A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 117

Chapter 117: The Marchioness

“Are you all set?”

“Yes, miss. The carriage should be ready by now, so once we load the luggage, we can depart right away.”

“Then let’s head out together.”

Emeline left the room with Benica.

Despite carrying the heavy luggage, the maid walked briskly without a hint of struggle.

On top of that, she chatted away out of a sense of duty to keep her lady from getting bored.

“His Grace won’t be troubling you anymore, right?”

“Probably not.”

Emeline gave a small chuckle at the maid’s choice of words and nodded.

Today, she was leaving Winderbilm and heading to the Trancium mansion in Elvarto.

Since Emeline had announced her relationship with Zenon and public attention was on them, the Duke could no longer drag her away so recklessly.

‘Zenon played a big part in that.’

He had publicly declared their engagement and even twisted the narrative to make it seem as though her father had given his blessing.

Recalling Zenon’s ever-persuasive way of overwhelming his opponents when they let down their guard, Emeline couldn’t help but feel amused.

“It’s been three days since you last saw the Marquis.”

“Yes, it has…”

Zenon had gone ahead to check on the condition of the mansion.

He had said he wanted everything to be perfect for when Emeline arrived.

Unable to stop him, Emeline had let him return to the capital three days earlier.

“Please board the carriage, miss. I’ll load the rest of the luggage quickly.”

When they reached the waiting carriage, Benica ushered Emeline in before hurrying off toward the luggage cart.

Seated inside, Emeline looked out the window.

The peaceful view of Winderbilm stretched before her. The wind-blown trees seemed to wave goodbye.

Even though she was leaving a paradise, Emeline felt more anticipation than regret.

Not to mention the joy of seeing Zenon again soon.

Now that their relationship had been made public, she would resume her preparations for the academy entrance exam, and also begin getting ready for the wedding, step by step.

‘It’s so peaceful…’

She had felt this way countless times since coming to Winderbilm, yet it still felt unreal.

As she soaked in the moment with her eyes closed, the carriage finished its preparations for departure.

Through the window, she saw the villa caretakers gathered to see her off.

With cheerful expressions, they wished her a safe journey and bowed. Their warm smiles lifted Emeline’s spirits.

“Shall we depart?”

“Yes.”

At last, the carriage set off for Elvarto.

To the place where their future would continue.

To the place where Zenon was waiting for her.

***

After passing through a tall avenue of trees dyed in spring green, the carriage arrived at the Trancium mansion.

Having traveled in the shade the whole way, a few leaves had settled on the carriage roof.

While the luggage cart clattered busily in the background, Emeline calmly readied herself to disembark.

Just then, someone opened the carriage door and reached out a hand.

“Emeline.”

A handsome face, smiling with warmly crinkled eyes, greeted her.

It had only been three days, but it felt like longer.

“Zenon, I missed you.”

Emeline took his hand, leading with her honest heart.

Zenon’s eyes softened even more, and the moment Emeline stepped down from the carriage, he immediately pulled her in.

Startled by his sudden gesture, Emeline briefly tensed as her body fell into his arms.

Zenon skillfully wrapped her in a secure embrace. “I missed you too. Maybe I should’ve waited one more day—then I would’ve seen you again in just two.”

“And you’re the one who said we needed to get everything ready immediately.”

When Emeline replied lightly, Zenon let go of her with a smile.

Without a care for their surroundings, he kissed her cheek and held her hand again.

“Welcome.”

With his large frame blocking her view, it was only once he stepped aside that Emeline saw the full landscape of the estate.

As if they had been waiting for her arrival, the staff were lined up from the garden all the way to the mansion, bowing in greeting.

Such a grand welcome was usually reserved for Bernard or Antony when they returned after a long absence.

Naturally, Emeline had never received such treatment.

If it had been half this scale, she might have felt more at ease, but now it was just overwhelming.

As she walked with Zenon toward the mansion’s entrance, Emeline glanced around and said, “The rose garden… it’s gone.”

She recalled the rose garden that had left such a strong impression on her during her one and only visit to the Trancium estate.

The moment she had stepped through the main gate, the heavy scent of roses had been almost dizzying.

Back then, the Marchioness had reportedly adored roses, hence the overwhelming display.

‘I wonder if this place changed, too, during those four years we weren’t in contact.’

As Emeline looked at him with curiosity, Zenon opened his mouth to reply.

“Since you were coming, I renovated the estate and changed the garden, too.”

“…Your mother?”

Emeline felt a subtle concern at the thought of overturning a garden arranged according to her wishes. She had heard the Marchioness was long confined to her sickbed.

“Ah, my mother?”

But instead of concern, Zenon raised the corners of his lips and smiled.

As he stepped into the foyer, he paused and looked back at her.

“My mother is currently resting here. She happened to say she wanted to meet you.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah. She even told me to redo the house however I liked if I thought you’d enjoy it.”

Emeline couldn’t hide her surprise and blinked slowly.

She had expected Zenon to inform the servants and his family that she would be coming, but she hadn’t imagined his mother would be this welcoming.

After all, Emeline was the daughter of Duke Delzeier, with whom the Tranciums had long had a poor relationship.

Just as her family had disapproved of Zenon, she had assumed the same sentiment would hold on his side.

“My mother likes you,” Zenon said, reading the confusion in her face. He calmly guided her toward where his mother was.

“She likes me… But I’ve never even met her properly.”

“I just talked about you to her often.”

“…About me?”

“Because of my father’s orders, she was always confined to the annex and rarely allowed to go out. Now that he’s left the house to recuperate after the shock, she’s free.”

Back then, it must have felt suffocating.

“I wanted to be someone she could talk to, so I visited often. Even that night you came to our house, I went to see her.”

“Ah… You mean when I couldn’t sleep and ran into you outside?”

Listening to him, Emeline recalled that night. He had said he had just come from visiting his mother during the storm.

Apparently, he had been her companion and returned from the annex that night.

“Yeah. I always tried to bring her stories she’d enjoy hearing… and once I met you, I started telling her about you.”

There was someone who kept catching his attention, and so naturally, she came up in his stories. Strangely, every time he talked about her, he felt happy.

The topics, once varied, eventually narrowed to one person alone.

Maybe that’s why his mother wanted to meet Emeline.

Because the Emeline Zenon had been watching all along had reached his mother’s heart, too.

“Mother’s wanted to meet you for a long time.”

Emeline’s eyes widened for a moment, then she slowly nodded. Something about the story stirred her heart unbearably.

Suppressing the fluster bubbling up inside her, she responded, “I want to meet your mother, too.”

“She’ll be happy. Let’s go.”

He quickened his pace as he led Emeline forward.

She chuckled at how excited he seemed and adjusted her grip on his hand.

“I need to make a good impression. We’ll be living together from now on…”

Murmuring to herself to ease her nerves, Emeline’s words made Zenon suddenly slow down.

“Mm… That won’t happen.”

“Your mother won’t live with us?”

“Right.”

“Why not?”

Even among other noble families, it wasn’t unusual for the dowager marchioness to live with the heir. So Emeline found it strange.

“She said she wants to go somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else? Where would she go?”

Walking alongside Zenon down the corridor, Emeline stopped and looked at him. Zenon halted too and gave a slightly bitter smile.

“I don’t know the exact place, but she says she’s tired of being confined to the same place for so long.”

“……”

“So after seeing you, she wants to travel somewhere for a few days…”

“But she’s unwell. And you agreed to this?”

“My mother’s spent far more time in the annex than outside. How could I tell her no?”

“…You’re right.”

Emeline understood Zenon’s feelings toward his mother.

Even she hadn’t stopped her own mother when she said she wanted to recuperate alone at the distant villa in Hilbert.

She hadn’t wanted to restrict someone already confined by illness.

Had her mother been truly too unwell, Emeline would have objected no matter what.

So if Zenon had agreed without hesitation, it must mean he thought it would be alright.

“Let’s go. She must be waiting.”

This time, it was Emeline who took the lead.

For some reason, hearing that the Marchioness would leave in a few days made the remaining time feel shorter.

She was curious about Zenon’s family. She wanted to hear stories about Zenon she didn’t know yet.

Perhaps sensing that desire, Zenon gave a small laugh and replied, “Alright.”