The order passed in sequence, and finally the lead role applicants waited to be called. Then Emilia glanced at the dancer who had been restless beside her for a while.

It was Christina Firdana, with dark wine-colored hair and amber eyes, whose presence felt weak despite her strong appearance. She had heard dancers talking about her being a hard worker, but she seemed to be the type to get very nervous.

Still, Christina had become the principal ballerina this year and was taking on the lead role in [La Sylphide] for the first time, and it happened to be on the same day that she herself would be on stage, so she was somewhat looking forward to it. It was a shame that she seemed to be subtly avoiding her during recent practices, but it was understandable since their roles didn’t meet.

“Christina Firdana.”

Finally, when it was Christina’s turn, the sound of her taking a deep breath was heard. She raised her hand, went to the center, stood, and began to dance to the piano sound.

‘Is she too nervous?’

She was doing well, but there was a slightly disappointing feeling. Should I say the tempo seems a bit fast? Just as Emilia’s head tilted slightly to the side, the chief choreographer, who sometimes gives feedback during auditions, opened his mouth.

“Too fast. Focus on the music!”

At those words, Christina blinked her eyes rapidly. As she took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and continue dancing, the chief choreographer’s brow furrowed.

Given that the skill levels of the current ballet company dancers were not evenly distributed, there were only one or two dancers who could be cast as lead roles.

However, to match the long performance period, two to three lead dancers were usually selected, and the remaining spot was typically competed for by dancers with above-average skills, and Christina was one of those dancers selected from that competitive pool.

Although Christina had never performed as a first soloist in seven years, she was given this opportunity because her diligence was highly valued, but it was inevitable that disappointing reactions would emerge every time she was seen.

Soon, Emilia didn’t look at Christina, who returned to her seat with a pale face. It must be disappointing for her, even more so than for others watching. She would know her own abilities better than anyone else, so it must be bitter.

Soon it was Emilia’s turn, and she went to the center, stood, and captivated the judges’ attention with the dance she had prepared. People murmured, as it was so contrasting to Christina’s performance just before.

Saying that she might lose her lead role like this.

That if Emilia had auditioned for the lead role from the beginning, Christina’s position would have originally been Emilia’s based on skill.

The hurtful words became sharp daggers piercing Christina’s heart. Her face turned bright red. It felt humiliating and she felt like crying.

Christina glared at Emilia, who was dancing beautifully before her eyes, then suddenly turned away. A drop of sweat that had formed on the tip of her chin fell to the floor.

And a few days later, the [Cinderella] casting was posted on the bulletin board.

“Wow… Isn’t this the first time? Someone getting a lead role so soon after joining the company?”

“Yeah. But she dances overwhelmingly well.”

“That’s right. I’m not even jealous. It’s like, it feels awkward to even compare.”

The conversations of the dancers who came out to the corridor to check the bulletin board after morning practice were converging on one point. That is, Emilia Este, who got the lead role this time.

Even among male dancers, the shortest time to get a lead role was after being in the company for a year, but this time a ballerina who hadn’t even been there for half a year took the lead role. The problem was that when a rising star appears, the person who was originally in that position tends to be pushed aside, so the topic of conversation gradually shifted to the latter as well.

“But it’s as expected. Christina got pushed out.”

“Actually, Christina’s skills were a bit ambiguous to keep doing lead roles. I think she’ll probably alternate between second part and lead roles from now on… It’s a bit sad though.”

The dancer clicked their tongue briefly and alternately looked at the roles of Cinderella and one of the stepsisters.

“It’s really sad when someone practices so hard but their skills can’t keep up.”

“Well, who’s going to worry about whom… But Christina is older, so if her skills are still ambiguous this year, she’ll probably naturally start the retirement process.”

“Ah, because she needs to get married? But isn’t it late even now?”

“Well, that’s true, but it’ll be even later next year, so she needs to make a decision this year.”

No matter how quietly they conversed, it was inevitable that it would be heard by those around. Blood vessels stood out in Christina’s eyes as she stood at the back, looking at the bulletin board. Her clenched fists were shaking, with too much strength in her arms.

Some dancers who belatedly noticed tried to avoid her in shock, but those at the front had no way of knowing, so the conversation continued.

“It must be a lot of pressure for this performance too.”

“Why the performance?”

“Emilia and Christina are scheduled for the same day.”

“Oh my… But there aren’t really any scenes where La Sylphide and Effie meet… Oh!”

“Why, oh… Ah… Christina.”

Those who belatedly discovered her apologized with awkward faces.

“We didn’t mean anything bad, we were just worried about you…”

Christina’s neck was gradually turning red. As the murmuring voices grew louder and people showed no intention of leaving the bulletin board, those who came late to check the audition results also started to gather.

Emilia was also one of the group that came late with Juliana to the bulletin board. She quietly moved to a spot where she could see the bulletin board, sensing the unusual atmosphere. Then she tilted her head, seeing Christina standing still with a hardened face.

“Emilia, congratulations on the lead role!”

Juliana, who had seen the bulletin board first, shouted, and Christina’s gaze turned to Emilia. It was such a fierce look that Emilia’s lips, which were about to rise, stiffened slightly.

Soon after, Christina turned away abruptly, and at the same time, Juliana pulled Emilia’s arm, telling her to see for herself, dragging her in front of the bulletin board. After seeing the casting, Emilia looked once at the place where Christina had disappeared.

Although she knew better than anyone that skill comes first and this was an unavoidable reality, she felt strange, as if the joy and sorrow of the two had been reversed, just like the roles they were cast in.

Emilia changed into a comfortable indoor dress and picked up a book for the first time in a while.

Usually, on Sundays, unless she had an appointment, she would just wear a robe without changing into pajamas, but now she thought she should try to change her lifestyle a bit.

Of course, there was also the fact that she didn’t have time to read due to ballet, but when she came home, she just rested deeply and did nothing, so the times she had read were too few to count.

‘Actually, this isn’t the time, but… I can’t go to the Duke’s residence from Sunday to look at the materials in the box…’

With the thought of passing time by reading a book for now, Emilia went to the living room sofa and made herself comfortable. She came to the living room because she thought she would fall asleep right away if she read in her room, and it seemed like a good choice.

The warm spring sunlight streamed through the window, and the pleasant scent of flowers coming through the slightly open window made her body feel languid.

‘If it was in my room, I would have fallen asleep already… Even now, I’m so sleepy…’

Emilia tried to read the book, barely keeping her eyes open even though she hadn’t read more than a few pages. However, that effort crumbled as quickly as her eyelids grew heavy after just a few minutes.

Zabeta, who was watching Emilia from the kitchen, brought a blanket with a slight smile. But just before she reached her, there was a soft knock at the door.

Zabeta carefully opened the door and greeted Enrico Michele, who was naturally coming in, in a small voice.

Enrico, who was putting down what he had brought on the cabinet near the entrance, paused for a moment with a questioning look, soon discovering Emilia dozing on the long sofa in the living room.

The curtain swayed in the breeze, casting a shadow that briefly touched her before moving away. The soft sunlight seemed to be scattered like gold dust, making everything look radiant.

‘…She sleeps so well.’

Enrico gestured for Zabeta to withdraw and sat in the single sofa near her sofa. She was sleeping with her head resting on the backrest, not seeming uncomfortable at all. On her lap was an open book she had been reading, with her right hand resting on the paper.

His head tilted slightly. The well-shaped nose bridge between her gently curved closed eyes, her cheeks pink like ripe peaches, and her lips red like roses.

As he belatedly looked at each feature of her fair face, he slowly closed and opened his eyes.

The only sounds in the too-quiet house were her soft breathing and the ticking of the watch on his wrist. He wanted to approach and touch her, but at the same time, he didn’t want to.

The second hand of the clock kept moving. The watch he never failed to wear was the only object preventing the silence that made him feel isolated, but for the first time, this sound bothered him.