A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 116

Chapter 116: What Kind of Nonsense Is That?

The Duke’s complexion was oddly pale as he opened his mouth, clearly having much to say.

It was as if he couldn’t believe Antony had jumped in to target him, his face tinged with betrayal.

Emeline looked at Antony, standing diagonally in front of her.

It felt like the first time she was truly seeing the breadth of his back and shoulders. Of course, that wasn’t really the case.

Perhaps this unfamiliar feeling came from how he stepped in between her and their father, shielding her protectively.

Antony’s timing had been perfect.

Hadn’t Emeline told the guests at Winderbilm that her brother was her ally?

‘I’m sure those rumors reached his ears too.’

If so, he had done this fully aware of everything, intentionally stepping forward to help her.

‘Why would he go this far…’

Emeline’s wide, surprised eyes shifted to her father.

Duke Delzeier still wore a face of confusion, as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

Would he scold his only son, Antony, when they returned home?

Emeline had some idea.

Just as she had been oppressed by their father, so too had Antony endured similar upbringing.

It was just that the strictness of discipline and the level of control over personal freedom had been harsher for Emeline.

‘Could it be that my brother might be punished for this…’

A strange discomfort stirred in Emeline.

The Duke, who had worn a troubled expression for a while, soon composed himself without showing it and opened his mouth.

“Very well. But please refrain from such public displays next time, Marquis. Since my daughter wasn’t the one who initiated it… I have nothing more to say.”

“Of course, Your Grace. Since you’ve shown such generosity, I must offer you my sincere thanks.”

Bernard had no choice but to back down, and Zenon immediately jumped in.

Wearing his usual pleasant smile, he politely placed his arm around Emeline’s waist and said, “Actually, not long ago… I proposed to your daughter, and Emeline accepted.”

Oh my… A soft exclamation rippled through the surrounding crowd, their eyes filled with eager curiosity.

At Zenon’s declaration, Bernard’s face twisted sharply.

Though he quickly tried to maintain his expression, the veins bulging from his hand gripping the cane were clearly visible.

To allude to marriage in such a public setting?

He clearly thought Zenon was insane, but Zenon simply offered a bright, unbothered smile.

And without giving him any time to recover, he pushed further.

“I thought the only thing left was to gain Your Grace’s approval, but hearing that you understand and accept me has put my mind at ease!”

“Wh-what…”

What on earth is he talking about?

Understand and accept? Who?

‘I accepted you?’

The stunned Duke could no longer maintain a composed expression.

Though Bernard kept shooting him sharp glares, Zenon remained cheerfully oblivious.

“Once wedding preparations begin, I’ll make a proper visit. I’ll be sure to bring you gifts you’ll like.”

Bernard swallowed his urge to erupt, keenly aware of the eyes around him.

“…There’s no need for that. I have no use for such things.”

“Oh no, I insist. You’ve granted us permission to marry, after all. There’s nothing I wouldn’t give you in return—except my love for your daughter, of course. That belongs solely to her. Oh, and my life too. That’s hers as well!”

…This lunatic. When did I ever give permission for marriage?

Utterly speechless, the Duke struggled to smooth his expression.

Perhaps unable to bear watching the bizarre back-and-forth between Bernard and Zenon any longer, Antony stepped in.

“Lord Trancium, I was hoping to speak with you.”

He turned to Zenon, offering a seemingly polite smile.

“Would you mind joining me and Emeline for a short conversation?”

“Certainly. Then I’ll excuse myself for a bit, Your Grace.”

Zenon bowed politely to Bernard before turning to Antony.

Antony looked at him as if he were some kind of rare oddity, then turned his head away.

Emeline could somewhat understand how her brother felt.

None of this had been planned, and truthfully, she had watched the entire exchange with disbelief as well.

‘Not that it put me in a bad mood.’

Zenon had managed to infuriate their father without stepping over the line, in an impressively cunning way.

She had been dumbfounded while it happened, but now that it was over, she found it quite entertaining.

Emeline let a faint smile curl at her lips.

“Shall we go?”

As Antony took the lead and walked past them, Emeline grabbed Zenon’s arm and followed.

She didn’t know what he was setting up the meeting for, but Emeline welcomed the opportunity.

They could talk in a quiet place and then subtly slip away from the banquet.

‘This worked out well. If we stayed longer, things would just get troublesome.’

Whatever important conversation Antony wanted, he led them outside into the darkness.

Only after reaching a quiet spot did he stop walking and turn to face them. The soft lights illuminating the stone path cast a glow over Antony’s figure.

He shifted his gaze calmly, looking at Zenon once, then Emeline.

Then, as if it were no big deal, he tossed out his words.

“Go now, before things get annoying.”

Emeline could hardly believe her ears.

“The conversation you wanted with the three of us was…”

“There isn’t one.”

“What?”

“Do you want to stand around getting grilled by everyone? It’ll get messy once you go back.”

Emeline stared at him in disbelief.

So he had brought them out here just to let them leave quietly.

She had planned to leave soon after separating from him anyway. A glance at Zenon showed he seemed surprised by Antony’s unexpected kindness as well.

As the two stood in confusion, Antony looked toward Zenon, his expression subtly twisted, then he let out a sigh and asked, “When are you taking Mel?”

“…Probably soon. Now that our relationship is public, we’ll likely move to the Trancium townhouse in Elvarto. I’ll bring him then.”

“Alright.”

“Alright.”

“…Nothing else to say?”

“No, go.”

Antony’s tone was indifferent, possibly out of consideration. His gaze briefly flicked over the matching rings the two of them wore.

Just as Emeline was about to turn around and pull Zenon with her, convinced he was serious—

“Lord Trancium.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Let’s meet again sometime. Take Emeline home safely.”

Leaving only those brief words, Antony turned his back with little ceremony.

As they watched his figure grow distant, Zenon spoke beside her, “Your brother doesn’t seem to dislike me that much.”

“Not sure…”

Walking back to the carriage with Zenon, Emeline thought back on Antony’s attitude.

To be honest, it wasn’t exactly warm. Whenever he looked at Zenon, his expression was nothing short of disapproving.

Still, he didn’t show overt hostility. Compared to Duke Delzeier, he was practically doting.

“At least he’s not trying to ruin me. And he asked me to take care of you. I think he trusts me a little.”

Zenon looked completely satisfied with just that.

For someone highly esteemed by the royal family, it was oddly endearing to see him pleased over such a small thing. Emeline reached out and stroked his hair.

She also felt a strange twinge of guilt at his reaction. Zenon would surely say there was no need for her to feel that way.

“Let’s get back to the hotel. I’m exhausted…”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Zenon wrapped his arm around her waist.

Leaving behind the noisy banquet where the lights still blazed, the two of them headed toward their carriage.

***

[Delzeier’s Precious Daughter Found to Be in a Longtime Relationship with Former Rival Zenon Trancium…]

Emeline let out a small laugh as she read the headline gracing the newspaper’s front page for the past several days.

Leaning deeply into her chair, her body relaxed.

Though the newspaper company was owned by Zenon, he had once told her he never interfered with the contents of the articles.

Which meant this story purely reflected how much attention their relationship had drawn in the kingdom.

Her father, who had probably started each day fuming at the morning paper, must have been seething.

‘Come to think of it, when Zenon and I were caught in a scandal before, I recently learned that it wasn’t even Zenon’s intention…’

She had only found that out not long ago.

He had always blocked stories about them before. That one time had been the exception.

And because of that one incident, Zenon ended up buying the entire newspaper company.

‘It’s still ridiculous when I think about it. Who buys an entire company just for that…’

Setting aside how outrageous it was, Emeline couldn’t help but recall the harsh things she had said to him that day.

With a quiet expression, she folded the newspaper and set it on the side table.

Rising from her seat, she approached Benica, who was packing her luggage.

The maid was just fastening the latch on the suitcase.