Just as she was about to ask Fabio, who somehow looked troubled, what was wrong, Zavetta knocked on the slightly open door and stepped inside.
“Zavetta? What brings you here?”
“Then, I’ll take my leave now.”
Fabio and Zavetta passed each other as if changing shifts. Watching Zavetta approach, Emilia turned briefly to the window at the sound of the rain pouring down in a refreshing rush.
“It’s really coming down hard.”
“It is. It looks like it would be better to leave tomorrow.”
“Leave?”
Emilia blinked at Zavetta, who then clasped her hands neatly in front of her and smiled softly.
“His Grace has granted permission for you to return home now.”
“…Really?”
For a moment, her gaze flickered toward the door before dropping away.
“Yes. But since it’s raining so heavily today, we should arrange for a carriage to depart tomorrow.”
When she had asked Fabio to check earlier, she had felt fine, but now that she was actually hearing the news from Zavetta, a strange sense of unease settled over her.
Had she assumed he would come to tell her himself if she asked? Why was she looking for him?
Recalling her actions just moments ago, Emilia’s fingertips trembled. Was he truly not planning to uphold their contract anymore? Her small hand clenched tightly into a fist.
Behind her confused back, A brief flash of light flickered across the sky. Crack! The delayed sound echoed loudly, and as the light from outside spilled into the room, it cast long shadows across the floor.
* * *
It still seemed like the rainy season was far off, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Emilia sighed as she watched the relentless rain fall over the past few days.
“The ground’s going to sink at this rate. Why are you sighing so much?”
Sitting on the floor of the practice room, staring blankly out the window, Emilia noticed Juliana sitting beside her and relaxed her expression.
“Nothing. The gloomy weather is just bringing me down.”
“That’s understandable. How’s your body?”
“I’m fine. Except for the part where I can’t use it.”
“Hehe, can’t even endure resting for just this week?”
“Exactly… It’s boring.”
Emilia had returned four days ago, but she had been told to rest for at least a week until her injury had healed completely, leaving her frustrated.
She was eager to learn the choreography as soon as possible, but simply watching others dance only made her feel even more restless.
Why was she feeling so anxious?
Without ballet, it felt like she had nothing left. Fabio was taking care of her parents’ investigation… and Enrico…
She bit her lip as another sudden thought struck her.
‘It’s better if he doesn’t look for me. No more hassle. He even kept my uncle from showing up…’
Now that she thought about it, it had been quite a while since she last saw Giorgio. She despised calling him “uncle,” but legally, they were still connected. Until she could prove that they weren’t truly related, there was nothing she could do about it.
Yet, that shameless man hadn’t shown up at all.
It made Enrico’s influence all the more real. Even regarding the stage accident, he had made sure Cristina received a heavier punishment.
‘…I’ve received more help from him than I thought.’
She had always been wary of him, focusing solely on their contract. Looking back, she had turned a blind eye to the things he had done for her, assuming he was merely punishing those who tried to diminish his asset’s value.
“Emilia.”
“Hm?”
“I have something to ask you…”
The practice room was quiet with only the sound of rain tapping against the glass, like soft background music.
Emilia glanced at Juliana, who had suddenly lowered her voice to a whisper, her expression curious. Urging her to speak, Emilia met her gaze.
“Are you… involved with Duke Enrico Michele in any way?”
Her heart plummeted.
This was different from when Juliana had asked if she was interested in him after reading a newspaper article about his visit to the theater.
Involved, she said.
“…Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
Emilia barely managed to get the words out.
But Juliana, who had always watched her closely, noticed the brief moment of unease in her expression. As if she had made up her mind, she leaned in closer to Emilia.
“There are rumors about you spreading inside the theater. People are saying your relationship with Duke Michele isn’t normal.”
“What?”
“The gossip actually started the day of your accident. People came forward saying they heard the Duke calling your name that day, and that’s when the rumors began. He only attended performances when you were on stage, and on one of those days, you even received a bouquet.”
“…!”
“There’s even speculation that the bouquet was from him. At this point, people are treating it as fact.”
“…Ha. So just hearing him call my name was enough for this rumor to spread?”
“In a place like this, gossip grows and spreads even faster.”
Emilia blinked in disbelief.
She had tried so hard to be careful, yet absurd rumors were now spreading because of a simple misunderstanding.
But denying it outright was dangerous.
Even now, the gossip had spread from something trivial. If her ties with Enrico didn’t end, there was no telling when, how or why another rumor might arise in the future.
“…But you really do know each other, right?”
“…”
“At the art academy, I thought it was odd when you asked about him in such detail. I did have some doubts at that time. You’re not the type of person to do that.”
Her expression suggested she had already suspected this for some time.
Juliana let out a wry smile, wondering how long she had hesitated to speak, struggling alone all this time.
“Juliana.”
“I figured you had your reasons. I thought you’d tell me someday…”
“I’m sorry. It’s just… It’s hard to explain. The truth is—”
“No, I think I already understand why.”
As Emilia grabbed Juliana’s hand in a panic, her brows furrowed.
Even as Emilia tried to explain the situation, her words were cut off by Juliana, who shook her head. Juliana looked down at the hand that was holding hers, then slowly pulled away and turned her head.
“But still, I can’t help feeling hurt. I need you to understand that.”
Seeing Juliana avoid her gaze, Emilia was even more shocked.
Juliana had always been there for her, always smiling at her. And yet, because of her own pointless anxiety, she had failed to trust her friend. In the end, Juliana had to find out this way. It felt like an unforgivable mistake.
She should have trusted her at least once. Why had she built up walls and kept silent?
Seeing Juliana disappointed for the first time made her heart ache. Emilia, unsure of what to do, slowly clenched her hand in midair and parted her lips.
“I’m sorry… I really am. I was going to tell you…”
“Emilia, I’m not blaming you. I just need some time to sort out my thoughts. I’ll be fine.”
Juliana stood up with a complicated expression. Emilia quickly stood up as well and followed her.
“I’ll wait. I really am sorry… I meant it when I invited you for the summer holiday.”
That was when she had planned to tell her everything about the contract. She had kept delaying it, thinking she would talk about it then.
But now, it had come back to haunt her.
She should have just said it right away. What was she waiting for? She was frustrated with herself.
“I really was going to tell you everything back then.”
“…Alright. I’m going to stretch a bit now. It looks like people are about to arrive.”
Emilia had a habit of arriving at work early, so even though she didn’t have practice, she had come in as usual. But now, she understood why Juliana had come in so early today.
She must have wanted to give her a heads-up about the rumors surrounding Enrico. After all, she probably couldn’t stand watching people secretly gossip behind Emilia’s back while she remained completely unaware over the past few days.
“…Thank you.”
Emilia spoke with genuine sincerity. Juliana hesitated for a moment, then walked to the other side of the room and started stretching. Soon, the sound of people approaching from the hallway filled the space.
“So, is it true?”
“I don’t know. Someone should ask directly.”
“Hey, how could you ask something like that to someone who just got hurt?”
“We don’t even know where she got treated. And who took her there, anyway?”
“No one knows. Ugh, why is this year so dramatic? Even considering the ballet company has grown, this is a bit much…”
“Isn’t Emilia always at the center of these incidents? Eva was famously known for hating her, too.”
Emilia’s expression hardened.
Juliana, who had been stretching, also stopped and listened closely to the approaching voices.
“Hey, that’s going too far. What does Eva hating Emilia have to do with her having an affair with the director?”
“Well, I mean… Anyway, it’s obvious Christina caused that incident out of jealousy toward Emilia. And now, the rumors about her and Duke Michele are making waves, too.”
“Honestly, unlike Eva, who got involved with a married man, this kind of scandal is actually good publicity for our theater, don’t you think?”
The people who had reached the door were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t seem ready to enter just yet. The sound of someone grabbing the doorknob was heard, but the door remained closed, allowing their now quieter voices to seep through.
“Hey, you shouldn’t think about it so simply.”
“Then what? Oh! Let’s stop by the practice room first. I left some clothes there last time.”
“If something is really going on between them, wouldn’t it mean she has someone backing her? No matter how talented she is, how does it make sense for her to be chosen as the lead so suddenly?”
* * * *
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