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Chapter 4
When Erin returned, Hiley greeted her while rubbing her sleepy eyes.
As Erin took off her coat and changed clothes, a cautious voice came from behind her.
Starting this spring, Hiley had been appointed as a principal ballerina as well.
“Congratulations, Hiley.”
Erin turned around brightly and opened her arms. Hiley approached shyly, and Erin immediately pulled her into a tight hug.
“Thank you, Erin. I guess I just got lucky. Hehe.”
In truth, considering her skill, Hiley becoming a principal dancer was hardly surprising. It was only natural.
…But Erin didn’t learn there was another reason behind the decision until the next day, after the morning practice with the entire company had ended.
“It’s unfortunate, Erin. I heard you won’t be coming starting next week.”
“…What?”
“That’s what came down from above. Well, I don’t know the details myself.”
The director lowered his head as soon as he finished speaking, avoiding her eyes as he mumbled awkwardly.
The order had come from the royal palace.
And once Erin realized that meant the decision had ultimately passed through Princess Hestina’s hands, she could no longer say anything.
“…I understand.”
After a brief silence, she nodded, and the director left immediately.
Even though he must have been curious about many things, he kept his mouth firmly shut and didn’t mention the rumors spreading around.
…Yes, the rumors.
As if she hadn’t already suffered enough from them, yet another piece of gossip surrounding Erin had spread through the capital overnight.
From the moment she stepped out of the dormitory, loose tabloid sheets fluttered through the streets. Feeling uneasy, she picked one up, only to find her name and miserable circumstances viciously listed without a shred of sympathy.
‘These lunatics! Tch. You shouldn’t read things like this, Erin.’
After only glancing at the title, Hiley snatched the paper away and crumpled it up. But even that single line was enough for Erin to understand the uproar.
[The Duke Family’s Precious Jewel, Erin Corneux. Into Whose Hands Has She Been Sold?]
The moment she entered the ballet company, dancers gathered in circles discussing how much she had supposedly been sold for.
As if her lowered status made her approachable, people who had never even been close to her eagerly raised their voices, guessing her price.
Somewhere among the chatter, Eden Fletcher’s name surfaced as well.
Rumors really did spread disgustingly fast. That man had visited her dressing room barely a day ago, yet now it seemed there wasn’t a single person in town who didn’t know.
‘Haa…’
Erin forced herself to think only about the work in front of her.
“Don’t forget—no injuries today either!”
Perhaps because of the gossip papers, the audience had grown larger.
Amid the subtle stares of people hiding smiles behind fans and gloved hands, the performance began.
The music started, and after steadying her breathing and calming her mind, Erin stepped toward center stage when her turn came.
No matter what stories were circulating outside, at least on stage, she looked perfectly fine.
Gracefully extending her arms, moving lightly as though she were floating—motions she had repeated hundreds of times flowed smoothly once again.
Perhaps for the last time.
But the moment she thought about the end approaching, distracting thoughts began slipping in unlike usual.
She couldn’t focus on the performance. The audience in the seats stood out with painful clarity.
Ridiculous looks of envy and ridicule. Lavish dresses and cheap suits. Tall hats and cigars clenched between lips.
Her heart had already drifted away, and there was no use forcing it back.
Still, Erin had spent enough years training for the movements to be carved into her muscles. She could move her body without even thinking.
At any rate, she thought it was a fairly decent performance today.
“…!”
Until, from one corner of the tedious audience, she spotted the smile of a familiar man.
“Ah!”
The instant she saw him, her mind went blank and her body faltered a beat too late.
At a completely unexpected moment, without the slightest mental preparation—
Eden Fletcher was sitting in the audience.
In that instant, Erin twisted her ankle and lost her balance, collapsing.
She quickly got back up and continued the choreography, but the sound of the audience stirring reached her ears, and her body stiffened.
‘Why of all places…’
Why did their eyes have to meet there?
Fortunately, the scene changed immediately afterward. As Erin naturally moved away from center stage with her male partner, the other dancers flooded onto the stage.
The director watched her as she soaked her foot in ice water, then finally shook his head.
“No. Not like this. You can’t continue today, Erin.”
Her ankle was visibly swelling. Since it was still early in the performance, she wouldn’t be able to endure until the end.
As she was helped back to the dressing room, the audience’s applause rumbled indistinctly behind her.
“I want to go back to the dormitory and rest first. I’m tired.”
“Will that really be alright, Erin?”
“I’ve already been treated.”
Noticing the concern in the choreographer’s face, Erin added a faint smile.
“I was just startled. I want to close my eyes for a bit.”
After hesitating, the choreographer finally rose with a reluctant sigh and helped support her.
The dormitory was just across the street from the theater entrance. The roads were well paved, so the walk itself wasn’t difficult.
After walking for some time like that, someone suddenly approached as if they had been waiting for her.
“Um, miss?”
She didn’t recognize him. Though hesitant, he spoke politely.
“My name is Jin. Mr. Eden Fletcher sent me. He said he wishes to speak with you briefly.”
“……”
“He’s waiting in the carriage right now. May I escort you?”
Jin gestured behind him. A large carriage stood beside the boulevard.
After letting out a sigh, Erin eventually said she would go.
The carriage wasn’t far away. When Jin knocked and opened the door, inside sat the very cause of today’s injury—Eden Fletcher—with his legs crossed, reading a newspaper.
‘Seriously, when did he even leave? He’s fast.’
Without realizing it, Erin let out a hollow laugh.
But the moment her eyes met his blue ones directly, she immediately turned away from him.
“Thank you for bringing me this far, sir.”
“Right. Go in and get some good rest.”
Even after that, the choreographer added several more worried remarks before finally turning around.
Quick-witted, Jin hurriedly extended his hand, and Erin lightly took it as she climbed into the carriage.
As soon as she sat across from the man, the door shut.
“……”
There was no greeting.
Eden merely folded the newspaper onto his lap and silently stared at her. The silence stretched inside the enclosed carriage.
Ah.
Erin finally realized this moment was merely an extension of yesterday’s encounter.
Of course.
A man who felt no need to show her even basic courtesy would never bother greeting her first.
Even if she waited for hours, the result would be obvious.
She was already exhausted. There was no need to waste energy on a pointless battle of nerves.
“We meet again, Mr. Eden Fletcher.”
Lowering her gaze slightly as she met his eyes, Erin finally spoke in a flat voice.
A faint scoff mixed into her breath. It might have sounded like mockery, but she showed no sign of apology.
“How do you do?”
With that light greeting and glance, Erin quietly pointed out his absurd rudeness and drew a clear line.
As though splitting the space between them in half—as though making it perfectly clear that simply sharing the same place did not mean they were together.
“…Ah, right. Hello.”
The man shrugged and let out a soft groan.
His expression suggested he had only just realized he hadn’t greeted her, but he didn’t seem sorry in the slightest.
Even though he clearly understood her indirect criticism, he showed no irritation either.
He merely looked amused, as though the situation itself entertained him.
“Well, as you can see, I’m doing just fine. But you don’t seem to be doing very well.”
His gaze settled on Erin, who sat upright with rigid posture.
She wasn’t short, but she was so thin that she gave off a sense of distance—Eden found himself thinking the same thing as yesterday.
Maybe it was because her pale face showed not even the smallest opening.
“What exactly happened overnight?”
He lightly swung his crossed leg as he muttered. The overly polished toe of his shoe gleamed as it moved up and down.
At his cool curiosity, Erin merely frowned without moving.
“You can’t possibly not know what just happened, Mr. Fletcher.”
“No. Not just what happened now…”
He tilted his chin slightly.
“There are dark circles under your eyes. You look like someone who’s lost her country.”
“And of course, Mr. Fletcher couldn’t possibly be unaware of what happened yesterday either.”
The moment she finished speaking, her tightly pressed lips turned red.
Though this was only their second meeting, Erin already felt absolutely no expectation toward this man.
In fact, rather than expectation, it was closer to wariness.
Still, the important thing was that there was nothing cumbersome left between them to cling to anymore.
She owed this man a debt.
And she would have to pay the price.
The only comforting thing was that he was trapped in the same situation.
After all, he was the fool who had handed over money before even seeing this so-called “value.”
Perhaps he was even more desperate than she was.
“Ah. You mean that fiancé who never existed suddenly showed up carrying flowers? Was it really that shocking that I showed my face? I’m asking because I don’t know—was I supposed to send a letter in advance or something?”
