilia arrived at the duke’s mansion, she changed into her snow-white ‘Giselle’ costume and stretched her body.
The costume was similar to the sylph-like [La Sylphide], but Giselle had a more calm and delicate feel, creating an atmosphere with a subtle difference.
Originally, she liked the solo section in the early part of the play, but today she didn’t feel like dancing with a smile in front of Enrico, so she came prepared to start from the section where the ghost Giselle appears.
Since she had seen a performance of [Giselle] when she was young, practiced it alone, and even performed it once at the art academy, the two choreographies were neatly mixed together and vividly imprinted in her head.
Thanks to that, it wasn’t difficult to rearrange the choreography to fill the stage alone.
Soon, after stretching and getting her body warmed up, she went up on stage. As always, his beautiful face, full of arrogance, was waiting for her.
‘I have to focus. If there’s even a slight flaw, who knows what kind of nitpicking he’ll do.’
She stood slightly to the left side and took a ready position. Emilia closed her eyes and took a deep breath for a moment, then slowly opened them.
Music flowed from the gramophone, and the expression on Emilia’s face disappeared. The eerie and melancholic atmosphere of Giselle enveloped her surroundings. The beautiful but gloomy Giselle surrendered her body to the music and soared high, defying gravity.
At first, she had a strong dislike for this stage. But at some point, Emilia was immersed in Giselle and was dancing. She began to focus only on this moment, as if she had forgotten reality for a while, and Enrico watched her with an inscrutable expression.
The light from the chandelier looked strangely like pale moonlight, gently enveloping Emilia’s body.
* * *
Enrico didn’t seem to have any intention of letting Emilia leave immediately today either, calling her to the dining room. Now accustomed to the routine, she sat down and ate the courses as they were served, waiting for him to speak.
“Have you thought about it?”
Finally, as the last dessert was served, he reached for his wine glass.
“…Are you referring to the masquerade ball?”
“Yes.”
He was already expecting an answer less than a day after asking. It seemed he had already made up his mind.
Emilia glanced at him and then spoke with a half-resigned tone.
“I’ll go.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d refuse at least once.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do there.”
“You won’t need to do anything. The atmosphere will take care of itself. People tend to become quite bold with just a mask.”
What kind of atmosphere could make people bold?
“Ask Fabio for the exact date. I’ll take care of the preparations.”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t need to prepare for next week’s performance.”
“…Yes? Do you have another schedule?”
Emilia looked at him in confusion.
“No.”
“Then why?”
“You seemed unable to focus today, so take a break for a while.”
Her eyes wavered at his flat statement. It was true only at the very beginning, but she had quickly regained her focus. And he had noticed that brief moment? Thinking it was absurd, she quickly denied it.
“Unable to focus? I gave it my all.”
His eyes narrowed slightly at her trembling lower lip.
“Well, it didn’t seem that way to me.”
Enrico’s head tilted lazily, his light attitude revealing how insignificant this was to him, while it was incredibly important to her. This made her blood boil. It felt as though he was invalidating the time she had devoted to dancing as Giselle, despite her initial lack of focus.
‘I dance with all my heart…’
She had been ignoring the voice inside her to focus solely on the present. However, each time, guilt weighed down on her shoulders. Even though she said she was dancing for her parents, at times she felt like she was using them as an excuse to keep dancing, feeling conflicted about her passion for ballet.
How contradictory it was to be so deeply immersed in ballet. She rationalized it as immersing herself in the role, but she knew she enjoyed ballet for its own sake.
‘No, it’s this man who’s the problem, exploiting the situation. I am striving for the truth…’
Her guilt turned into a twisted arrow aimed at Enrico. She resented him for toying with her pain.
Emilia took a deep breath to prevent harsh words from slipping out.
“Your Grace, delaying my performances also delays the reward I receive. I want to get the investigation results as soon as possible.”
“That’s why I’m taking you to the ball. I am doing my part.”
“Your Grace!”
She tried not to get agitated but failed in her attempt to respond calmly and not provoke him.
“If I don’t want to watch, why do you insist? As I recall, there wasn’t a clause saying I had to watch every performance.”
Emilia bit her lower lip hard.
* * * *
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