A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 126

Chapter 126: I’m Sorry

Zenon leaned forward in response and held Emeline in a tight embrace. Her sorrowful sobs continued a little longer.

The moment she finally saw him again—the one thought that had kept her pushing forward—her entire body relaxed.

Emeline couldn’t stop crying, overwhelmed with relief.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

Zenon rested his head against hers and whispered softly. Then he let out a long breath as if in relief and clenched his teeth.

The urgency in his embrace conveyed his desperation.

“I’m so glad you’re safe…”

“Sob…”

“I’m so, so grateful… that I got to see you again.”

His voice was just as wrecked as hers.

As Emeline calmed her breath in his arms, she gradually regained composure.

She loosened her arms from around his neck and looked at him.

“Zenon, are you hurt anywhere… on the way here?”

Though she herself was in terrible shape, she asked about him instead.

Her teary blue eyes carefully studied him.

Zenon kissed the damp corners of her eyes with deep affection.

“No, I’m fine. As long as you’re okay… there’s not a single part of me that hurts.”

“That’s impossible.”

At that, Emeline managed a faint smile.

Looking down at her, Zenon turned and asked the people behind them, “Is everyone alright? I know a relatively safe path out.”

“We’re fine. Honestly, the one who seemed worst off was Lady Delzeier…”

“Indeed.”

They looked at Emeline with a mix of guilt and gratitude.

Her demeanor had been so reliable that, overwhelmed by fear, they had forgotten she might have been the most injured among them.

It was only when they saw her legs give out on the ladder that they remembered.

She had never once let on that she was hurt, guiding them here despite everything.

“I’ll carry Emeline. Everyone, please follow me.”

Zenon began retracing the path he had come.

Unlike what Emeline had thought—escaping through the terrace of the reception room—the terrace was blocked by debris.

‘If Zenon hadn’t come, even reaching the first floor wouldn’t have gotten us out.’

Emeline looked up at Zenon silently as he carried her. “How did you know to come here?”

He paused for a moment before replying, “At first, I was just wandering the first floor in case, but then I noticed something there. I almost passed it and went to the second floor, but… the left-side staircase was in terrible shape. Your father told me you were on the left.”

“…I see.”

“Then I remembered that the reception room looked relatively untouched and had a ladder leading to the upper floor.”

It seemed Zenon had inspected the reception room earlier, even in such a short span.

Smiling confidently, he added, “I thought about going around to the right side, but honestly, you’re too smart to take a longer, more dangerous route across the entire hall. If I chose the wrong way, we might have missed each other.”

“…You talk like you know me better than I do.”

“That’s not even the half of it. I just… knew I’d find you if I came here. Just like how you were always wherever I went.”

Emeline smiled again at his words.

To anyone else, he might’ve sounded like a hopeless romantic obsessed with fate.

If the people following behind them had overheard, they probably would’ve thought the same.

But this wasn’t some grand, contrived story. It was simply true.

He had always been where she was heading.

As Zenon carefully kept pace, occasionally checking on those behind, the exit finally came into view.

The onlookers outside, still staring in shock at the disaster site, and those following Zenon out, all brightened at once.

“People are coming out over there!”

“Oh my goodness…! It’s true!”

Families and relatives of the trapped victims rushed forward.

Emeline, watching them embrace their loved ones, smiled faintly from over Zenon’s shoulder.

Relief and a strange tinge of bitterness welled up within her.

“Emeline.”

Suddenly, Zenon called to her.

When she looked up, he gestured ahead with his eyes.

Following his gaze, Emeline’s eyes landed on Duke Delzeier standing at a distance.

“Emeline…!”

He rushed toward them, where the two had stopped.

The flood of emotions hit Emeline all at once. They had parted on such a bitter note.

Uncomfortable, she clung more tightly to Zenon, but then Zenon betrayed her expectations.

He gently lowered her to the ground.

Zenon gave her a soft look, as if saying it would be alright.

Emeline reluctantly turned a cold gaze toward the Duke.

“…Father.”

Just then, as he was repeatedly checking her condition, he suddenly pulled Emeline into an embrace.

Emeline froze in surprise. Her father was not the type to act like this.

‘He wouldn’t possibly put on another strange show in front of all these people… would he?’

She was filled with uneasy suspicion—until she felt a faint tremble from the Duke holding her.

This time, Emeline truly went blank.

He was sobbing quietly—not acting, but truly crying.

Emeline, as if feeling familial warmth for the first time in her life, flailed in embarrassment and looked around, unsure of what to do.

Bernard only held her tighter.

“Emeline, I didn’t know that’s how you felt…”

“……”

“I just… wanted to raise you to be prouder than the daughters of any other household…”

As she listened, Emeline’s heart gradually settled.

She didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t empathize with his actions or intentions.

But she did understand.

Some of his actions were unforgivable, regardless of how many times he apologized.

Yet Emeline knew that what he had tried to give her—if offered to any other noble daughter—would have been the envy of their lifetime.

It was only that Emeline couldn’t accept the future everyone else wanted as her happiness.

The Duke continued sobbing as he embraced her endlessly. “Just now, I thought I’d lost you… I’m sorry, my child. I’m truly sorry… Thank you so much for coming back safe…”

The more he wept, the stranger Emeline felt.

Her heart felt warm, and she bit her lip tightly.

Aside from the last four years, she had spent her whole life regarding her father as a steadfast pillar.

When she thought of all the time she had spent, only to be betrayed, she couldn’t bring herself to accept him.

But separate from her mind, her hand moved and wrapped around his back.

She had no resistance to her father’s tears.

“Please stop crying now, Father…”

As Emeline awkwardly patted his back, the Duke wept even harder.

Listening to his disjointed words, it seemed he had truly thought she was lost.

“Please, Emeline… won’t you come home for a little while, just while you recover…?”

At the sudden request, Emeline’s hand paused mid-pat.

“Father, that’s…”

“I drove you into danger like this. I won’t feel at ease until I see you recover with my own eyes…”

Hearing his tearful and panicked words, Emeline hesitated.

This was bad. It was the first time she had seen her father cry, and she couldn’t bring herself to be cold.

That lingering desire for familial acceptance and affection felt like it had turned into poison.

In the end, she turned to Zenon beside her, hoping he might offer a solution.

She believed that, even in this situation, he would handle things gracefully.

“Emeline.”

But unexpectedly, Zenon simply looked into her eyes and smiled softly.

As if saying that no matter what she chose, everything would be fine.

Emeline felt conflicted. After staring at him for a moment, she looked away, her eyes wavering.

And finally, she made her decision.

“Alright. I’ll come. So please stop crying now, Father.”

“Do you really mean that…?”

“Yes, but only for a short while…”

“Thank you. Thank you for trusting me…”

He continued expressing his apologies and gratitude.

‘This is okay… right?’

Even though it was a decision she made herself, Emeline was filled with unease.

Given the situation, responding to her father’s words felt like a grave misstep.

She feared she might have chosen the wrong path yet again.

While she was lost in worry, a warm touch reached her hand.

She looked up to find Zenon gently holding her hand, as if telling her not to worry.

Their eyes met, and he smiled softly.

It felt like he was assuring her—You chose well.

Seeing that look, Emeline felt her heart ease.

‘You’re saying it’ll be alright, aren’t you?’

While the Duke clung to Emeline and wept, the rescue team arrived.

Thanks to their help, Emeline was safely transported to the hospital.

Before leaving, she looked back at Zenon.

They had somehow become separated, and he waved lightly from a distance.

‘It’s not like I’m going back to the marquisate…’

Emeline waved back in return.

Only after getting into the transport and lying down on the patient bed did her entire body relax.

Beside her, her father—who had followed—still couldn’t hide his tears. He held her hand with utmost care.

As Emeline glanced at him, she slowly turned her head to look out the bright, sunlit window.

She didn’t know why, but for the first time, it really felt like everything was finally over.