A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Engagement Announcement

The silent, dark night was steeped in stillness.

A figure, unable to fall asleep throughout the deep night, had just dozed off into a shallow slumber, tossing and turning. The woman, breathing softly in her sleep, suddenly seemed to be in the grip of a nightmare, groaning faintly.

Someone gently swept her hair aside. The warmth made her frown for a moment before she slowly opened her eyes. Her lashes parted, revealing eyes like the deep sea, still cloaked in darkness.

“Hello, Emeline.”

The person whose eyes met hers greeted her affectionately. It was a man lying beside her, propping himself on his arm, watching her with quiet eyes. His green eyes curved warmly, a smile tugging at his lips.

Emeline, still drunk with sleep, muttered absentmindedly in a daze, “…Zenon?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

At his clear reply, Emeline, whose face had worn an expression of doubt, slowly opened her eyes wide.

Is this a dream? Otherwise, how could he be right in front of her?

Before she could fully comprehend her situation, Zenon once again brushed her dark hair aside with a warm touch. His smile deepened, and he spoke in a low, almost ticklish voice.

“Did you have a nightmare? You kept calling for me.”

“How are you… here…?”

So bewildered that she could barely form a proper sentence, her words tumbled out hesitantly. He chuckled as if mocking her.

“Why?”

The hand that had been brushing her hair aside came to a halt. His hand that rested on her forehead slipped down her petite face, cupping her cheek. The warmth felt unreal.

Why was he here in the bedroom of the Duke’s estate? Still unable to comprehend, Emeline gazed at him with bewildered eyes. The depths of his forest-green eyes stared back at her. Serious yet mischievous, the expression in his eyes was exactly how Emeline remembered it.

Her first love, who had abandoned her, the traitor. Emeline had never forgotten him.

Zenon leaned in, whispering in a low voice, “I got your letter.”

“Letter…?”

The hand that had been caressing her cheek slowly moved down, pressing against her parted lips with his thumb. Her lower lip parted slightly under the pressure. With silent movements, Zenon climbed on top of Emeline.

“The one saying you’re going to marry another man.”

Now, staring down at her, Zenon frowned slightly, his handsome eyebrows furrowing. The hand that had been stroking her lips began to apply more pressure. The hand that had been on her dry skin slipped smoothly into the moist, tender flesh.

“Just in your last letter, you begged me to come back, said you loved me… Was it all a lie?”

A faint sadness flickered in his eyes. Emeline opened her mouth to speak. She had so much she wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come. She was paralyzed, like she was caught in a nightmare.

Zenon’s lips curved as if to erase his emotions. He spoke in a slow, unhurried tone, “Well, it was all just a game for us… wasn’t it? It was fun, though. Even if it left some unnecessary damage.”

Emeline’s heart sank at his words. The words Zenon had left her before abandoning her and leaving.

While she lay there, shocked and frozen, the hand that had been stroking her lips slowly began to move downward. As if following the lingering moisture on his fingertips, his actions were smooth and without hesitation.

Teasing her chin, trailing along her neck, his hand finally settled on her collarbone. He touched the prominent bone as if he were a conqueror, satisfaction evident on his face as he let out a heated sigh.

“Your hair is… still the same length? Exactly the way I said it was pretty.”

Smiling beautifully, his eyes squinting, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her exposed neck. A moist sensation made Emeline shudder. Her skin tingled where his lips touched.

Emeline opened her mouth. “Zenon…”

She wanted to tell him to stop, but her tongue felt as if it had frozen in place, and the words wouldn’t come. Meanwhile, Zenon lowered his head, tugging at the ribbon of her chemise with his teeth.

Emeline gasped, swallowing her breath in shock. With effort, she finally moved her hand to push against Zenon’s shoulder. But before she could, her hand was caught by him instantly.

“Ah…”

He pulled Emeline’s hand to rest on his head. Zenon, who had just undone her clothing, looked up at her and smiled.

“We both know this is just a game, right? Just like before. You liked it too.”

“Z-Zenon…”

“If it hurts, pull on my hair.”

He leisurely began undoing his own clothes. But his actions, as he lowered himself and buried his lips inside her loosened garment, were impatient.

The heat of his breath against her tender skin made Emeline’s head go blank. The damp warmth slowly moved downward. His hand, which had been stripping her clothes, moved past her waist to grasp her leg. The sensation grew sharper, and her heart pounded wildly.

“Zenon…”

Stop.

Stop…

Her eyes started to glisten with tears. Emeline struggled, trying to push the words from her throat with her tongue. Just then, in her blurred vision, she caught sight of the man’s tousled golden hair. Her hand was still resting atop that blazing, sun-like gold.

“Emeline…”

He murmured her name like a sigh. A shiver ran down her spine. Emeline shut her eyes tightly and pulled his hair with all her might.

“Stop, you bastard!”

Suddenly, her voice burst out as if it had torn through a wall. Emeline’s eyes snapped open reflexively, her mouth wide open as she panted. Her lungs filled suddenly with air, and her chest, which had been feeling stifled, heaved up and down.

Panting, Emeline gradually squinted her eyes. As her vision cleared, she saw the ceiling of her bed draped with a canopy. Zenon was not there. Her hands were no longer holding his hair.

With a sigh of disbelief, she slowly looked around. The faint light of dawn filled the bedroom. The stillness weighed heavily on her, heavier than usual. Zenon was nowhere to be found.

Finally understanding the situation, Emeline murmured in disbelief, “What a terrible…”

Who would have thought he’d appear in her dreams just because she sent one letter? And with such humiliating content too…!

Feeling frustrated that it was all just an illusion, Emeline let out a deep sigh. She irritably pulled the blanket over her head. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep again, but the face from her dream kept lingering in her mind.

His still-handsome face. That insolent, overbearing attitude. No matter how she tried to avoid him, the man who relentlessly shook Emeline was still there.

Zenon Trancium.

He was the scion of a rival family, the man whom Emeline had once loved so much she was ready to abandon her family. Even if her father separated them, Emeline was willing to do anything to be with him.

She believed he would feel the same. But before her hopes could come true, he had abandoned her and left.

[From the very beginning, wasn’t our relationship just a game?

You know this as well as I do—we were never truly sincere with each other. There’s no reason to drag this out and waste any more time. And in the midst of all this, all we’ve done is take unnecessary losses…

Ah, but I’ll admit this much—it was fun.]

Leaving behind only a cynical letter that claimed it had all been a game. Emeline’s previously serene life crumbled completely because of him.

Zenon Trancium had whispered love to her, only to leave for a foreign land without looking back. Emeline, who had been deluded by a vain dream, was devastated by the shock.

She had lost everything. Because she had met with the scion of a rival family, Emeline was placed under strict watch by her father and confined to her house. For a time, she tried to erase him, shaking with betrayal. That whole period spanned four years.

‘And now you tell me it was all just a game?’

Zenon Trancium was a thoroughly ruthless man. He was the one who had given her love, dreams, and hope, only to take it all back. He was her rude and arrogant first love.

***

As soon as dawn broke, Emeline went to check if she had received any letters. Perhaps because he had appeared in her dreams, she felt strangely anxious. Was it possible that he had sent a reply to the letter in which she’d informed him of her engagement?

But as always, there was no letter from him. Relieved yet uneasy at the same time.

Feeling conflicted, Emeline hesitated for a moment, then approached her desk. Forgetting the dignity of a noblewoman, she bent down and pulled a small drawer from beneath her desk.

Inside was a pile of letters she had written to someone. All to the same person, none of which had ever been delivered.

Emeline frowned slightly, her expression darkening.

“I got your letter. The one saying you’re going to marry another man.”

His voice from the dream still echoed vividly.

‘Was it a mistake to send that letter?’

No matter how long she waited, there would be no reply from him. Growing tired of waiting for a reply that would never come, Emeline ran her hands over the letters she had written but never sent, then shut the drawer with a frown.

‘Enough. I’ve decided to forget about him. Zenon Trancium.’

Her expression hardened with determination. Having made up her mind to erase him, the dream she had was probably because Zenon had just returned to Elvarto at this point in time.

It had already been four years since he had left her behind. To avoid wavering due to the past, Emeline resolved to put an end to her thoughts about her first love. Soon, she would be able to forget it all.

Her first love would soon be erased completely by her perfect marriage.