A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Stormy Night

Emeline paused briefly before offering a short greeting, “…Thank you for the hospitality.”

She glanced to the side.

The butler seemed to find her behavior natural, and the other maids passing by also bowed politely to her, as if she were the lady of the house.

‘I never thought I’d witness such a scene.’

In the Delzeier duchy, which valued prestige and dignity, such behavior was inconceivable.

Her father had drilled into her from childhood that she should never dream of engaging in anything so degrading.

Emeline was surprised that a mistress could act with such arrogance.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Lady Delzeier.”

“I see.”

Did she hear it from Zenon? Or was it just from other rumors?

Emeline smiled thinly.

She felt slightly uncomfortable in this situation. Judging by the way the household staff reacted, Bellina seemed to truly hold power in the house, like a legitimate mistress.

As per her father’s teachings, Emeline felt an innate sense of aversion or disgust toward Bellina’s presence.

However, she couldn’t afford to scorn someone in another’s home, referring to them as a mistress or anything similar.

“Oh, you came to see Zenon, didn’t you? Let me personally lead you to him…”

“Emeline!”

Just as Bellina was speaking kindly, an all-too-familiar voice rang out from the other side.

Emeline looked past Bellina down the hallway.

It seemed he had just heard the news, and there he was, hurriedly approaching.

It had only been a few days since she had last seen him, yet a smile crept across Emeline’s lips at the sight of him. However, that smile quickly faded as her resentment toward him returned.

“Emeline, what brings you here? You said you needed something…”

“The earring you took from me. You should return it, don’t you think?”

Emeline spoke in a cold voice. She gave him a pointed look, and Zenon blinked, appearing taken aback.

Soon, he let out a short laugh.

“To think you’d use that now.”

Zenon muttered gloomily. Emeline found his darkened expression puzzling. It was then that Bellina intervened.

“Zenon, you must be happy that Lady Delzeier is here. Why don’t you take her to the drawing room?” She gently patted Zenon’s shoulder as she spoke.

Zenon immediately frowned and slapped Bellina’s hand away. He continued to scowl, looking displeased. “I’ll handle it myself, so please don’t interfere.”

Emeline watched the scene in bewilderment. How could a mere mistress treat the marquis’s son as if he were her own child?

While Emeline stood there feeling like she had stepped into a thorny bush, Zenon suddenly grabbed her hand.

He strode past Bellina and down the hallway, practically dragging Emeline along.

Emeline studied Zenon’s back carefully.

She had never seen him look so agitated before. His face was scrunched in irritation.

Emeline, who had been struggling to keep up, finally adjusted her pace to match his.

“Zenon?”

Without a word, Zenon led Emeline to the drawing room.

He watched as the household staff greeted her, then left her with a quiet promise.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring your earring.”

After Zenon and even the servant who had served her tea left, the drawing room grew quiet.

Emeline looked out the window as she waited for Zenon.

The view offered a clear sight of the garden outside. Fortunately, the windows were closed, so the intense floral scent wasn’t overwhelming, though the entire mansion still smelled faintly of roses.

As she sipped her tea alone for a while, Zenon returned.

He held out a small jewelry box adorned with gold leaf.

“Here’s the earring you gave me.”

“There was no need to go to such lengths to return it.”

“I couldn’t just hand it over by itself…”

“What did you use it for?” Emeline asked bluntly.

That day, Zenon had taken her earring, saying it was a gesture of repayment.

For some reason, Emeline had a feeling he hadn’t taken it for no reason at all.

“…To show my father.”

“What?”

“And then I got thoroughly beaten.”

Emeline was speechless.

So, he had used her earring to prove to the Marquis Trancium that he had been with her, and then got beaten for it?

‘Why on earth is Zenon being so rebellious?’

Seeing Emeline’s silence, Zenon let out a weak laugh and sat across from her.

“…How have you been?”

“Same as usual.”

Zenon nodded at her answer and took a sip of his tea, his gaze wandering elsewhere. The awkward tension between them felt almost stifling.

The sound of the teacups clinking in the silence echoed in the room. After a while, Zenon was the first to break the silence.

“You came here because I haven’t visited, didn’t you?”

“You’re quite perceptive. Since you haven’t been coming, I couldn’t study the way I used to. You told me to make use of you.”

“I’m sorry. Well… Would you like to stay and study while you’re here? I have some books that you might find interesting,” Zenon offered cautiously, smiling.

Emeline shook her head. “No, not today.”

She just wanted to sit across from him and drink tea like this. Maybe because it had been a while since she’d last seen him, but she didn’t even feel like studying.

‘Besides, after what happened last time, how could I possibly focus on studying?’

The two of them enjoyed their tea awkwardly.

Though there were a few brief exchanges, neither of them seemed willing to bring up what had happened the other day.

Emeline considered mentioning it, but the resolve kept fading away.

Besides, Zenon didn’t seem eager to discuss it either.

‘Am I the only one with so much I want to say?’

Was she the only one feeling so conscious of him? Whenever she looked at him, her heart fluttered, and she wanted to ask if that kiss was the reason he avoided her.

Was it really that unpleasant for him, enough to stay away for so long?

But with Zenon staying silent, her pride wouldn’t allow her to bring it up first.

Asking if he avoided her because he hated kissing her… It was too humiliating.

Emeline suppressed her feelings, putting on an even more indifferent expression than Zenon. After some time, she finally spoke up.

“…I think I should get going.”

Just as she stood up, there was a sudden noise at the window.

When she looked, raindrops were tapping against the glass.

“How about staying a bit longer until the rain stops? Traveling in the rain can be dangerous.”

At his suggestion, Emeline reluctantly sat back down. “Alright, I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Good. Would you like some more cake?”

Zenon offered her another piece of cake.

Although she wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, Emeline nodded. Since Zenon handed her the plate, she felt she had no choice but to accept it.

They waited for the rain to stop for quite some time.

But the rain continued pouring as if a hole had opened in the sky.

Eventually, a strong wind accompanied the rain, turning the weather even more menacing.

The thought crossed Emeline’s mind that if she insisted on traveling by carriage in this storm, it could be life-threatening.

“……”

“Emeline.”

As she stood by the window, staring blankly at the stormy sky, Zenon approached her.

He had briefly left the room when the rain began to pour heavily and had just returned.

Emeline, who had been gazing at the gray sky and the drenched landscape, turned her head to look at him. Zenon hesitated, looking slightly embarrassed.

“I know this might be uncomfortable for you… but would you consider staying at our place for the night?”

“……”

“I looked into nearby places where you could stay because it seemed too dangerous to go back now. But most places are fully booked, and the ones available aren’t suitable in terms of facilities or security. So I spoke to my father, and he gave permission for you to stay here…”

“Yes.”

“If you agree, I’ll make sure to contact your family right away. Just so no strange rumors start circulating, I’ve also arranged to send back your carriage…”

Zenon, uncharacteristically flustered, glanced at her for her reaction.

He sighed, dropping his head into his hands, and the tips of his ears appeared redder than usual.

“It feels strange to say this… I’m just worried about letting you go in this weather…”

“Alright,” Emeline answered calmly. “Better this than risking something happening on my way home. I’m not sure if my father will approve, though.”

“There’s no way anyone would expect you to travel home in this weather, with the carriage at risk of tipping over.”

“……”

“And I can’t just send you to some shady place with poor security. Don’t worry, I’ll explain it properly.”

There was nothing wrong with what he said. Besides, if he was even ensuring that there would be no rumors, there was no reason to risk her life just to go home.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Emeline gave her thanks bluntly. At that moment, Zenon’s expression turned slightly blank as he stared at her.

Emeline felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if her gratitude was really that surprising to him.

She returned to the sofa and sat down. The sound of the rain hitting the windows gradually grew louder.

Emeline reminded herself that she would be spending the night at the Marquis Trancium’s estate, and she glanced at Zenon with a fluttering heart.

Zenon also seemed somewhat affected, as he repeatedly fidgeted with his hands.

In the strangely heated and awkward atmosphere, Emeline picked up her teacup.

***

The rain showed no sign of stopping, pouring on into the middle of the night.

Emeline had long since finished her preparations for sleep, aided by the servants of the estate.

Tossing and turning in bed, she squeezed her eyes shut, only to flinch at the sound of thunder rumbling.

Even with her eyes closed, a flash of lightning lit up her vision. Unable to resist her curiosity, she opened her eyes, and moments later, a loud clap of thunder shook the ground.

Emeline hugged her pillow tightly in surprise.

Once the thunder subsided, she squinted toward the window.

“Ha…”

She simply couldn’t fall asleep.

The window rattled violently in the wind, and every time she closed her eyes, the flash of lightning and booming thunder startled her awake.

Today must have been destined to be a stormy night.