A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Insult

Hearing her friends gasp in surprise, Emeline snapped back to her senses. Aware of her surroundings, she quickly composed herself.

Zenon, who had been staring at her as if studying her reaction, now seemed amused. She wanted to ignore him and move on, but Emeline calmly returned his greeting.

“Hello. Do you have something to say?”

It was excessive to exchange pleasantries with someone from a rival family.

The moment the heirs of Delzeier and Trancium stood face to face, many people started paying attention. With so many ears around, Emeline had to be cautious—extremely cautious.

“I was just glad to see you here, so I thought I’d say hello.”

“…You must be quite free then, if you’re glad to see me.”

“There’s no need to think of it that way. For someone as special as you, it’s only natural I’d be glad to run into you.”

“Special?”

Emeline’s smile wavered slightly. What was he trying to say this time?

Already anxious with all the attention, Emeline feared he might start spouting nonsense about them being friends or close. She was anxious.

He must have come with Marquis Trancium, so what was he thinking, approaching her like this?

“Isn’t it true? You’re the one who lost the top spot to me. I feel a bit guilty, so of course, you seem special to me.”

His words were unexpected, as if he was waiting for her reaction. Just recently, he’d been helping her for unclear reasons, and today he was provoking her. His intent was impossible to understand.

However, as much as she hadn’t anticipated it, his comment stung Emeline’s pride. Without realizing it, she shot Zenon a glare and forced a smile.

“Congratulations on your success.”

Emeline’s words were curt, and she turned left, making it clear she had no intention of continuing the conversation. There was no benefit to facing Zenon Trancium any longer. Just as she was about to pass by him, Zenon suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

‘What is he doing?’

She looked at him with a questioning gaze, and Zenon smiled brightly, not even bothering to hide his intentions.

“You look really beautiful today.”

Emeline’s eyes widened.

Zenon Trancium’s one simple comment had a huge impact. Her face flushed with shock, and gasps escaped her friends behind her almost simultaneously.

Some of those who had been watching them began murmuring.

Emeline felt a chill run down her spine. Some people close by had surely heard him. Feeling the eyes on her, Emeline narrowed her gaze slightly, glaring at Zenon.

He must have lost his mind. Yet Zenon seemed completely unconcerned. He took a step closer to Emeline, smiling.

“I heard the music is about to start… Would you honor me with a dance?”

“…What did you say?”

For a moment, she thought she’d misheard.

Emeline barely restrained herself from gaping in shock. What could he possibly have eaten—or how hard could he have hit his head—to say something like that?

Zenon gave her an impish smile, seeing her startled reaction. It was only then that Emeline realized Zenon Trancium was deliberately approaching her in front of all these people just to make a fool of her.

‘Isn’t he worried his own family might hold this against him?’

Emeline heard the murmurs of those around them and bit her lip. Zenon might not care, but Emeline felt suffocated by fear. She was terrified that word would reach her father’s ears that she had been interacting with him.

She recalled her father Bernard’s disdain for Zenon’s family. With Zenon Trancium’s already terrible reputation, if she was seen mingling with him, there was no telling what consequences she would face.

The only fortunate thing was that her father wasn’t here—he was meeting privately with the king.

Emeline’s trembling gaze finally settled on Zenon. She had to draw a clear line with Zenon Trancium, especially with so many people watching.

Emeline opened her eyes wide in a fierce glare, raising her voice. “I can’t understand why you’d propose such a thing to me. If this is some kind of joke, I wish you’d stop. It’s extremely unpleasant.”

“Unpleasant? You’re talking as if you’ve been insulted.”

“Yes, it was an insult.”

Stealing the top spot from her. Approaching her so brazenly, playing weird games. And now, deliberately making her uncomfortable, fully aware of her distress. All of it was an insult to Emeline Delzeier.

Given her position and dignity, she had to draw a line.

“Oh dear… Are they arguing?”

Her words seemed to have carried to some of the onlookers, who began whispering. It was clear the two families had a bad relationship. But no one found it strange.

Of course—it made perfect sense. The one acting strangely was Zenon Trancium, claiming they were friends. Whatever his ulterior motive was, she didn’t know.

“Even if you have such unusual hobbies, you should be careful who you approach. There are already plenty of rumors going around about you, and now you’re trying to add even more to your list of exploits?” Emeline spoke sharply, determined to embarrass him. That was the only way to protect herself in this situation.

‘He’ll probably just make his usual sarcastic remarks and play it off.’

But instead, Zenon gave her an unusual look, gazing at her steadily. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again, looking more serious than she’d ever seen him.

Though he didn’t seem angry, his silence told her he was hurt—or maybe his pride had been wounded this time.

Emeline felt uneasy, but she ignored it, walking past him. Her flustered friends followed her.

Angel gently took hold of Emeline’s arm. “Lady Delzeier, are you alright?”

“…Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

She was the one who had said those harsh words, and she was the one who had drawn the line. Emeline forced her stiff lips into a familiar smile.

“What’s his problem, picking a fight like that? Just because he’s handsome doesn’t mean anything. His personality is truly awful.”

“I’m glad to hear that. You didn’t look well, and I was worried.”

“For him to suddenly ask you for a dance like that… It seemed like he had some ulterior motive. Please be careful.”

They all sided with Emeline, speaking as if Zenon Trancium was their enemy.

“Thank you all… for your support.”

Emeline smiled as warmly as she could. She couldn’t ignore her friends’ efforts to comfort her by criticizing Zenon.

Still, she couldn’t shake her bad mood.

She resisted the urge to look back.

***

The grand banquet carried on well into the night, the lively atmosphere never waning. Emeline looked around at the drunken, noisy guests and sighed.

‘When will Father be back?’

She was growing tired of chatting with her friends about the same topics. Eventually, Emeline used the excuse of needing some fresh air to slip away. As she crossed the hall to reach the empty terrace, young gentlemen her age kept approaching her.

“Lady Delzeier, it’s my first time seeing you up close, and you truly are beautiful. If you have a moment…”

“I was just thinking about you, and here you are! This must be fate. Would you care to speak with me…?”

Emeline offered them a polite but firm smile. All she could think was how bothersome this all was.

“I’m sorry, but I just want to be alone for a while.”

Emeline put extra emphasis on the word “alone.” Yet for every gentleman she turned away, another approached, harboring the same misplaced hopes. In the end, she surveyed her surroundings and decided to leave the banquet hall altogether.

‘Tired… I just want to go home.’

Unlike the noisy hall, the hallway was quiet. The sound of summer insects filled the air, echoing through the corridor.

Emeline walked leisurely, heading toward a small terrace in the center of the hallway.

“Lady Delzeier!”

Suddenly, someone grabbed Emeline’s wrist, spinning her around.

Emeline’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How could you just walk away when I asked to speak with you?”

It was one of the men she’d turned away earlier.

Who was he again… Viscount Blante? She remembered hearing that he had attended the same academy as her.

Seeing his face, Emeline narrowed her eyes. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming, and his grip on her wrist was unreasonably tight.

Emeline spoke, her face showing her displeasure, “Could you please let go of my wrist while we talk?”

“It’s because you keep running away from me every time I approach. If it’s because you already have a lover, then surely someone as outstanding as me would be a better choice?”

Suppressing the urge to pinch her nose from the stench of alcohol, Emeline answered, “…You’ve had too much to drink, Viscount Blante. Perhaps we can talk properly another time. Right now, I’d just like to be alone…”

At that moment, his grip on her wrist tightened aggressively. “So you’re going to ignore me again?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“It’s one thing to be proud, but there’s a limit to how much you can play hard to get… Going around flaunting your fake grades, trying to act all educated—I should just let it slide, right?”

Emeline heard every word clearly, even as she let out a faint groan at his inappropriate behavior.

She asked in a cold, lowered voice, “…Would you care to repeat that?”

“I don’t know what your father thinks he’s trying to accomplish, but everyone knows your academy grades were faked to make you look good. Pretending to be sophisticated and wasting your time with useless studies… It’s just unattractive.”

Emeline’s expression hardened as she listened to his ridiculous words.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over Viscount Blante. Someone had grabbed his shoulder.

“I didn’t know that. I don’t recall Lady Delzeier ever faking her grades.”

Zenon had suddenly appeared in the hallway, smiling brightly as he responded.

After casting a glance at Viscount Blante, Zenon’s gaze shifted to meet Emeline’s. There was a faint scent of cigars, as if he’d just put one out.