A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 121

Chapter 121: I Have to Be Okay, Still

Early in the morning, Emeline sipped tea while spreading open the morning paper.

News about the public announcement of their relationship had finally died down, and now new topics were making headlines.

[Edelroa Exhibition Hall Reopens]

Emeline stared blankly at the headline for a long while before lifting her gaze. She had sensed someone approaching beside her.

“Emeline.”

Zenon, dressed handsomely in outdoor attire, approached and planted light kisses on her cheek as she sat on the sofa.

It was a stark contrast to Emeline, who was still in her nightclothes, having only washed her face and brushed her hair.

“You’ll be late at this rate. You should get going.”

Emeline pushed Zenon away, who looked ready to devour her cheek with kisses.

Lately, Zenon had begun not only working from home but also actively taking on external duties.

“There’s still time. I got ready early.”

Zenon pulled up the corners of his lips in a smile and calmly sat beside her. A subtle scent of cologne wafted from him.

Even without such things, he was already ridiculously attractive, so Emeline made no comment.

‘There’s a faint cigar smell.’

She knew Zenon had recently started using cologne to mask that scent—something he hadn’t worn before.

Knowing him, he’d probably quit cigars altogether soon and stop using cologne again.

“It’s been two days since the exhibition reopened, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I wonder if it’s really safe.”

Zenon furrowed his handsome brow slightly and looked at the paper.

Worry and suspicion were evident in his eyes.

Emeline responded evenly, “I heard they went through extensive renovations to remove all the dangerous ceiling installations. It seems the supports embedded in the ceiling for those installations were the problem.”

“It was a ceiling installation that fell back then.”

“…It was.”

Recalling that day, Emeline frowned.

The sudden memory wasn’t welcome. It was one of those she wished she could forget.

Zenon Trancium had leapt into the scene of the accident to save her.

She vividly remembered the sound of his shallow, labored breathing and the faint smile of relief he gave her.

Just thinking about that day still made her heart pound fearfully, as if broken.

“You’re really going today?”

The sudden question broke her train of thought.

Zenon was looking at her with a serious gaze.

‘…He must be just as worried as I am.’

She softened her expression and took his hand. The sharpness in his gaze eased immediately.

Emeline had spent nearly ten days deliberating over the letter the Duke had sent.

And she had finally decided to meet her father, just once.

“We’re getting married soon. I can’t not invite my father.”

She didn’t want to be the subject of gossip for holding a wedding without the bride’s father.

He probably disliked being the topic of idle talk himself, so he might attend. But since he still hadn’t given his blessing to Zenon, it was hard to predict.

Emeline still didn’t fully understand her father.

It was only four years ago that she had come to know the vile side he had long kept hidden. She had spent more than half her life not knowing who her father truly was.

So she resolved to meet him and have a real conversation.

Thinking back, Emeline realized she had never once had a deep talk with her father.

“You said you’d go confidently. So why the gloomy face, hm?”

Zenon gently cupped her face and turned it toward him.

Lost in quiet concern, Emeline was caught off guard.

She answered hesitantly, “It’s just… the fact that the exhibition hall is the meeting place bothers me… It’s not that I don’t want to go.”

Because it was the scene of the accident. Just thinking about that day made her mind go blank all over again.

Emeline let out a deep sigh and continued, “And yet my father still has to gain something. He insisted on that place for the meeting.”

He probably wanted to demonstrate that even his injured daughter could return, proving its safety to the public.

She saw through his calculations, but she didn’t believe that was the only reason the Duke wanted to meet.

‘Father hates disrupting his schedule, and yet he’s taking time out of his day to see me.’

That action alone meant a personal loss in his business-focused life.

‘He even let me pick today, two days after the reopening he mentioned.’

Emeline had decided to meet him because the Duke agreed to match her chosen date.

A father who detested losses so much that he would recoil at the thought, yet said he’d see his daughter even if it meant disrupting his schedule on a random day.

Emeline began pouring out her thoughts to Zenon.

“Yeah, I’m sure His Grace genuinely wants to see you.”

In truth, this was already the third time he’d heard the same story from her.

The fact that she kept repeating herself let Zenon know just how much she was worried about meeting her father.

And also, how unstable she became when thinking about the Edelroa Exhibition Hall.

“Emeline.”

As she continued to speak, Zenon reached out his arm. With a steady and solid motion, he gently pulled her close.

Completely drained of strength, she followed without resistance.

Emeline’s forehead rested against Zenon’s cologne-scented jacket. His hand wrapped around the back of her head, patting gently.

“It’s okay.”

“……”

“Nothing big will happen. You made this decision, so it’s meaningful, and it’ll turn out the way you hope.”

“…Okay.”

“Just as I respected your decision because I believe in you, you should believe in yourself too.”

At first, Zenon had opposed Emeline’s decision.

It wasn’t just the place that brought back bad memories, but also the risk of her getting hurt depending on who she met.

Still, Zenon chose to respect her decision.

It was a choice she had made while overcoming her fear, so he chose to trust her judgment.

He rested his cheek on top of her head.

Drawn in by him, Emeline leaned in awkwardly, then faintly smiled after a moment of stillness.

“Okay. I believe in myself.”

“Good girl.”

Emeline slowly inhaled and exhaled. Beneath the scent of his cologne, the aroma of cigars reached her nose.

Had it been someone else, she might’ve frowned immediately, but for some reason, the scent didn’t seem unpleasant coming from Zenon.

Rather, it was oddly endearing.

Spraying cologne so earnestly when the smell wasn’t even fully masked.

‘Sloppy.’

Emeline pretended not to notice, even though she had.

Before long, Zenon let her go and left the mansion for his outside duties.

After seeing him off, Emeline returned to prepare for her meeting with her father.

“Make sure everything is ready on time.”

She gave a short instruction to a servant, then lifted her gaze to the clock. The second hand moved quickly.

***

“Haa…”

Only ten minutes after leaving the mansion without Emeline, Zenon sighed deeply in the carriage.

His gaze out the window had grown noticeably tense.

Before leaving the house, he had comforted and encouraged her, but in truth, he wasn’t in a calm state at all.

‘…Will it really be okay?’

He had sought opinions from his aides about the situation beforehand as well…

‘They all responded as if everything would be fine after the extensive renovations.’

Zenon couldn’t understand their complacency.

On the other hand, he had to admit he was overreacting.

But still, he couldn’t help but worry that Emeline might get hurt again, especially given that she had already been endangered once.

What if this time she faced danger again, and he wasn’t there to protect her?

‘Emeline…’

If she ever learned about the irrational thoughts he had after hearing she planned to go back to that place, she would be appalled.

Knowing how impulsive and mean those thoughts were, he had forced himself to hold back and let her go.

Lost in his conflicted thoughts, he finally straightened up only after arriving at his destination.

Robert, the aide who opened the carriage door, greeted him and then looked surprised.

“You don’t look well at all today… Are you alright, sir?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“…Asking the same thing twice isn’t very polite, is it?”

“But since when have you ever cared about that, my lord.”

Zenon fell silent and took the lead, stepping forward.

Just before entering the building, he finally spoke.

“…I have to be okay, still.”

He muttered the words in a quiet voice, and then, as if nothing were wrong, gave calm instructions for the day’s business.

Everyone had said nothing would happen, and he had chosen to believe them with everything he had.

Because he loved Emeline dearly.

Because they had come together through such hardship.

He wanted her to be safe—and above all, he wanted her to be happy.