When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 14
Words she didn’t want to hear drilled straight into her ears. Emilia hesitated, wondering if she should leave, and gestured to block Giuliana, who was staring at her as if finding the topic fascinating.
But a mistress? It struck her anew just how low the perception of patrons in the ballet world truly was.
Although the Treano Kingdom practiced monogamy, the lack of real punishment for infidelity likely made nobles feel even more at ease committing such indiscretions. She herself knew well enough that many aristocrats kept lovers and lived licentiously even after marriage.
Still, she hadn’t realized some actually went out seeking patrons themselves… It felt truly serious.
“But that was just Clarice being lucky. Most patrons apparently grow tired of them and openly discard them afterward.”
“That’s true… Especially the greater the reward, the steeper the price seems to be. There was this girl once who, desperate for money, accepted patronage without even checking who it was. Turns out the guy was a complete pervert. The psychological trauma was so severe she still can’t leave her house.”
Perhaps it was because she’d just been thinking about Enrico’s patronage—his words rang unusually clear in her ears. Though they’d drawn up a contract of sorts, she now knew well enough how willful he could be, leaving her secretly worried about what further demands he might make later.
Of course, she tried to brush it off lightly, but the sudden wave of anxiety seemed unavoidable.
Now that they’d finally focused back on stretching, their conversation ceased—but Emilia’s mind remained restless.
‘…Will he really be satisfied with just dancing? What should I do if he asks for something strange?’
Enrico, who’d once closed the distance between them until their breaths nearly mingled, filled her thoughts again. Even if his current intention truly was only about dance, who knew when that might change? To people of high status, a contract was likely nothing more than a scrap of paper they could tear up at will.
‘Worrying like this won’t give me any answers anyway. For now, I’ll just deal with what’s right in front of me.’
Emilia forced down a sigh and slowly rotated her ankle. Fortunately, the practice coach appeared just then. The true first day of ballet company life had dawned.
[This is the timeline separator]Her commute to and from the ballet company was now handled by a carriage Enrico had sent, disguised as a common street carriage.
It was only her fourth day at the company, but Giuliana—knowing Emilia’s habit from the academy days of either arriving one or two hours earlier than others or staying until the very last moment to practice—had already left the rehearsal room.
It was a relief; otherwise, she’d have been in a bind over what excuse to give if Giuliana had suggested they go together.
Emilia finished practice earlier than usual and stepped out of the theater. Outside the carriage window, the scenery changed rapidly as twilight slowly draped itself over the earth.
‘Today’s finally the day.’
Her face bore the same tension as when she took the stage. There was no time to sink deep into thought. The carriage swiftly arrived at the Duke’s estate, and Emilia was directed not to the central mansion but to the building on the left.
“There’s a stage costume prepared for you inside the room. This girl will assist you with dressing.”
“Dressing?”
“Yes. Just think of it as preparing for a ballet performance exactly as you normally would. His Grace the Duke tolerates no sloppiness, so please ready yourself in perfect condition.”
The butler bowed politely and opened the solid wood door, intricately carved with delicate patterns. The room inside was filled with opulence: a dazzling chandelier hung overhead, and beside golden coat racks stood an enormous mirror framed in matching gold.
Emilia unconsciously gaped at the outfit hanging on the rack and the numerous ballet costumes worn by various mannequins. She was so entranced she didn’t even notice the door closing behind her, walking slowly deeper into the room as if pulled by an unseen force.
“Do you have a costume that matches the piece you’ve prepared? If not, please do let us know.”
There was no way it wouldn’t be there. The room held even more variety than the theater’s costume storage. Could he have truly collected all these costumes just for three weekly performances? He seemed obsessed with art—but perhaps Enrico was even more extraordinary than she’d imagined.
‘…Is this really just the room of someone who collected all this merely to watch dance? Seriously?’
Seeing Emilia shake her head with a dazed expression, the maid stepped closer to the wardrobe.
“Then please tell me which costume you’d like, and I’ll help you prepare.”
“Yes…”
The conversation she’d overheard at the ballet company a few days ago about patronage suddenly resurfaced in her mind. Surely he wouldn’t ask for anything beyond dancing? His evident possessiveness, bordering on obsession, stirred a deep unease within her.
Her grip tightened unconsciously on the costume. Emilia’s eyes closed firmly for a moment, then opened again.
Worrying here wouldn’t solve anything. Without further hesitation, Emilia quickly chose an outfit. After changing into her ballet attire and applying makeup—even more meticulously than she had for her year-end performance—she looked even more beautiful.
Her hair was elegantly coiled, her bodice accentuated every curve, and her skirt—layers of gauzy tulle—floated around her, transforming her once more into the very fairy-like figure Enrico had first seen her as at the Avaliante Theater.
Having finished her makeup and placed a floral crown on her head, Emilia slipped on her pointe shoes last and stepped out of the room. The butler, as if he’d been waiting, led her down a corridor bathed in orange light. After passing a massive painting covering one entire wall and sculptures so intricate they seemed impossible for human hands to craft, a pair of golden doors appeared before her.
“You may go in.”
“…Yes.”
Emilia’s chest rose deeply, then fell. Staring at the doors swinging wide open, she felt as though she were opening Pandora’s box.
Relief washed over her—instead of being led to a bedroom as she’d secretly feared, what filled her vision was a theater blending crimson curtains with gold accents.
Indeed, it was an exact miniature replica of the Avaliante Opera Theater’s stage.
“I’d prefer if, next time, you appeared from behind the stage rather than the entrance.”
Emilia, hesitantly scanning her surroundings and stepping forward inch by inch, suddenly froze at the low voice that broke the silence, her eyes snapping forward. She saw only the high back of a large chair placed before the stage. From that chair—taller than her line of sight—Enrico slowly rose.
In that instant, everything seemed to slow. Thick eyebrows emerged beneath hair as dark as the night sky, followed by a straight, high nose turning toward her. His amethyst-like eyes, perfectly matching the room’s lavish decor, met hers.
“I’d also appreciate it if you warmed up entirely backstage before coming out.”
Wearing only a dark violet vest, he was unlike before—his shirt buttons neatly fastened all the way up, a black tie knotted at his neck. Somehow, his attire felt unusually formal, leaving her with a strange sensation.
It wasn’t a mood suggesting he’d ask her to bed or engage in anything sinister—yet his intense sincerity toward watching ballet alone sent a faint shiver down her spine.
He seemed like the kind of man who genuinely believed art was the only thing worth his attention in this world—and that realization suddenly made her comprehend just how significant this contract truly was to him.
“You’re planning to perform ‘Sylphide,’ I presume.”
Enrico circled around the chair and approached her. His gaze, relentless and scrutinizing, raked over her from head to toe as if examining a purchased object.
“Up close like this…”
His hand reached toward Emilia’s rounded shoulder. Instinctively wary of the unfamiliar touch, she flinched slightly—but he paid no mind, instead slowly tracing the outline of her form with his hand, keeping just a hair’s breadth of space between them.
It was an uncanny feeling. Though his hand never actually touched her, she felt as if it did. Her body stiffened like a marble statue. Emilia trembled her eyelashes and barely managed to exhale a shaky breath.
“Not bad. Actually, quite good.”
He twisted the corner of his mouth in evident satisfaction.
“We’ve met before in the hallway, haven’t we?”
“…You remember?”
“No. Fabio told me.”
Still lightly touching the fluttering fabric on her shoulder, he replied casually in a mellifluous voice.
“Why didn’t you catch my eye back then?”
It was that familiar sense of dissonance. Watching his languid gaze sweep slowly back up her body, Emilia showed clear discomfort.
At her slight step backward, he gave a pleased hum in his throat. Merely amused, already smiling as if enjoying himself, he looked at her—and Emilia bit down firmly on her lower lip.
Enrico’s hand naturally reached for her fingertips. Startled, Emilia instinctively tried to pull away—but his firm, restraining grip made her relax against her will. He then guided her forward as if escorting her, leading her to the front of the chair before gently pushing her toward the passage leading to the stage and releasing her hand.
For a moment, she stood frozen in place, blinking as she watched him settle nonchalantly onto the red velvet chair. The soft atmosphere from moments ago had vanished—Enrico now fixed his gaze on her with the eyes of a predator.
“Now then… dance.”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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