A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Doll and Trophy

“I just felt like coming outside today, so I came here. It seems we were meant to meet like this.”

His strikingly handsome face lit up as he laughed. He seemed to already know about their upcoming marriage.

Upon hearing this, Lady Belvot’s eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “My goodness, I had heard rumors, but is it true that you two are engaged?”

Lady Belvot, already known for her noisy nature, reacted with excitement.

Emeline forced an awkward smile. “Well… I haven’t really heard anything definite, so I’m a bit surprised myself.”

“Oh… Is that so? I assumed it was a done deal because of the rumors…”

Lady Belvot looked a bit embarrassed, closing her mouth as she worried that she might have spoken out of turn.

The young woman who had been so eager to cling to Emeline now seemed eager to return to her own table. As if such a blunder was of little consequence.

Just then, Renel Hanover stepped in and spoke sadly, “It seems Lady Delzeier hasn’t yet heard about our marriage. But it’s already decided that you’ll be my wife.”

He seemed quite pleased as he spoke.

Listening to his humming voice, Emeline let out a faint laugh. Though she smiled kindly, her eyes held a hint of contempt.

Of course, no one who didn’t know her well would have noticed.

“Is that so? How wonderful.”

“Haha, indeed. Marrying Lady Delzeier is certainly something to be proud of.”

Renel shrugged, boasting as if he had already won a trophy. Emeline’s expression hardened as she watched his attitude.

‘Is this really my future husband?’

Just as her father viewed her as a prized possession or a cherished flower, once she passed into Renel’s hands, she would merely become a decorative trophy.

In the past, such a fate hadn’t seemed all that strange to her… But now, she found it unbearable. She felt irritated by the shallow, selfish mindset of her father’s chosen marriage partner.

Of course, she had no intention of actually marrying him.

Before she could lose control of her expression, Emeline turned away. “It seems we were fated to meet. However, I must return home now. Once I’ve learned more details, I’ll be in touch.”

Just then, a voice called out from behind, utterly oblivious to her discomfort.

“Ah! It seems you’re concerned about your father’s situation too, Lady Delzeier. You’re heading home early to console him, aren’t you? Your devotion to your family is truly commendable.”

Emeline, half-listening to his nonsense, suddenly found something strange in his words and turned back.

“Console my father…? What has happened that I would need to do that?”

At her question, Renel tilted his head in confusion. “Hmm? Hasn’t the deal with the Marquis of Trancium fallen through? I heard he tried hard to reform him, but unfortunately, it seems it didn’t work out.”

Upon hearing those words, Emeline halted her steps and looked directly at Renel. Her previously indifferent gaze now flashed with sudden intensity.

“The business…”

Murmuring softly in disbelief, Emeline couldn’t even finish her sentence. Without even saying goodbye, she clutched her skirt and turned around.

Seeing her abruptly leave, both Renel and Lady Belvot were flustered.

“La-Lady Delzeier?”

Emeline ignored their calls, rushing toward her carriage.

‘Father hates any kind of loss, so how could the deal have fallen through?’

She remembered her father mentioning the defense industry business he’d been preparing since about half a year ago during occasional family dinners.

Emeline felt a strong sense that something significant had happened. And whatever it was, she feared it would lead to a major clash with the Marquis of Trancium.

The moment she reached her carriage, Emeline hastily boarded it, raising her voice, “Take me home quickly, hurry!”

“Ah, yes? Y-yes, understood.”

The coachman, startled by Emeline’s sudden command, quickly urged the horses forward. The sight of their normally calm and collected young lady in such a state left the coachman puzzled.

As soon as she settled into her seat, Emeline took a deep breath, anxiously gripping her dress.

Now she understood why the servants seemed so restless earlier.

Her emotions surged within her, her breath coming unevenly. The fact that an outsider knew about this meant it had already happened some time ago. But when exactly had it happened?

‘The Hanover family is known for their quickness in catching up with social news, so it probably hasn’t been too long. Was it the day before yesterday? Or just yesterday?’

Emeline let out a sigh.

The last time Zenon had visited her was three days ago, so it couldn’t have been too long since it happened.

To hear such news through the mouth of someone else…

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

What exactly am I to Father?

Just a disposable tool for marriage? A doll to be handed over to someone else at any time?

Perhaps her father’s silence was an act of kindness, an attempt to ensure a quiet life for her. But even if that were true, wasn’t it still heartbreaking for her?

To instill false beliefs in her, to crush her autonomy, and to force her into a life as a mere doll—how could that be called kindness?

Emeline let out a bitter laugh and closed her eyes.

‘Zenon…’

Only now did she realize why Zenon had stood out to her from the very beginning. Why she could come to like him, despite their unfortunate first meeting.

To Zenon, Emeline had never been just a doll or a trophy.

The person she had once held as the pillar of her life had never viewed her as anything but a tool, and yet her life had always been filled with contradictions and adversity. There was no life without crises, as she had always read in her favorite books.

Yet Emeline was born into a life that was meant to be without challenges.

If she simply lived according to her father’s wishes, a smooth path awaited her.

But if that very path was fundamentally wrong, then not even a moment of her life could be called peaceful. She had only been deceiving herself into thinking so.

Only now did Emeline realize she had been caught in a snare that slowly suffocated her.

Perhaps Zenon had sensed her predicament all along and offered her a hand.

***

After urging the coachman to hurry, Emeline arrived home earlier than expected.

Because she was known for always returning at the exact time she planned, some of the gardeners tending the grounds looked at her early arrival with curiosity.

Dressed in a white gown, Emeline walked into the mansion so quickly that her dress fluttered wildly.

The atmosphere in the mansion was different once again.

When Emeline had left earlier, everything had seemed relatively calm. Now, the household was in disarray to the point where it was hard to believe it was the same place.

Emeline slipped behind a pillar to avoid being seen and observed the servants.

It seemed that because of her unexpected return, no one thought to be cautious of her presence.

She had returned just thirty minutes ahead of her anticipated time, so their lack of vigilance made sense.

‘What could have happened to make even the servants like this?’

Creeping carefully up the stairs, Emeline saw two maids sweeping and talking on the upper floor. Pressing herself against the banister to avoid being seen from above, she listened closely.

“It’s ridiculous that we, who only clean, are being sent over there as extra help. How badly are things at the company?”

“Don’t even mention it. The Marquis of Trancium withdrew all the funds and support he was supposed to provide. They said he even paid a heavy penalty, but it still wasn’t enough. Things are really bad.”

“Oh… What was the master thinking? How could he get involved with the marquis’s mistress like that?”

What did she just say?

Emeline, who had been listening silently, felt as if she had been struck on the back of her head.

Time seemed to freeze, her entire body going cold.

The marquis’s mistress…?

So the woman who had been with her father that day was the one she had seen at Zenon’s house… the mistress of the Marquis of Trancium?