A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Shall We Talk?

Ha, Emeline let out a dry laugh without realizing it.

Lying in bed, she spent quite some time thinking about what had happened today. Emeline, who had consistently held the top rank since her admission, had fallen to second place.

She remembered Angel’s shocked reaction when they had checked the results together. Emeline felt both angry and incredulous.

How could this happen? If the student who had been ranked second had taken the top spot, it might have made sense. But… Zenon Trancium? Who?

‘Why is his name above mine?’

Emeline recalled the stories she had heard about Zenon Trancium.

He was a man with many names.

Delinquent. The black sheep of the nobility. A notorious womanizer. A perpetual repeater. The most handsome man of the century…

She frowned at the last thought.

From everything she had heard, Zenon Trancium was a man who lived life as he pleased. But how could someone who had repeated years twice due to poor grades and attendance suddenly take first place?

‘Something’s wrong.’

Emeline had her reasons for maintaining high grades, reasons that drove her to ignore the opinions of those around her. It wasn’t something she could even tell her father—it was a dream she cherished dearly. So, if Zenon had cheated, then Emeline had been unfairly wronged.

The next day, she immediately sought out her teacher to explain the situation. The teacher listened to her quietly before letting out a sigh.

“Lady Delzeier, I also found the results hard to believe and thoroughly checked whether the student in question had cheated, but there were no irregularities.”

“I can’t believe it. He hadn’t even been in the top ranks before this. And now he’s first…?”

For the first time in her life, Emeline burst out in frustration. It was simply unacceptable by common standards. Exams weren’t something you could ace just by praying for it the night before. She reached conclusions like cheating, corruption, bribery, or leaked answers—all sorts of negative possibilities.

Perhaps sensing her emotions, the teacher spoke to her in a soft voice, “Lady Delzeier, please don’t be so upset… The results have already been announced. If you’re unhappy with this outcome, I can arrange something for you next time, just for your sake. So please, don’t mention anything bad to the duke.”

“…Excuse me?”

“If you want first place, I can easily…”

“Mr. Francis!” Emeline raised her voice.

Startled by her own outburst, she lowered her tone, speaking more calmly, “Are you seriously making such a suggestion? To me?”

“You seemed very upset…”

Emeline’s expression turned cold. She knew people viewed her obsession with the first place as mere self-indulgence. They didn’t pressure her about her grades only because she was the daughter of a duke.

Emeline clenched her teeth. “Please refrain from making such suggestions, even in jest. I’m not here to demand first place; I’m here to discuss the validity of the results.”

After letting out a frustrated sigh, she continued, “I won’t mention this to my father, provided it truly isn’t corruption.”

Leaving the bewildered teacher behind, Emeline gave a brief nod and turned to leave. Whatever verification he had done, it was unconvincing. Especially considering how readily he offered to give her first place—it made it even harder to trust him. And wasn’t Marquis Trancium known to be incredibly wealthy?

Emeline wondered what she should do. A sense of helplessness washed over her.

Her father had no interest in her grades. He might be outraged that Marquis Trancium’s son had taken first place, but he wouldn’t lift a finger for Emeline. If it had been any other reason, perhaps he might have acted, but academics? And for his daughter, not his son? He was utterly indifferent.

“I sent you there to socialize, not to study like your brother!”

Those were the words her father said when she first came home with top marks.

She had excitedly shared her achievement, hoping for praise. He used to say how brilliant she was, capable of grasping ten things after learning just one, and he had cherished her for it. But all she received was his scolding, treating her like she was doing something wrong. He even said that being too smart was a flaw in a bride.

But Emeline, who loved studying and reading, wanted to maintain her grades and go to university. Hoping for acknowledgment, she earned the top spot again. And that day, for the first time, her father hit her, asking if she was out of her mind.

It was shocking.

Using her health as an excuse, she was banned from attending school for a while. During that time, she was locked in a bare room, forced to reflect on what she had done wrong.

Her crime was having an unrealistic dream of going to university. She had wasted time on useless studies when she should have been cultivating her beauty.

Only after deeply repenting for all her actions was she released.

But if she were going to give up over something like that, she would never have dreamed such an unrealistic dream in the first place.

In this society, women were expected to focus on being supportive wives rather than on personal development. Despite that, Emeline cherished studying—her only real hobby—and her dream of university was enormous.

In the end, Emeline had no choice but to lie. To protect the dream that had made her feel truly alive for the first time in her repressed life, she clutched her top-ranking report card and spoke sweetly.

“How could my sharp mind, inherited from my father, suddenly deteriorate? I was simply focused on setting a good example in class, not doing any extra studying. You know I’ve been so absorbed in the violin lately that I haven’t had the time for anything else.”

She even suggested that perhaps sycophantic teachers were trying to curry favor with the duke by making her top the ranks.

Emeline came up with all sorts of excuses, almost pathetically. Though he remained suspicious and kept watch over her, her year-long, relentless act eventually dispelled his doubts.

It was a ranking she had fought to protect, overcoming her guilt for deceiving her father, all for the sake of her dream.

Letting out a sigh, she left the school building, walking along the stone path that glowed a soft reddish hue in the sunset.

The summer roses of Elvarto were in full bloom along the narrow pathway.

As Emeline looked at the streets filled with orange light, she made a silent vow.

‘I won’t let this go.’

Just then, Emeline stopped. The scent of roses blowing in the wind had grown more intense.

Her eyes fell to the left side of the path. Someone was leaning against a tall streetlamp.

Emeline immediately recognized him.

A man with his arms crossed, eyes closed, standing silently. He was someone she had only heard about through the mouths of others, someone she had only caught glimpses of once or twice. Yet Emeline knew who he was right away.

The face she had only vaguely imagined became vivid, like pieces of a puzzle snapping into place.

Taking a deep breath of the rose-scented air, Emeline walked past him, holding back her emotions as much as she could.

‘I want to confront him right now… but it’s late.’

If she was any later, her father would scold her. Besides, she had no definitive evidence that he had cheated—she couldn’t just accuse him without proof.

Feeling a dry sensation in her throat, she tightened her grip on her bag.

“Hey.”

A low voice called out.

Emeline stopped mid-step.

She had just walked past him, taking one more step.

‘Is he calling me?’

Frozen, she slowly turned her head. The man who had seemed lost in his own world, eyes closed, now revealed his green eyes.

Zenon straightened up and walked toward her. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Emeline.

For a moment, she wondered if this bewildering situation was even real.

‘We barely know each other…’

She had only ever seen him in passing or heard about him in rumors. But up close, he was quite different from what she had imagined.

For one, he was tall—so tall that she had to crane her neck to look up at him. With such height, she expected arrogance, but contrary to the rumors, he seemed well-mannered. At least outwardly, he looked polite.

The most unexpected thing, however, was the brightness in his eyes, shining in his handsome face.

According to her father’s description, he should have had an insolent gaze. But his green eyes, clear like new leaves, carried an innocent quality—almost boyish.

While Emeline unconsciously studied his face, his perfectly symmetrical lips parted.

“Hello, Lady Delzeier.”

The short greeting snapped Emeline back to reality. She had been about to return the greeting but stopped herself, replaying his words in her mind.

Just as Emeline had seen him in passing, he must have seen her as well, hence why he knew her name…

But was he speaking informally? Her mood soured, and she skipped pleasantries, opting for a direct question instead.

“Do you need something from me?”

“Hmm, it’s not that I need something… It seemed like you were looking for me.”

“What?”

“That’s why I waited. You took your time coming out,” Zenon complained lightly, flashing a playful smile. Despite his words, there was no actual sign of displeasure on his face.

Emeline had no idea what he was talking about. What kind of connection did they have for him to be waiting for her and joking around? Having never interacted with him directly, she was slightly stunned.

Noticing her reaction, he spoke first. “I heard you were looking for me.”

“…Who said that?” Emeline’s expression twisted slightly.

“The Gaulish teacher, Mr. Francis, said that you suspect me of cheating.”

Zenon Trancium smiled as he continued, “Shall we talk?”

His golden hair, loosely swept to one side, fluttered gently in the breeze, carrying the scent of roses.