Emilia’s eyes shook violently with shock. The part she feared most had suddenly emerged. This was why she tried to hide it, but the rumors that had been swelling under the surface rose above, with more and more bubbles forming.

“Ah- that’s not right. No matter what, don’t talk about skill- gasp!”

“E-Emilia?”

The people slowly opening the door belatedly discovered Emilia inside and were startled. Emilia first took a deep breath.

“D-did you hear?”

“…She must have heard. Can’t you see her expression?”

“Haa…”

Behind the person scratching their head as if perplexed, more and more arriving dancers drew closer. The dancers, stopping on their way to the changing room, gathered one by one, seemingly curious about those standing in front of the practice room door.

“What’s going on, why are you all standing here?”

“Aren’t you going to change clothes?”

“Ah. Well…”

“How far has that rumor spread.”

Emilia calmly opened her mouth. There was no point in continuing to pretend not to know, as what had already spread wouldn’t subside. The people who had been eyeing each other spoke up with resigned expressions.

“Everyone in the theater probably knows. The vice director warned us at first, but it was already too late after it had spread, so it couldn’t be managed.”

“Right. We only talked about it a bit after finding out belatedly because everyone was gossiping so much.”

One of them rolled their eyes wide and shrugged once.

“Emilia, since it’s come to this anyway, why don’t you just tell us honestly?”

“Yeah. Are you acquainted with Duke Michele?”

Emilia’s mouth opened heavily as she slowly scanned the gazes focused on her to an uncomfortable degree.

“…And if we are acquainted? What would change from before?”

Even if Enrico had helped oust the director, that was because the director had shown improper behavior that became an issue in the first place. She could proudly assert that she hadn’t received any help from him in terms of skill, auditions, or anything else.

But to hear words that seemed to negate all her efforts by disparaging her skills, she simply couldn’t bear it.

“Gasp, then are you perhaps being sponsored by the Duke?”

“I’ve never received the kind of sponsorship you’re thinking of. You know I’ve worked harder than anyone.”

She subtly touched on the doubts about the lead role selection that they had mentioned earlier. Some nodded in agreement, but it seemed not everyone shared the same thoughts.

“But that was the same for Christina too.”

“Hey. Why are you suddenly bringing her up.”

“No, but it’s true. You’re talking as if you’re the only one who worked hard, but Christina was called a practice bug because of how hard she worked too.”

“That’s true. But in the end, she lost the lead role to Emilia.”

Emilia clenched her fists and exhaled deeply.

“So are you saying I don’t have the skills worthy of the lead role? Are you expressing doubts about the audition selection process?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Emilia. I understand your situation is difficult, but skill is subjective for each person. Do you have to interpret it so extremely?”

“Exactly. Anyone watching would think your skills are overwhelmingly superior? We can have some doubts. Honestly, you got the lead role right after joining this year, isn’t it natural to have such thoughts?”

The other person showed an attitude of reacting angrily as if feeling guilty for no reason, and Emilia let out a big sigh.

Here and there, arguments broke out noisily between people defending her, saying not to disparage her skills, and others spouting nonsense about how, if she really knows Duke Michele, who knows if she might have gotten some influence and bonus points.

Juliana, who had approached from the side without notice, grabbed Emilia’s arm and pulled her back.

“Everyone, stop it. If you have doubts about the audition selection process and results, why don’t you just ask directly!”

“Come on, even if our suspicions were true, would they tell us?”

“Why are you assuming it’s true in the first place?”

“What in the world is going on here?”

The practice room that was becoming increasingly chaotic suddenly fell silent. People parted to the sides, and Vice Director Silvia appeared, walking with the sound of her heels.

“…I’ve heard roughly what’s going on, but it seems we need to properly address this situation.”

At the sight of Silvia looking around with a chilly expression, people’s mouths clamped shut. For a brief moment, Emilia and Silvia’s gazes collided in mid-air.

The stage with the red curtain drawn was empty, as if waiting for its master. Enrico sat in a chair in front of the stage, lazily exhaling white smoke as he leaned his head against the backrest. Ash fell finely from the cigarette precariously perched between his fingers.

“It has been confirmed that rumors have already spread throughout the Avaliante Opera House. Moreover, it has reached the ears of gossipmongers, so it is expected that talk will soon spread throughout high society as well.”

Fabio spoke to Enrico with his head slightly bowed. Enrico, who had been staring into space while deeply inhaling his cigarette, tilted his head slightly as if measuring something.

“It’s surprising it hasn’t spread completely yet. Did the Crown Prince perhaps intervene?”

“Yes. It seems the Crown Prince’s side is unexpectedly trying to suppress the rumors. However, the problem is that speculation is also arising about whether Miss Emilia has some kind of relationship with the Crown Prince’s side as well. There are testimonies that on the day of the incident, the Crown Prince did not leave immediately but continued to observe the situation, leading to rumors that the two of you were acquainted in the past.”

“…This is Alessandro’s doing.”

Enrico’s eyes narrowed unpleasantly. His slightly upturned lips gave a strong impression of exasperation. It had seemed quiet until now, but it was infuriating how he was interfering at this moment.

‘He’s coveting too much while already having his fill.’

The image of Alessandro staring at Emilia with greedy eyes was vivid. Though he quickly hid it, that filthy desire he revealed at the masquerade ball was too intense.

Desire… Was he in any position to judge?

Enrico put the cigarette to his lips, but the sensation of it touching his skin reminded him of what had happened not long ago.

It was the first time. That his mind had been so heated. He wanted to keep touching, wanted to be more deeply entangled like this. The intense desire that evaporated all reason was so dangerous that even if it dragged him down into the abyss, he might not notice.

If he indulged in that body first, would all this interest naturally disappear? Even if they had made a contract, it was only for her on stage, as Emilia had said. Being with her, even in quiet stillness, was fine. But just because that was fine didn’t mean he had to accept everything from her.

If she keeps rejecting him, is there any need to coax and desire her? In any case, she had nothing and was in a position where she had no choice but to cling to him.

Would this thirst disappear if he completely possessed her?

Enrico felt his mouth going dry again, perhaps due to the cigarette. He stubbed out the cigarette and picked up the water glass next to him, bringing it to his lips.

“Shall I bring some wine?”

Fabio, who had been looking at him strangely, carefully asked. Enrico shook his hand and put the glass down.

Oddly, he hadn’t been craving wine since kissing Emilia. The scent and taste he caught from her kept coming to mind. He didn’t want to unnecessarily stir up his heart.

‘Come to think of it, it’s irritating.’

He couldn’t understand why he had to consider all her circumstances. As royalty, he had always taken whatever he wanted. And she was one of those things. But why didn’t he feel like she was completely his, and why did he have to reach out first?

He wasn’t the one who should be wanting, so why did he keep acting like the one who was longing? Emilia would come when called and go when told. If it was fine to be with her in quiet stillness, he could just call her to his side then, and if he liked those lips, he could indulge in them.

But why does she, who actually has much to desire, keep refusing beyond her station?

Enrico felt he understood yet didn’t understand his own heart. He wondered if this was the affection she spoke of, but then thought it couldn’t be. He thought it might just be possessive desire for her body, but he also wanted to have her heart.

And amidst all the complexity in his mind, he wanted to see her.

‘…In this kind of situation, why doesn’t she come to me first and ask for help? Why do I always have to be the one to seek her out?’

Enrico clicked his tongue briefly and squeezed his eyes shut. Just then, Fabio suddenly approached a subordinate who had arrived. After exchanging some words, Fabio turned back and immediately came to Enrico, bowing his head.

“It seems the Crown Prince is currently heading to Miss Emilia’s residence.”

Enrico’s eyes flew open.

Emilia sat in the carriage seat, just staring straight ahead. Although she had reluctantly accepted Vice Director Silvia’s suggestion to return home early today to focus on treatment since she couldn’t practice, she couldn’t help feeling upset.

The commotion was temporarily quelled when Silvia appeared. She said that doubts about the lead role selection went against her belief in running a transparent ballet company, and that she would soon gather all relevant parties to disclose the entire selection process and scores, so she asked them to refrain from speculation.

For Emilia, seeing Juliana look at her with a worried face and eventually avoid her gaze hurt more than all the speculation. More than anything else, she felt so sorry for not being able to tell her from the beginning.

The carriage’s speed gradually slowed, and the sound of the horses stopping could be heard. Emilia squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again.

‘Let’s focus on treatment for now. It’s not good to rest for too long.’

Thinking she should apply the medicine the doctor gave her as soon as she got back, Emilia reached out to open the carriage door but stopped abruptly as the door opened first. As the door slowly opened, Alessandro came into view.