Chapter 177
I stared at Arnold in disbelief.
"This marquess you mentioned—is that my senior, Ethan Guise?"
Arnold looked at me with those light brown eyes and nodded definitively. "Yes, it's him."
I studied him without speaking.
Seeing that I still had doubts, Arnold pulled out his video chat history with Ethan. "If you don't believe me, see for yourself."
I took the phone and looked. The account was definitely Ethan's. Just as Arnold said, Ethan had indeed left that message. Besides, Arnold and I weren't related—he had no reason to lie.
"Did Ethan explain why he said that?"
Arnold shook his head. "The marquess didn't explain."
"Okay, got it." I nodded, then pressed further. "Is Ethan still in Silverlight City or has he gone back?"
"The marquess has returned home. He..." Arnold paused.
Thinking someone was coming, I immediately glanced at the door. Seeing no movement outside, I continued pressing.
"What about him?"
Arnold looked at me, making notes as he spoke. "The marquess was seriously injured. He can't come get you himself, so he asked you to cooperate with me."
Come get me?
I hadn't expected that even after returning home, Ethan was still trying to find opportunities to help me. I was touched, but also couldn't help feeling anxious.
Could I even still leave?
"Okay. I'll cooperate with you."
The day before meeting with my teacher, Victoria, Leopold tried to have her come to the house, using my unrecovered health as an excuse. But I firmly refused.
"Leopold, I want to go out to see my teacher. I don't want her to see me like a prisoner."
Leopold's expression darkened. "I'm not imprisoning you—"
I looked at him coldly. "Without your permission, I can't even walk out the front door. If that's not imprisonment, what is?"
Leopold's expression froze, his face growing uglier.
Seeing his silence, I threw caution to the wind. "Since I can't go out to see my teacher, forget it then. I don't know how to face her disappointment again anyway. Not seeing her might actually be better."
Leopold's jaw tightened. After several seconds, he gave in.
"Fine. I'll let you meet your teacher outside, but I have one condition—I drive you there."
My cold expression softened slightly. "Okay, but you can't be present for the meeting."
After a moment's silence, Leopold agreed.
The next day, Victoria and I arranged to meet at the old training studio. After I got out of the car, Leopold kept his word and didn't follow, only greeting my teacher briefly.
"Mr. Percy." Victoria smiled politely.
"Ms. Salazar." Seeing her, my nose stung as emotion welled up.
"Cindy, are you doing okay?" Victoria approached, taking my hand with genuine concern.
"I'm fine." I squeezed her hand back, forcing a smile.
"That's good." Victoria glanced at Leopold. "Mr. Percy, may I take Cindy inside for a walk?"
"Of course. You two have a good talk." Leopold nodded meaningfully at her before his gaze settled on me.
I knew he wanted Victoria to convince me to accept treatment and abandon thoughts of going abroad.
Victoria took my hand. "Cindy, let's take a walk."
The studio wasn't laid out like before, and all the dance equipment was new. Several young girls were practicing basics, their eyes full of hope and anticipation for the future.
Just then, I heard crying from the adjacent studio.
Looking over, I saw a little girl in a purple ballet dress strapped to a bench by Victoria for leg stretches. The pain of the stretch was probably why she was crying, but she never once said she wanted to quit.
A wave of emotion surged through my chest.
"I remember one year at a competition, you had a move that wasn't quite perfect. You had Ethan strap you down like this, too. You were in so much pain that your eyes filled with tears. Ethan couldn't bear it and wanted to untie you, spare you the suffering. But you insisted on staying put, saying you'd be fine after half an hour."
Victoria's reminder brought that memory flooding back.
Watching the little girl inside, I saw my former self—the one who loved dancing so passionately.
"Cindy." Victoria came to stand beside me. "I don't know what happened between you and Mr. Percy, but are you really willing to give up?"
I said nothing, but my lips pressed into a tight line.
Of course, I wasn't willing.
Victoria continued, "Honestly, after four years, I never expected you to win the international ballet championship. But you did it. You must have suffered so much to get there. If that's the case, don't waste the opportunity you fought so hard for."
I quietly clenched my fists. "But Ms. Salazar, I might not have a chance to join the Royal Ballet Company anymore."
Victoria looked surprised. "Why? Won't Mr. Percy let you go abroad?"
I shook my head, then turned to face her.
"Ms. Salazar, I don't just have traumatic arthritis. I'm pregnant too."
Victoria's face filled with shock. "You... you're pregnant!"
I couldn't meet Victoria's eyes anymore. I kept staring at the little girl inside, still crying but enduring.
After a long moment, I finally heard Victoria speak. "Cindy, it's okay. If you can't join the company, you can teach students like I do in the future. Your health has to come first."
Hearing those words, my tears nearly spilled over.
"Ms. Salazar, if I said I didn't want this baby, would you think I was heartless?"
Victoria looked mildly surprised, then said, "Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Being a mother is wonderful, but if you're not ready, you should think it through carefully. That's not heartless—it's being responsible to both the child and yourself."
Victoria's words helped my taut nerves relax slightly.
How fortunate I was to have parents and a teacher who were so considerate and understanding.
Before we parted, Victoria told me she was flying to Gravenford Kingdom tonight for a choreography interview with the Royal Ballet Company. If successful, she'd be staying there.
"Cindy, I look forward to seeing you again."
After seeing Victoria off, Leopold and I returned to the villa together.
Throughout the ride, I could feel Leopold's gaze on me, but I didn't acknowledge it.
When the car pulled into the villa, Teddy got out to open the back door for us.
I turned to Leopold. "Leopold, I'm willing to accept treatment."
Leopold's gaze snapped to me, his usually cold, indifferent eyes flooding with surprise. He restrained himself. "Good. I'll make the arrangements. You just need to rest—don't worry about anything else."
I made another request. "Give me back my phone."
Leopold's mood visibly improved. He immediately agreed.
Once I got my phone back, I got out of the car.
Arnold was clearly pleased to hear I'd agreed to treatment.
He seemed like he wanted to tell me something, but Leopold called him away.
The room fell silent.
I gazed out the window. The sunlight seemed to have retreated behind thick clouds. The sky, once a brilliant blue, was gradually darkening. Leaden gray clouds were rolling in from all directions, pressing down heavily.