Stupid Emilia. Why did you agree to such a contract? Words of self-reproach threatened to spill from her lips. At first, it certainly didn’t seem like a disadvantageous contract for her, but as the days went by, the contract felt like a noose tightening around her neck.
Had she seen it positively just because she could perform ballet? A complex mix of emotions arose.
“…The information you provided in advance was also too little. It was just speculative and didn’t seem to make any significant progress in the investigation.”
“That might become clearer if you attend the masquerade ball.”
“Hah, I’m starting to wonder what the point of this contract is. I’m even afraid of what demands you’ll make next, using the masquerade as an excuse.”
Her voice trembled, revealing her escalating emotions.
“What do you have to offer me? Besides showing that body of yours, what else is there?”
He spoke without expression, his emotionless gaze sliding over her body.
“Ah. So you plan to use it in another way.”
It wasn’t a mocking tone. It was a low, muffled, indifferent tone, but strangely it sounded even more humiliating.
Emilia’s face turned pale. As if she might collapse at any moment, she remained silent, unable to say anything. Enrico rose from his seat as if he had nothing more to see of her. His indifferent gaze no longer met hers. Even as the sound of his footsteps faded away, she remained motionless in her seat for a long time.
* * *
Emilia practiced every day, repeating the same movements over and over again.Despite being drenched in sweat and her breath coming in ragged gasps, she didn’t stop. Her ankles, which had been throbbing earlier, were now so numb that she could barely feel them.
“Emilia, take a break!”
Juliana watched her warily, her expression a mix of concern and exasperation. Usually, she would have gently chided Emilia for not taking care of herself, but something about the way Emilia was running forward, her eyes fixed straight ahead as if she couldn’t hear anything, made Juliana hesitate to interfere.
“Haven’t you been practicing non-stop since this morning? How many hours has it been?”
“I’ve told her several times, but she just says she understands and doesn’t stop.”
“I’m worried…she’s going to collapse.”
Antonio, who had been watching from a distance, also stood by Juliana’s side, his face etched with worry. Even he, who had almost monopolized the male lead roles, had never practiced this much.
The faces of the other dancers around them were beginning to pale as they watched Emilia’s grueling training regimen, which even the men found overwhelming. They were all working hard themselves and were eager to take a break, but seeing Emilia’s determination made them feel guilty for even thinking about it.
“Is that how she got good? I thought it was just natural talent.”
A dancer who had collapsed to the floor in exhaustion looked at Emilia with a hint of envy.
“She’s really something else.”
“Christina used to be the one who practiced the most, but Emilia even outdoes her.”
“Speaking of Christina, hasn’t she been practicing more lately? I don’t think she used to practice this much.”
“I guess it’s because she’s got the lead role for the first time. And it looks like she’s trying to keep up with Emilia.”
“Oh no… that must be a lot of pressure.”
Christina was a late-20s ballerina who had finally landed a lead role after seven years. She had started learning ballet by volunteering to clean the studios and had been lucky enough to be spotted and trained. She was a hard worker who had finally reached the top position.
Everyone congratulated her on her hard work, but they also felt a pang of sympathy for her, knowing that she had to share the stage with a monster like Emilia in her first lead role.
“I just need to work harder.”
“Oh, Christina. When did you get here?”
“Just now… I was going to take a break, but seeing Emilia, I don’t think I can.”
“What are you talking about? Go take a break right now. Oh, someone go get Emilia and make her take a break too. She needs to practice in moderation, for goodness sake…”
Antonio sighed at the dancers’ grumbling complaints.
“You’re right.”
While it was admirable to see someone working so hard, Emilia’s current state was more akin to self-abuse than practice. Antonio couldn’t stand it anymore and approached Emilia, who seemed to have an aversion to resting.
“Emilia.”
“…”
“Emilia?”
“…Yes?”
Emilia stopped abruptly, gasping for breath as she held her pent-up air. Her face, seen up close, was even more alarming. Her complexion was so pale that it looked like she was about to collapse, and Antonio and Juliana, who had followed close behind, exchanged worried glances.
“Come here. I’m going to make you take a break, even if I have to force you.”
“Oh? I’m fine.”
“What do you mean, fine! If you overexert yourself like this, what will you do if you get sick on an important day?”
“…Is that so?”
Emilia blinked blankly for a moment, then belatedly realized the attention directed towards her. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she noticed that practice time had long passed.
“You didn’t even realize how time was passing.”
“Antonio.”
“It’s good to work hard, but you also need to manage your condition well. We only have a month left until the performance.”
“…Already?”
“Yes, already. Juliana, take her away quickly.”
“Oh, yes!”
As Antonio approached the dancers, Juliana pulled Emilia to a corner and whispered softly.
“Sit down. Is your ankle okay?”
“It seems fine.”
“Oh, I’m such a fool for not bringing water. Take off your pointe shoes. No, I’ll do it for you.”
“Huh? Juliana, I can do it!”
As Juliana reached for her ribbons, Emilia urgently pulled her foot away.
“…Okay. Take them off quickly.”
She hesitated again, but when Juliana seemed about to take off the toe shoes herself, Emilia took action immediately. Emilia’s foot, which had felt numb, started to tingle slightly, as if blood were suddenly rushing back, and then her toes began to ache.
She grimaced, her sweaty forehead creasing.
“Does it hurt? You really need to stop today. You might lose your toenails at this rate.”
“Yeah, I guess I should.”
“What’s been going on lately? I thought you’d feel relieved since the dismissal of Eva and the director, but you seem rather indifferent.”
“Well… I just want to do well, that’s all.”
“Jeez, even so, don’t overdo it. If you get sick at a time like this, you might be replaced without exception.”
“… Alright. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. Just rest well at home tomorrow, please.”
Emilia blinked and then realized. Come to think of it, it was already Sunday. Finally, the week had passed.
She had worried that he might call her on a whim, but Enrico hadn’t actually called her.
‘Maybe I can go as planned next week?’
She only had the opportunity to go on stage at the Duke’s mansion on Tuesday, as she had to go to a masquerade ball on Thursday. With the performance not far off, the number of night practice sessions would increase in the future, and there might be days when she couldn’t keep her appointment dates, which was disappointing in many ways.
‘I’ll have to skip as many rehearsals as possible. If I say something like, ‘I’ll take the lead role’ or something, he might force me to keep my appointments even if it means I’ll be at a disadvantage.’
Her mind became even more complicated because most of the nights were taken up with rehearsals for the performance. She kept moving around to clear her head, but…
“Emilia, are you listening?”
“Oh? Oh. Where did the director go?”
Emilia absentmindedly massaged her ankle, listening to Juliana’s words.
“It’s not that the director went somewhere, but that his wife filed for divorce and left. I heard that she was from a wealthy family, so he was trying to be careful, but I guess he got caught.”
“How did you know that?”
“The rumor is already all over the place. I thought you might not know, so I told you, but I guess you didn’t. Then, have you heard from Eva?”
“No.”
“Well, you know the alley in Cornillo. The red-light district before you get to the slums.”
“Oh? Yeah.”
“Someone saw Eva on the street there.”
“…What? Why there?”
“I don’t know the exact reason.”
Juliana muttered bitterly. She (Eva) had barely managed to graduate from the art academy in a family that couldn’t afford it, only to be dishonorably dismissed. She (Juliana) probably didn’t know what kind of treatment she would receive at home. Since she didn’t want to speculate on that, she kept quiet.
“I really need to work even harder. My current salary is barely enough for my family to live on.”
“Juliana.”
“Can you watch me practice sometimes?” (Juliana To Emilia)
“Of course.”
“Oh, thank you! Then I should practice more so that I can give you a break too.”
Emilia slowly raised the corners of her mouth as she watched Juliana’s face quickly erase her gloomy expression and break into a wide smile. Yes, she couldn’t stay depressed forever.
Even if she was going to shed tears tomorrow, she would focus on what was in front of her for now. Emilia’s eyes deepened.
* * *
I hope there won’t be any reason to shed tears today.
Emilia calmly settled herself inside the carriage heading towards the duke’s mansion. She didn’t bother asking Enrico why he summoned her out of the blue, given his impulsive behavior of sending the carriage.
Soon, the days when the buds of early spring would sprout were approaching. As time passed, she had already concluded that she would forget about him.
Whatever he said or did now, she wouldn’t question it.
‘After all, he’s summoning me for the information, right?’
She didn’t want to risk losing the opportunity to receive information by rushing him or rubbing him the wrong way. So, she decided to just accept whatever he offered.
* * * *
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