A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Altruism

Emeline, who had been lost in thought for a while, finally stopped her deep musings.

Accepting an article full of fabrications as truth and investigating it further was, in itself, a ridiculous endeavor.

Letting out a sigh, Emeline set the morning paper down. Whenever Zenon Trancium was involved, her mind seemed to freeze.

‘Who cares.’

He might have attended the performance late, but the article made it seem like he had arrived on time, conveniently rearranging the narrative.

In reality, Emeline had spent less than ten minutes with him yesterday.

If he had gone straight home to wash off the sweat and freshen up before heading out, it wasn’t an entirely implausible timeline.

Glaring at the newspaper, Emeline frowned deeply.

It left her with an unpleasant feeling.

‘So, he came out of nowhere just to two-time me?’

It infuriated her to think Zenon Trancium saw her as someone he could treat that way.

She recalled Mathis’s description of him from the other day—’a shameless womanizer.’

Reflecting on yesterday’s events, she realized it was a fitting label.

Zenon Trancium must be an extreme altruist in the worst sense. The thought that he might have been sneaking around behind her back all this time filled her with revulsion.

Her feelings for him evaporated in an instant.

‘I should have visited him at least once while he was studying abroad.’ 

If she had known he was capable of extinguishing her affection so quickly, she might have considered it.

Her gaze fell back on the man’s silhouette in the newspaper photo. For some reason, watching him filled her with unease.

Emeline gestured to the maid combing her hair to stop. Her face, which had been contorted into a frown, relaxed.

“That’s enough. Finish up—our guests will be arriving soon.”

“Yes, miss.”

That afternoon, Emeline had invited her friends to the mansion for a tea party.

Once fully dressed and prepared, she stepped outside after hearing from the servants that the guests had arrived.

The gathering was set in the east garden of the Duke’s estate, renowned for its exquisite landscaping, even in the capital.

Emeline, dressed in a light, airy white gown, strolled past the blooming flowers toward the prepared table.

As she waited, inspecting the refreshments, guests began to arrive one by one, filling the empty seats.

“Lady Delzeier!”

Angel called out warmly and approached her at a brisk pace.

Angel, a long-time friend since their academy days, confidently took the seat next to Emeline.

Smiling brightly, Angel complimented Emeline’s attire, then glanced around before lowering her voice.

“Lady Delzeier, thank you for the book recommendation last time. It’s really helped with my insomnia.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Let me know if you need another one,” Emeline replied graciously.

About a year ago, Angel had mentioned struggling with insomnia and started asking Emeline for book recommendations. Perhaps because of Emeline’s exemplary reputation at the academy, Angel seemed to trust her taste in literature.

To Emeline, such conversations were far more interesting than dull small talk, so she had no qualms about indulging Angel’s requests.

‘Though, who knows if Lady Laresa actually reads them or just uses them as pillows.’

Once all the invited guests had gathered, Emeline warmly greeted them.

“Thank you all for coming. I put a lot of thought into preparing for today, and I hope you enjoy it.”

Among the attendees were ladies Emeline had known since her student days and others she had mingled with since debuting into society.

Most of them wore expressions of pride at having been invited.

‘How is it that none of them ever doubt me?’

Despite being confined at home after her encounter with Zenon, which had caused her to miss her debutante ball, Emeline’s reputation had remained intact.

During her confinement, the Duke had spread the story that his daughter’s health had deteriorated, following in her late mother’s footsteps. As a result, public sentiment toward her had turned sympathetic.

When she returned to society, she found the world had become even more accommodating toward her.

‘On top of that, my delicate image even increased the number of marriage proposals…’

This newfound trend led to more ladies idolizing her, with some even feigning frailty themselves to emulate her perceived fragility. For a time, it had become a fashionable practice in the capital.

Ironically, Emeline—the very person responsible for starting the trend—was in perfect health.

Serving tea as a gesture of welcome, Emeline began chatting comfortably with her guests.

The conversations among the ladies typically revolved around makeup, clothing, and gossip.

As luck would have it, a particularly juicy piece of gossip was currently dominating the capital.

“Has everyone seen the young lord of the Marquis Trancium, who recently returned to Elvarto?”

“I have. Oh, he’s incredibly handsome, isn’t he? I’ve heard he started a business abroad, and it seems he’s inherited the marquis’s keen business acumen. Apparently, he’s already considered a promising young entrepreneur in that country. But regardless, his conduct is just so…”

“Ah, I… I missed Count Bruno’s yacht party this time. I’m so disappointed.”

Hearing their conversation, Emeline’s smile turned cold.

As the topic of gossip heated up, the chatter caught fire in an instant, especially since someone mentioned a recent opera performance.

“Actually, I went to see that opera with my fiancé just a little while ago.”

The speaker was Cecilia, the eldest daughter of Count Henburton. For once, Emeline displayed rare interest, leaning in slightly.

“By opera, do you mean the one that was all the rage, with Lord Trancium and his fiancée in attendance?”

The other ladies didn’t question why Emeline was suddenly taking an interest in the affairs of a rival family. After all, her expression appeared colder than usual.

Seemingly encouraged by Emeline’s curiosity, Cecilia began chattering animatedly.

“Yes, that’s the one. When the theater doors opened, they were the first to enter. I only saw their backs, but he really is as dashing as the rumors say. But you know…”

Lowering her voice as if to share a scandalous secret, Cecilia giggled.

“Apparently, he usually stuffs his shoes with a lot of lifts. He seemed shorter than I expected. And oh, the way he was all over Lady Fendine with his hands in front of everyone—it was so embarrassing to watch! Lady Fendine just laughed, but I felt humiliated for her.”

Listening to the torrent of words, Emeline’s expression grew increasingly complex.

The puzzlement she’d felt while looking at the newspaper photo earlier began to resurface.

First to enter the theater… lifts in his shoes…

Emeline decided to probe further, nodding in agreement to encourage Cecilia to keep talking.

“Oh my, now that you mention it, I’ve noticed his height seems inconsistent at times. How did he look in person? As handsome as ever?”

“Hmm… As I mentioned earlier, I only saw him from behind, and he was wearing a hat, so I couldn’t see his face clearly.”

“I see.”

Emeline squinted slightly, then quickly masked her expression with a serene smile.

Feigning disinterest, she gracefully exited the conversation and sipped her tea. While the other ladies continued their heated debate about Zenon Trancium, Emeline refrained from showing any particular interest.

To an outside observer, it would have seemed impossible to guess that Emeline and Zenon had ever shared a close connection.

But in truth, her mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of him.

So many things didn’t add up.

For instance, Zenon had never needed lifts in his shoes; he was naturally tall. And then there was the timing of their encounter…

After retracing her thoughts for a while, Emeline finally dismissed her suspicions.

They were nothing to each other now, and there was no reason for any connection to arise between them.

Why bother getting involved?

She felt a bitter laugh rising in her throat.

If he wants attention, isn’t that exactly what that man is hoping for?

“I had such a wonderful time today. The Delzeier estate is absolutely magnificent.”

The tea party Emeline hosted concluded after four hours. She stepped out to bid farewell to her guests.

As the carriages lined up, one lady stopped before stepping into hers and turned back to Emeline. It was Cecilia, who had earlier been so enthusiastic in her criticism of Zenon.

“Lady Delzeier, we agreed to host the next party at our Henburton estate, didn’t we? You’ll attend with Lord Renier, won’t you? The two of you look so lovely together.”

Emeline met Cecilia’s greedy gaze.

It was clear Cecilia intended for the event to draw attention beyond a simple social gathering.

After all, the combination of Emeline Delzeier and Mathis Renier was just as much a hot topic in high society as Zenon Trancium was.

The union of a man considered the finest among young nobles and a woman of impeccable lineage and wealth was bound to stir curiosity.

“Of course. I feel much more at ease attending parties with Lord Renier by my side.”

The more attention they garnered, the easier it was to flaunt their love.

“Oh, how romantic. It’s no exaggeration to say the two of you truly care for each other.”

“Yes, we… are indispensable to one another.”

Emeline responded with a flawless smile.

For now, Mathis Renier was the only person who could completely erase Zenon Trancium from her life.

And so, Emeline resolved to love him.