“……What?”

“Now you’re looking at me again.”

He brushed back his hair, now less damp than before, and gave a brief laugh. She frowned at his incomprehensible words, but sensing his suddenly softened mood, she reluctantly closed her mouth.

“As you said, it’s late at night, so I’ll be going now.”

He then stepped back neatly. She quietly gazed at his broad back as he turned around after making eye contact once, and watched warily as he stopped in front of the door.

“But earlier, you said it was late at night.”

Emilia, who had been wondering what he would say next to irritate her, blinked at his unexpected words.

The sound of the door opening was heard, and as he turned his head slightly, his side profile was revealed, his purple eyes gleaming in the light.

“So does that mean it’s alright during the day?”

Emilia, who had tossed and turned all night, left the duke’s residence at dawn. While she was conscious of the gazes around her, she also didn’t want to stay uncomfortably in his mansion any longer.

His words, which didn’t even seem like a joke, were so absurd that she couldn’t respond for a moment. Asking if it’s alright during the day, was that even a question? Well, he didn’t really ask it in a questioning tone to begin with. It must have been meant to irritate her.

‘A strange, rude, and arrogant person.’

While he seemed to dislike her rebuttals, he would provoke her first if she stayed quiet, causing her emotions to fluctuate particularly when she was with Enrico.

She could feel Zabeta, sitting next to her, quietly observing her. Although she was going to stop by home before heading to work at the opera house, Zabeta was already waiting at the front door when she arrived, somehow knowing the early hour. The carriage must have been prepared in advance, as the return journey was quite smooth.

“Um… When should I tell the doctor to visit?”

Emilia looked at Zabeta in response to her cautious question. After briefly lowering her gaze in thought, Emilia looked back at her and asked softly.

“Do I need to go to the duke’s residence for the examination?”

“No. We can call him to your home.”

“Then, since Sunday is a day off, would it be alright to request that day?”

“Of course. He said anytime is fine, as long as it’s as soon as possible.”

“In that case, please inform him of Sunday.”

“Understood.”

Emilia turned her head to look out the window. The dark blue dawn was quiet. Perhaps because she was farther from the duke’s residence, or because of the dawn air. Forgetting how cold it was yesterday, she simply enjoyed the changing scenery, feeling the breeze coming through the window gap as refreshing.

She needed to focus on the upcoming audition for a while, forgetting about the events at the duke’s residence. In the distance, a crimson afterimage was spreading.

Emilia tapped her toe-shoe-clad feet on the floor. The uncomfortable yet familiar sensation felt right.

“Emilia, did you submit the role application?”

“Yes. How about you? I didn’t see you earlier, so I went alone.”

“Good job. I submitted mine too.”

Juliana stretched languidly and grinned.

“Ah, what role did you apply for? Don’t tell me you put yourself down for the corps de ballet again?”

“No. I applied for a solo part.”

“Which one?”

“Effie.”

“Ah… Huh?! Not Sylphide?”

Emilia glanced around at the suddenly raised voice. Fortunately, everyone else was warming up and chatting, not paying much attention. Juliana quickly covered her mouth and then asked again in a lower voice.

“Why didn’t you apply for the lead role?”

“I wanted to try Effie for once. I’ve already done Sylphide for the graduation performance.”

“But doing it at the art school is different from doing it here!”

“That’s true, but…”

It didn’t seem like the right time to audition for the lead role yet. If by chance she was lucky enough to be cast as the lead, she would become a ballerina who took on the position of first soloist in a short time, attracting public attention.

Fortunately, as Enrico had said, Giorgio hadn’t shown his face since that sudden visit.

But if she happened to hear his name, he might appear secretly again. Moreover, the sponsorship relationship with Enrico still bothered her, making her inevitably cautious.

“I told you before. I want to take it slow. There’s no rush, right?”

Although Emilia was more impatient than anyone, she spoke nonchalantly on purpose. Juliana seemed not to understand her, but didn’t add anything more about it. Scratching her cheek in bewilderment and rolling her eyes, Juliana frowned as she noticed Eva at the edge of her vision.

“…But why is she in such a good mood these days? It’s irritating to see.”

Emilia also turned her gaze to Eva following Juliana’s lead. Eva was sitting in the middle of a group on the opposite side, smiling haughtily. Although the relationship between Director Carlo, whom she had met in the emergency stairwell, and Eva was kept secret from Deputy Director Silvia, it was still unsettling.

Silvia had said she would handle it, so Emilia was unintentionally turning a blind eye, but she wondered if this was really okay.

If Director Carlo hadn’t been a married man, it wouldn’t have bothered her this much, but of all people, she had to get involved with someone like that. Emilia looked at Eva with disdainful eyes.

Perhaps sensing that gaze, Eva suddenly looked at Emilia. She smirked, raising one corner of her mouth, as if she didn’t care how Emilia was looking at her. Was Director Carlo such a reliable backing? Emilia sighed and turned her head away.

‘Let’s just think about the audition.’

She diligently warmed up her body, waiting for the door to open.

Eventually, the door opened and the judges entered the practice room. The process began with watching everyone dance once, then proceeding with auditions for smaller roles in order.

As the turns gradually decreased, it was soon time for the role of Effie, the male protagonist’s fiancée in [La Sylphide].

Effie was a happy bride-to-be about to marry the male protagonist, but she almost became a tragic figure due to the male protagonist who disappeared on their wedding day after falling for the fairy Sylphide.

A witch who appears in the beginning tells her that she will marry someone else, giving hope to a village youth who had been secretly in love with her. When the male protagonist disappears, he musters the courage to confess to Effie, leading to a small story where they end up smiling at their wedding ceremony.

It was also a role she wanted to play because it was quite interesting to see the contrast with the male protagonist, who cries miserably after losing Sylphide due to the witch’s schemes at the end.

“Well then, begin.”

Emilia began to immerse herself in the role of Effie, not the unrealistic fairy, but the kind and lovable character.

Worried about the male protagonist, she showed thoughtful consideration to the stranger who wanted to rest inside for a moment. The watching dancers’ eyes were filled with envy as Emilia danced lightly with a smile like a happy woman about to be married.

Although she seemed suited for the fairy role, everyone couldn’t help but admire her as she seamlessly blended dance and acting, as if any role would suit her.

“Well done, Emilia.”

“Your dance is quite arrogant!”

Deputy Director Silvia spoke first. However, everyone’s eyes widened at Director Carlo’s behavior as he suddenly interrupted with a loud shout.

“It shows too much that you’re enamored with yourself. Of course, dancing beautifully is correct, but it should be done in moderation. If it’s too much, it makes people frown instead.”

Emilia just blinked at the criticism that could not be called critique, which was suddenly poured out.

“Director, your words are going too far.”

“What do you mean? I’ve been watching closely because there’s been so much talk about the valedictorian, but how on earth did she graduate as valedictorian? No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem to be at that level. The evaluation seems to have been exaggerated too much.”

“Director!”

“…Deputy Director, are you raising your voice at me right now?”

“Yes. I simply cannot listen to this quietly.”

“What did you say?”

“If you’re going to evaluate, you should do it objectively and accurately. Is it the director’s job to blindly criticize a ballet member while bringing up nonsensical reasons?”

Deputy Director Silvia looked at him with a cold, disdainful expression.

“To my professionally trained eye, there is no one who executes movements as perfectly as Emilia. Do you even properly understand how each movement is formed when you’re speaking like this now?”

“W-What? How dare you try to teach me? Do you know how many years I’ve been in this field? Unlike you who only danced on stage, I thoroughly understand the ecosystem of this place!”

“Did you penetrate a different ecosystem? No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem to have an eye for ballet.”

With a loud thud, the chair behind Director Carlo fell to the floor as he abruptly stood up. As he revealed a threatening face along with the clamorous noise, the nearby coaches and choreographers hurriedly intervened between the two.

“Please stop. Why are you doing this in front of everyone?”

“Didn’t you all hear that insolent talk just now?!”

“Let’s talk about this after we finish. We’re still in the middle of auditions!”

“Auditions or not, come here and apologize right now!”

Emilia let out an exasperated sigh as she watched Director Carlo, whose face had turned so red it looked like it might burst at any moment. This seemed like he was deliberately picking a fight with her. If it weren’t for Deputy Director Silvia, it was obvious that he would have continued to run his mouth, seemingly intending to thoroughly humiliate her in front of many people.

Instinctively, she looked towards where the dancers were gathered. Among them, Eva, standing in a corner, was looking at her with eyes full of schadenfreude, barely able to contain her laughter as if she was thoroughly enjoying the situation.