A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Paparazzi

A little while later, after seeing Emeline off, the attendant returned to Zenon’s side.

“The Lady has just left.”

“I saw it too.”

“…There’s still a lot of work left. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“I was the one who rushed to acquire this, so I have no choice. I have to do it.”

Zenon picked up the file he had been reviewing before Emeline arrived.

Due to the hasty acquisition, there was a mountain of work to process, and he had yet to receive a full handover. Since his top priority had been retracting the articles related to Emeline, the situation was unavoidable.

Robert, his longtime attendant who had followed him even on his studies abroad, grumbled, “They took our money and still caused this mess. Damn paparazzi.”

“I’m firing that bastard.”

“Yes, you must. It’s not like we gave them just a few pennies…”

Zenon let out a weary chuckle as he flipped through the documents.

He had been paying off the paparazzi to ensure that, no matter what, Emeline Delzeier’s name would never appear alongside his in an article.

But someone had broken their agreement and published such a report without his consent.

Zenon sighed softly. As he watched him flipping through the papers, Robert cautiously asked, “You ended the conversation much quicker than I expected.”

“There was something I wanted to confirm, but realizing I’d get my answer too quickly… that scared me.”

Zenon, who spoke those words, looked drained and weary. Before long, a wistful smile spread across his lips. It was the usual pattern.

Even when feeling down, just recalling a moment from four years ago was enough to make him smile.

With a deeply somber expression, he concluded his thoughts.

It seems I was the only one trapped in the past.

***

After leaving the newspaper office, Emeline stopped her carriage not long into the journey home.

Perhaps because she had met Zenon Trancium, her thoughts kept spiraling, and she needed to clear her mind.

Dismissing the coachman and stepping out with her servant, she began to walk.

The Delzeier mansion wasn’t far, so she decided a walk would help her collect her thoughts.

Holding the parasol her servant had unfolded for her, Emeline leisurely took in the scenery along the way.

Everywhere she stepped was baked in the intense heat of summer.

Then, suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.

Across the street, in an alley, she spotted someone familiar.

The other person also seemed to recognize her, their eyes widening in surprise.

“Lady Delzeier?”

They were the first to approach her.

“What a coincidence meeting you here, Lady Delzeier.”

“Ah, nice to see you, Lady Laresa…”

Emeline greeted her with a slightly troubled heart.

Inside, she sighed in dismay. Why didn’t I consider that I might run into someone I know?

Perhaps her encounter with Zenon Trancium had left her mind clouded. Since she was currently in a scandal with him, any acquaintances she met would surely bring her unwanted trouble.

“Lady Delzeier, are you alright? You don’t look well…”

“Oh, I’m fine. Lady Laresa, where are you coming from? You’re alone.”

Emeline quickly changed the subject, feigning ignorance.

Laresa gave a shy smile and answered, “There’s a bookstore I visit occasionally.”

“A bookstore? You frequent bookstores as well? I do too. How is that one?”

“I enjoy going there. It’s spacious, so they stock a wide selection of books, and it’s quiet. Ah, though it doesn’t have the most pristine feel…”

“I see.”

Emeline found herself intrigued by the bookstore Laresa had mentioned.

She had been reluctant to revisit her usual bookstore. There was no telling when she might run into Zenon Trancium again.

While she wasn’t ready to abandon her favorite store entirely, it seemed wise to avoid it for the time being.

‘I didn’t expect Lady Laresa to be a bookstore regular.’

Even as she thought that, she felt a small sense of delight. Laresa had occasionally asked her for book recommendations, so it wasn’t entirely surprising.

“Where are you coming from, Lady Delzeier…? You don’t look well at all.”

“Ah…”

In the end, the topic she had tried to avoid came up. For a moment, Emeline debated whether to lie but then reluctantly answered.

“I just came from the newspaper office.”

“Because of that article, I assume.”

“Yes. It was filled with false information. I understand that, given how detailed it was, it might be hard to believe, but…”

“No, I believe you, Lady Delzeier.”

As they were simply talking, Laresa suddenly grabbed Emeline’s hand and clasped it tightly. Surprised by the unexpected action, Emeline blinked.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes, considering how long we’ve known each other. I believe you, Lady Delzeier. Besides, that article didn’t even have a single piece of photographic evidence.”

“…Thank you.”

Though a little taken aback by Laresa’s sincere support, Emeline offered a faint smile.

Seeing her finally relax, Laresa smiled back and cheerfully suggested, “Shall we walk together?”

“I’d love to.”

Since they were both on their way home and heading in the same direction, they continued their walk together.

Under the clear blue sky, the two conversed leisurely as they strolled.

“Lady Delzeier, now that I think about it, do you know Lady Fendine?”

“Of course, I do.”

She’s Zenon Trancium’s fiancée.

Emeline barely suppressed the frown forming on her face. She had been sorting through her thoughts while conversing with Laresa, but his name had managed to intrude on her mind again.

“Lately, her behavior has been a little odd. I heard that not long ago, she personally reached out to Lady Henburton. And before that, she even sent a letter to Lady Philia.”

“Lady Fendine… contacted Lady Philia and Lady Henburton?”

Listening to the story, Emeline narrowed her eyes slightly.

Lady Philia and Lady Henburton were both close friends of Emeline. To put it in simple terms, they were aligned with House Delzeier’s circle.

On the other hand, Lady Fendine’s father, Count Fendine, was one of the closest associates of Marquis Trancium, making her a person from the opposite camp. In simpler terms, they were practically at odds.

So why was she suddenly reaching out to people within Emeline’s social circle?

“That is a bit strange.”

“Right? And not only that, she also persistently requested an invitation to the upcoming social party at Lady Henburton’s estate.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Emeline nearly let out a sigh.

If Zenon’s fiancée attended the party, then Zenon Trancium would undoubtedly accompany her as her partner.

She had just barely escaped from dealing with him today, and now she would soon have to see him again.

‘Could it be that he instructed his fiancée to do this?’

Considering Zenon’s recent shameless behavior, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Should she call it pathetic? Or simply laughable? No, she should call it despicable. Using his own fiancée, who was likely unaware of the situation.

Emeline felt nothing but contempt for Zenon Trancium, who continued these antics despite being engaged.

‘And Lady Fendine—just how naive is she to go along with it so willingly?’

At this point, she even started to feel curious about the nature of their relationship.

Just as he had once done with her, was Zenon acting all innocent and pretending he had done nothing wrong in front of his fiancée too?

Did he whisper words of love to her, making promises as if he would pluck the stars from the sky for her?

“So, Lady Henburton had no choice but to give her the invitation after all the persistent requests?”

“Yes, Lady Fendine was incredibly insistent.”

“I see.”

Emeline gave a brief response, deciding to put an end to the topic.

She was already exhausted from dealing with Zenon Trancium today, and just talking about him further drained her energy.

She was growing sick of it all and wished he would finally leave her alone.

‘Maybe I should just marry Count Renier as soon as possible.’

Even though she despised Zenon Trancium so much, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Perhaps the best course of action was to hurry the marriage and force him to lose interest in her once and for all.

“Because I missed you. And because I needed confirmation.”

…When that time came, he would stop saying empty words just to lure her in.

Though she still didn’t know what it was that he wanted to confirm.

Engrossed in light conversation with Laresa, Emeline soon arrived home.

After exchanging goodbyes, she walked into the mansion with somewhat weary steps.

The next day, just as Zenon Trancium had promised, a retraction was published in the newspaper, stating that the scandal had been based on false information.

After confirming it, Emeline prepared to go out.

Fortunately, the issue had been resolved, but she still had one more thing to take care of—meeting her fiancé regarding this matter.