When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 19

“Let’s have dinner first.”

As soon as Enrico finished speaking, servants waiting outside began bringing in the food. Emilia unfolded her napkin and placed it on her lap, then reached for the plate offered by the servant who was slicing bread. Many of the dishes were ones she hadn’t tasted since childhood. As she’d noticed before, it seemed this household served quite a few foreign delicacies as well.

She silently ate in order: lobster bisque, beef tenderloin, and sole with garnish. Normally, since she practiced ballet again in the afternoon, she kept lunch light.

So, although she wasn’t particularly hungry, she still quietly put food into her mouth to ensure a hearty dinner.

She realized she was eating these luxurious dishes—ones she’d only known from childhood—more often than expected at the Duke’s residence.

He’d seemed like the sort who’d dismiss you as coldly as inspecting goods the moment you stepped offstage, yet they apparently took great care in preserving their art collection—perhaps this was his way of taking care of her, too.

He could’ve just stated his business plainly and sent her off if he really had something to say.

Though uneasy about his inscrutable nature, Emilia steadily finished her plate. She left some due to the large portions, but appreciated that she could taste everything—it wasn’t bad at all.

“Your uncle troubled you, didn’t he.”

After a long silence, Enrico finally spoke softly, just as the last course—macarons with fruit and ice cream—was served. He’d already set aside his utensils earlier, having shown little interest in sweets, and merely nibbled a few pieces of fruit.

“…Yes.”

Emilia swallowed a bright red strawberry before replying. Perhaps it was the unexpected mention of Giorgio, but suddenly everything she’d eaten felt like it might sit heavily in her stomach.

Did he already know everything and was just testing her? Or did he only know they’d met? As Emilia hesitated over whether to reveal that Giorgio had brought up terminating the contract, she felt Enrico’s calm, steady gaze and belatedly continued.

“He told me to refuse your patronage.”

“Hmm…”

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