When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 10
As all the participants took their places, the piano accompaniment began to play. At the coach’s gesture and instruction from the front, the participants simultaneously assumed the first position of their rehearsal sequence—the *plié*—and proceeded with the fundamental movements.
Emilia executed every movement carefully and meticulously, never neglecting even the smallest detail. Although these postures and steps were merely for practice, she knew they were being tested precisely for how thoroughly she could embody them, so she dared not let her focus waver for even a moment. Her tense muscles began to loosen, and warmth started spreading through her limbs.
“Number 17—such elegant lines.”
“Ah, that’s Emilia Este. She graduated top of her class from the Academy of Arts last year. She’s entitled to skip the morning audition due to her principal dancer privileges, yet she came anyway.”
“Indeed… Every movement is flawless. Her posture and line are perfectly balanced.”
“Yes. Her fundamentals are rock-solid, and I remember during her graduation performance—she could achieve impressive elevation and executed turns exceptionally well.”
Chief Choreographer Chiave narrowed her eyes as if recalling that day. On that occasion, Emilia Este hadn’t merely portrayed a fairy—her movements had seemed as if a real fairy had appeared before them.
Her hands fluttered like leaves in the breeze, and the angle at which she effortlessly lifted her leg behind her while keeping her spine perfectly upright was nothing short of breathtaking—almost like a living painting.
Even now, her leg lifted higher than any other dancer’s, setting her apart. Though her exterior appeared delicate, the strength and suppleness beneath her movements sparked the thought that he might finally be able to incorporate those long-withheld, demanding choreographic elements previously restricted by the limitations of other dancers.
“For the choreographer to praise her this highly… it really makes me regret not seeing it in person that day.”
“Haha… I’m worried I might be raising expectations too much.”
“Hmm—not at all. There are plenty of flexible dancers, but one with such power as hers is rare. My eyes keep drifting toward her.”
Deputy Director Silvia’s gaze remained cool, yet her spoken evaluation was gentle. Beside her, Chief Choreographer Chiave nodded in agreement, her eyes fixed intently on Emilia without a moment’s distraction.
“How about we proceed directly to the next participant? Aside from Number 17, the rest seem evenly matched—we’ll need to assess them through different movements to determine superiority.”
“Agreed.”
“Hold on. I’m still not convinced that Number 17 is truly exceptional. And to claim the others are all similar—that’s too hasty a judgment.”
Director Carlo shot Deputy Director Silvia a dismissive glance.
“You must be unfamiliar with these proceedings. Evaluations here must be made with greater care—never from preconceptions.”
“…It’s unfortunate you see my judgment as hasty.”
“It’s not unfortunate—it’s simply fact. I know you had great success as a ballerina, but evaluating others is entirely different from dancing yourself. Our role includes identifying and nurturing their potential. Tch—anyway, consider this experience and learn from it. Just follow my lead for now.”
“If we’re being precise, you’ve never even danced yourself—you only got this position because they overvalued your early tenure at the opera house.” Deputy Director Silvia suppressed the words she couldn’t say aloud, her eyes growing icy cold.
Sensing the tension, the coach quickly moved toward the participants as if to escape the atmosphere, urging them briskly onto the next sequence. Though the room grew warmer, an odd chill settled around the judging panel.
Meanwhile, Emilia’s gaze briefly met the director’s before dropping away. A fleeting glint passed through her calm jade eyes.
[This is the timeline separator]Once the audition concluded, the panel instructed everyone to wait briefly while they conferred and announced the successful candidates. Watching the judges exit to another room, Emilia headed straight to the changing room. Wrapping herself in a thick shawl to keep warm, she stepped out into the corridor.
“Emilia!”
At the cheerful voice calling out to her as if having waited, Emilia turned her head. A man standing far behind caught her eye. For a moment she tilted her head, puzzled—then, recognizing his face as he approached quickly, her lips parted slightly.
“…Antonio.”
It was Antonio Chiavelli, her partner from two years prior. He was an exceptionally skilled danseur who, in his debut year with the Avaliante Ballet Company, had been cast in the lead role of their year-end production of *Giselle*.
Antonio approached with the same boyish face and gentle smile she remembered from the academy.
“Took you long enough to notice me. I waved at you earlier.”
“Oh—really? I must’ve missed it while concentrating.”
“Yeah, that seemed to be the case. You’re still amazing, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
“The judges couldn’t take their eyes off you. Especially when you jumped—they were stunned. I was too. You leap even more lightly than you did two years ago.”
Antonio praised her enthusiastically, his face animated. Touched by his sincerity, Emilia gave a slight bow of gratitude and glanced around. As they naturally began walking down the hallway together, she realized they’d strayed quite far from the audition room.
“But shouldn’t you be waiting for your role audition?”
“They’ll hold it after announcing the results. I think they specifically called us in this morning just to observe.”
“Ah…”
She nodded indifferently and halted her steps. Antonio stopped with her, noticing her gaze drifting toward the dressing room, and grinned.
“Worried?”
“Yes. I’d feel more at ease waiting near the front.”
“Fair enough—let’s head back. By the way, which role are you aiming for in the audition? Lead? With your skill, you could go straight to First Soloist.”
“No. I’d be happy just becoming a Second Soloist for now.”
“Second? Why not apply directly for a lead role?”
Antonio reacted as if more disappointed than she was, but Emilia calmly shook her head.
“It just doesn’t feel right yet.”
She’d already resolved to avoid drawing excessive attention, given her entanglement with Enrico Michele. Though Enrico might keep things discreet, if their sponsorship agreement ever became public, she knew it would inevitably be twisted into vulgar gossip in this scandal-hungry world.
Some foolish people even equated a ballerina’s patronage with prostitution. Once that happened, audiences would inevitably view her dancing through a lens of prejudice.
She’d already relinquished her own sense of shame the moment she signed the contract. But she refused to become a daughter her late parents would be ashamed of. Moreover, if Giorgio ever heard the rumors, he might immediately pressure her into marrying Enrico.
Of course, she knew she couldn’t hide this truth forever. She only wished to delay it—for just a little while longer.
Yet even if her connection with him were ever exposed, she’d already steeled herself for that possibility for the sake of uncovering the truth—she would never regret the contract. After all, her parents mattered more than anything else.
‘They said a crucial carriage part had been deliberately removed. And the coachman was found dead outside the carriage.’
What exactly had happened to her parents? Was it truly a deliberate accident? If so—who could have done such a thing?
Emilia’s fingers clenched tightly, her knuckles whitening from the pressure until they trembled. She still didn’t fully trust his words.
How could she believe something based on words alone, without any evidence? But if by chance it were true, relying on Enrico to uncover the truth was an unavoidable reality.
‘I’m not a man of leisure. Rest assured—I’ll discard you the moment you’re no longer useful.’
Enrico’s words echoed vividly in her ears as if whispered directly to her. His softly twisted smile, his eyes warm yet kindly curved—every detail of his strikingly incongruous beauty from that day replayed clearly before her eyes.
“…Lia.”
“…”
“Emilia?”
“Oh.”
Focus returned to Emilia’s dazed eyes. Blinking once, she noticed her own feet standing still before her.
“Are you alright?”
She must have drifted into thought again. Having grown used to these episodes lately, Emilia calmly composed her expression.
“…Yes. I’m fine.”
“You look a bit pale. Are you unwell?”
“No. I suppose I was just… nervous.”
Her oddly firm reply made Antonio purse his lips, worry flickering across his face.
“I should go now.”
“Huh? Oh… alright.”
But before he could finish, Emilia stepped forward as if cutting off his words. She walked away quickly, ignoring the confused voice trailing behind her.
Her expression had hardened slightly. The pointe shoes on her feet suddenly felt strangely heavy.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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