Contrary to our worries, the ballet performance concluded smoothly.

Moved by the beautiful ballet, the audience continued applauding even after the curtain fell, and kept sending bouquets and notes backstage.

“I can’t believe this was your first lead role.”

“I’ve seen countless performances, but today’s stage was the most perfect I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Indeed. Such a beautiful Cinderella. I’m very much looking forward to the next performance.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you were satisfied with my dance.”

Emilia smiled and slightly bowed her head to some audience members who came to her dressing room to praise her.

Usually, those who come this far are high-ranking nobles, so it was best to treat them as politely as possible to avoid any unnecessary remarks.

As the bouquets being handed to her became almost too many to hold, Emilia slightly lowered her eyebrows in a somewhat embarrassed manner and looked at the vice-director Silvia.

“Ah, excuse me. As much as we’d like to entertain our esteemed guests until the end, it seems we must ask for your understanding as the theater needs to be cleared soon. Our performance will continue until next week, so we’d be grateful if you could visit us again then.”

Silvia politely bowed to the audience members, as if accustomed to it. The audience, having come just to greet the lead briefly, nodded in understanding at her words.

“Then, let me guide you to the entrance.”

Emilia felt relieved as she watched Silvia lead the audience away while secretly gesturing for the backstage cleanup to begin.

Although the lead roles take turns performing on stage, they still have to repeat rehearsals until the day of the performance, so they had no choice but to move about busily like everyone else.

Emilia greeted her partner Antonio, thanking him for his hard work, and immediately entered her dressing room.

The large bouquet sitting prominently on the table caught her eye. Her mind momentarily lingered on the bouquet given by Enrico, almost forgetting the scent emanating from the flowers in her arms.

‘… Should I take that one too?’

It was incomparably larger than the bouquet she was holding. After a moment’s hesitation, Emilia slowly approached the table, a slight shadow falling across her face.

The bouquet was a mix of various flowers in subtle colors like yellow and light pink, hard to find elsewhere, but the most eye-catching was the pure white lily in the center.

Despite being past its blooming season, the lily was in full bloom, its fragrance so strong it could be smelled from afar, making it somehow feel a shame to leave it behind.

‘If I take this, it might be difficult to carry the bouquet I’m already holding…’

Emilia, alternately looking at her arms and the table, let out a big sigh and put down the flowers she was holding.

‘I should just hurry and wash up.’

Emilia headed towards the shower in the dressing room, grabbing her dress. It was nice to be able to shower without waiting for her turn, now that she was in the lead role.

However, the sudden disappearance of the sounds that had filled the surroundings like another world – the reverberating music and the tapping of pointe shoes on the stage – made the post-performance silence feel all too real.

Soon, as if trying to forget that quietness, Emilia bustled about finishing her preparations to leave and managed to pick up the bouquet she had left on the table.

Groaning with effort, Emilia’s arms barely managed to hold Enrico’s bouquet as well, which she had been contemplating earlier.

With every step she took to leave the corridor, the floral scent tickled her nose as it wafted in the breeze. Her gaze fell on the lily as she glanced down.

‘It’s not the flower’s fault. I’m just taking it because I feel sorry for this flower that would be left alone.’

As if making excuses to herself, she muttered inwardly while tightening her arms around the flowers in her embrace. She exchanged nods with her colleagues and headed towards where the carriage was waiting.

The street, approaching midnight, was filled with a cool breeze as if erasing traces of the late summer heat.

‘Come to think of it, His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t come to visit. Though he was in his seat…’

It was unexpected, considering she had even resolved not to avoid Alessandro if he came to the dressing room. Perhaps he was planning to come on the last day.

Lost in thought, Emilia was opening the carriage door when she suddenly stiffened at the sound of a familiar voice.

“You’re late.”

The flowers in her arms suddenly dropped to the ground as her arms lost strength.

“…Duke.”

“Why did you bring such unnecessary things?”

Enrico lazily lowered his eyes, pointing at the ground, then met her gaze again. Stunned, she blinked as her gaze collided with empty space.

“Ah, the flowers…”

Realizing it, only the large bouquet Enrico had given her remained in her arms. As she belatedly bent her knees to pick up the other bouquet that had fallen to the ground, Fabio, who had appeared from behind the carriage, quickly gathered it instead.

“I’ll take care of this. Please get in quickly.”

“…Thank you.”

In truth, she didn’t want to get in the carriage, but she couldn’t keep standing there either.

Emilia reluctantly climbed into the carriage, tightly hugging the single bouquet in her arms. The lily in the center trembled pitifully in her embrace with each movement.

As Emilia sat down, the carriage door closed with a thud, and she felt the wheels slowly begin to roll. Enrico, who was looking at Emilia obliquely with his chin resting on the window frame, spoke indifferently.

“Just keep what I gave you. Don’t even look at the others.”

“…Did you come because of the contract termination?”

Emilia simply ignored his words and asked her own question. He slightly raised one eyebrow at her inquiry.

“Not at all.”

“Pardon?”

“Now is not the time to worry about such things.”

“Duke. Clearly, I-”

“Christina Firdana has escaped.”

“…Pardon?”

She looked at him with an expression that suggested she wasn’t sure if she had heard correctly.

“Wasn’t she sent to the labor camp? Are you saying she has now escaped from there?”

“Yes.”

“How…”

It was a situation she hadn’t considered at all. She trailed off, looking extremely perplexed.

In an instant, the pumpkin-colored eyes that had glared at her with envy flashed through her mind, along with the countless lights that had fallen on the stage.

“It’s usually the case that when someone escapes alone shortly after being admitted, they have an accomplice.”

Enrico spoke slowly, looking down at Emilia’s slightly trembling eyes. Emilia’s brows furrowed slightly.

“An accomplice? Does Christina have such connections?”

“Of course not. If she did, she wouldn’t have been dragged to the labor camp in the first place.”

“Then who on earth…”

The strength gradually left Emilia’s arms, causing the bouquet in her embrace to shake. It was somehow unsettling to hear that she had escaped alone so soon after being confined to the labor camp.

If there was an accomplice, didn’t that mean they had some purpose? Could they possibly come looking for her? As various thoughts crossed her mind, her head became cluttered.

Enrico straightened up from his leaning position and slightly turned his body towards her. Then he gently grasped the chin of Emilia, who was staring into space lost in thought, making her look at him.

Her hand, which was about to push away his hand on her chin as if startled, stopped midair at his unexpected words.

“Just rest for a while.”

“Pardon? Rest?”

“Don’t go out until we find out what their purpose is, since we don’t know what it is.”

“You don’t mean to rest starting today, do you?”

“Are you planning to rest after something happens?”

“No… But there’s no guarantee that something will happen. And we’re in the middle of the performance season now.”

“It’s not like this is the only performance ever.”

Enrico’s lips curved into a gentle smile. However, unlike his kind smile, his indifferent voice carried a strange pressure to just follow his words.

Emilia shook her head, pulling his hand down as if to say it was absurd.

“I can’t do that.”

Enrico’s gaze slowly moved down to his hand held by her.

“The places I go are always crowded, and Fabio accompanies me during my commute. There are even guards around the house.”

“And that accident happened in that crowded place.”

He met her eyes again and spoke in a caustic tone. A cold light flashed in his purple eyes that had been calmly settled.

She tried to maintain her composure in the face of his increasingly ominous atmosphere.

“That… But if I, the lead role, drop out now, it will cause a major disruption to the performance. I can’t be so irresponsible.”

“Irresponsible…”

“Yes, so-”

“I don’t understand why someone with such a strong sense of responsibility shows so little sincerity towards our contract.”

His slightly downturned eyes peculiarly turned upwards.

With a start, his large hand grabbed her hand as she tried to pull away from him, yanking her towards him. Her body lost balance, and the bouquet in her arms tumbled to the floor.

“Ugh-!”

“I don’t like this at all.”

Enrico reached out with his other hand and slowly stroked her shoulder. As if to ask what this sudden action was about, she frowned and tried to pull her hand away, but he firmly gripped her round shoulder as if to hold her body in place.

“Why are you so generous to others while constantly pushing me away?”

His darkened eyes scanned her body as if coveting it. His gaze gradually lowered, as if revealing all the points that had bothered him throughout the duet – the shoulder and below the ribs, the lower back, where the male dancer’s hands had brushed.