Tilting his head slightly, his black hair, bathed in red light, fluttered in the wind. For a moment, she wondered why the wind had died down, and then she realized that the train was slowing down. Looking at the Vacorta station in the distance, Emilia muttered with a half-given-up face.
“I would be happy if you would be satisfied with staying at my mansion.”
“I will judge that based on what you do while I’m here.”
She had planned to spend all day exploring the mansion from the moment she arrived until the day she left, but she didn’t think she could leave him behind. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and then opened her mouth.
“What can I do to make that judgment positive?”
“Well, I think you should think about that yourself.”
“I would like to, but there is really nothing worth seeing in Vacorta. To be honest, I’ve only been here as a child, so I’m practically a stranger.”
“Then let’s take a look around together as fellow strangers.”
Is he doing this on purpose? He knows that her interest is only in the interior of the mansion, so why does he keep talking about going outside? Emilia pursed her lips and looked at Enrico, who was smiling slyly.
“……Your Grace, I’m more curious about the inside of the mansion. Would you like to take a look around with me?”
“The inside of the mansion……. Is there anything worth seeing here more than my mansion?”
Of course not. With a collection of art that rivals the national museum, where in the world could there be a mansion to compare? She had heard that even what was in his mansion was only a part of his collection, with older purchases stored in an exhibition hall in the Michele estate, which he had bought a long time ago.
Emilia turned her head away in resignation and looked straight ahead.
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing like that, and I think it’s just full of traces of my childhood.”
“For example?”
“My childhood room, for example, or the collection. Oh, if my portrait hasn’t been taken down, it should still be hanging there.”
“Portrait. Young Emilia, that’s interesting.”
TL/N: HE’S TEASING HER AGAIN!!!!
Enrico tilted his head towards her and smiled, his eyes melting like ice cream. The afterimage of the sunset reflected in his purple eyes was clear due to the close distance. Perhaps it was because of the scenery, but his face looked radiant.
“I’ll be satisfied with that for now.”
A little later, they arrived at Vacorta Station, but Emilia had nothing to do. Perhaps it had been arranged in advance, but Fabio brought a carriage and the coachman, who knew the way to the mansion, dropped them off in front of a fence covered in yellow roses.
Emilia looked at the mansion slowly with sentimental eyes. The mansion, unchanged from her childhood, showed only the signs of time. Soon someone came out of the mansion and opened the front door.
“……Butler?”
It was Domenico, the butler who had worked with her family for many years. He had a few more wrinkles, but he still looked at her with kind eyes.
“Lady! It’s been a long time. You’ve grown up so beautifully.”
Domenico hurried to open the door. His eyes were filled with tears. Seeing him express his joy with his whole body, as if he didn’t know what to do, Emilia’s eyes welled up with tears too. She held back her tears and forced a smile as she squeezed Domenico’s hand.
“Have you been here ever since? Thank you so much. I was worried that there was no one here or that there might be someone I didn’t know…….”
“Where would I go? This is where I always belong.”
The two people, moved with emotion, held each other’s hands and were separated by Enrico, who was trying to pass between them naturally.
TL/N: LOL.
As if to prove that his way was the way to go, he let go of the hands that Emilia and Domenico were holding and walked between them towards the mansion.
“Oh, my apologies. I started chatting before greeting the guest you brought.”
Emilia rushed in front of Enrico and looked at Domenico with a pained expression as he opened the front door. It had been a long time since she’d seen him, and she felt a bit guilty for bringing such a troublesome guest.
The interior, though somewhat empty and hollow, was fine as the major furniture remained. Domenico must have taken care of everything on his own, but it seemed cleaner thanks to the cleaning lady that Enrico had hired.
“It looks quite empty, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. Something seems to be missing……”
“The places where the artworks used to be.”
“Ah. Could it be that my uncle sold them?”
“Yes…”
Domenico lowered his head as if in grief.
“As soon as you left for the academy, he ransacked the mansion and sold anything of value, then went to the capital.”
“…I see. And no contact since then?”
“He only asked to be informed when the mansion was sold.”
“He put the mansion up for sale?”
“Yes, but no one has come to see it.”
“Oh? Is that so…? It’s a relief, but it’s a bit strange.”
“There must have been some who were interested, but the price was set very high in the first place, so it seems that they didn’t even think about taking a look.”
Domenico said this proudly, puffing out his chest. Emilia couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“What? Is that alright?”
“Yes. He only asked for it to be sold, not specifying an exact price, so it’s fine. And haven’t I not asked the young lady for permission yet? I wanted to put the mansion up for sale only after the young lady gave her permission.”
Emilia’s lips twitched, and her emerald eyes flickered for a moment.
“Lady, I finally get to ask you.”
“…”
“What would you like to do with the mansion?”
“…Don’t sell it.”
“Yes, I’ll follow your instructions.”
Domenico smiled knowingly and stepped back. Emilia looked around the interior with a complex expression.
Then, she noticed Enrico standing by the stairs, watching her, and quickly moved her legs.
“I’m sorry. It’s been so long since I was here that I forgot to show the guest to his room first.”
“Now that you’ve calmed down, let’s go. Judging by the state of the living room, I’m quite curious about the condition of the rooms.”
It was a sarcastic comment she was used to by now. She was already grateful he had been this quiet so far.
Ignoring his words, she signaled to Domenico.
“Where did you prepare the Duke’s room?”
“I’ve prepared it across from the master bedroom.”
Across from her parents’ bedroom meant it was near her room. That room was the second largest, but being next to her own room was less than ideal.
Emilia managed her expression and walked towards the stairs.
“I apologize for the delay. As a gesture of apology, I’ll personally show you to your room.”
Enrico extended his hand instead of answering. She calmly placed her hand on his. She could feel his warm body temperature and his fingers intertwined slightly.
“Is there a place around where we can eat?”
“There are quite a few if you go towards the city center. They’re not as fancy as the ones in Desiro, though.”
“I wasn’t expecting that.”
Enrico glanced around the mansion.
“I heard it was a wealthy family that invested heavily in automobiles, but the mansion is surprisingly modest.”
“It’s been passed down from my ancestors, so we lived here continuously. When I was nearing the age to debut in society, they suggested moving to the capital.”
Emilia’s voice was flat. His gaze fell downwards. He thought she might get sentimental again when he talked about her family, but she looked surprisingly calm
“Then let’s just check the room location and go eat.”
“Yes, the Duke’s room is this way.”
“Where is your room?”
“….Mine is right next door.”
“Hmm…”
Enrico stopped in the hallway on the second floor, staring intently at the room.
“The location isn’t bad.”
“Yes?”
As he moved his gaze along the wall, he paused at a corner. Emilia, following him curiously, widened her eyes when she saw the frame attached to the corner wall.
“The portrait really is still here.”
The portrait was cleverly placed at an angle where it was hard to see, as if it had been hidden. It depicted a young girl, around six years old, in a white lace dress, sitting on the lap of a beautiful woman, with a man of gentle appearance standing behind them.
“…I actually thought he might have thrown everything away.”
It had been a long time since she had seen her parents. She suspected that Domenico had hidden the portrait and then secretly rehung it after Giorgio left the mansion.
“You really looked like a doll back then.”
Enrico squinted as if trying to see her better in the portrait.
“You look a lot like the Viscountess.”
“Yes, that’s why my father liked me more. He said it was much better to resemble the woman he loved than to look like him.”
Of course, he had said at the end that he would have loved her no matter what she looked like. Anyway, it showed how much her father had loved her mother, Emilia thought as she gazed at the portrait.
She was too young to remember how it was painted, but the three people in the frame looked very happy.
“Is this the only portrait?”
“Originally, there were many hanging on the walls, but I think my uncle sold or threw away most of them.”
“You talked as if there would be much to see on the train. Was that a lie?”
“I did say if they hadn’t been taken down…”
He chuckled and straightened up from his slight bend.
“Let’s go. Ask your butler if there are any more besides this one.”
“Ah, yes.”
Emilia followed him as he turned, glancing back briefly to take in the portrait one last time.
“From tomorrow, we can have meals at this mansion.”
She moved her feet again, which had stopped at his words.
Did he hire a chef or something? She had planned to live modestly while staying here, but the number of people kept increasing.
Why not just stay comfortably at a hotel? Then again, if he was going to stay at a hotel, he wouldn’t have come along in the first place. Emilia nodded to herself in agreement, casting a fleeting glance towards the now hidden portrait.
* * * *
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