The routine continued unchanged. The fragrance of spring carried on its breeze deepened. Apart from Emilia’s expression seeming a bit lighter as she headed to Duke Michele’s estate after ballet practice, everything was the same as always.
Previously, Emilia would have once thought about not wanting to go to the ducal estate, but now she had a new goal of examining the items left behind by her parents, so her face seemed a bit more animated.
Enrico seemed unchanged as well. While the last night at Vacorta had been strange, as if he had truly lost his sanity due to the poison, he now seemed only interested in her dance as before. It was only when the ballet began that he turned his gaze to her, and as soon as the dance ended, he left without hesitation.
Emilia took a deep breath and briefly stared at the empty chair. She felt a strange sensation.
They had been in a relationship where it was only natural to be treated like an object, at best an artwork. Perhaps they had been together for too long at Vacorta. Unless a bit of his poison had transferred to her, she wouldn’t feel this sudden emptiness.
‘Maybe I’m just tired.’
She should go home quickly and get some rest. Oh, but she also had to look at the box she brought back from Vacorta. Emilia finished getting ready to leave and approached the butler waiting in the hallway.
“The master is waiting for you in the dining room.”
“Oh…”
Hearing those words, she felt her emptiness ease slightly. Was it because she was hungry? The mere thought of eating made her feel a little full. Emilia nodded and followed the butler to the dining room.
Enrico didn’t even glance at Emilia as she entered. The food that came in as soon as she sat down left no room for conversation with him.
Was this it? Was she just going to eat and go home?
Her stomach was filling up, but she felt a sense of fullness.
‘I should ask anyway. I came here to ask about the box in the first place.’
Seeing Enrico raise his wine glass as usual after finishing his meal, Emilia cautiously opened her mouth.
“Duke, where can I see the box that came from Vacorta?”
“Ask the butler on your way out.”
“Oh… yes.”
It was a cold reply. Was it her imagination that the atmosphere had changed? Emilia answered softly and looked down at the dessert plate in front of her. She felt very uneasy.
Maybe she had indigestion. Could she see the box tomorrow? While thinking various things alone,
“Instead, come and see the box after work tomorrow.”
Enrico said, putting down his wine glass. His words, which seemed to pierce through her mind, made her blink rapidly.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. If you plan to stay the night, you can see it then.”
“…No! I’ll come see it tomorrow.”
Although his tone was still indifferent, it felt as if the coldness had disappeared somewhat. He was a capricious person, but was he really this much? However…
‘Why am I so concerned about his mood?’
It was strange that she had been paying attention to him the whole time she was at the ducal estate. Her original purpose was to simply get the information, so when did she become so familiar with Enrico? A belated realization made her frown slightly.
“Do you dislike it that much?”
“What?”
“Your expression doesn’t seem good.”
“Oh… that’s not it.”
Enrico didn’t look happy either. It seemed like the atmosphere had turned cold again in an instant. She thought today was really unpredictable.
Emilia knew that once he started to pick on her, she would get tired, so she quickly came up with an excuse.
“It’s just that I remembered the masked men who attacked in Vacorta. Can I ask what happened to them?”
She was genuinely curious. It was the first time she had seen so many masked men, and it was the first time she had seen a real fight like the ones in the plays.
Without realizing it, Emilia looked at Enrico’s injured arm. If it was a knife with poison on it, it would be difficult to heal quickly, but he was using his arm too normally.
‘No. Come to think of it, he was holding the wine glass with his left hand.’
Thanks to the meals she ate with him, she knew he was right-handed. Whether it was wine or cigarettes, he mostly used that hand.
“We managed to capture a decent guy, but he committed suicide after ingesting poison.”
“Poison? Oh my…”
Emilia covered her mouth with both hands and widened her eyes. It was like something out of a novel. The fact that he committed suicide made her skin crawl. Was he hiding something? She was speechless at the unreal situation.
In Vacorta, she was so distracted by the sudden attack and Enrico’s strange atmosphere that she didn’t notice the seriousness of the situation. Now that I think about it, the situation seemed serious. She was lucky he fought well. She might have found him lying in his own mansion, bleeding. For a moment, a shiver ran down her spine.
“…Ha, it’s surprising that there is someone in this day and age who sends assassins in droves.”
“They must have targeted me while I was alone. This mansion is difficult to access.”
She thought he was just a person who lived a quiet and leisurely life, but it turned out that appearances were deceiving. As a great nobleman with more power than anyone else, she thought no one would dare to touch him, but perhaps the more he had, the more enemies he had.
However, even though he had a bad personality, she couldn’t imagine that someone who just clung to art would be in such a situation.
“…Are your injuries okay? And please don’t go out alone in the future. You need to be careful.”
Emilia stared intently at his eyes as if urging him. At her serious expression, Enrico tilted his head slightly. A strange light flickered in his purple eyes.
“Are you worried about me?”
He raised an eyebrow as if it were amusing.
“That’s unexpected. If I die, the contract will be automatically terminated, which would be good for you.”
Her eyes narrowed. She was displeased that her sincerity had been denied and was about to open her mouth, but his added words were faster.
“Oh. Are you worried that the investigation will be stopped?”
“No matter how urgent the investigation is, it’s not more important than a person’s life!”
The words she had been hesitating to say burst out. Emilia trembled her lower lip, unable to hide her excitement. At the sight of her suddenly reddening eyes, he was silent. Or rather, he couldn’t react. He was dumbfounded by her emerald green eyes filled with sincerity.
“…So don’t get hurt.”
Emilia urged him with a pleading look, then removed the napkin she had placed on her skirt.
“It’s quite late. I’ll leave now.”
Before he could answer, she turned her back and quickly left the dining room. Enrico might have said something, but his gaze remained fixed on the chair she had just been sitting on.
Silence filled the air. Enrico’s eyes were slightly unfocused, as if in confusion.
He was intrigued by the new feeling he was experiencing, but he was annoyed by her, who kept sowing confusion in him like planting an apple tree, and decided to watch the situation for a while.
Yet, absurdly, he felt like that fruit had suddenly ripened. A fruit he neither liked nor wanted.
Enrico stared at the empty space for a long time, even after Emilia had gone home.
* * *
This week felt like time was passing quickly for some reason. It was already the day of the [Cinderella] audition. Or maybe it was because she hadn’t been to the ducal mansion since that day.
On the day she went to check the box she brought from Vacorta, Enrico wasn’t at the ducal mansion. She wasn’t sure why she had assumed he would be there, but it was a bit embarrassing that she had been so concerned about him getting hurt. In a way, it turned out to be a good thing.
‘Miss Emilia, I will check the box and sort out its contents, so how about you check it then?’
‘The butler?’
/Well, it seems there’s too much to sort out on your own, and I am worried it might strain your health if you work on it late into the night.’
‘Oh…’
‘And the Duke said you don’t need to come this week. He wants you to focus on preparing for the audition.’
When the butler, who had been following her quietly, conveyed Enrico’s message, she felt a bit down at first, but the last part made her feel a bit strange.
She thought it was a bit arbitrary to cancel the schedule like that, even though it was a contract, but seeing him mention the audition, it seemed like he was encouraging her to focus.
‘…He did say to take on the lead role. Maybe that’s why.’
Emilia jumped a few times in place, trying to shake off the distracting thoughts.
At first, when the butler said he would sort out the items in the box, she thought she should do it herself, but if she had, she wouldn’t have been able to properly prepare for the audition, and she wouldn’t have been able to finish sorting out the box this week, and would end up still sorting the box next week.
‘He said he’s sorted everything out, but it’s Sunday tomorrow, so it would be awkward to go, right? Should I go on Monday?’
Soon, the judges entered, and the dancers waited for their turn. The chair that had been in the director’s position was gone, and the sub-director, Sylvia, sat in the center, calmly conducting the audition.
* * * *
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