When Pride Falls at Your Feet (19 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 4
Soon, Enrico’s gaze turned toward the window. Through the slightly fogged glass, the sight of heavy snow falling relentlessly entered his view, reminding him of the cold reality outside.
If only during ballet, she showed the version of herself he desired, would it really matter?
Her eyes, slowly closed and then opened again, once more fully captured Emilia.
“You seem rather busy at this hour of the night.”
The silence that had filled the air finally dispersed. Emilia’s eyes flickered briefly.
“This isn’t the route to any after-party, and your luggage looks too heavy to claim you’re merely out for a stroll…”
“…”
“Could it be you’re running away?”
“…That’s impossible.”
With her ambiguous reply, Emilia’s gaze subtly shifted aside. Enrico stared at her for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle and pulled a silver cigarette case adorned with an intricate pattern from the storage compartment on the carriage wall. He placed a cigarette between his smooth lips, and a brief flame sparked from the lighter in his hand.
A small flame ignited, and white smoke quickly rose, veiling his handsome face. The pungent cigarette smoke slowly seeped throughout the carriage.
“I’ll accept that answer. It isn’t particularly important anyway.”
“Cough. Might I ask, Your Grace—what brings you to seek me out at this hour of the night?”
“Ah. To offer my patronage.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I greatly enjoyed watching you dance. I developed a personal desire to see more.”
“You can’t possibly mean you intend to sponsor me?”
“Hmm. Was what I said truly that difficult to understand?”
Why couldn’t she grasp it right away? His muttered words, drifting out with the white smoke, sounded like a sigh. At his gentle yet unsettling demeanor, she reflexively held her breath.
“…I apologize. This is utterly unexpected.”
A cold gust swept into the warm carriage as the window opened. Enrico flicked the ash out the window with his long fingers and gave a very slow nod.
“Then, what is your answer?”
“Thank you for offering such an opportunity. However…”
Enrico’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Due to personal circumstances, I’ve become unable to continue ballet. Please forgive me for having no choice but to refuse.”
“You’re saying you won’t dance anymore?”
“Yes.”
He exhaled a low, thoughtful breath. “Hm…”
“How curious…”
“…”
“You appear utterly unremarkable outside of ballet—and yet you say you’ll give it up?”
His expression gradually hardened. A beautiful work of art retains its value merely by existing, but the woman before him was like a ballerina inside a music box—only complete when she danced.
“I came all this way personally to make you a generous offer, yet from that pretty mouth of yours comes such useless words.”
How dare she abandon the very thing that gave her value—something he himself had deemed flawless—and threaten to diminish it? His gaze toward her turned icy cold.
“…No matter the offer, I doubt my decision will change.”
Their gazes clashed in midair. A clear glint of wariness flickered in her trembling jade eyes.
“‘No matter the offer’? Are you truly certain?”
Seeing Emilia stubbornly press her lips shut, Enrico’s eyes suddenly relaxed. As if savoring the moment, he lazily widened his eyes, then gracefully brought the cigarette back to his lips and slowly drew in another breath. The sound of the crimson ash softly crackling as it burned echoed faintly.
“I was about to inform you regarding the death of Viscount Este and his wife.”
Soon, a low whisper drifted out along with the white smoke.
“Could you… please repeat that?”
The end of Emilia’s voice trembled. Enrico’s lips curled into a languid smile, clearly relishing her visible distress.
“Gladly. I said I have information about your deceased parents—specifically, their suspicious accidental death.”
His tone, previously sharp, now softened as though his earlier demeanor had all been an act.
“…You speak as though there’s something hidden behind that carriage accident.”
“Now you understand clearly enough. Perhaps we can finally have a proper conversation?”
Emilia’s face hardened. Who could remain calm when someone suddenly appeared to recklessly reopen old wounds? Despite her previous timidity vanishing and her whole body now radiating displeasure, Enrico merely smiled casually, as if unconcerned.
“Your Grace. Those are people long passed. I hope you didn’t bring them up lightly.”
Even her bold words failed to alter Enrico’s expression. Casually discarding his cigarette out the window like someone entirely at ease, he leaned his chin against the windowsill and lazily opened and closed his eyes.
“I came specifically to propose a contract—it’s hardly a light matter. Though, depending on your choice, it might become one.”
Emilia bit down firmly on her lower lip. Her inner conflict was evident. She clearly hesitated to respond rashly to his warning-laced words, yet seemed wary even of directly asking about the contract.
A man appearing without warning in the dead of night. A man speaking of parents long deceased. Everything about it seemed suspicious—yet impossible to ignore. Silence stretched between them, and Emilia’s lips moved several times without sound.
The silence filling the carriage was only occasionally broken by the wind sneaking through the slightly open window. Enrico’s fingertips, which had been unconsciously tapping the windowsill, gradually slowed until a look of boredom appeared in his eyes.
“…What kind of contract do you want?”
Emilia finally forced the words out, having decided she could delay no longer. Though it was a remarkably simple question for someone who’d clearly agonized over it for so long, she trembled as if this small inquiry itself required tremendous resolve.
Enrico’s long fingers moved slowly, as if wandering along the windowsill. His hand, drifting through the air like a ghost, soon closed the open window.
With a soft *thud*, the closing sound passed, and the ticking of a clock began to fill the carriage, as if to gently restore the silence.
Enrico closed his eyes tightly, savoring the steady rhythm of the ticking.
His faintly downturned eyes beneath thick brows enhanced his languid air, while his sharp nose and jawline harmonized with refined grace, exuding a sensual aura.
Anyone who had seen Enrico’s face even once would have sighed in admiration—but Emilia merely swallowed nervously, anxious for his eyes to open again, unable to bear the tension of the silence.
“My terms are simple.”
His voice finally came after a long pause. As he slowly lifted his emerald-green lids, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and his amethyst-like eyes gleamed dimly.
“You just dance—like a living doll.”
His arrogant gaze, looking down upon her, fully revealed the demeanor of a man who had lived his entire life at the very pinnacle. Emilia’s cheeks, previously flushed from lingering cold, instantly paled like moonlight. Shame flickered briefly in her eyes, which trembled like trees caught in a storm.
“And in return, I’ll tell you about your dead parents.”
As if utterly indifferent to her reaction, he casually uttered those cutting words in a soft voice.
“Don’t you want to know the truth?”
At last, the intense gaze he’d seen on stage reappeared in her eyes. The star-like glimmer transformed her atmosphere—from fragile petals scattered by wind and rain to something resolutely firm.
Now she was somewhat more to his liking—a satisfied smile finally touched Enrico’s lips.
[This is the timeline separator]The snowstorm from last night had vanished beneath the sunlight, leaving only muddy traces behind. Emilia, her face weary from sleepless hours, blankly stared into space until the rattling window drew her attention.
Her eyes fell upon bare tree branches battered by the harsh wind, shaking violently as they shed clumps of snow. In summer, this tree would burst into deep purple blossoms, releasing a rich fragrance—but seeing it now in such a pitiful state made her mood sink even further.
“Just like me yesterday.”
Again, the image of herself trembling helplessly before that arrogant man flashed through her mind. Though their encounter had been brief, Enrico Michele had left her deeply unsettled all through the night.
“‘Don’t you want to know the truth…?'”
Though short, those words were impossible to ignore. She’d always believed her parents had tragically perished in a carriage accident—but now, suddenly, that wasn’t the case? Even his insulting demand that she become nothing more than a dancing doll couldn’t outweigh the word “truth,” which gripped her ankles like quicksand.
“…Couldn’t you at least tell me a small part of that truth?”
Yesterday, had it not been for that last thread of rational thinking, she might have accepted the contract right then and there—so overwhelming was the proposal. Emilia blinked rapidly, fighting back the stinging in her eyes as she asked.
“Well… I only know a fragment myself, so it would be rather difficult to share.”
“What? Only a fragment?!”
“Still, once the contract is signed, consider it this: I’ll provide you with a thorough investigation into that accident.”
“No… that doesn’t seem right. How can I agree to a deal without even knowing what that ‘fragment’ entails?”
“You certainly take a long-winded way to say you don’t trust me.”
“It’s… it’s just that, shouldn’t I at least know the general content before deciding whether to accept the deal?”
Enrico stared at Emilia quietly for a moment, then abruptly said,
“What did you say.”
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)