Looking back, when she asked while dancing, he said he wasn’t busy because of an engagement, and then didn’t give a clear answer afterwards. He just kept asking if she was concerned and why she was bringing it up. Emilia let out a hollow laugh and touched her forehead.

She arrived in front of the carriage but didn’t feel like getting in right away. Why had she naturally assumed he wasn’t engaged? And had he already been thinking about engagement back then?

Emilia bitterly lowered her hand and slowly grasped the carriage handle.

‘I seem to be overreacting. Maybe I’m just tired.’

It was something that could be resolved by talking to him, but she kept focusing on the engagement. What did it matter to her who he got engaged to?

Emilia slightly furrowed one eye and opened the carriage door.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

But she didn’t expect the person she’d been thinking about to appear before her eyes. She couldn’t understand why he was inside the carriage. Wondering if she had mistakenly approached the wrong carriage, she glanced around discreetly, but it was indeed the one she always rode.

“This is the carriage going to your house. Get in for now.”

Well, he showed up at her home unannounced, so a carriage was nothing. Emilia swallowed a sigh and climbed into the carriage.

“Do you have practice tomorrow too?”

As soon as Emilia sat down across from him, Enrico asked while tapping on the driver’s seat to signal departure. Feeling the carriage start to move slowly, Emilia fixed her gaze out the window and opened her mouth.

“Yes.”

For some reason, it felt uncomfortable to look straight ahead, so she stared out the window, but all she could see was darkness and her own reflection.

“Aren’t you overdoing it? How’s your ankle?”

“…Pardon?”

Her gaze immediately turned to him, making her earlier attempt to avoid looking pointless.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Ah. I was just surprised you remembered.”

“Why would you think I wouldn’t remember?”

Well, you are quite attached to your possessions. Emilia felt a strange bitterness in her mouth.

“You said it hurt in Bakota, but I’m guessing you didn’t get it checked separately, right?”

“Yes. But I was planning to get it examined after the performance.”

“When does the performance end?”

“…December.”

His face tilted slightly. His purple eyes, looking down at her, stretched sideways.

“December?”

As he asked again with a displeased furrowing of his brow, she moistened her drying lips once. His gaze briefly touched her lips before returning to her eyes.

“Actually, it doesn’t hurt. That’s why I didn’t think to get it checked right away, so I was planning to see someone later.”

“If it doesn’t hurt, why did you act like that that day?”

“That day, I guess my ankle was a bit shocked when I suddenly stood up… It hasn’t happened since then.”

He straightened his head with a look of complete disbelief. Perhaps due to the slightly downturned eyes under his thick eyebrows and his sharp nose bridge, there was a strange coexistence of languidness and sharpness. Faced with his aura that seemed capable of detecting even the slightest lie, she closed her mouth without adding more.

“…December is too far. Get it checked after this performance ends.”

“Alright.”

It was a response tinged with a sigh. His frown deepened at her reluctant reaction.

“What’s the problem? It’s not like I’m telling you to do something bad.”

“…No. I’m just taken aback.”

“Shouldn’t you have gotten used to it by now? It’s surprising how you keep getting startled and saying you’re taken aback.”

“Just… Just, I thought you were busy, so I’m surprised you came like this.”

“I was busy because of you, but is that really so surprising?”

“Because of me? Not because of the princess?”

“Princess? Ah. You’re talking about the newspaper.”

He mumbled indifferently. Seeing his attitude that clearly showed annoyance, she closed her mouth, thinking she was right after all.

“But why? I must have told you before.”

She looked at him questioningly with her eyes.

“That there’s no such thing as an engagement.”

“…You didn’t say that.”

Her voice became curt at his brazen attitude, not understanding what he meant after the conversation had ended ambiguously earlier.

“I said I disliked it.”

“That was when we didn’t know each other at all. You could have changed your mind after meeting the princess.”

His expression turned cold in an instant. Seeing him exude an even chillier atmosphere due to the blue moonlight cast inside the carriage, her face turned pale.

“Why? Did you want to make sure so you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable visiting my mansion?”

The corners of his mouth slowly curved upward. However, his gaze, devoid of any humor, clearly contained derision.

“That’s… Yes. Isn’t that natural? I’m just a contractor, so of course I’d have to be careful if you got engaged.”

“Stop whining.”

Her delicate leaf-like eyes wavered for a moment. His voice, languid yet sharp, stabbed at her chest. It felt strange that her chest ached as if hurt by his words.

“It’s curious how you worry about a non-existent fiancée but don’t consider my feelings at all.”

At his caustic tone, she blinked her eyes rapidly a couple of times. Somehow, her eyes felt stinging.

“If you’re going to think useless thoughts with that small head of yours, just don’t think at all. You look better just standing there pretty.”

“…I’m not an object. I’m a person with a sense of self, so of course I have various thoughts, and I’m just trying to prepare for variables out of that desire.”

Emilia opened her mouth, slowly regulating her breath. The carriage, cutting through the dark night streets, was already nearing her home. Despite the gradually slowing speed, their conversation showed no signs of stopping.

“That’s why I’m asking why you’re thinking about it. If variables arise. What, are you planning to leave?”

“I should, shouldn’t I?”

It was a voice that seemed to have lost all will. His eyes, looking at her as she murmured calmly, were as cold as if calling back a winter already passed.

“From the beginning, if it weren’t for the contract, there would be… no reason for us to be together like this.”

The smile that had barely remained on Enrico’s lips slowly disappeared. A suffocating silence descended inside the carriage. And just when it seemed unbearable, thankfully, the carriage came to a stop.

Emilia got out of the carriage as if fleeing and quickly disappeared into the house. Yet, the carriage remained stopped in front of her house. Until the light seeping from her room disappeared.

During the week without performances, Emilia simply practiced diligently. Although she occasionally received jealous glances from Christina, she didn’t have the luxury to pay attention to that.

It had become more blatant than before, to the point where even people around were gossiping, but Christina seemed too busy keeping an eye on her to care about what others were saying.

“Emilia, did you see the newspaper?”

“You showed me yesterday too. You don’t need to show me my articles.”

Actually, it’s not that she didn’t understand Christina’s feelings. While she was the lead, it was Emilia who had made the news. Even she felt embarrassed by the articles that talked about how much attention ‘Epi’ was getting.

She was a bit flustered by the earlier-than-expected attention, but she was trying to accept it now, thinking it was an inevitable progression in ballet. Although she wasn’t sure how her contract with Enrico would turn out.

Emilia waved her hand casually at Juliana and resumed her posture.

“Oh come on, that’s not it. Did you bring an article about those who were once hot?”

“Hot ones? You mean Duke Michele?”

“Yes. Take a look.”

“…I’ll pass. Why bother looking?”

“Why not look? Just take a look. It seems they weren’t real after all.”

“Weren’t real?”

Emilia’s gaze, which had been turning away, shifted to the newspaper. She quickly scanned the front page of the newspaper Juliana was holding.

“It says the 2nd Prince and Princess Vivian have been spotted together frequently. In fact, with Duke Michele, it was just the initial articles.”

“…I see.”

“Don’t you think there might be something between these two? The article hints at that too.”

Emilia stared into space with a thoughtful expression. He had clearly said it wasn’t true, but why had she reacted so strongly? Looking back now, her emotions seemed strange.

Even considering the contract issues, she wondered if there was a need to respond so emotionally.

The memory of leaving the carriage without even looking at his face flashed through her mind.

‘Was I too rude?’

Although Enrico’s sudden visit could be considered rude in itself, given that the boundaries of the contract had been disappearing lately, and as he said, he was accommodating her convenience and continuing to investigate her parents’ case, she felt a bit guilty.

“Emilia?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you suddenly so lost in thought?”

“Ah… I just had something to think about for a moment.”

“Take a break. The performance starts again tomorrow.”

“Just for a moment then.”

Emilia sat down in the corner following Juliana and habitually started stretching.

“What do you mean ‘just for a moment’? But you’re going to keep auditioning for lead roles from now on, right? Even now there’s so much public interest, if you perform as Cinderella, you’ll really get a lot of attention.”

“Hmm, I was planning to keep auditioning for lead roles anyway. I guess I’m lucky.”

Juliana chuckled and swung her outstretched legs from side to side.

“As if that could be done with luck? It’s all about skill.”

“You’re right. It’s skill.”