When Pride Fell at my Toes

Hearing his quiet voice, Emilia felt a sense of inevitability. She had been slightly puzzled by his excessive protectiveness but it seemed his standards were firm.

 

‘I guess he still thinks I’m a valuable possession worth saving.’

 

Her ankle, which had been feeling better, strangely began to throb.

 

If he were to find out about this, she would fall to the bottom, stripped of any value, and he would not spare her another glance. The soft light in her eyes faded away like a curtain being drawn as she looked up at him calmly.

 

“May I go down to the basement today?”

 

Although it was her own house, she felt she had to ask him. Emilia waited for his answer with a neutral expression.

 

“We’ll be moving the items from the basement to the ducal mansion. There’s no need to go down.”

 

“To the ducal mansion? Why…”

 

Emilia trailed off in her questioning.

 

The items were hidden in the basement by her father to be hard to find in the first place. She still didn’t know who was behind everything, and if she took these items back to her house, the culprits might target her in the worst-case scenario.

 

It was important to find out who was behind this, but since they wouldn’t come directly and would use their underlings, there was no need to risk herself.

 

“…Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

 

She agreed readily, and he slowly began to speak as he looked down at her.

 

“Circumstantially, it points to Count Vallemont, but there’s no evidence. And it’s certain Giorgio is involved too.”

 

“I suspect that too.”

 

“When I looked into Giorgio’s whereabouts before he approached the Viscount’s family, it was as if someone had deliberately erased all traces.”

 

He casually shared this information as he started walking again. Not wanting him to close up, she quickly followed him and continued the conversation.

 

“Ah… But is it possible that he’s not actually related to my family? The administrative office verified it.”

 

Emilia, having suddenly lost her family at a young age, had little to go on. She had only been able to inquire with the administrative office, which confirmed that he was a distant relative and that the headship would pass to him following legal procedures.

 

“Who knows? It’s suspicious when there’s such a lack of evidence.”

 

“But the administrative office verified it.”

 

“The documents might have been perfect, or it could be the work of someone powerful enough to overlook forged documents.”

 

“…Hah.”

 

Emilia sighed in disbelief, holding her forehead. She had been so naive. She had taken it for granted that he was her uncle just because the state confirmed it, but now it seemed possible he wasn’t related by blood at all.

 

Enrico gestured. Seeing this, she ordered Zaveta, who had approached, to bring something to drink and then sat on the living room sofa.

 

“We’re trying to locate the official who handled the case back then, so let’s wait.”

 

“…Trying to find them? Aren’t they at the administrative office?”

 

“No. They resigned and then disappeared.”

 

How? How had she lived without suspecting anything? She stood in a daze, berating herself, when she felt someone take her hand. Startled, she looked up from the floor to see him guiding her towards the sofa.

 

Just then, Zaveta set a crystal glass of water on the table.

 

“Drink. Standing around won’t solve anything.”

 

Emilia’s eyes trembled. As he lit a cigarette and gestured to the crystal glass, she sat down, looking confused. She picked up the glass but only stared blankly at the table.

 

“And let me warn you…”

 

Enrico took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling slowly, the smoke obscuring his face.

 

“Be careful of Alessandro Treano.”

 

Emilia’s eyes widened in confusion. Before, Alessandro had warned her to be cautious, and now Enrico was saying the same thing.

 

“Vallemont and that guy have been close since childhood.”

 

“…Then why did he tell me about Count Vallemont? Could it be that they’re not close?”

 

“Not at all. Count Vallemont takes care of things Alessandro can’t do openly. so there’s no way.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“So be careful. He’s going to great lengths to get close to you.”

 

As the smoke cleared, his shining violet eyes came into view. Their gazes met in the air and held for a long time.

 

* * *

 

To think I have to leave for Desiro tomorrow already. I can’t believe how time flies.

 

Emilia stared blankly at the ceiling, illuminated by the moonlight. The room was silent, save for the ticking of a distant clock. Frustrated, she sat up abruptly and pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on them.

 

‘I don’t think he’s lying.’

 

Initially, she had suspected that Enrico might be involved in something after hearing Alessandro’s warning. However, based on the contents of the letter, it seemed Count Vallemont was the one most closely connected to this family. And since Count Vallemont seemed to be close to Alessandro, she hadn’t fully trusted the crown prince.

 

On the other hand, Enrico had provided her with information and even helped her, making it difficult to doubt him. He had even gone so far as to search for former servants of this mansion to find out where her parents had gone.

 

‘They said they heard them discussing how long it would take to get to Leviso.’

‘Where is Leviso?’

‘In the north, near Michele’s estate.’

 

The problem was that the place her parents said they were going to was near his estate.

 

Regardless, Alessandro’s warning and the information she hadn’t known about her parents made her wonder why she was receiving so much today, even though she felt suspicious, she had no choice but to accept it.

 

At the time, the butler said her parents hadn’t told anyone their exact destination, so she thought no one would know. Fortunately, a child who were looking after the horses happened to overhear their conversation, which allowed her to find out.

 

‘… I’ve gotten a lot of information all at once.’

 

Usually, she would get one piece of information after three dances. But by coming to Vacorta unexpectedly, she had obtained a lot of information.

 

After observing him here, she felt less and less need to doubt the information he was giving her. It was just that his fickle attitude kept bothering her, making her want to trust him completely one moment and distance herself from him the next.

 

Or perhaps being with him made her confused, caught up in strange impulses and shaken in ways that weren’t like her.

 

She should just cleanly trust the information he gave her, but why did she keep trying to accept him as a whole?

 

‘How naive of me, being treated like an object…’

 

Emilia smiled self-deprecatingly and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her complicated thoughts showed no sign of settling.

 

It’s her last night, so maybe she should take a walk under the moonlight. She hesitated momentarily before walking toward the window.

 

And then it happened.

 

Thud! A noise like something hitting the wall echoed from afar. Emilia stopped in her tracks, thinking she might have misheard. Thud, another sound, quieter than before, but still audible. It sounded more like something was colliding rather than hitting.

 

Hesitating, Emilia put on a robe and cautiously opened her door. The hallway was eerily quiet, almost to the point of being unsettling.

 

‘It sounded like it came from far away, but where? The other side?’

 

She stood still and looked around before turning to go back into the room. Thud, there it was again.

 

‘… That’s the duke’s room.

 

Emilia blinked rapidly. The sounds were irregular, as if something was going on. And given how well soundproofed the room was, it meant that it must be very noisy inside if she could hear it this clearly from outside.

 

She bit her lower lip and, with a resolute expression, slowly walked toward the source.

 

As she got closer to the door, she could clearly hear something colliding. She reached for the doorknob and opened it.

 

“Gasp…”

 

Emilia covered her mouth with her hand. The room was a complete mess. Furniture was scattered on the floor, and the bed looked like it had been slashed, with cotton flying everywhere.

 

She hurried into the room. The first thing she saw was a group of people in black masks lying on the floor, and in front of them was Enrico’s back. Enrico was facing a man in a black mask standing against the wall in the far left corner.

 

“What is…What is this…”

 

Her stunned muttering made Enrico turn around. Not realizing it was her who had entered, his previously calm face turned stern.

 

“Get out!”

 

But before Emilia could react to his shout, one of the masked men quickly approached her. He had moved while Enrico was turned.

 

Enrico’s face contorted. He quickly followed the masked man, while Emilia, startled by the sudden approach, let out a loud scream.

 

Kyaaaaah- A scream loud enough to pierce the sky, and the mansion’s lights turned on in an instant.

 

“Gasp…”

 

Emilia screamed and pushed the chair next to her. Taking advantage of the masked man’s dodge, Enrico darted in between them. The knife he was holding slashed towards Emilia, but Enrico blocked it, and the tip of the knife grazed his forearm.

 

* * * *

 

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