A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: A Difficult Question

What did she expect from others to feel this way?

Even her family found her dream laughable, so it was only natural that strangers would mock it even more.

Emeline felt her mind go cold as she opened her mouth to speak, but before she could continue, Zenon spoke, “You really aren’t ordinary, are you?”

Zenon muttered in admiration, “So that’s why you studied through the night until you almost collapsed. That’s impressive.”

“…What?”

Emeline couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

She had clearly heard him, but she couldn’t comprehend what he meant. Was he mocking her?

As her face showed her confusion, Zenon smiled sincerely and spoke clearly, “Your goal is amazing. University, huh… I really think you could make it.”

“……”

There was genuine admiration in his voice. There wasn’t the slightest hint of ridicule toward Emeline’s dream. Feeling unsure of what to do, Emeline fidgeted with her hands before abruptly turning her head.

“Enough. Don’t say empty words.”

“I mean it.”

She snorted in response, and the conversation ended there.

Silence descended, and the sound of her irregular heartbeat seemed to grow louder in her ears.

Someone else was encouraging her dream.

Unable to handle the unfamiliar emotions brought by this experience, Emeline stirred her tea with her teaspoon. Her head felt as if it was burning, like she’d been standing under the blazing sun all day.

Why? Why did she feel so strange?

Emeline tried to reason it out but soon gave up.

She heard the sound of Zenon biting into the peach he was eating, the sweet scent filling the parlor. Emeline’s heart felt like it was fluttering in a dream.

A difficult question. It was truly a difficult question.

“I guess we have to pretend to be awkward again today, right? Your father probably thinks we barely know each other.”

“…That’s right.”

“We’ll be seeing each other a lot from now on.”

Zenon grinned. Despite having competed for the top rank, he seemed oddly pleased. Up until recently, their families had practically been sworn enemies.

“When have we not seen each other often? You kept appearing before me until I was sick of it.”

“That’s true. But it wasn’t on purpose. Still, about half of it was just coincidence.”

Zenon didn’t add anything further. He simply smiled quietly, his face looking as confident as ever.

***

Four days later, Zenon returned with Marquis Trancium.

Emeline, summoned by her father, soon found herself alone with Zenon again.

She sighed as she walked through the garden with the man who seemed to captivate every maid they passed.

When one of the maids cleaning the garden stared blankly at him and dropped her cleaning tools, Emeline was baffled.

Zenon, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed, as if this was just a normal occurrence.

‘Why did Father ask me to show Zenon around the estate…?’

She had rarely questioned her father’s orders, but this time she truly wanted to.

The scorching heat was bad enough, and walking around with Zenon Trancium wasn’t any better.

When they passed a large stone fountain and entered a narrow garden path surrounded by roses, Zenon suddenly spoke up.

It was just as the attention on them had started to fade.

“Emeline, it’s hot. Why don’t we go to the study? You haven’t shown me that yet.”

Zenon pointed to the blazing sun, frowning. She noticed a bead of sweat trickling down his neck, glistening in the sunlight.

Emeline was also fed up with the heat. But instead of nodding hastily, she calmly answered him, “We should only take a quick look and leave. If you’re tired from the heat, it’s not the ideal choice.”

“Is there a reason we can’t stay in the study for long?”

“…If we stay too long, it might seem suspicious. I only go there twice a week. I don’t want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“Ah… because you have to keep it a secret?”

Zenon turned her roundabout explanation into a direct statement. He spoke lightly, as if it wasn’t his concern.

Annoyed, Emeline gave him a scornful look before speaking, “That’s right. So why don’t we just go back to the parlor and have some cool tea—”

“There’s no problem. If you use me well enough, you could go to the study every time we meet.”

“What?”

“If things get tricky, you can just say I took you there. You were just following my lead, as per your father’s request to get along with me.”

Zenon’s carefree suggestion left Emeline speechless.

“What kind of flimsy, ridiculous excuse is that?”

“I’m someone who does ridiculous things as easily as breathing. Just say I dragged you along. You could even say I liked the Delzeier’s study so much that I wanted to buy it.”

For a moment, Emeline was at a loss for words. To her, being cautious about going to the study seemed natural, but after talking with him, it almost felt like she was overthinking and making things unnecessarily difficult.

Zenon continued speaking casually, but then placed his hand lightly on his chest, as if to emphasize his point. “Let’s spend hours studying in the study together. No more sneaking around at night.”

After saying that, Zenon turned and began walking.

She only hesitated for a moment, but by the time Emeline came to her senses, she was already in the study.

The quiet space, filled with the familiar scent of paper, welcomed them.

“No need to study through the night today, Emeline,” Zenon said with an easygoing smile.

To be in the study without any tension like this…

In truth, no one usually watched her, but Emeline’s own anxiety had always been the problem. She was afraid her father would grow suspicious if he caught her acting strangely.

‘It’ll only be for a while, anyway. If I can come up with good enough excuses… maybe it’ll be fine.’

Emeline’s gaze followed Zenon as he casually looked around the study.

Soon, Zenon slowed his steps as he approached a corner of the study, then hurried back, holding something soft in his arms. He looked delighted as he spoke, “Were you the one who brought Mel here?”

Emeline saw the kitten cradled in Zenon’s arms. She had wondered where it had gone. Unable to abandon its stray habits, the kitten must have snuck in through an open window.

“I brought it because it seemed like it might starve if I left it. It would’ve been pitiful to leave it.”

Emeline spoke indifferently, as if it hadn’t taken much effort. But in truth, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the kitten, so she had asked her father for permission to bring it in.

Despite pretending otherwise, she had been the one feeding Mel and caring for it since it arrived at the estate.

“That’s good. I was worried when I couldn’t find it, thinking it might be left alone.”

Zenon petted Mel’s fur. The tuxedo kitten purred, seemingly recognizing Zenon.

‘It swipes at me, yet…’

Emeline looked at them disapprovingly before selecting a thick book from a nearby shelf and sitting down at the desk. She opened the book and spoke to Zenon, who was still playing with Mel.

“Come again the day after tomorrow.”

“Hmm?”

Zenon paused and looked at Emeline as if he’d misheard. She felt a surge of embarrassment under his gaze, but managed to speak.

“…Come again the day after tomorrow. You told me to use you, remember? Come at least three times a week.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Emeline clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t believe she had asked Zenon Trancium to come see her. Her face flushed, and she ducked her head, pretending to read. After a moment, Zenon laughed softly and gave her a clear response.

“Sure.”

They continued sitting across from each other, absorbed in their books for quite a while.

Zenon looked up only when Mel, who had been stretching beside him, climbed onto the desk and walked toward Emeline.

Zenon smiled faintly as he watched the kitten settle down beside its sleeping owner, curling up and dozing off as well.

Emeline Delzeier had fallen asleep without a sound. The afternoon sun bathed her in its warm light.

‘You told me to come often and use me confidently, yet here you are, asleep.’

She must have stayed up all night again.

Zenon quietly stood up and walked around the study, closing all the windows. The loud chirping of cicadas was cut off, leaving the room much quieter.

This time, Zenon didn’t sit across from her. He sat next to Emeline, gazing at her as she slept.

From this angle, he could clearly see her face. She seemed to be in a deep sleep, breathing softly and peacefully.

‘Staying up so late that you fall asleep anywhere.’

Is studying and dreaming really that important to you?

His gaze fell on the textbook under her hand. Zenon, who had been silently observing, thought to himself, ‘What would it be like to be someone important to you?’

It felt like a mix of curiosity and longing—a strange emotion.

Zenon studied her face again, then reached out. Her black hair slipped behind her ear with his movement. His hand brushed against her cheek.

With the cicadas’ cries faded, the sound of his heartbeat grew louder in his ears.

Zenon stared at Emeline, then leaned closer, as if drawn by some force.

His lips landed softly on her disheveled hair. The gentle scent teased his heart, tickling it.

After a slow, light kiss, Zenon pulled back in shock.

Realizing what he’d done, he quickly retreated, but Emeline remained asleep.

Seeing her still sound asleep, Zenon let out a sigh of relief.

‘…What are you to me, Emeline Delzeier?’

The one who keeps making me think of you, who makes my heart pound and stirs impulses within me—what are you, really?

After pondering for a while, Zenon finally buried his flushed face in his arms on the desk.

***

After that day, Zenon often found excuses to visit the estate, even when he wasn’t with the marquis.

Usually, he would come with a servant of the marquis, saying the marquis had sent him. Because of this, the duke didn’t scold them for meeting often. Perhaps the duke was too busy to care.

Then, as the vacation drew on, a marriage proposal arrived for Emeline.