When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
With Emilia between them, his hands reached out and grasped either end of the chair in turn. She reflexively grabbed his shoulders, but he didn’t budge an inch.
Instead, as she watched him slowly lower his head, Emilia pressed her shoulder blades against the backrest as if wanting to retreat further—even though there was nowhere left to go.
“If possible, that is.”
A strange, heavy tension enveloped the air around them. The tip of his black hair brushed against his forehead. In his now-closer violet eyes, Emilia saw her own bewildered expression reflected.
Their faces had drawn so near that their breaths mingled, and she froze entirely, afraid that at any moment their lips might accidentally touch.
Yet he showed no sign of stopping—his nose barely grazed hers. Though the contact was so faint she barely felt it, the slight tilt of his head created an oddly suggestive angle.
Maintaining that breathless proximity, he leaned in further. Emilia’s hands, which had been clutching Enrico’s shoulders, turned white.
“Don’t parade around with misplaced pride. The only time you’re allowed to show emotion in front of me is when you’re dancing.”
His hot breath warmed her ear as he whispered. The low, gravelly voice—laced with a breathy rasp like something scraping deep beneath—sent a shiver down her spine. Her eyes, which she’d squeezed shut without realizing, snapped open wide.
“…….”
“Shall I have them reheat your food?”
The atmosphere, which had been taut as a drawn bowstring, snapped loose in an instant. He who had been approaching with suffocating slowness now lifted his head indifferently, as if nothing had happened.
Her gaze, previously fixed on the empty space where his face had been, slowly followed him upward. The moment their eyes met, he arched an eyebrow as though greatly amused.
Unlike her eyes, which burned with a mix of resentment and anger, her cheeks glowed with shame, soft and ripe like a fully ripened peach. He casually brushed her flushed cheek with his index finger.
“If you lose any more weight here, it won’t look good. I’ll have to feed you properly.”
A flicker of something passed through his eyes, which had held an unsettling glint. Emilia, who had been silently gazing up at Enrico, took one deep breath before turning her eyes elsewhere. He watched her for a long while before finally turning away.
Emilia squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as if to suppress the turmoil within, then slowly opened them again. Don’t waver—this is something you anticipated to some degree, after all. You never believed he’d ask you to dance purely for the sake of dance alone.
A man who called you a work of art and displayed such peculiar possessiveness could hardly be considered normal from the start.
Even if he was pleased with her now, there was no telling how long his whim would last. Though the contract stated he’d continue assisting her investigation, the quality of information would surely differ greatly depending on whether or not he remained interested.
‘Just one year… Exactly one year, and I can endure it.’
Her hands, clenched tightly under the table, relaxed again.
Meanwhile, the servants waiting outside sprang into action. They swiftly removed the cooled dishes one by one and brought out fresh appetizers.
“Will you drink wine?”
The butler in a black suit carefully poured wine into Enrico’s glass. Long fingers reached out to touch the glass filled with translucent crimson liquid.
“…No, thank you.”
“Then at least have a drink of a similar hue to lift your spirits.”
She’d expected him to insist, but surprisingly, he backed off plainly. With a glance toward the maid standing nearby, her empty glass was soon filled with a purple liquid tinged with red.
Even without leaning close, she could smell the sweet fruit aroma—it seemed to be grape juice.
Though grapes ripened in midsummer, it clearly wasn’t a place bound by seasons. Still, the juice’s color resembled the eyes of the man sitting across from her. Perhaps because of what had just happened a moment ago, she felt oddly reluctant to drink it.
Slowly reaching for the glass, she gave it a meaningless little swirl. The shimmering violet within kept making her heart flutter restlessly.
“Regarding your future visit schedule…”
The words she’d been waiting for finally came. Emilia gently pushed her glass aside and looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Let’s settle on Tuesdays and Fridays—twice a week.”
“Twice a week?”
“Yes. Since today’s Wednesday, we can start the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh… So will you assign specific dances, or should I prepare them myself?”
“You prepare them yourself. Anything you’ve danced before is fine, and anything you’ll learn in the future is fine too. Just perform a solo dance of about twenty minutes each time before leaving.”
Twenty minutes. A short time for a group performance, but quite long for a soloist to fill the stage alone. Still, it wasn’t an unreasonable demand, so she understood.
The issue was that dancing twice a week conflicted somewhat with the ballet company’s schedule—but on the other hand, if she truly wanted to uncover the truth, it was best to begin fulfilling the contract as soon as possible.
Three performances for one piece of evidence. For the sake of revealing the truth behind that accident someday…
“…Understood.”
Enrico gave a satisfied nod. Whether her unquestioning compliance pleased him or not, he immediately gestured toward the freshly served food before them.
A potage steamed gently in front of her. The rich buttery aroma rose delicately, teasing her senses—but with so much on her mind, she didn’t feel hungry at all. If anything, her mouth felt dry. Still, she knew skipping meals when she lacked appetite would only weaken her body, so she forced herself to pick up her spoon.
For a while, the only sound was that of cutlery clinking. As servants served food onto her plate, her stomach soon felt full.
“You don’t eat much, considering your level of activity.”
Enrico brought his wine glass to his lips as he watched her eating slow down. His throat moved slightly as the wine passed through.
“I usually eat a bit more than this when I don’t have important engagements.”
Emilia finally set down her utensils and dabbed her lips lightly with a napkin. She figured this explanation meant she wouldn’t need to pretend to eat more.
At her demeanor, he slightly raised one eyebrow.
“You probably wouldn’t eat that much more even if you tried.”
“It’s usually like this.”
“Just be careful not to collapse from weakness.”
Though clearly meant as concern, his words sounded more like a warning against damaging his property. Emilia accepted it as natural—he saw her only as a work of art, after all—and simply took a sip of water.
“But why didn’t you audition for a leading role?”
Caught off guard by his unexpected question, she nearly spat out her water. Enrico, however, showed no interest in her flustered expression and calmly continued slicing his steak. Juices glistened from the thick cut of meat.
“…I thought it was still too early.”
He placed a neatly cut piece of meat into his mouth and looked at her. It felt strange.
It was just the simple act of eating, yet his gaze—fixed unblinkingly on Emilia—shone darkly, as if ready to devour her. Feeling inexplicably parched, she lifted her water glass again.
“I don’t see what’s still ‘too early.’ Your audition results probably weren’t great anyway.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”
“You won’t get to do as much as you’d like. The role assigned to you will be minor.”
He already knew the results of the audition she’d taken just hours ago? Emilia blinked in surprise. She knew he could uncover anything if he set his mind to it—but she hadn’t expected him to pay attention even to something like this audition.
“What can I do to help?”
He reached for his napkin, and a servant approached to clear his plate.
“Are you even involved in audition matters?”
“Of course. You’re a gem I discovered—I have to make sure your value rises accordingly.”
Every time she heard those words, her mind grew colder. His subtle way of erasing her existence—as if to remind her she was merely a dancing doll—suddenly made it hard to breathe again.
“…I can manage on my own.”
“You probably could. It would just take longer.”
“……”
“All I’m doing is ensuring nothing gets in the way of the position you were always meant to hold.”
He was truly an odd man. Perhaps no one disregarded her personhood more than he did—yet no one else trusted her talent quite as much. Surely this behavior stemmed from his absolute confidence in his own judgment.
Unconsciously, Emilia slowly uncurled the fist she’d been tightly clenching. Her palm ached faintly, marked by the imprint of her own nails.
It was a rare feeling of exhaustion—dealing with Enrico felt more draining than dancing. Opening the door to her house, she heard the carriage that had brought her home gradually fading into the distance.
‘When exactly did they move my things?’
Counselor Fabio had told her she could go straight home instead of returning to the dormitory. She’d planned to move slowly, since she only needed to vacate the dorm by month’s end—but they’d moved everything out so abruptly. Thankfully, Giuliana had already left; otherwise, she might have been startled by the sudden, unannounced relocation of her belongings.
The cold night breeze followed Emilia as she stepped inside. Yet the warmth radiating from the fireplace immediately enveloped her, dispelling the chill. A home filled with warmth—Emilia’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Welcome home, Miss.”
“…Who are you?”
She hadn’t even had a moment to take in the interior. Blinking in surprise, Emilia looked at the middle-aged woman in maid’s attire who was bowing politely before her.
“My name is Zabeta Natalia. I’ve been instructed to serve you here from now on.”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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