A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Effective

In the end, Emeline couldn’t fall asleep and rose from her bed.

When she had decided to stay at the Trancium estate, Bellina, who acted like the lady of the house, had come to her and said:

“Make yourself at home, Lady Delzeier. Stay as comfortably as you wish.”

Emeline almost laughed at that moment. Bellina wasn’t even the owner of the house, yet she spoke as if she was.

“There is a beautifully landscaped greenhouse to the east of the mansion. If you have some time, I suggest you visit it.”

Recalling those words, Emeline got off the bed.

She said to visit if she had time—there was no rule about when that had to be.

Even though Bellina was just a mistress, she seemed to hold as much authority as the true lady of the house.

Emeline wrapped herself tightly in a negligee and put on a shawl that was hanging on the stand beside her vanity.

Then she quietly opened the door and stepped out.

Since she was a child, Emeline had always had a habit of going for a walk whenever she couldn’t sleep.

She walked quietly down the dim hallway.

Despite the firmly closed windows, a chill permeated the mansion, likely due to the storm raging outside.

The sound of her footsteps echoed through the hallway, filled with the sound of the heavy rain. A sudden rumble of thunder made Emeline stop in her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat.

She soon resumed her pace with a calm expression as if nothing had happened.

Emeline stared out at the rain pouring beyond the window, quickly tiring of the gloomy sight.

She turned her head forward again, listening to the melancholic sound of the rain when suddenly—

Lightning flashed, illuminating the hallway in a pale glow. And within that fleeting moment of light, she saw the figure of someone standing still.

Then a deafening crash of thunder followed.

“Kyah!”

This time, Emeline couldn’t help but scream in shock. Her legs gave out, and her body began to falter.

Before she could fall, someone caught her. Their warmth, so soft and contrasting the cold grayness that surrounded them, steadied her.

“Emeline, it’s me.”

“Zenon…?”

Emeline, who had her head lowered, slowly raised her gaze to confirm the figure.

It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but the silhouette was undeniably familiar.

Realizing who it was, Emeline finally let go of her tension. She tried to regain her composure, acting as though she hadn’t just screamed.

Zenon, who had been watching her, asked gently, “What are you doing out here at this hour?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I remembered the greenhouse Bellina recommended earlier, so I thought I’d go take a look.”

“At this time of night?”

“What does the time matter?”

“The greenhouse is probably locked now. On windy nights like this, the gardener usually locks it up.”

Emeline sighed, her destination suddenly out of reach.

Zenon chuckled softly, having heard her faint sigh.

Emeline looked at his face, barely visible in the darkness, and asked, “What about you? Why are you out here?”

“Oh… I went to see my mother for a bit. She’s staying in one of the nearby annexes.”

“…Your mother?”

It was the first time she’d heard anything about the marchioness.

With the mistress practically running the household, Emeline had assumed the marchioness was away from the estate… But she was here? And not in the main house, but in an annex?

“It’s late, so you should head back inside. I’ll walk you to your room.”

Just as Emeline was deep in thought, Zenon spoke softly.

He began to lead her back to her room, but suddenly he felt a tug on his sleeve.

Zenon stopped and looked back at her.

“I… I came out because I couldn’t sleep.”

She had grabbed onto him without even realizing it, and now she felt quite flustered. The words slipped out of her mouth almost unconsciously.

“Are you sleepy?”

“…Not particularly, at the moment.”

“Then stay with me.”

What am I saying right now?

Emeline felt the urge to bite her tongue. The words just kept spilling out.

She wasn’t particularly sleepy, the storm outside continued to rage, and lying awake with her eyes open felt unbearable…

That must have been why she said what she did.

As soon as she made her suggestion, Emeline clamped her mouth shut and looked away.

She had an expression of having made a slip of the tongue, yet she didn’t take back her words.

Emeline tightened her grip on the shawl she was holding. Her shoulders were tense from the chill, and seeing this, Zenon opened his mouth.

“…Let’s go inside first.”

Zenon escorted Emeline back to the guest room where she was staying.

Emeline wondered if he was going to leave now, but Zenon followed her inside. Unlike the chilly hallway, the room was warm.

Emeline looked at Zenon and asked, “Are you going to stay with me?”

“You asked me to.”

At his straightforward reply, Emeline let out a soft laugh. She lit the small lantern on the table, filling the dim room with a faint glow.

Being with someone else in the middle of the night… It was strange, yet it gave her an excited feeling. Emeline looked at Zenon, who was sitting across from her, with a curious gaze.

“If you keep staring at me like that, I might feel pressured.”

“I wasn’t staring that much.”

When Emeline quickly retorted, Zenon let out a small laugh. Noticing that she was still shivering slightly, he stood up and placed his coat around her shoulders.

His coat was damp from the trip to the annex, but the inside was warm with his body heat.

“You look cold. Wear this.”

When Zenon tried to return to his seat, Emeline stopped him. She nodded to the spot beside her.

“Don’t go, sit here.”

“…Why?”

“It’s inconvenient.”

It was only a few steps to the opposite sofa, but Emeline stubbornly looked up at him. Reluctantly, Zenon sat down beside her.

As he moved closer, a faint rose scent brushed past her nose. It was the scent that always lingered on him.

Suddenly curious, Emeline asked, “There were so many roses blooming in your garden. Does the marchioness like them?”

“Yes. Most people are surprised when they see it for the first time. Were you?”

“I wasn’t that surprised.”

She remembered being startled when she saw the garden, but she pretended otherwise.

“My mother loves roses. A lot. She isn’t satisfied with just a few, so she kept asking the gardener for more, again and again, until it became like that.”

“…Why is the marchioness in the annex?”

Emeline knew it was a sensitive question, but she asked it after some hesitation. After all, they had already shared secrets before—one more wouldn’t make much difference.

Zenon fell silent for a moment before answering, “My father sent her there. He said he didn’t want to be around a woman whose mind isn’t stable.”

“……”

“He spends all day having affairs and doesn’t even treat her like his wife. Who do you think caused her illness?”

His voice was quiet, his tone slow and deliberate, before he let out a bitter laugh. Zenon’s eyes, now darkened, turned toward Emeline.

“And yet, he tells me not to do anything to disgrace the family name. Who would want to listen to that? He calls it a lesson, but doesn’t follow it himself.”

Emeline understood, having a mother who was also bedridden.

It was painful enough knowing that her mother was ill, but to see her treated so poorly… She could imagine how difficult that must have been for Zenon.

“So that’s why you acted out?”

“Yes. I behaved badly to make him suffer. But then, one day, he said that if I didn’t properly graduate, he’d send my mother far away for treatment.”

Zenon frowned slightly at the memory.

“He already treats her terribly even though I’m close by. How much worse would it be if she were sent away? That’s why I went back to school and eventually met you. I wanted to get back at him somehow, and then I saw you.”

“…So you used me.”

“Yes… I’m sorry if it bothered you.”

“It’s fine. It’s all in the past now.”

At first, she disliked how Zenon Trancium kept showing up and teasing her. But now, she had grown used to it, and she didn’t mind this connection between them.

“Was using me effective?”

“Very. Made me wonder why I hadn’t tried it sooner.”

“So that’s why you kept following me around.”

Emeline added with slight disapproval, and Zenon laughed aloud. Hearing his deep laughter, Emeline couldn’t help but smile as well.

The awkward tension that had always hung between them seemed to finally be lifting.

“Well, that was part of it. But it wasn’t the only reason.”

“Then what else?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? You’re the only one who treated me without any lies. That’s why I couldn’t help but keep looking your way.”

Zenon smiled warmly at her, meeting her eyes.

Emeline froze at his words and the look in his eyes.

She couldn’t fully understand the meaning behind his words, but she felt a ticklish sensation, and her fingers fidgeted against the sofa.

Zenon, watching her, reached out and gently patted her head. “It’s late, so you should get some sleep. If the weather is better tomorrow… let’s go study in the field I mentioned.”

With a kind voice, Zenon said his goodnight and left the room.

Emeline, as if in a daze, touched the spot where Zenon had patted her head.

She replayed his words in her mind, feeling her heart pound as she bit her lip. Her cheeks grew warm.

The warmth of his coat was comforting, more so than anything else on that cold night.