When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 30

Deputy Director Silvia let out a sigh, her face showing clear distress.

“But the former director, though not a former danseur himself, was no fool when it came to recognizing talent. Seeing you hold onto such an unreasonable grudge made me suspect there was something more to it. So I asked Duke Michele what conditions he’d require in return if he were to help you.”

It seemed Enrico’s influence hadn’t stopped with her alone—he’d even reached into the ballet company itself.

“He just asked me to judge fairly,” she said. “Nothing else to worry about—just focus solely on what’s right in front of me.”

Given that it was he who’d insisted she take the lead role, his interference wasn’t surprising. Yet the realization that even ballet—something she’d believed should be hers alone—couldn’t be achieved purely by her own strength weighed heavily on her heart. No matter how talented she was, without someone backing her, she truly felt like nothing more than a wind-up doll inside a music box, just as he’d once implied.

She had always believed ballet, at least, belonged entirely to her…

Emilia lowered her head slightly and gave a pained smile.

“Emilia?”

“…But is it really okay telling me all this?”

“Oh! Of course it is. If you’re worried about that, I already asked Duke Michele for his permission beforehand to tell you directly, so it’s fine.”

So she’d even sought his permission. That meant Enrico had known all along that she’d hear about this.

Though his aid had indeed resolved a troublesome situation, she couldn’t shake the discomfort of feeling like a pawn dancing in the palm of his hand. Her once storm-tossed, jade-colored eyes had now settled into the depths of a calm, still lake.

“Thank you for telling me. I nearly would’ve remained completely oblivious.”

Emilia lifted her head and offered a faint smile. Though Deputy Director Silvia briefly looked puzzled by Emilia’s strangely empty expression, she quickly dismissed it as stress and added,

“I want not only to grow this ballet company but also to improve how ballet is perceived throughout the kingdom. For that, we absolutely need a star ballerina of your caliber.”

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