Enrico licked his lips languidly, his face slightly flushed around the eyes with fever. His eyes, which had been hazy a moment ago, were now cold and still.
Should he just grab her and bring her back? Should he remind her, the one who dared to reject him, that this is a contract not only for a dance but for her very being?
Why did he feel so regretful about missing her lips as they brushed past him? Was he losing his mind because of the fever?
Though it was said to be just a light wound, his whole body felt feverish, as if poison had been smeared on it. Luckily, his body had some immunity to poison, so he would probably be fine in a day or so.
But honestly, it wasn’t the wound that bothered him—it was Emilia, who had looked at him just moments before. He had only approached her to satisfy his curiosity, but his body started to deny that it was merely that.
“Damn it…”
He glared down at the space between his legs. Then, as if feeling suffocated, he tilted his head back. The veins in his chin and neck stood out sharply.
How could this be just a casual interest? A deep sigh escaped his lips.
* * *
The atmosphere inside the train heading to Desiro was bleak. It was already shocking enough to have been caught off guard by the sudden attack last night, but what was even more unsettling was the strange tension that had formed between her and Enrico.
Enrico was staring intently at her, while Emilia stubbornly avoided his gaze, focusing instead on the view outside the window. After a while, as he quietly observed her profile, he finally spoke slowly.
“Once we get back, we’ll stick to the schedule.”
Her shoulders flinched.
“I think we gave too much information in Varcorta. We can hold off on sharing anything more for now.”
What? Emilia turned to him in surprise.
“Finally, you’re looking at me. Wouldn’t even glance my way unless it’s about the contract, huh?”
She placed a hand over her chest, shrinking back slightly. As he quietly watched her long eyelashes tremble briefly, he then turned away and pulled out a cigarette.
“The knife yesterday—it was coated with poison.”
“What? Poison? So that’s why you had a fever…”
“Yeah. I nearly ended up dying from heatstroke before summer even started.”
Heatstroke? That’s a bit much. Emilia pouted slightly as she clasped her hands on her thighs. Fidgeting with her fingers, she hesitated before speaking.
“How are you feeling now? Did you take an antidote?”
“No.”
“What? You didn’t? How could you not take an antidote!”
Forgetting the awkwardness from earlier, Emilia raised her voice in shock. He quietly observed her reaction for a moment before standing up and walking toward the balcony. Her gaze followed his retreating figure.
“Royalty builds up immunity to poisons from a young age, so I’m resistant to most of them.”
As he stepped out onto the balcony, he lit his cigarette and leaned against the railing.
“Oh? Then the poison from yesterday…”
“Was a poison I hadn’t encountered before. Though it seems they didn’t anticipate just how strong my resistance would be.”
“Do you have any idea who it could be?”
“Who knows. Judging by their knowledge of poisons, it might be someone well-versed in this field.”
Smoking lazily, he casually pushed his hair back as if the wind annoyed him. The lightly tousled black hair and his sharp jawline only heightened his indifferent demeanor.
Emilia, watching the burning cigarette ash, shifted her gaze to his coral-colored lips holding the cigarette. The perfectly proportioned lips, neither too thick nor too thin, and she could hardly believe those lips had come so close to hers.
‘…That was really dangerous.’
Recalling how she had nearly given in to him as if she were possessed by something, her face felt like it was on fire. She lowered her head and fidgeted with her hands for no reason.
* * *
‘Surprisingly simple.’
Enrico suppressed a smile as he noticed Emilia’s vigilance had lessened significantly since their departure. Her previous attitude, which made it seem like she could go her entire life without paying him any attention, had greatly displeased him. However, seeing her so quickly concerned about him made his irritation fade just as swiftly.
What exactly did he want from her? Glancing at the seat where Emilia had been sitting, he turned his head and gazed at the large ducal mansion in the distance. The road to the ducal estate, after first dropping Emilia off at home, felt strangely long, even though it had only been a few days. The time they spent together had already become familiar.
Before he knew it, the carriage had slowed to a stop in front of the large ducal mansion. Passing the servants lined up on either side, bowing as he entered, he was followed by Fabio, who took the coat from Enrico’s shoulders.
“Your Grace, the culprit has been detained in the dungeon. Would you like to go down now?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Enrico slowly descended the staircase, adorned with old-fashioned wall decorations, leading to the basement. Unlike the upper floors, the dungeon below was filled with dampness and the stench of blood. The walls were rough and uneven, left untouched by additional construction, as he walked towards the prison cell.
A cough echoed through the space. Inside the black iron door, a man was bound, his face swollen and bleeding.
“This appears to be the leader of the group.”
“Hm… Open the door.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Fabio promptly unlocked the door and stepped inside.
“Check if there’s an emblem engraved on the second molar inside his mouth.”
The foul odor assaulted Enrico’s senses as he placed a cigarette in his mouth, watching as Fabio forcibly pried open the man’s mouth. The prisoner seemed to want to resist, but having been given a sedative earlier, he was unable to. Fabio carefully inspected the inside of his mouth.
“There’s an emblem. It’s a long, snake-like design.”
“I think I know who it is. Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir. Oh?”
“What? Did he foam at the mouth?”
Enrico asked indifferently, taking a drag from his cigarette as he turned around.
“Yes, as soon as I touched the molar, he died. There must have been poison in it.”
“Foolish man. He did us one last favor before he died, showing us clearly who he was. There’s no doubt now.”
“He didn’t seem to swallow all of it. I managed to grab his throat just in time.”
“Then search his mouth. There might be some kind of device left behind.”
“Understood.”
A satisfied smile curled Enrico’s lips. Did he think he would be easy to handle once he left the ducal estate? Sending someone this incompetent was disappointing, especially from Alessandro Treano. And to think he believed he would certainly die, even going so far as to implant a device used for royal shadows in one of his men. The thought of such a person being responsible for the future of this country was truly disheartening.
It seemed like His Highness, the second prince, had far too much free time on his hands, and Enrico thought it might be time to send him a little gift to keep him busy.
Enrico spoke casually to Fabio, who had quickly followed behind him.
“Summon the second prince.”
Fabio’s eyes widened in shock.
* * *
Emilia entered the practice room with the feeling of having been away for a long time, even though it had only been a few days. She stretched for a while, waiting for others to arrive.
“Emilia, did you submit the audition application?”
As soon as Juliana arrived, she went straight to the practice room instead of the changing room. Emilia couldn’t help but smile at her immediate approach as she opened the door.
“No. Isn’t that for tomorrow?”
“No! They’re accepting applications starting today.”
“Oh? Then I should write it now.”
“Yeah. Let’s go together.”
Emilia got up from her seat and draped a shawl over her shoulders.
“Did you see the newspaper today?”
“No? Why?”
“There was another murder case.”
“What? Was it a blonde?”
“Yes! Another blonde. And it’s someone we know.”
“Someone we know? Who?”
“Remember that girl who used to clean and suddenly stopped coming? She had unusually pretty blonde hair, though it was darker than yours.”
“Oh…”
Emilia recalled who it was. She had been the one who was considered too short for dancing. They had assumed she’d given up ballet and found another job. Emilia’s face hardened with seriousness.
“Isn’t it really creepy? What’s going on? It must be a serial killer.”
Juliana, scared, clung to Emilia’s arm.
Emilia gently held Juliana’s hand and nodded. The common factor of blonde hair, coupled with the earlier article, suggested that targeting only lower-class individuals might be intentional. Crimes against lower-class people often didn’t make headlines, which meant they tended to be discovered late.
“Emilia, is your current place okay? It’s not in a place with very few people, right?”
“Uh? yeah.”
Emilia awkwardly nodded, avoiding Juliana’s wide-eyed stare and shaking her arm.
“Well, since it’s on Inizio Street, it’s somewhat reassuring, but if it’s too far out, you never know.”
By the time they reached the fourth floor, the two naturally moved their arms apart and walked toward the office with the reception desk.
“Hmm, it should be fine as long as you don’t wander around alone.”
“At first, I thought Inizio Street might be too expensive to live on, but given the incidents, it seems like you found a good place. Oh, but when are you going to invite me over? I’d like to visit.”
“Ah… I see. It might be difficult right now because of the performances. Maybe around vacation time?”
“Hmm, maybe. I need to rest on Sundays.”
“If there’s a summer vacation, we can discuss it then.”
“Sure. Anyway, be really careful.”
Juliana, standing in front of the office door, momentarily turned around while holding the handle and pointed at Emilia with her finger as a warning. Emilia smiled faintly and nodded. Once Juliana disappeared, she slowly wiped the smile from her face.
The certainty of a serial killer was already stressful, but the fact that the target was a blonde made it worse. She recalled Alessandro’s warning to be careful. Was the higher-ups monitoring this case?
If so, she hoped the culprit would be caught soon…
Emilia suppressed her anxious thoughts and took the [Cinderella] application form. She checked off the lead role among the available parts and kept her mouth tightly shut.
* * * *
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