A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 106

Chapter 106: Come to Me Now

Early in the morning, the sound of fluttering pages echoed through the bedroom.

The breeze gently rustled Emeline’s black hair and vanished.

As she kept tucking the strands behind her ear that slipped down repeatedly, she sensed someone behind her.

Seated at the small tea table by the window, flipping through a book, she turned around.

Zenon, with three or four buttons of his shirt undone, was perched on the windowsill, looking down at Emeline.

“You seem to like reading more than I do.”

Zenon wore a sulky expression.

He had left the room for a short while and returned, only to find Emeline still engrossed in her book without so much as a flinch.

At that, Emeline raised her eyebrows. “You were gone for only thirty minutes. More precisely, it’s only been thirty minutes since I left your arms.”

“Only? You should say ‘as long as.’ For me, those thirty minutes felt like thirty years.”

A grown man drooped his eyebrows like a child ready to pout.

It was absurd, but Emeline couldn’t help but laugh. One must never forget that Zenon Trancium was, in essence, a big puppy.

“Alright, sorry for leaving you alone for thirty years. What can I do for you?”

Speaking in a coaxing tone, Zenon pulled up the corners of his lips. As if waiting, he cupped Emeline’s cheeks with both hands and gently tilted her back.

Her eyes widened at the strange feeling.

“Wa…”

Before she could even say ‘wait a moment,’ Zenon covered her lips.

Emeline’s startled eyes flinched shut.

Kissing from opposite directions—it felt different from usual, and Emeline tensed up.

He softly sucked on her plump lips, then gently pressed down her chin to part them.

The tangled warmth left an unfamiliar sensation. Emeline’s breath quickly grew unsteady.

A moan escaped her lips as she grabbed Zenon’s arm.

Responding immediately, Zenon let out a low sigh and pulled his lips away slightly.

From an unusual angle, he studied Emeline’s expression. Her hazy eyes, dazed from the heat, met his.

“Is it too much?”

“…No.”

“Good.”

Zenon let out a soft laugh and slowly wiped her wet lips with his thumb, then kissed her again. Their heated breaths mingled, carried by the warm touch.

Despite the stifling heat of the day, everything felt sweet.

A racing heartbeat—whose, she couldn’t tell—rushed in her ears and dulled her senses.

“Mmph…”

Running out of breath, Emeline was the one to push Zenon away first.

Melted in her warmth and scent, Zenon didn’t part easily and showered her with kisses before finally backing off.

Just barely catching her breath, Emeline suddenly noticed the disheveled front of her dress.

“……When did you slip your hand under my clothes?”

Lifting her head primly, she saw Zenon awkwardly avert his gaze. No wonder it felt overly provocative.

Seeing the blend of regret and satisfaction on his face, he was clearly the culprit.

‘If I keep picking at this, who knows what scandal might happen in broad daylight…’

Already, Emeline had been tormented by him for several days.

Even for someone usually composed like her, she’d been driven nearly delirious, to the point her eyes welled up once.

‘Not because I disliked it, but still…’

Recalling that moment, Emeline flushed and turned her head back to the book.

She wasn’t sure. All she could easily remember was how exhausting it had been afterward.

Even now, unsure when Zenon might shamelessly pounce again, Emeline straightened her clothes and sat upright, resuming her book. Zenon’s gaze bore into her without pause.

As her overheated body slowly cooled, Zenon murmured, “It’s fascinating.”

“…What is?”

“Seeing you read a book again. It’s been so long. That’s what’s fascinating.”

Emeline tilted her head to look at him.

Zenon gathered the strands of hair she had been fussing with and tied them neatly with a ribbon. A gentle touch.

Something about his words and actions made Emeline’s chest tighten.

It had been four years since she last studied and read with Zenon.

The promise to go to university together, the time he vowed to kneel before the Duke and beg in her place for her admission—

In the soft breeze, Zenon’s blond hair swayed.

Emeline stared at him as if entranced, then asked, “How was it while you were studying abroad? I’m curious about your university life.”

“It was boring. Because you weren’t there.”

“……”

“Everyone was dumber than you.”

Zenon chuckled as if reminiscing. With a mischievous look, he poked Emeline’s nose with his index finger.

“So imagine how relieved I was. Emeline Delzeier likes people smarter than her. Luckily, it seems I’m the only one who fits that.”

“…Hah.”

At Zenon’s cheeky remark, Emeline was dumbfounded.

Still, she wasn’t offended, and a short laugh slipped out.

“Can’t believe you remember something I said in passing.”

Back in the field near the Trancium estate’s garden, when they had opened up to each other, Emeline had said something like that.

That she hated people dumber than herself.

“It’d be strange not to remember. I even recall what you were wearing that day.”

And not just that. He remembered her expression, her trembling voice, the confident look in her eyes.

Of everyone he’d ever met in his life, Emeline Delzeier that day had shone the brightest. And ever since, she’d always been that way.

Zenon smiled and gently smoothed Emeline’s hair. “Want to go for a walk? I actually got ready just now because I wanted to go out with you.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah. Do you remember our backyard in Elvarto? There’s a place just as pretty at this villa, too.”

Recalling the place he mentioned, Emeline’s heart softened, and a smile crept to her lips.

“The place here is beautiful, you know?”

“Well, maybe not as much as you.”

Zenon replied with a bright smile. Emeline blinked and let out a small, belated laugh.

How could he say things like that so casually?

With those sweet eyes that could melt anyone at any moment, Emeline found herself surrendering.

She closed her book and rose from her seat.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Good decision. There’s a field and a lake, so the view is great. And the weather’s perfect today.”

Zenon clasped Emeline’s hand tightly.

Walking with him down the sunlit path outside the villa, Emeline asked, “Aren’t you busy? You seemed to have a lot of work.”

“Of course I’m busy. I have to be with Emeline Delzeier all day.”

“…So you’re not busy.”

It seemed he had delegated his tasks to a representative.

Zenon didn’t bother answering and just kept smiling.

He seemed especially cheerful today. Though she didn’t know why, his good mood made Emeline smile, too.

But when they arrived at the place he mentioned, Emeline was puzzled.

On a wide field near the lake, a checkered cloth had been modestly spread out.

It looked like a picnic spot, decorated freely with flowers seemingly picked from nearby flowering trees.

The dissonant setting reminded her strongly of the day they had confirmed their feelings for each other.

A breezy field, the cloth on the grass that eventually made her sit down, the few books placed at the corners—

Even the fragrant scent of flowers reminiscent of the Marquis’s estate.

‘What is this…?’

Zenon, who had led her there, asked, “What do you think of this place?”

“…If you’re asking about the setup, it’s tacky.”

“What? I started preparing this since yesterday…”

“Looking again, it’s quite nice.”

Emeline glanced around.

Though she changed her words, her impression remained the same.

Even the day they confessed their feelings to each other, the surroundings had been just as messy and modest.

‘Why go through all this effort now?’

Trying to figure out his intent, Emeline looked at Zenon with a questioning gaze.

As she moved, the green ribbon he had tied in her hair fluttered.

When their eyes met, Zenon gave a gentle smile. “Curious why I decorated it like this?”

He picked up a pink flower petal that had fallen onto the cloth and gently tucked it behind Emeline’s ear.

Meeting his gaze up close, Emeline nodded. He watched her radiant face and gave a quiet smile.

“So, what are you planning today…”

Just as Emeline narrowed her eyes suspiciously—

Zenon bent down on one knee before her.

At his sudden movement, Emeline held her breath.

Though he said nothing, it wasn’t hard to guess the meaning of his gesture.

Her blue eyes trembled with surprise.

Lowering his body, Zenon took her hand and rested his forehead against it. Their shared warmth seemed to carry the sound of their hearts.

After taking a deep breath, Zenon looked up and smiled with his eyes.

His playful and tender smile shook Emeline’s heart.

“Emeline.”

“…Yeah.”

“We made a promise four years ago, remember? That we’d get married.”

He took out a jewelry box hidden inside his clothes. Emeline’s eyes were fixed on his every move as if mesmerized.

A rare nervousness flickered in his eyes. His blond hair fluttered slowly in the breeze. Then, his lips parted slowly.

“Emeline Delzeier, will you come to me now?”

Inside the elegant case was a ring that fit perfectly on Emeline’s ring finger.

Her wide eyes softened, and a faint laugh slipped out.

The surroundings were overly simple, and there wasn’t much tension for a surprise.

But this clumsiness symbolized the day they had become special to each other.

Perhaps, just like the worn-out book “About Joe” he had given her, which remained the most precious gift of her life, he wanted to propose in a way that couldn’t be measured with money.

Something that would last in memory.

“I do.”

Emeline gladly held out her hand to him.

Zenon steadied his breath and carefully slid the ring onto her finger.

The delicately sparkling gem was as graceful as her soft smile.

Looking at the ring, Emeline beamed. “Even your proposal style is so very you.”

“So you didn’t like it?”

“No. I think it’ll become the best memory I’ve ever had.”

Still kneeling, Zenon looked up at her. His green eyes, reflecting her, were clearer and brighter than ever.

Overcome with emotion, Emeline bent down and hugged him tightly from his lower angle.

Unable to contain herself, she let out a soft laugh.

As she held his head in both hands, she poured her heart into her words.

“I love you, Zenon.”

Caught off guard by her sudden hug, Zenon faltered.

Then, lifting the corners of his lips, he deliberately toppled them both onto the cloth.

Meeting each other’s eyes in that playful fall, they burst into laughter.

“I love you too, Emeline.”

“I know.”

“More than you think.”

Just as Emeline slightly raised her eyebrows at his correction, Zenon leaned in and kissed her.

Their warmth interlocked deeply, with no room for breath. Amid the ticklish friction, a smile formed on Emeline’s lips.

Holding him tighter than before, she closed her eyes.

As the season waned, only the sound of breathing and their shared warmth existed in the world.

Just like the day they confessed their hearts and accepted each other.