“It looked like it was going to rain today, so I thought you wouldn’t have to go out.”
In that brief moment, rain was pouring down from the sky. The sound of raindrops lashing against the windowpane like a whip filled the room. Emilia looked at the wet window and then turned her head. Her gaze met the violet eyes of Enrico, who had been watching her.
His eyes were beautiful and striking, but there was something strangely chilly about the man whose depths were unknowable.
“A few days ago, you acted as if you clearly understood your duties, but why are you like this today?”
Emilia’s eyes fluttered briefly. She had felt this before, but he knew her every move too well. She thought he might just be receiving reports from Zaveta, but it seemed he knew everything, making her wonder if he had placed someone to follow her.
“Is it because I met with His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Enrico’s eyes narrowed. Whether it was because he was surprised she admitted it so readily, or because he didn’t like the fact that she met Alessandro, it was unclear, but he seemed to already know everything, so she spoke bluntly.
“His Highness called for me, so I had no choice. I am not in a position to refuse a royal summons, am I?”
Her startled heart calmed, and her eyes, which had been looking up at him, also grew calm.
It wasn’t particularly important what Alessandro wanted to say. He had asked to see her first at the ball, and he sent a letter this morning, so she had no other choice but to meet him.
As she wondered what Enrico would say next, since no one could follow them into the restaurant to eavesdrop, a troubling thought she hadn’t considered earlier crossed her mind.
‘Come to think of it, how did His Highness know our home address to send the letter?’
Emilia frowned slightly. He had said he hadn’t done any investigation on her, but it seemed that was just talk, and such background checks were basic for royalty.
Despite pretending to be kind, he didn’t seem much different from Enrico.
No, but what is Enrico warning her about? The only thing that could deceive her is the death of her parents. But if he hadn’t investigated her separately, he wouldn’t know much about it, so it couldn’t be that.
Could it be that he was worried she might fall for him?
‘Me? This man…?’
Emilia stared at Enrico in disbelief. Enrico, who had been quietly looking down at her, narrowed his eyes languidly. The smile he had was slightly different from the ones she had seen before, exuding a somewhat sensual atmosphere.
“Don’t get distracted. How long do you think this warning will just be a warning?”
This is absurd. There’s no way. Feeling the possessiveness in his words, Emilia lightly furrowed her brow.
“…I’ve never been distracted, so there’s no reason for me to hear a warning.”
“Really? Then give me a convincing reason. Not only did the Crown Prince whisper for you to meet, but you actually went to meet him.”
She thought he hadn’t heard at the masquerade ball, but it seemed Enrico had heard Alessandro’s whispered words clearly. With a surprised look, Emilia blinked her eyes before finally sighing.
“He told me about Count Vallemont. He said I seemed interested in the count, so he wanted to inform me.”
“About what?”
“That Uncle Giorgio and Count Vallemont met. Did you know that, Your Grace?”
“Not entirely, just a suspicion.”
Enrico shifted slightly towards her, crossing his legs. Emilia, who had been looking at the knee that lightly touched hers, looked up at him again.
“What suspicion?”
“I heard Giorgio and Vallemont’s subordinate used to meet at the gambling house, so there seems to be a connection.”
A gambling house all of a sudden? Emilia’s eyes widened in surprise, having never heard of Giorgio frequenting gambling houses.
“His subordinate often meets Giorgio at the gambling house. To understand what they discuss, we need a detailed investigation. It’s easy to share that they know each other, but you want something more concrete, don’t you?”
Such a person gave only minimal information about Count Vallemont last time and then asked her to go to the masquerade? It was frustrating, as if he wanted to differentiate himself from Alessandro.
“From the start, I said Vallemont was eyeing the investment rights. We need to find out if he approached Giorgio to get them or if it was for another reason.”
“…So, when will the investigation results be available?”
“Well, we’ll have to wait and see. But I’ve already told you too much. Because of some sly fox, I’ve suffered a significant loss.”
Enrico rested one arm on the back of the sofa and propped his chin on his hand, his relaxed demeanor infuriating her. It felt like he was mocking her while holding onto her vulnerabilities.
Despite Emilia’s now icy expression, Enrico remained indifferent.
“You wouldn’t forget your duties and run to that fox again, would you?”
His slow, mocking tone indicated just how displeased he was about her meeting Alessandro. If he had seemed more like a street thug, she might have dismissed his mockery. But he had a talent for making even his sarcasm appear arrogantly refined.
Emilia gritted her teeth under his languid but domineering gaze. Her hands clenched tightly on her lap.
“Actually, I have something to tell you.”
“Go on.”
“I think I should visit the estate only until next week. With the upcoming performance, I need to focus on practice to fulfill my duties.”
Enrico’s mouth closed, and his intense gaze slowly lowered to her hands, clenched so tightly that they were turning white.
“I hope the investigation progresses significantly by the time the performance ends.”
His violet eyes deepened under his half-lowered delicate eyelashes. Her anxiety about how he would respond or what he would say made her clench her fists tighter.
At that moment, she felt his hand covering hers. His right hand gently turned her fist, and he began to pry open her fingers, one by one, until her palm was visible.
A faint electric current seemed to run through her hand. Outside, the rain continued to pour heavily. Emilia looked up at him again.
Their eyes met as he was already watching her. Without a hint of a smile, he spoke.
“Very well.”
His unexpectedly compliant response blended with the sound of the rain.
* * *
Enrico’s investigation progressed faster than expected. After spending the remaining week performing at the duke’s mansion, Emilia received information about Giorgio.
Giorgio had been interacting with Count Vallemont’s subordinate at the gambling house for a very long time. It was revealed that Giorgio could swiftly reach the viscountcy right after her parents’ death because of Count Vallemont’s intervention.
Apparently, the reason for their ongoing relationship was due to the anonymous transfer of the automobile investment rights, making it impossible to identify the owner.
A lawyer holding the power of attorney needed to step forward to resolve this, but the lawyer involved at that time couldn’t be found, which would prolong the investigation.
‘Why hasn’t he surfaced until now?’
It seemed Giorgio and Count Vallemont had also been searching for that lawyer for a long time without success, indicating a truly difficult situation.
As she delved deeper into her parents’ accident, it became increasingly clear that Count Vallemont had a definite motive. Giorgio was equally suspicious.
If they were the culprits, what should she do? She wasn’t confident they could be punished, as they would likely escape any charges. Days filled with growing anger and sadness repeated themselves.
However, Emilia couldn’t simply remain powerless and sorrowful. She resolved to suppress her anger until the truth was revealed and immersed herself in ballet.
Fortunately, with an upcoming performance, no one could criticize Emilia for becoming a practice fiend once again.
As days of practice to forget her anger passed, the ballet performance of “The Stubborn Daughter” finally arrived.
The morning of the performance dawned. The rehearsal room was bustling after the final dress rehearsal. Although the performance would start late in the afternoon, there was much to prepare, so everyone busily awaited the stage.
Emilia, like the others, changed into her costume and waited in the dressing room. Juliana, who had an earlier role, was already getting her makeup done, while those scheduled later waited in the rehearsal room.
While important roles were given private dressing rooms, the corps de ballet shared a large dressing room, requiring more time for makeup.
Noticing her turn approaching, Emilia headed out into the corridor. Down the hall, she saw a staff member carrying a large flower basket.
The staff member struggled into the group dressing room with the enormous flower basket, followed by chattering dancers.
“Wow, where are these flowers from?”
“Who are they for? Is there a card?”
Emilia looked at the flowers with a sense of unease. The grand flower basket, adorned with yellow freesias and white baby’s breath, was large enough to obscure the staff member’s torso.
“Hmm… ‘To the ballerina who hasn’t forgotten her duties’? What does that mean?”
* * * *
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