A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 122

Chapter 122: I’ll Send You Abroad

The carriage Emeline rode came to a stop at the promised location, the Edelroa Exhibition Hall.

Perhaps due to the scale of its reopening, people could be seen coming and going from the building in decent numbers.

‘It’s a place where an accident happened once. You’d think they’d be more cautious.’

But once they heard that the cause had been identified and repairs had been made, they resumed coming and going as if nothing had happened. All for the sake of maintaining ties with Duke Delzeier.

It was hard not to find it complacent.

‘More people are coming out than going in.’

Emeline stepped down from the carriage, assisted by the coachman, and scanned the area.

The architectural structure, designed by a master and resembling a work of art, was as grand and splendid as ever.

“His Grace seems to have cleared out most guests except key ones to create a quiet space for your conversation, miss.”

Benica, who had accompanied Emeline, moved swiftly to gather information and returned to report.

“I see.”

Watching the people exiting, Emeline slipped through the crowd. She left the maid to wait by the carriage.

With each step she took, the sound of her heels echoed against the stone stairs. Before long, that sound shifted to the cold resonance of marble.

As she entered the exhibition hall, a familiar face appeared.

The Duke was giving brief parting words to the departing guests, having announced a temporary closure of the exhibition.

Just as he was seeing off the last guest, he spotted Emeline.

“Emeline, you came.”

The Duke’s face lit up for a moment.

Emeline watched his expression, then approached him with the same polite smile she always wore.

‘I was worried he might try to drag me away the moment he saw me. But I guess not.’

She slowly let down the guard she had raised so high.

“Father, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”

Considering the commotion at the last banquet, he would’ve had every reason to be furious at her casual tone.

However, Bernard only gave a slow nod.

“Come. Let’s go somewhere we can sit. You must be tired from the journey.”

“It was only a short ride.”

“Still, I’m grateful you accepted my invitation.”

He patted her shoulder as he spoke—the same gesture he’d always used when praising her.

The Duke led her to a coffee house located on the upper floor of the exhibition hall.

‘…I can’t believe Father’s being this generous.’

Though the suspicion didn’t leave her, Emeline followed him quietly.

Perhaps he really had accepted her relationship with Zenon at last.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

“Well, Emeline… It’s been a while.”

After briefly observing her face, the Duke finally spoke.

Emeline, who had been looking at the prepared teacup and the peach-topped dessert in front of her, now turned to look at her father.

Now that she saw him again, he did seem somewhat thinner.

That detail stuck in her mind, but Emeline got straight to the point.

“You said you wanted to speak with me.”

“…Yes. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about your situation. I’ve realized I was too neglectful of you.”

“……”

The Duke let out a faint sigh. On his face was an unfamiliar trace of remorse.

Emeline, caught off guard by how strange it felt, stared at him blankly.

“I’ve done you a great deal of wrong.”

“Wrong, you say…”

“You know I’m not exactly the most flexible man. But this time, I want to rebuild trust between us, even if it means making some concessions.”

Emeline remained silent and listened to him.

Bernard looked at her with a tender gaze, as if he had only just realized the value of his beloved daughter.

“Emeline, I knew your dream was to go to university, and yet I ignored your feelings all this time.”

“……”

“You’ve always loved to study. I knew you were a bright child from a young age. I imagine you began to distance yourself from me the day you brought home your first top score.”

As if reminiscing, the Duke’s eyes grew faint for a moment.

Following his words, Emeline recalled those past days and felt herself sink into quiet reflection.

“Yes, that was the start of everything. No matter how obedient you were, you must’ve felt hurt. I’m truly sorry, Emeline.”

He apologized to Emeline.

She hadn’t expected such words from him at all, and was left slightly speechless.

Just as she was about to respond after a moment of hesitation, she froze.

It was because of what the Duke said next.

“So I’ll send you abroad.”

“…Abroad?”

“Even now, I want to give you the chance to pursue your dream. So come back to me. If you study abroad, you’ll get a chance to attend university and study as much as you like.”

For a moment, Emeline couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.

The Duke, not waiting for her to process it, continued to speak with a gentle yet impatient tone, “You told me once that Zenon Trancium supported your dream. But I can support you even more firmly than him.”

“What are you…”

“You understand how much I’m considering you right now, don’t you? I can give you what you want more easily than that man can. There’s even a place fit for your studies—my alma mater. I just have to say the word and they’ll accept you without even an entrance exam.”

“…Ha.”

Emeline, rendered speechless by the shock, let out a short, hollow laugh.

She began to question whether she was hearing him correctly.

So, using dishonest means to guarantee admission. Studying abroad to avoid seeing Zenon?

“Emeline, you’re only drawn to that man because you’re disappointed in me. Can’t you come back to how things were? I was wrong, okay?”

“…Father.”

Even after calling out to him, Emeline didn’t know what to say for a long while and merely let out a bitter laugh. The laughter wouldn’t stop.

“What exactly… do you think I am?”

“You’re my proud daughter. Until you brought home that vulgar man, you were a daughter worthy of being compared to anyone.”

So he thought her relationship with Zenon was merely a result of her resentment toward him.

And he planned to eliminate the root cause altogether.

At his ludicrous reasoning, Emeline was flooded with dismay.

Without knowing any of this, she had taken his sentimental reflection as genuine understanding. She had even planned how best to share her life updates with him.

That the wedding preparations were underway, and that the university entrance exams she so desired were just weeks away.

She had planned to tell him more details about the wedding arrangements when the time came…

Emeline felt like a fool.

It wasn’t the first time.

She had been made a fool by her father more than once.

“You say studying abroad is for my sake… Such noble sacrifice and consideration.”

It was easy to see why he’d chosen studying abroad over attending a domestic university.

He must have been worried about the stir she would cause if she entered university within the kingdom.

Sending her abroad would make the news fade quietly.

‘And still, he calls that doing something for me.’

Wasn’t it just like tearing off the crust of bread and offering the scraps?

Suddenly, a surge of emotion welled up inside her.

Emeline knew she was reaching a breaking point, unable to suppress all that had built up inside her.

“You’re mistaken, Father. The reason I began resenting you wasn’t that. It was all the lies you kept telling.”

“Emeline… What are you talking about.”

“The way you maliciously drove a wedge between Zenon and me and kept it hidden for four years, the way you met another woman while Mother lay sick in bed, and how you had the gall to keep lecturing me all the while…!”

The more she recalled how he inflicted harm as casually as if tormenting an ant, the more unbearable it became.

Her emotions were so tangled and painful she couldn’t even define them.

Bernard’s face paled, as if he hadn’t expected her to know about his affair.

Emeline glared at that face with deep resentment.

“I love Zenon not just because he supported me, but because he understood me.”

This wasn’t consideration.

It was just another attempt to control her on his terms.

Emeline hated her father with a bitterness that made her tremble.

The fact that no matter what she did, he never truly tried to understand her—it left her feeling utterly abandoned.

“If I’m not the kind of daughter you want, then just disown me. Stop trying to manipulate me like this.”

“What? Emeline, how could you say such a thing—”

“What’s so wrong about it? I’ve never once been a real daughter to you. It should be easy for you. You’ve never had any attachment to me! Just label me a disgrace and kick me out of the family already. I’ve only ever been a tool to you.”

Having unleashed the words she’d held back for so long, Emeline gasped for breath. Her expression was contorted with anguish.

Emeline stood up. “You’ve never once been my pillar of support, so why should I turn my back on Zenon for you?”

“……”

“To me, you’ve always been a figure of fear, never the kind of family others talk about.”

The Duke seemed paralyzed by the blow of her words.

Emeline stared fiercely at him one last time, then turned to walk away.

Her emotions were so crushed, her legs nearly gave out. She clenched her jaw and forced herself to walk quickly.

But in the end, the sheer hopelessness made her stumble to a halt.

As she stood there, eyes tightly shut and breath trembling—

Footsteps came from behind, along with a voice calling her name.

Her father, even now, just couldn’t let go.

‘Don’t turn around.’

Emeline steeled herself and tried to take another step.

But something crumbled and dropped at her feet.

It had fallen from above.

She froze, sensing something ominous, and looked up.

It didn’t take long to notice the cracked ceiling.

In an instant, her mind went completely blank.

“Emeline!”

She heard her name called again as she stared up at the ceiling in a daze.

And just then—the ground beneath her feet collapsed.