When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2
“Emilia! Where have you been!”
Emilia glanced sideways, avoiding Giuliana, who was nervously approaching her.
“Ah… Have you finished your makeup?”
“I finished it ages ago. Aren’t you ready yet? You’re the lead—where were you wandering off to?”
“I had something to take care of for a moment.”
“…Are you all right? Why do you look so pale?”
“I’m fine. I’ll just fix my floral crown and come right back.”
“Huh? Oh…”
Emilia passed by Giuliana, who stepped aside, and took off the brown shawl draped over her shoulders. She walked toward the mirror and slowly examined her reflection.
A full skirt paired with a snug top that emphasized her slender frame, and tiny wings fastened to her lower back made her look exactly like a fairy sprung straight from a fairy tale.
After checking her ballet attire, she carefully adjusted the white floral crown atop her neatly tied golden hair. As she watched her dreamlike appearance grow ever more perfect, her eyes gradually softened.
‘Get ready to be married off.’
Giorgio, whom she hadn’t seen in a long while, was as rude as ever. His belly had grown even larger than before, and his curled mustache was as repulsive as always; the wrinkles carved by greed made his expression seem even more despicable.
‘…It’s the day of the performance. I’ll come see you another time, so let’s talk then.’
‘Precisely because it’s performance day! I’ve tolerated you shamelessly dancing and writhing around like some commoner’s ballet—now it’s time you finally obey me. If you hadn’t betrayed me and run off to that place, I’d never have let you waste your time with ballet in the first place. You ungrateful brat.’
‘Anyway, this is the last day. I just need to get through today—what’s so urgent? It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve performed.’
‘Today is different in scale! Important people are attending in large numbers—what if your “value” drops because you’re seen flouncing your body around in a place like this!’
‘Ha… “Value”?’
‘In a few days, you’ll be of age. You can’t run away anymore, whining about your dead parents like you used to. You’ve lived however you wanted for these past few years—now it’s time to live for the family. Your so-called “esteemed” parents only had rumors of wealth; in truth, they had nothing but empty pretense. Do you have any idea how hard I struggled, starting a business with that pitiful sum they left behind?!’
She’d lost her parents at a young age, but there hadn’t been much time to grieve—because a distant uncle she’d never even heard of suddenly appeared and turned her family’s life upside down.
Giorgio had arrived then in a truly pitiful state.
He parroted the same words over and over, as if those were the only things he knew: that inheritance went solely to the eldest son, and in the absence of one, to the closest male relative of the family—and that he was that man.
Emilia couldn’t argue back.
Because that wretched system truly existed. In a country where even an underage male heir needed strict guardianship, how much worse must it be for women, viewed merely as appendages to men? Even if societal views were slowly shifting, the reality remained: once she came of age, escaping her guardian would still be nearly impossible.
But more frightening than an uncertain future was her uncle himself—the very first time they met, he made no effort to hide his greed, reaching for her with eyes full of naked avarice.
That sight had awakened even a child’s survival instinct, driving her to flee swiftly to the Royal Academy of Arts.
It had been hard to find anywhere safe for a minor like her; anywhere could be dangerous for such a young girl. The Royal Academy of Arts, with its strict rule forbidding outsiders—including family—from entering, was truly the safest fortress she could imagine.
In a way, it was her parents’ final gift.
If they hadn’t signed her admission papers to the Royal Academy of Arts when she was little—consoling her, who loved ballet but could only treat it as a noble’s pastime—she never would have dreamed of such a refuge.
And now he dared say he’d suffered? After taking everything that was hers?
Giorgio, grinding his teeth as if genuinely aggrieved, now had a gold cap on one tooth Emilia hadn’t seen before. His hair was slicked down with excessive oil, his suit ostentatiously expensive, and heavy gold rings weighed down his fingers. Nothing about him looked strained or weary—Emilia nearly snorted in derision.
Slowly, the tension drained from her clenched fists. The heat of her anger cooled instantly, as if doused with icy water.
‘I’ll find a suitable place for you myself soon enough—until then, stay quietly at home like a mouse. A girl shamelessly showing her legs like that—tsk, tsk. Enough talk. Come along while I’m still being reasonable.’
‘….’
‘Anyway, aren’t you just flaunting yourself to attract those “important people”? I can connect you well enough on my own—don’t try any foolish tricks.’
‘…But what if one of those important people actually takes a liking to me?’
‘What?’
Her own mouth tasted bitter as she forced out those humiliating words.
‘Someone even more prominent than the ones you’ve lined up. Then you wouldn’t even need to search anymore—they’d appraise me themselves and approach me directly. Who knows? Maybe I’d get even better treatment.’
But if she wanted one last chance, she had to avoid this situation at all costs. With every word she spoke, her whole body filled with the unpleasant sensation of chewing on an intensely bitter fruit.
She saw Giorgio’s deeply furrowed brow gradually smooth out. The way he rolled his eyes and closed his mouth showed he was clearly tempted—Emilia suppressed the urge to spit right in his face and calmed herself.
‘It’s just one more day. Nobles who’ve attended our academy’s performances before will keep coming regardless. Even if I don’t step onto the stage today, my past as a ballerina won’t vanish. So consider this your opportunity.’
Giorgio stared into space for a moment in thought, then slowly turned his eyes. Emilia, expressionless, met his gaze—now openly gleaming with greedy desire. Seeing her seemingly resigned face, Giorgio’s lips curled upward in a revolting smirk.
This truly was her final chance—the last chance to escape.
Shaken from her thoughts, Emilia took a deep breath and lightly stamped her foot. The sound of her toe shoes hitting the wooden floor echoed sharply.
‘Anyway, wanting to get a ballet job abroad was just my selfish dream. There was never any guarantee it would work out—and no promise I wouldn’t get caught… Maybe the best thing really is to leave quietly and live far away in peace.’
This wasn’t self-delusion—it was facing reality. She moistened her dry lips with her tongue, trying to comfort herself.
“You’re insane! Do you even know what I just heard?”
“What? What did you hear?”
The faces of the dancers waiting backstage were tense, yet sparkled with anticipation. Some warmed up alone, while others gathered in small groups, stretching and chatting—filling the dressing room with their voices.
“The Duke is here!”
“The Duke? You mean Duke Polenta?!”
“No.”
“Then… wait—don’t tell me…”
“Yes! Duke Michele is here!”
Emilia, who had been calming her nerves and stretching, froze mid-motion.
“He came to watch our performance? I mean, I know he’s interested in the arts, but did he really come all the way here?”
“Right? Maybe it’s because this is our first big show? Either way, it’s truly surprising—he’s famously generous with patronage!”
“Exactly! They say if he likes you, his patronage is incredibly generous… Hasn’t any ballerina gotten it yet?”
“Maybe it’ll be us!”
“But there are so few rumors about what happens once you’re under his patronage. I think I heard something about being summoned to his private residence…”
Emilia lowered her head and resumed moving, gently massaging her ankle.
Because of Giorgio, her mind had been in turmoil, and she’d forgotten—but now she was glad she hadn’t gotten hurt earlier when she nearly fell.
The man had been so solid—had she hit his face, she surely would have drawn blood. Yet Enrico Michele, who hadn’t even glanced once at the person he’d collided with, despite the impact, came to mind again.
That indifferent man was a major patron of the arts? True, he was known more as a hoarder who collected things indiscriminately, but despite his immense fame, detailed information about him rarely spread.
Even society gossip columns in the newspapers only ever mentioned that Enrico Michele had bought something in bulk at auction—nothing more.
“Sure, plenty of patrons set strange conditions, but the Duke? He’s fine! Honestly, he’s the most handsome man in our kingdom—young, wealthy to the point of being beautiful… A few odd conditions wouldn’t matter.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Bella, keep your voice down.”
“Why? Everyone knows some people are aiming for opportunities like this anyway.”
“Aiming how? They’ll think your intentions are impure.”
“Gasp—Professor!”
“It’s astonishing you have the mental capacity to focus on anything else right now—especially on the day of your crucial graduation performance.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[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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