Enrico, who was about to eat, stopped what he was doing and looked at her. He didn’t say anything, but he was giving her a look that said, “Why all of a sudden?”
“I think I’ll have to search until dinner tomorrow. If we’re going to take a walk by the beach, today seems like the best day.”
“……Do as you wish.”
“Yes.”
Enrico stared at Emilia for a moment and then turned his attention to the table.
For a while, only the sound of utensils could be heard. The food that was served seemed simpler than what they had eaten at the city center restaurant yesterday, but it tasted much better.
Emilia, realizing anew the culinary skills of the head chef of the Duke’s residence, which she had not noticed before, ate the remaining food without fail.
No matter how hard she moved her body all day long doing ballet, it was rare for her to eat this much, but today she had an appetite that was surprisingly good. Emilia had a strange expression on her face as she looked at the empty dessert plate.
‘Could it be because of the place?’
Enrico finished his meal in a similar manner and the two got up from their seats. Emilia glanced at him once, wondering why he wasn’t drinking wine, and then turned her eyes away without a second thought.
The two met again 30 minutes later. Emilia was wearing a shawl, as if to avoid the cold, just like before.
“We’ll take the carriage to the beach.”
Though she needed to go to the beach for a walk, she was relieved that she didn’t have to walk from here since it would have been a hassle to walk from here. Emilia hopped onto the carriage with a slight smile, accepting his escort.
There were no buildings along the way to the beach. It was a very quiet landscape, so different from Desiro, where there were always lights twinkling even when there weren’t many people. The carriage ran along the forest road, the moonlight guiding the way.
It was not a day when the wind was not strong, so the carriage was quiet. So much so that the ticking of his watch was clear.
She glanced at his wrist, which never left his watch, no matter what happened.
“Why? Do you want it?”
“No!”
Emilia denied it, startled. A faint smile crossed Enrico’s lips.
“I was going to give you a lot of rewards if you showed me a stage that I liked, but I guess there’s no chance.”
“……The information is enough as a reward.”
“For that, you seem to have taken too many breaks from performing. It’s been so long I can hardly remember when I last saw one.”
“I’ll prepare as soon as we return.”
“You should. Watching it on a big stage was fine, but I really prefer seeing it alone.”
Before, he would talk about being on a big stage and ask her to bring the lead role. He was a man who was truly impossible to figure out.
Emilia replied vaguely and looked out the window. The dark bushes continued to block her view until the sky suddenly opened up and the sea came into view. It was a breathtaking sight.
She had come here because Enrico had suggested it, but somehow Emilia felt like it was a good idea to come today. The coachman stopped the carriage to one side and let the two out, as it became more difficult to enter because of the sand.
Emilia, wearing low-heeled shoes that were easy to walk in, stepped on the sand. She liked the soft feel of the sand on her ankles and the tops of her feet.
‘Should I just take off my shoes?’
Emilia was thinking for a moment if it would be better to feel the sand on her soles when she saw Enrico standing there, looking at the sea. His black hair, ruffled by the wind, and his deep eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
Emilia looked down at her feet hesitantly. Even though they were hidden by her shoes, she was bothered by her knobby toes and rough soles.
‘……I can’t.’
Even though she was proud of her feet and liked them, she felt shabby when she was in front of him. It was because she knew that in his eyes, who always valued beauty, her feet would only be seen as flaws.
Emilia held her skirt slightly so that it wouldn’t drag on the sand and carefully took a step. The feeling, which she hadn’t felt in a long time, brought back memories that she had forgotten.
The sight of her happily walking on the beach, holding her parents’ hands each one, the sight of her father picking her up when she was sleepy and whiny, the sight of him kissing her cheeks lovingly as she was carried on his back. All the memories were full of overflowing affection.
Come to think of it, I remember a time when I danced on this sandy beach because I loved the feel of the sand, on a day when no one else was around. I had just started learning ballet and didn’t know any proper moves, but my parents clapped as if I were amazing, and I performed clumsy movements with an excited face.
“What will you do once you find the culprit?”
Enrico, who had been looking at the sea, was now gazing at Emilia. She blinked quietly before making a bitter expression.
“I don’t know. I just want to find them first.”
“You don’t want to kill them?”
“I just want to ask why. I’m curious about what made them do such a thing.”
Although Emilia had not ruled out the possibility that it might have been an accident during her investigation, at some point, the emerging pieces of the truth led her to conclude that her parents’ death was a deliberate accident. Enrico also seemed to think so, as he naturally mentioned the culprit first.
After all, he was the one who initially suggested that there was something suspicious about the accident.
Emilia slightly lifted her chin and closed her eyes, hoping the cool sea breeze would clear her complicated thoughts.
When she was a child, there were no complicated matters. Was it because she became an adult, or was it due to the complex circumstances? She didn’t know.
She missed the days when she simply loved ballet. Her parents sometimes made her study the theory of ballet, insisting it was necessary. Theory?
“……!”
Emilia’s eyes snapped open. When she looked down, Enrico, who had come closer, was looking at her curiously.
“I think I remembered something.”
“Let’s head out right away.”
Instead of asking questions, Enrico chose to get into the carriage immediately. The carriage, which had been moving leisurely before, now sped towards the Este Mansion.
“It must be the study. When I became interested in ballet as a child, my parents bought many books on ballet for me.”
Enrico listened quietly to Emilia, who seemed to be organizing her thoughts aloud.
“But as a child, I wasn’t really interested in the theory. I just put them in the playroom and didn’t look at them, so my father put the books in the study and would read them and tell me about them. There were so many ballet books that they took up several shelves. Before my father left, he took out one of the books and pressed something. And then… and then…”
“I get the gist. We’re almost there, so calm down.”
Even while seated, her chest was heaving with excitement at the prospect of finding her parents’ last traces. The carriage soon approached the mansion.
Emilia thought she might have tripped in her haste if Enrico hadn’t held her hand. He didn’t let go of her hand until they were inside the house. They headed to the study, ignoring the surprised looks from the people they passed.
“It should be here…”
Her fingertips were trembling. As she quickly scanned the bookshelf, her face was filled with anxiety.
Her hands, which had been pulling out books one by one, were now dropping them to the floor. Enrico’s brows furrowed slightly as he watched the books dangerously tear at the floor.
“It should be here, Your Grace?”
“Taking your time won’t make this place disappear.”
Enrico gently grabbed her shoulders, sliding his hands down as if to calm her. Emilia remained still as he soothingly stroked her arms.
The sight of her relying on him, so different from her usual demeanor, gave Enrico a strange feeling. His usually indifferent eyes softened as he looked at her.
His tongue briefly wet his dry lips before retracting. His gaze lingered on her moist lips for a long time.
“Ah…”
Her lips parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her teeth. Her eyes sparkled as she lifted her head slightly. After blinking several times, as if regaining her composure, her face gradually calmed.
“I feel a bit more settled now. Thank you.”
Emilia gently pushed his hand away. Enrico clenched his fist slightly in the air, missing the soft sensation that had filled his palm.
TL/N: AWW, HE’S FALLING XD
Emilia took a deep breath and approached the bookshelf again. This time, she slowly checked the names of the books before pulling them out. The section that had held the ballet theory books gradually emptied, revealing five empty slots at the bottom.
‘My father seemed to touch something here…’
There had to be something common among these five slots. Emilia felt around inside the bookshelf, her brows furrowed.
“Oh?”
Noticing her discovery, Enrico stepped closer.
“I think it’s this…”
Emilia found a small hole inside the bookshelf and used a thin hairpin to poke into it. She heard a click. From then on, things proceeded smoothly.
Feeling the small holes in the spaces where the ballet theory books had been, she poked each one in sequence. After hearing the fifth click, the bookshelf shifted.
* * * *
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