A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Don’t Worry

“Lady Delzeier? What’s wrong?” Angel asked in a puzzled voice. She seemed bewildered by Emeline’s sudden action.

Emeline, who had been momentarily frozen, carefully straightened her head and blurted out whatever came to mind. Her head was spinning from the shock.

“Lady Laresa, I’m sorry, but could I step away for a moment? I need to visit the powder room…”

“Huh? Are you feeling unwell? I can come with you—”

“It’s just for a moment. It’s a bit of an embarrassing matter, so I’d rather go alone. Please understand; I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.”

Emeline flashed a quick smile and immediately turned away. Her footsteps hurriedly left the banquet hall, and as the background noise faded, Emeline almost sprinted.

What kind of disaster is this? To get a nosebleed right in the middle of the party!

Emeline pulled a handkerchief from the inner pocket of her dress and immediately covered her nose and mouth. She noticed a glimpse of her hand stained with blood.

Closing her eyes tightly in frustration, she quickly opened them again. She moved swiftly, covering her nose with one hand and gathering her dress with the other.

Her hurried movement made her breathless, and warm liquid flowed faster from her nose.

‘If I recall, the powder room was around here somewhere…’

She was deliberately seeking a secluded area to avoid running into other nobles.

Despite pretending otherwise, people in high society enjoyed gossip. She hadn’t even confided in her friend Angel for the same reason.

‘It should be nearby…’

By the time she noticed the handkerchief was soaked, a low voice came from behind.

“Emeline?”

Emeline stiffened. For a moment, she felt as though her heart had dropped. She slowly turned her head to check behind her and saw a tall man in a well-fitted suit.

After pausing for a moment, he approached with a curious look.

Zenon Trancium.

His sudden appearance startled Emeline.

‘Where on earth did he come from?’

Surveying her surroundings with confused eyes, she realized there was another path to her right along the route she had just taken.

“What’s wrong with you?”

He didn’t even greet her as usual and instead asked in a serious tone.

Realizing that Zenon was approaching, Emeline quickly straightened her head.

“Don’t worry about it. Why are you acknowledging me outside like this?”

Please, just leave.

Emeline spoke sharply, hoping he would be put off by her attitude and leave her alone. “Don’t talk to me. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m involved with you.”

After spitting out her thorny words, she closed her eyes tightly. She was about to walk away when her hand, holding the dress, was grabbed.

“Emeline, look at me.”

His voice was even more earnest. Startled, Emeline tried to shake off his hand, but he didn’t budge.

‘Please, just go…!’

Emeline gritted her teeth in frustration. She didn’t want to reveal her vulnerability to Zenon, something she had hidden even from her closest friend, Angel.

“Let go.”

“Then look at me just once.”

“I said let go.”

When Emeline remained stubborn, she heard a quiet sigh from behind her, as if dealing with a disobedient child.

Just as Emeline was about to threaten him again, Zenon suddenly pulled her hand back. Unable to resist his strength, Emeline turned around as he intended.

She almost lost her balance, but his hand caught her waist, supporting her. Her movements drew a half-circle before stopping, her voluminous white dress settling down.

“……”

In Emeline’s stiffened view, all she could see was the luxurious black tailcoat and the yellow boutonniere pinned to its lapel. Her gaze slowly traveled upward and stopped at the man’s face, now quite close.

Because he was looking down at her, the shadowed expression in his eyes seemed deeper than usual, and it made Emeline inadvertently hold her breath.

Zenon’s brows lifted slightly as he looked down at her. He muttered in a doubtful voice, “A nosebleed?”

Noticing her condition, he let out a faint laugh, seeming a bit taken aback. “Did you avoid me because of this? Such a trivial matter…”

“…Just as you said, it’s trivial, so pretend you didn’t see it.”

“What, do you think I’d go around telling everyone? The noble Lady Delzeier ran away from the banquet because she got a nosebleed?”

“Are you kidding me? Let go.”

Emeline frowned as she listened to his words and slapped his hand. But Zenon didn’t budge.

“No, I’m not joking.”

“What?”

He suddenly glanced behind them.

Zenon, who had been looking in that direction, tightened his grip around Emeline’s waist.

Emeline found herself being pulled into his chest, her forehead bumping lightly against it. They were so close that their bodies touched.

At the same time, from where Zenon had been looking, some noblewomen emerged, chatting animatedly.

“So, as I was saying… Oh my.”

The women, giggling, noticed two figures tucked in the hallway opposite the banquet hall.

Turning his head to avoid their gaze, Zenon raised his other arm, completely wrapping it around Emeline’s shoulders.

Emeline’s side, barely visible, was thoroughly shielded by his body.

“……”

Their bodies were pressed close together. All noise seemed to fade away, leaving only the sound of their breaths and heartbeats.

Unlike the brightly lit banquet hall, this area was dimly lit, making it difficult to recognize them without close inspection.

“We shouldn’t disturb them. Let’s go.”

The women, sneaking glances at them, walked away, giggling, toward the banquet hall.

Emeline, wrapped in Zenon’s embrace, remained completely still. At first, she had tried to resist, but sensing others nearby, she became as quiet as a mouse.

She felt the firmness of his arm. Somehow, the world seemed to grow quieter.

The faint scent of roses from his clothes tickled her nose.

A strange emotion she had never felt before began to rise within her, riding a bizarre sense of floating. Her heart beat in an odd rhythm.

When the people had moved away completely, Zenon sighed.

“They’re gone.”

“……”

“See? No one noticed, so trust me.”

It seemed he was continuing their earlier conversation. Zenon loosened his arm from around her.

“Oh, and I’m sorry for touching you without permission. I had no choice just now, and earlier, I wanted to check on you because you didn’t look well…”

“It’s fine.”

As soon as there was space between them, Emeline quickly stepped away. She felt heat rising to her face for some reason.

Emeline briefly looked around aimlessly before glancing at him. Should I thank him?

Even though he held her without her consent and hugged her against her will, he ultimately helped her hide. Should she thank him for that?

While she was considering, Zenon took out his handkerchief and offered it to her. “Use this.”

Emeline looked at the neat handkerchief he extended, then glanced up at his face. Hesitating as if cautious, she finally accepted the handkerchief he offered.

Zenon, watching Emeline swap her handkerchief, spoke, “It looks like the bleeding has slowed down now.”

“…You’re right,” Emeline answered awkwardly. When she wiped under her nose with the handkerchief he had given her, only a small amount of blood stained it.

Seeing this, Zenon suddenly laughed. Emeline looked at him skeptically.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s just… your face is a complete mess.”

How much had she bled for her handkerchief to be completely soaked and her face stained like that?

Still laughing, Zenon snatched the handkerchief from Emeline’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Let me clean you up. You can’t do it yourself—you don’t even know where the bloodstains are.”

Hearing his words, Emeline imagined her ridiculous appearance and felt a wave of embarrassment.

Zenon, fearing she might push him away, swiftly wiped the area under her nose and mouth before stepping back. It happened so quickly that she had no time to react.

“There, it’s clean now.”

Emeline touched the spots he had wiped. She looked skeptical, as if doubting whether he had done a proper job.

Then she quickly grabbed the handkerchief from Zenon.

“Give it here.”

He let out a small laugh, seemingly amused.

“That’s mine, you know.”

“You told me to use it, and now you’re taking it back?”

Emeline shot him a sharp look, half-turning as she used the handkerchief to clean her face.

“You don’t need to keep wiping. I already cleaned it all up.”

“How can I trust you? You might just want to embarrass me further.”

“Why would I hold a grudge against you?”

“A grudge…”

Emeline paused for a moment.

Zenon Trancium was indeed her rival, but she didn’t harbor any malice that would drive her to harm him. It wasn’t something she would call a grudge. She simply treated him coldly because of the tensions between their families.

Zenon, as if annoyed, added, “You should get more sleep.”

“That’s…”

“How did I know? Come on, it’s obvious. Just think about how you’ve been acting recently. You even dozed off during the concert.”

He looked at Emeline as if she were clueless.

His gentle reprimand made Emeline’s eyes widen in shock. A strange look filled her eyes.

“You… saw that?”

“I was seated across from your box. I’ve been curious for a while—how little do you actually sleep? Surely it wasn’t just boredom that made you…”

Zenon, who had been speaking casually, suddenly stopped.

Under the dim lighting, Emeline’s face had turned pale.