When Pride Fell at my Toes

From birth, Alessandro had been told that the throne was rightfully his.

 

No matter how poorly he behaved, the King and Queen turned a blind eye. But lately, the King and Queen’s behavior had been bothering him, as if suggesting that his claim to the throne wasn’t absolute.

 

When he was young, they never reprimanded him for the countless cruel things he did to animals and servants. It wasn’t because they were weak-willed, but rather because they were the type to avoid stirring trouble unless absolutely necessary. As a result, Alessandro gradually learned to exploit this leniency as he grew up.

 

The problem was that this leniency wasn’t reserved solely for him. The King and Queen’s lax attitude also extended to Enrico Michele, which continuously irritated Alessandro.

 

His only uncle, Enrico Michele, pretended not to care about the throne, but Alessandro knew he was a cunning man who might reveal his ambitions at any time. Enrico, who acted like an art-obsessed fool while cleverly expanding his territory and enhancing his reputation, was not to be underestimated.

 

‘He’s always been a nuisance, and now he’s cozying up to Emilia.’

 

Since childhood, Enrico had always stood out and, being of similar age to Alessandro, was often compared to him favorably. Enrico’s calm demeanor and amicable interactions with others naturally elevated his reputation, thanks in no small part to Alessandro’s antics.

 

When Alessandro was young, people who saw him mistreat animals with a queasy look in their eyes were now long gone, but he still held a grudge.

 

Even if it was a bit cruel, how dare such insignificant beings look at him like that. Their fuss had drawn the attention of the King and Queen, leading to the discovery of the blood-soaked forest incident, which in turn changed how they looked at him.

 

Labeled as a person of concern, Alessandro was confined to the palace for a while. It was during this punishment that he met Emilia Este, who had walked into his hell on her own.

 

‘She was adorably naive as a child, but lately, she’s become more thoughtful and harder to manage.’

 

Emilia’s gentle and beautiful face, which invoked his sadistic tendencies, quickly captivated him.

 

TL/N:

 

Having been used to seeing people fear him, Emilia, with her innocent gaze and bright smile, became the only one who made him feel strangely good.

 

Perhaps she reminded him of the small animals he used to play with. Initially, he treated her as a new toy, playing along just enough to lower her guard.

 

TL/N:

 

However, around the time she was starting to let her guard down around Alessandro, rumors about him reached Viscount Este. It was remarkable how quickly news traveled, even to someone living in a remote corner of the country.

 

Seeing him hiding Emilia out of fear, Alessandro realized that with that man around, there would be many troublesome hurdles before he could claim her.

 

‘Why did they go to Vacorta? Surely that girl hasn’t figured anything out?’

 

He looked at Count Vallemont, who was staring at him with a worried face, as if looking at a cockroach. He should have known when he brought Giorgio as an accomplice, that they were both cut from the same cloth. His impulsive decision in childhood was now coming back to haunt him.

 

Even now, it would be too risky to kill Count Vallemont, as he knew too much. The old fox likely had something to hold over Alessandro should he feel threatened.

 

“Get rid of Giorgio. He was given a prime position and should have produced results, but he’s done nothing so far.”

 

Giorgio had failed to fulfill either of the two tasks assigned to him: acquiring the Este family’s automobile investment rights for Count Vallemont and bringing Emilia Este to ruin so she would become Alessandro’s mistress.

 

Recently, Giorgio had even lied about having evidence related to the investment rights, buying time and pocketing more money until he was caught. There was no reason to keep him alive anymore.

 

In hindsight, Giorgio should have reported the sponsorship relationship between Enrico and Emilia immediately, but he delayed. Alessandro regretted not killing him sooner.

 

Originally, the plan had been for Emilia, who had lost her parents and faced pressure from Giorgio upon reaching adulthood, Alessandro would have appeared to console her, claiming her lonely heart for himself. But nothing had gone as planned.

 

Well, there was one thing that had worked out: instigating Count Vallemont to orchestrate the murder of Viscount Este and his wife under the guise of an accident.

 

TL/N: WTF. MAN LITERALLY KILLED HER PARENTS TO HAVE HER!!!?? EXCUSE ME, WTF AGAIN.

 

“Understood. I’ll take care of Giorgio quietly.”

 

Count Vallemont quickly agreed, seeing Alessandro’s cruel smile as he stared into space.

 

Giorgio’s recent deceptions and incompetence had made Vallemont furious. He had been losing sleep over it. Even after punishing Giorgio, he felt no relief and agreed with the decision to eliminate him.

 

He had kept Giorgio around in case something came up regarding the investment rights, but with no evidence found so far, it seemed better to proceed without him.

 

How would the Este family be dealt with now that the head of the family was gone? With Emilia involved, it was hard to predict, so Vallemont couldn’t act rashly, which was frustrating.

 

‘What’s so special about that girl Emilia Este that makes him so obsessed?’

 

Vallemont recalled asking Alessandro if he planned to marry Emilia, only for Alessandro to disdainfully reply that he already had a fiancée and intended to keep Emilia as his mistress.

 

TL/N:

 

It seemed absurd to him that he would go to such lengths just to make her his mistress, but since all he had to do was just wait for scraps to fall from his table, he kept an eye on Alessandro.

 

TL/N: “Wait for scraps to fall from his table”: “Wait for some of the benefits to come his way”

 

“…What should we do about Vacorta? Should I just have someone investigate?”

 

“No.”

 

Alessandro muttered, his eyes unfocused.

 

“This is a good opportunity to get rid of some annoyances.”

 

* * *

 

Emilia blinked her tired eyes. She had barely managed to convince Enrico not to call the doctor in the dead of night, saying that she was just startled and would be fine after a hot bath to relax. Thankfully, she had managed to avoid the situation.

 

How could her ankle hurt at that very moment? She wondered if she should call the Duke’s personal physician as soon as she returned to Desiro, and before she knew it, a day had passed. In fact, Enrico had kept her practically confined to her bed, and she hadn’t even been able to visit the basement.

 

‘But I didn’t know he would help me like that.’

 

Emilia thought of how he had held her. For the first time, his large and intimidating presence felt stable and reassuring.

 

She had been too shocked to process it at the time, but she hadn’t dreamed he would even block the box for her.

 

‘No matter how much he cherishes his belongings, would he really protect them by throwing himself like that…?’

 

Emilia’s expression became subtle. If it had been someone else, she might have thought they were helping out of kindness, or that this person was interested in her, but it was Enrico.

 

His frantic expression as he ran towards her urgently, his strong arms wrapping around her tightly, his body turning to cushion her and prevent her from hitting the ground. One by one, the memories of that day came back to her.

 

“Sigh…”

 

She had been going crazy with these thoughts all day yesterday, and now it was starting again. She felt heat rising in her ears, as if the hot temperature she had felt when she fell onto his chest had spread. Moreover, she felt as if the sound of his heart beating wildly was still ringing in her ears.

 

If she hadn’t found an answer yesterday, she certainly wouldn’t find one today. Trying to understand him was pointless; it only made her delusional.

 

‘Stop overthinking this; he’s Enrico Michele.’

 

Emilia took a deep breath, reminding herself that when she returned to Desiro, she would once again become a dancing doll, suppressing her emotions in front of him.

 

‘I really need to get out of this room today.’

 

Emilia opened the desk drawer and looked at the letter she had carefully placed inside. Thankfully, she had even managed to take her father’s letter with her, or else she might have thought the incident in the basement was a dream.

 

She got up from her chair and stood in front of the mirror, idly checking her attire. Wearing a simple beige blouse and a long reddish-orange skirt, she adjusted the lace at the middle of her neck and headed for the door.

 

“…I really do need to move around today.”

 

However, she ran into Enrico as soon as she opened the door.

 

How could she be standing right in front of him again? She reflexively uttered words as she met his gaze. Seeing her hesitant attitude, Enrico looked down for a moment before twitching one eyebrow and turning around.

 

“Are you okay after that fall?”

 

She had considered going later, but she thought she should at least greet him, so she followed Enrico.

 

“Took you long enough to ask.”

 

“Ah…”

 

You didn’t give me a chance to speak. Emilia swallowed these words and stood beside him. She slowly looked at him, and thankfully, there seemed to be no visible wounds. She looked at his beautiful face, which looked neat as always, and clasped her hands in front of her.

 

“I’m sorry. I should have been more careful. I was in such a hurry. Thanks to you, I avoided an accident. Thank you very much.”

 

As her steps gradually slowed, he finally stopped. Looking down at her bowing politely, his eyes were deeply sunken. His eyes, which seemed somewhat complex, disappeared as she raised her head.

 

“…Be careful next time. That body is not just yours.”

 

* * * *

 

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