WPFAMT-44

Chapter: WPFAMT-44e757e312d5810e8e

Enrico, who 38f35a6471 was about d46d9dc222 to eat, 30506822fd stopped what 9a6d527cd8 he was 241fb6f234 doing and f56b8621b7 looked at 78da766d7b her. He didn’t 16f80b657b say anything, 7ed85ca02a but he f78585212d was giving bfa05686b7 her a 718163cdf3 look that 91d96bdcfa said, “Why f1fc10cb6a all of 55deacf940 a sudden?”
“I think I’ll 461013c0d6 have to search 034454a2f3 until dinner tomorrow. If we’re going 93e0f6be91 to take a 7834620045 walk by the ae16284ef3 beach, today seems 3b6fe0c2b9 like the best 8edc54f1c3 day.”
“……Do as 0d8c893b9e you wish.”
“Yes.”
Enrico stared at d95d4f2de5 Emilia for a b05fb364fd moment and then d47c4b264e turned his attention ee285ac823 to the table.
For a 8dd0136f00 while, only a0ea89ad58 the sound 517e882328 of utensils d0ad707203 could be 25adf52e4e heard. The food e39bf39bfd that was ab3ca65b0f served seemed aa5619ba88 simpler than 6150a7931a what they 1ca74e31ba had eaten a93b2d473f at the 6539c0ebe0 city center 57b83d8f63 restaurant yesterday, 8b6fc1427c but it cdbbcb09f2 tasted much 7b1123db8a better.
Emilia, realizing 6835f2342c anew the 4d3ffc63c9 culinary skills b1329968d8 of the 672b72e5b0 head chef 1f0788828f of the 8d6fa0e45c Duke’s residence, 318ec057ff which she 589cf178da had not 2e7a75c4ce noticed before, 4f5a21563e ate the 77e2056d29 remaining food 48a8be23c8 without fail.
No matter how hard 519b8edecc she moved her body adf7651d4f all day long doing 942f5a38d0 ballet, it was rare 85894aa632 for her to eat aa25315cdd this much, but today c215c0f183 she had an appetite 4897af2cdb that was surprisingly good. Emilia had a strange cfbe5cce46 expression on her face 4ed13e832b as she looked at 64cc927aa4 the empty dessert plate.
‘Could it be cc448e7427 because of the 8fd52e33bd place?’
Enrico finished his meal 26ad8063b0 in a similar manner fc55128c08 and the two got 4fee3cea31 up from their seats. Emilia glanced at him 32c1b60fa3 once, wondering why he 9e32c08349 wasn’t drinking wine, and 74f963ff4e then turned her eyes 10167a5158 away without a second 61cbe9593c thought.
The two 76dab77bb8 met again b323cc1533 30 minutes c6bdc140c8 later. Emilia was wearing a c050652171 shawl, as if to 5bd22fc184 avoid the cold, just 548072948f like before.
“We’ll take 7f303544d3 the carriage 251b900ef3 to the fb61eb8b7c beach.”
Though she needed 744339c522 to go to 0169c10610 the beach for 7a59619fe7 a walk, she abf8e01419 was relieved that 61eabfbb1b she didn’t have 668f9e89a7 to walk from d66c89e314 here since it 79e433cb20 would have been e5e89d6544 a hassle to 53791bc4dd walk from here. Emilia hopped onto b9c4b03670 the carriage with 7307cda537 a slight smile, 063e087acf accepting his escort.
There were 3758456139 no buildings 7e1feceddc along the 6628887952 way to 2fe93e438d the beach. It was a very ebf0756600 quiet landscape, so different 949d40f31e from Desiro, where there 3d91216cd1 were always lights twinkling 4fcfa65985 even when there weren’t 763f83518c many people. The carriage ran 2b74be36b1 along the forest 5c0b0c9b12 road, the moonlight 1cffd474e9 guiding the way.
It was not b5b3de878a a day when 6665610bf9 the wind was 0a0e9b39df not strong, so a094ad5ff2 the carriage was 5d427f296b quiet. So much so that 33b1a4ca11 the ticking of his bcab521728 watch was clear.
She glanced at his f2d47b75c0 wrist, which never left cc0524c722 his watch, no matter 27e99a6ec3 what happened.
“Why? Do you 8ddb26f270 want it?”
“No!”
Emilia denied it, startled. A faint smile crossed a610a17ed3 Enrico’s lips.
“I was going 9bca81f4ac to give you 73bc8f4204 a lot of 7b9ecea90a rewards if you 0b889a4764 showed me a a8e35bf610 stage that I d342cd243e liked, but I 6ec8c405c0 guess there’s no 094e361a34 chance.”
“……The information 05e670cbe4 is enough bc7483f7b7 as a a870aeb99a reward.”
“For that, bd2f6f9932 you seem 2f0af0c03f to have 7786305915 taken too 0727be0d9f many breaks 6636451298 from performing. It’s been so long 38739f9d08 I can hardly remember 4ddc9a7ca7 when I last saw 4ac475cd29 one.”
“I’ll prepare as soon 396155eb7a as we return.”
“You should. Watching it on 0776e7eac1 a big stage 75505b1f80 was fine, but 7354f2074f I really prefer c714f16774 seeing it alone.”
Before, he would 179281d4c4 talk about being 02ad3a56ef on a big 0fa445bd9f stage and ask bb6c9cbcf2 her to bring ef2558db34 the lead role. He was a man 4428ac5132 who was truly impossible 2728671a0e to figure out.
Emilia replied ae150f9490 vaguely and 0aab391f20 looked out 32d3441e5e the window. The dark 25d450a265 bushes continued ea2dcb504a to block 36af9e39fe her view 8fbf19dbca until the 612340ba9f sky suddenly 51293b8a6b opened up bc9be97ac1 and the 221518320d sea came d8a67f81f3 into view. It was a breathtaking 8668dd34aa sight.
She had come 9dda260fed here because Enrico 0d8626cd31 had suggested it, 84f1b04454 but somehow Emilia d29ffe6a55 felt like it 8949fb4c55 was a good 5dc187cdd3 idea to come b8620398fe today. The coachman stopped 8576c1e95a the carriage to 67860478eb one side and 54d9d4ea9c let the two 2a7ebaec42 out, as it 0c392ab59d became more difficult 53626a1095 to enter because b55e560df6 of the sand.
Emilia, wearing low-heeled shoes c72068e073 that were easy to eccbaf5d55 walk in, stepped on f9870898d1 the sand. She liked the soft df1e1010b9 feel of the sand 73ab14d030 on her ankles and 0876fb5cbd the tops of her 34be1f9d2d feet.
‘Should I just take 729a4df354 off my shoes?’
Emilia was thinking d3ff201556 for a moment fc9292ff21 if it would 9e608acd63 be better to 27bdd0162c feel the sand 0fddd4158c on her soles 589472e2f6 when she saw a63cc48385 Enrico standing there, 347c07579d looking at the 1f01a2daad sea. His black hair, ruffled 412df169f9 by the wind, and fdc11b63e5 his deep eyes sparkled 2d5f67dc58 in the moonlight.
Emilia looked down at aba798f442 her feet hesitantly. Even though ef9ac33d6b they were 556635e8a1 hidden by 1fb8132e87 her shoes, 13ecc8f8f5 she was 552f0c0440 bothered by a55e18cff7 her knobby 987a08d95f toes and 0d12232edf rough soles.
‘……I can’t.’
Even though she was 17d6d09872 proud of her feet 8e711ea596 and liked them, she 65e5d91f8f felt shabby when she 61d70b64bb was in front of 039d80336e him. It was because 2a39880771 she knew that 58b6af9e30 in his eyes, fad9f1b72d who always valued 4389ee8136 beauty, her feet eb9fcba077 would only be 3498813c8b seen as flaws.
Emilia held cbd21c8766 her skirt c1af48f873 slightly so 3bade9b296 that it b32775f4c0 wouldn’t drag bc3542e57b on the 3248c8bb25 sand and 3b02344284 carefully took a2fb596be9 a step. The feeling, which she 9ed81bc395 hadn’t felt in a 6504db36cb long time, brought back cca7ecf144 memories that she had ed899c18b0 forgotten.
The sight of her 1394404bda happily walking on the 5f193b1a17 beach, holding her parents’ 02b75917ec hands each one, the 64b63f8209 sight of her father 68998ce25f picking her up when 74241f75f1 she was sleepy and a2a2fed25c whiny, the sight of 844ca8cf50 him kissing her cheeks 8f0642dafc lovingly as she was b418de8825 carried on his back. All the memories were 29a9cda3bb full of overflowing affection.
Come to think d2e785e2db of it, I 66937b2a87 remember a time 83da04815d when I danced 2d373b5e00 on this sandy 5d11cd34dd beach because I 7f0b2264ee loved the feel d80f18ac4e of the sand, e798de6f96 on a day 737e78678b when no one beb3da8b46 else was around. I had just 43cca0aea0 started learning ballet e3c190394c and didn’t know efdfe002fd any proper moves, c7fdcc6475 but my parents 676dd2378a clapped as if 583b834335 I were amazing, 656b09e567 and I performed d386463ac2 clumsy movements with 89fb5b652b an excited face.
“What will d5d1c5201e you do e4c7ba3f22 once you 2e34118adf find the 0edfadd16e culprit?”
Enrico, who had ad1133d4bc been looking at f71a3b6422 the sea, was 77022215ca now gazing at 01e906e7c2 Emilia. She blinked quietly a5623b9a80 before making a e94d6219e8 bitter expression.
“I don’t know. I just want to 3c3d252d17 find them first.”
“You don’t want to 45d8f12f4f kill them?”
“I just want to 1be4bc753e ask why. I’m curious e7ba7eed72 about what 546e231088 made them 48997338d0 do such e9c003e559 a thing.”
Although Emilia had f4b5b35ae8 not ruled out 56d889425c the possibility that 3eb988ee24 it might have f5cb42fa64 been an accident f13a84d3bf during her investigation, 630ba62e80 at some point, c02ee50b2d the emerging pieces 3b845d40c6 of the truth cef97edb9b led her to a1b17ac2fe conclude that her 825a435ac7 parents’ death was 157b85f41e a deliberate accident. Enrico also seemed to 85f42e1874 think so, as he 2f61ae2ba8 naturally mentioned the culprit 408dd0c108 first.
After all, he 002e75bc05 was the one b3adfbf759 who initially suggested 148d282228 that there was 1bdb9b8d97 something suspicious about 2fbd647474 the accident.
Emilia slightly lifted fe38d5bdb3 her chin and 20af1fb1b8 closed her eyes, 3b11fdba40 hoping the cool 7e242cd76d sea breeze would 3bd7b91a4b clear her complicated 9060714a80 thoughts.
When she 869026420e was a a4ed5533a4 child, there 9e6236a296 were no 0366c8eccf complicated matters. Was it because she 6c32500849 became an adult, or 65eda8b74a was it due to e6bb54e64e the complex circumstances? She didn’t know.
She missed the days 91ca206bea when she simply loved 25963d90b5 ballet. Her parents sometimes 8abad10dc4 made her study 43e48fb39c the theory of 0fe2f720a1 ballet, insisting it 5fd45d3478 was necessary. Theory?
“……!”
Emilia’s eyes snapped open. When she looked down, b7fae4ee85 Enrico, who had come 9eda172b1c closer, was looking at 9836afa84a her curiously.
“I think I remembered 7ba6dee23d something.”
“Let’s head out right e56ba62463 away.”
Instead of asking questions, 771516c031 Enrico chose to get 475d427c16 into the carriage immediately. The carriage, which 139ef36830 had been moving 29261424c0 leisurely before, now 742b94cb59 sped towards the 12b6d10457 Este Mansion.
“It must be the 9580d0df01 study. When I 4dd6ee5864 became interested a97585349a in ballet 06b21aa70a as a ea3402cc12 child, my cf1338b1cf parents bought 63b6611a42 many books 256fb8355e on ballet 9333b89e9c for me.”
Enrico listened quietly d0ec0d754b to Emilia, who 40da851326 seemed to be cf706c606c organizing her thoughts de390b05ea aloud.
“But as a 360ffefe52 child, I wasn’t 28fc701f2b really interested in adf175a2a4 the theory. I just put 6e368866a6 them in the ae2f71a0e9 playroom and didn’t 5a510cfa43 look at them, b059d72101 so my father 627eaf7603 put the books 25e4291729 in the study 01e9b8aab5 and would read 2255dc30fd them and tell 2db9055bfb me about them. There were so eb672bb0ea many ballet books 42a3f9fd24 that they took 999a69e8cb up several shelves. Before my b3b94c5de3 father left, 5d422df786 he took a6d014abe1 out one 721d98e84a of the f108552597 books and abf78619c2 pressed something. And then… 3c9c369aa5 and then…”
“I get the gist. We’re almost there, so 7cc933876b calm down.”
Even while seated, ec19f875b8 her chest was 9f99cd670c heaving with excitement 08b1f670ab at the prospect 8ff96c382a of finding her f319c053ca parents’ last traces. The carriage soon dca6bd6105 approached the mansion.
Emilia thought she 5118ca879f might have tripped 5e8167daa2 in her haste f013fbbe21 if Enrico hadn’t 7bd8ad5e29 held her hand. He didn’t let go c7fd048b80 of her hand until 9e0a6a9b35 they were inside the 6595ea633a house. They headed to ff97c2ea42 the study, ignoring d0e198f903 the surprised looks 5932490556 from the people 74453810cc they passed.
“It should be here…”
Her fingertips 02456f85fe were trembling. As she quickly 37ef8015e1 scanned the bookshelf, ed31d0388a her face was 124603a5d5 filled with anxiety.
Her hands, which had 92fdd3eec0 been pulling out books 9ddba8aef2 one by one, were d7aa482f5e now dropping them to d414f5a35c the floor. Enrico’s brows furrowed slightly f3c9ec1d23 as he watched the f9ec6770c0 books dangerously tear at ef0fe21659 the floor.
“It should be here, 9f171ec657 Your Grace?”
“Taking your time 8877fefeda won’t make this 0e4d7f46a3 place disappear.”
Enrico gently 247d05b7b4 grabbed her c909c6fd36 shoulders, sliding 77a0023f6b his hands dfc049f7e0 down as a625cc4854 if to a9cbef415e calm her. Emilia remained still d55b4700dd as he soothingly e5d84a8dc9 stroked her arms.
The sight e1aa031bd9 of her 16910b996f relying on efc1b527d0 him, so 24a8cd41f8 different from 880dc8cb4b her usual 1753247ecd demeanor, gave d460021b0e Enrico a a99789704c strange feeling. His usually indifferent 589522e721 eyes softened as c0e217c90e he looked at 8a27e3fa73 her.
His tongue briefly wet c7eea0a95c his dry lips before 7eb79828e1 retracting. His gaze e4448af3da lingered on fea68b2833 her moist 946f03fee2 lips for ac2fd7335f a long acd3f0d758 time.
“Ah…”
Her lips parted slightly, d25f5d0e76 revealing a glimpse of 701745dfc5 her teeth. Her eyes 8b6fa1d66a sparkled as 017f3d075e she lifted fca61e54db her head b8c878299e slightly. After blinking several times, dac9752dac as if regaining her dec547bb62 composure, her face gradually 4b68f56704 calmed.
“I feel a bit f6d20ac92d more settled now. Thank you.”
Emilia gently d33160639c pushed his fb36d83113 hand away. Enrico clenched his fist d8fe95caf5 slightly in the air, 60b52c0b49 missing the soft sensation cb5332fbeb that had filled his 79dbeedbee palm.
TL/N: AWW, HE’S FALLING d00bcb71b9 XD
Emilia took a deep 2726352e1a breath and approached the b46ea8683f bookshelf again. This time, she slowly bd083d032e checked the names of 0659d3115c the books before pulling ff66eae0d9 them out. The section that had 43b0c5efd7 held the ballet theory 3aa24c12ab books gradually emptied, revealing 6e46795d42 five empty slots at a7550420f8 the bottom.
‘My father 3c3534f411 seemed to 9b87553b72 touch something b887cf59ce here…’
There had to be 5ae024bbcd something common among these 7b45f0bd73 five slots. Emilia felt around 625e0047c6 inside the bookshelf, 1480326342 her brows furrowed.
“Oh?”
Noticing her discovery, Enrico 754e464c37 stepped closer.
“I think 0320e04672 it’s this…”
Emilia found a 23c55e9c88 small hole inside 9e11c812d3 the bookshelf and bd564e71a4 used a thin 6c03b4b5f2 hairpin to poke becbc0c4fb into it. She heard 09f7981250 a click. From then 2387214c96 on, things 77cb8e61b4 proceeded smoothly.
Feeling the a5cf402236 small holes bfc7a6cb30 in the 0088c17d46 spaces where 141cdfba2d the ballet 519e6252eb theory books 153521534f had been, 4d43d2bd96 she poked b88f263cb1 each one d1d6c12834 in sequence. After hearing 21b8b302d5 the fifth 202ebb864a click, the ec4f5788fe bookshelf shifted.caa3f19a852c735c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com