I looked at Giorgio with contemptuous eyes as he unnecessarily tried to put on a solemn voice, then quickly lowered my gaze as if to hide it.

“Then shall we accept the Duke’s proposal for now?”

“We should. But listen.”

“Yes.”

“Are you really satisfied with just sponsorship? You’re at your prime age with the highest value now. If you just waste time with sponsorship, won’t you end up in a difficult situation? So why don’t you try to seduce the Duke?”

“…Pardon?”

“Don’t act so innocent. The Duke is a man too, do you think his only purpose is to watch you dance? I’m telling you to get intimate with him this time.”

I knew from the beginning that he was a lecherous man, but Giorgio’s mental state of speaking so blatantly to his own niece was beyond imagination.

No matter how many times I steeled myself, the sense of humiliation that never got easier finally cast a shadow in my jade-colored eyes.

“If the Duke falls for you completely, you might even become the Duchess, but even if you can’t, you could at least live as the Duke’s mistress, right? The Michele family must be the wealthiest after the royal family, so that kind of money… Hehehe.”

Emilia wanted to immediately wash her ears and seal Giorgio’s foul-smelling mouth with plaster. She wanted to block him from saying anything, no, from even breathing, and pour plaster into all his orifices.

“You’re not answering? If you don’t want to be remarried to an old man multiple times, do it properly, you hear?!”

However, as if turning away from this helpless reality that had to be endured, she bowed her head deeply and squeezed her eyes shut. Until she found out the truth. Emilia inwardly vowed again and again to endure just until then.

Bersiconer Street was an upper-class residential area that appeared when heading south from the capital, Desiro. There were numerous townhouses, and each mansion boasted its wealth, but the one that stood out among them was Duke Enrico Michele’s townhouse, which was the size of a large country estate.

The duke’s mansion, shaped like a ‘ㄷ’ and so magnificent that many wished to visit, was like a fortress that didn’t open its doors to just anyone.

Only those permitted by the Duke could enter, but since such permission was rare, people’s curiosity only grew, and countless unverified rumors circulated.

Enrico, who had been sitting in front of the white rectangular terrace window, slowly rose from his seat.

His eyes, which swept over the lush garden and the huge fountain with several human statues in the center, moved towards the main gate where he saw a carriage entering the estate.

For the first time in a while, something alive was coming through the gate, having received his selection in every aspect.

His languid, half-closed eyes sparkled with interest. A moment later, Emilia Este, wearing a dark blue burnous coat, stepped out of the carriage that had stopped in front of the mansion. Her skin looked particularly transparent under the sunlight.

‘It should be worth it.’

Since it was an item that had caught his eye after a long time, he had proceeded with the contract right away, but if she was only going to be wary like during their first meeting, it wouldn’t be fun at all.

It would be enough to just give and take what each other wanted, unnecessary emotional expenditure would only kill the interest. Her blinking eyes like a frightened deer were somewhat worth seeing, but that was all.

Originally, what he was interested in was Emilia Este dancing.

Enrico turned his back and carelessly scanned the papers he had placed on the table.

‘I should first inform her about the intentionality of the carriage accident.’

Who would have thought that an incident he had just skimmed over would now serve such a good purpose in the contract with her? Although he had just started investigating the exact circumstances, it was something he could fully find out even after so much time had passed.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Enrico walked towards the door instead of answering, putting down the paper. To welcome Emilia Este, who was willingly walking in to become a doll dancing to his tune.

As he had instructed in advance, Emilia was seated in a sunny greenhouse. Unlike the mansion’s interior, which was filled with splendid paintings and sculptures like a gallery, the greenhouse faithfully served its function, filled with fragrant flower scents and warm air.

Although they naturally built a greenhouse while equipping everything that should be in a mansion, it seemed like an odd combination for him to have a greenhouse with a visible sky instead of a ceiling with fresco paintings.

When Enrico entered, he briefly nodded in greeting to her as she rose from her seat.

“Sit down.”

“Yes. I was going to visit you first, but I was a step late.”

Emilia Este still maintained a calm expression. The difference from the first day was that then she had barely hidden her trembling, while now she looked like a person whose emotions had evaporated.

Or perhaps it was a dumbfounded face. After all, she had been practically dragged here by Fabio, who had been waiting for her as she was leaving after submitting her application to the Avaliante Ballet Company.

“You are late. I thought you would come to find me as soon as dawn broke, since your uncle visited yesterday.”

Tea and desserts were quickly set up on the table. However, that was in front of Emilia, while in front of Enrico was placed a transparent glass filled with amber-colored brandy.

Enrico leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. Then he leisurely picked up the glass and slowly rotated his wrist, making the brandy swirl.

“Ah… I waited until the afternoon to avoid disturbing you at an early hour, but I didn’t expect you to be waiting for me, Duke.”

“I was just about to get bored. I wonder how long you’re going to drag this out to try to please me.”

The corners of Emilia’s eyes turned slightly reddish. Enrico stared blankly at her as her expression changed as if humiliated, then impassively drank his brandy. The hot sensation flowing down his throat awakened his languid body.

“…I heard from my uncle. You said you would invest in the business. Is that included in the contract as well?”

“Yes. I don’t want to hear excuses about not being able to concentrate on this and that. I’ll create an environment for you to perfectly do what I order, so you must satisfy my eyes.”

Emilia hesitated for a moment, then nodded like someone who had made up their mind.

“Then could you please explain in detail how the contract works?”

“This is the contract. And this envelope is the first reward you’ll get if you sign the contract.”

Enrico pushed the paper documents prepared on the table towards Emilia. Her gaze was fixed on the document he called a reward rather than the contract.

“…Is this the truth about the accident you mentioned before?”

“More precisely, it’s a fragment of the truth. The longer the contract lasts, the more you’ll come to know.”

“A fragment of the truth,” Emilia murmured softly. She didn’t seem to be contemplating. There was just a momentary hesitation on her face, but she soon reached for the contract.

Enrico leisurely brought the glass to his lips, not taking his eyes off Emilia. Her appearance, with platinum blonde hair drenched in sunlight cascading over her well-proportioned shoulders, was much more radiant than when he saw her in the carriage.

Of course, it wasn’t as satisfying as when she was dancing, but it felt like the ambiguous parts were being complemented, which pleased him more.

‘It’s a shame I can’t make her wear crystal lighting all the time.’

Enrico slowly sipped his brandy, recalling the crystal lighting installed in every place where artworks were displayed. As the hot sensation traveled down his throat to his chest, his gaze moved from her bare ears to her neck.

‘Perhaps I should adorn her with jewels.’

In her everyday appearance, transparent diamonds seemed to suit her better than colorful gems.

While it’s true that artworks are collected to preserve their unique flavor at the time of discovery, Emilia Este’s value was determined when she danced ballet, so it seemed necessary to find a compromise that wouldn’t damage her appearance outside of that.

These were things he didn’t need to worry about when sponsoring other artists, which made it quite fresh. He had only focused on the works they created or the sounds they played, and there had never been an appearance that met his standards, so even this situation was becoming interesting now.

Of course, seeing her ballet again would be the most enjoyable.

Enrico stared intently at Emilia, who was reading the contract with a serious expression, then downed the remaining brandy in one gulp.

“Should I prepare a bed for you?”

“Pardon?”

As Emilia raised her head with wide eyes, he gestured towards the contract with his chin while setting down the glass on the table.

“It seems like you won’t be able to finish reading it today.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. It’s hard to read quickly because there are so many legal terms.”

“There shouldn’t be that much confusing content. It simply states that you dance three times in my mansion, and in return, I provide evidence once.”

Despite his nonchalant tone, his eyes curved gently. Although he collected artworks, he wasn’t the type to frequently examine them, so this contract with her made him consider various factors.

Providing investigation results every time he saw her would be too disadvantageous for him, and demanding too many performances might lower the quality of the work. Considering the time needed to gather evidence, he thought it appropriate to provide it once every two weeks, which roughly translated to three dances for one piece of evidence.

“If I sign the contract, will you tell me one thing right away?”

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.