In the Place where the Golden Rose Was Broken - Chapter 11

“Something came up, I need to step out for a moment. Sorry, I’ll explain later!”

“Hey, Mark!”

At this crucial time, not only the étoile but even the Director was absent. Choreographer Everdeen, though grumbling, was busy managing the members, taking on the director’s role as well.

Someone was watching all of this from afar.

‘It really wasn’t my imagination.’

Alice, after gazing for a long time at the exit where Director Mark had left, moved to get her makeup done.

Although Karen Chaner was also the star of today’s stage, Alice could genuinely smile brightly.

***

It’s okay, Karen Chaner.

There’s no need to be so afraid. This was expected, after all.

Sitting across from Baron Theron, Karen scratched her thigh, curling her fingers. The stinging pain barely eased her tension.

“What on earth!”

But at Baron Theron’s shout that followed, Karen felt her entire body stiffen again.

The performance was about to begin.

She couldn’t let her body freeze up like this due to tension…

“What did you do to Joseph Mallon! What did you do to make a man who would pluck stars for you if you asked become so angry!”

“Mr. Mallon… tried to touch me forcefully.”

“With that intention…!”

Baron Theron stopped mid-sentence and took a deep breath to calm his suddenly agitated state. It seemed he was about to blame Karen, suggesting she might have gone there with such intentions from the start.

Karen, who had been looking down, decided to muster her courage. At this rate, she might really end up being sold to Joseph Mallon.

“Please invite Duke Arcturus to the performance one more time.”

“Again, again, again! Why is Duke Cloen’s name coming up here? That uncultured fellow who knows nothing about art and only fiddles with scrap metal!”

“If he sees our performance one more time, his thoughts will change.”

The person whose heart Karen ultimately needed to capture was not Joseph Mallon, but Arcturus Cloen.

If she could just capture him, the ballet company’s financial situation would improve, and also…

“I don’t understand why you keep mentioning Duke Arcturus Cloen. Are you also one of his followers like other women?”

“I mentioned him because he’s the best businessman and power holder I know.”

“Enough about Duke Cloen now. I don’t want to keep bowing to such a young upstart anymore.”

You could say that.

It would be much easier to hand over a powerless dancer who would have nowhere to go if the ballet company disappeared to a powerful man, rather than clinging to a duke with slim chances.

Karen bit the soft flesh inside her lip until it bled to prevent her pessimistic and twisted thoughts from showing on her face.

“I’ll arrange another meeting with Joseph Mallon, and you’d better do well then.”

“……”

“You… Ah, no. Miss Chaner.”

Baron Theron addressed Karen as ‘you’ or ‘Miss Chaner’ depending on his mood. Sometimes he would even call her ‘Karen’ in a familiar manner.

“I’m not doing this just for myself.”

Now he seemed to be trying to persuade himself.

“If the ballet company collapses, won’t the dancers be in the most trouble?”

“……”

“Let’s save the ballet company first. Joseph Mallon isn’t a pot-bellied old man, he’s not bad, right?”

Men tend to evaluate other men more generously. This was often the case when they were trying to forcibly match a powerless woman.

Feeling somewhat guilty about forcibly selling off a dancer, he was avoiding his wrongdoing in this way.

As if he were playing matchmaker rather than being a pimp.

This is what men with power do everywhere.

“I…”

Just as Karen was about to say something, parting her red lips.

Knock knock knock knock knock.

“……”

She had to close her mouth at the sound of five consecutive knocks on the door.

“Baron, it’s me.”

The voice from outside the door was familiar enough for both Baron Theron and Karen to recognize immediately.

“Come…”

Before Baron Theron could finish saying “Come in,” the door opened.

Whatever the reason, Director Mark, who looked very urgent, immediately fixed his gaze on Karen.

“…Director.”

Director Mark, who briefly made eye contact with Karen, quickly averted his gaze and greeted Baron Theron.

“I apologize, Baron. We need to prepare for the stage, but you’ve been keeping our most important protagonist for a long time.”

“Ahem…”

Baron Theron cleared his throat unnecessarily, discomforted by Director Mark speaking as if he had caused trouble. But Director Mark, seemingly oblivious, asked with a pleasant face.

“May I take Karen now?”

There was no reason to keep her when they couldn’t prepare for the stage without the protagonist.

“…Go ahead.”

When Baron Theron gave permission with a sour expression, Director Mark signaled to Karen with his eyes. She couldn’t miss this chance to end this uncomfortable conversation. Karen immediately stood up.

“Then, I’ll see you after the performance.”

Director Mark bowed deeply to the man until the very end. Even though Baron Theron still looked displeased.

As they hurriedly walked away, Karen asked the Director beside her.

“I’m sorry, did the preparation get very delayed because of me?”

“No, no. There’s still plenty of time. I just… lied to get you out quickly in case you were in a difficult situation.”

Despite the Director’s words that were full of concern, Karen had no particular response. Instead of answering, she just smiled faintly out of habit.

“Karen, what did the Baron say to you?”

“What did he say? He just asked me to do well in today’s performance.”

“Why would he…”

Why would he take only you aside to say that?

Leaving out the ballet company’s director and choreographer, and secretly taking only a young and beautiful dancer…

“Alright, I understand.”

But Director Mark couldn’t ask Karen any more. He felt that his behavior might seem unnecessarily persistent.

Karen and he were just fellow members of the ballet company, nothing more, nothing less. He could help Karen if she seemed to be in trouble, but he shouldn’t cross the line if she didn’t want it.

“I’ll head to the waiting room now.”

Karen, who had come down to the backstage area of the theater, walked away from Mark without a hint of lingering. With light, graceful steps… Her stray hairs that had escaped while being tied up swayed.

For some reason, Mark couldn’t take his eyes off that sight.

Karen was special. A born genius who was also diligent.

It was natural to treat a special dancer specially.

Mark forcibly turned his gaze away from Karen. At the same time, he ignored the emotion that had raised its head in his heart.

***

Jude Cullen valued a harmonious and loving family.

Of course, it wasn’t like that from the beginning. The relationship between his daughter and son-in-law was so bad that it had reached the point of collapse. There was no chance to recover that relationship. He lost them both in an accident. He couldn’t hide his grief. To make matters worse, he became obsessed with the idea of family after learning about the problem with his only grandson.

Arcturus, understanding his grandfather’s feelings, tried to play along with the family game he wanted. He couldn’t be sincere, but he tried to pretend. But that effort turned to nothing today.

And it was because of a stalker who persistently followed him and flirted with him to the point of disgust.

“Please contact me immediately when grandfather wakes up.”

“Are you leaving now? It might be better if you wait until the master wakes up…”

“No. Grandfather will need time to think alone too.”

Although he looked healthy on the outside, due to his age, he shouldn’t get too excited. In fact, Arcturus had to put everything aside to rush here at once when he heard that his grandfather had collapsed while looking for him after seeing the newspaper article.

Fortunately, he was able to explain to his grandfather who had woken up briefly, but…

It seemed difficult to deny the rumor itself that he had been in a separate hotel room with a woman. The reporters had even gone to the hotel to collect eyewitness accounts.

And there’s someone who made this article happen.

“We meet again, Brother.”

“Indeed.”

As he came down to the first floor, Caetro, who seemed to have just arrived, was standing there.

“We’ve been seeing each other often lately, my little brother.”

Even though their grandfather wasn’t around, Caetro deliberately provoked Arcturus by calling him ‘brother’, and in return, his relaxed expression hardened at Arcturus’s counter of ‘my little brother’.

“But what should we do? Grandfather just fell asleep.”

“I’ll wait until he wakes up, of course. He must have been very shocked, so as his grandson, I should reassure him.”

Caetro, emphasizing the word ‘grandson’, handed his jacket to a servant and moved his steps.

“That the article in the newspaper is just a baseless rumor.”

Looking up at Arcturus standing on the stairs, Caetro climbed up one step at a time.

Finally, with just a couple of steps between them, their gazes became almost level.

“No matter how unscrupulous you are, you’re not the kind of person who would covet a family member’s woman.”

“Of course, Sierra Miller is your woman.”

Although there wasn’t much difference in their eye levels, Caetro still felt as if he was looking up at Arcturus from far below. Unlike himself, who was hiding his impatience and pretending to be relaxed, Arcturus was truly relaxed.

No, beyond relaxation…

He looked annoyed and bored with this situation.

“You’ll correct the article, right? That would reassure grandfather too.”

“If someone doesn’t interfere from behind, a correction will be published soon.”

“It sounds as if… someone is interfering.”

The newspaper company that published the article about Arcturus being alone with Sierra in a hotel room was a company where Sierra Miller’s uncle, that is, Sierra’s relative, worked.

Moreover, no matter how famous he was in Gloretta, it was too much to go to a hotel and directly investigate an individual’s private life. Unless someone was determined to bring him down.