A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Do You Still Like Me?

Emeline recalled him with unease.

If this wasn’t just her imagination, then why wasn’t he brazenly seeking her out in person like before? Why was he doing this instead?

She couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

Nor could she tell if this was merely a misunderstanding or the truth.

‘If I meet him… maybe then I’ll know.’

Emeline carefully packaged the letter back into its envelope and hid it somewhere in her drawer.

Then, she leaned back on the sofa and began counting the days.

The days when she could go to meet Zenon Trancium.

***

Once again, Emeline looked into the mirror.

Lately, the first thing she did upon waking was check the wound on her face.

She hadn’t scratched Labore’s cheek with her nails, but Labore Fendine had deliberately clawed her.

Just how long were her nails?

‘Still, it’s much better now.’

A week had passed, and the wound had almost faded. At this point, it was barely noticeable.

Taking her eyes off the mirror, she put on a white wide-brimmed hat adorned with roses and left her room.

Today, she planned to meet Zenon Trancium.

If he didn’t show up at the bookstore today, then perhaps they weren’t meant to meet.

Zenon always claimed that their encounters were coincidences.

Though this situation couldn’t be called a perfect coincidence, if what he said was true, then they would end up meeting somehow.

Emeline decided to believe in that strange logic of his just this once.

As she stepped outside the mansion, she noticed Benica sweeping the garden. Spotting her, Benica immediately rushed over.

Seeing the maid with her braided hair flying behind her as she ran, Emeline stopped and waited for her.

“Miss, are you going out?”

“Yes, I need to finish the task you helped with.”

“I see… Oh, miss. Thank you for the hospital fees. There was more than you mentioned… I was even able to buy my little brother the food he had been wanting.”

Benica clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly.

Watching her silently, Emeline furrowed her brows and looked at her properly.

“You simply received what you earned. There’s no need to be so grateful.”

“Ah… Yes, you’re right.”

As Benica quickly straightened her shoulders, Emeline deliberately relaxed her previously annoyed expression.

“Did your brother like it?”

“Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him smile so brightly. It’s also been so long since he hugged me and thanked me.”

“You must be close with your brother.”

Emeline gave a wistful smile.

Though she led a life others envied, she had no right to covet someone else’s happiness.

She told Benica to return to her work and then turned away. Under a sky that felt unusually bright today, she passed through the lush green garden and boarded her carriage.

“Take me to the bookstore I used to frequent.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The carriage rolled forward, its wheels pressing against the ground. She felt nervous, unsure of what awaited her at the bookstore.

Would she meet him? Or would she not?

At that moment, her long-held resentment toward Zenon Trancium faded into uncertainty.

Upon arriving at the familiar bookstore, a sense of nostalgia washed over her.

The faint scent of aged paper still lingered in the air, and the place retained its slightly shabby charm. But there was no place that warmed her heart under the summer sunlight quite like this one.

She opened the bookstore door. The small bell above it rang with a familiar chime.

The shop owner, seated in a worn-out rocking chair behind the counter, glanced up at his new customer. Upon recognizing her, he smiled warmly.

“You’ve come today. I had a feeling you’d visit soon.”

Seeing him, Emeline felt a comforting sense of belonging, as if she had returned home. Approaching the counter, she greeted him lightly.

“Yes, it’s been a while since I last came. But… by any chance, is he…?”

She trailed off hesitantly.

Even so, the bookstore owner immediately understood and nodded with a knowing smile. As if she had come at just the right time.

“He just went upstairs.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

Emeline gave him a gentle smile in return. Leaving him with a small nod, she made her way toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

As she ascended the steps, a wave of tension crept up her spine.

She felt more nervous than when she had first seen him after four years, still carrying the weight of betrayal.

Though she still felt neither joy nor anticipation, her longing for the truth remained unchanged. As did her desire to see him.

Her heart pounded as she took careful steps up the creaking stairs, finally reaching the landing of the second floor.

At the turn of the hallway, just before the entrance came into view, someone appeared in front of her.

More precisely, someone was leaving the bookstore from within.

Upon seeing the person before her, Emeline froze.

Her grip on the staircase railing instinctively tightened.

The person before her had also stopped in their tracks, their eyes widening in shock at the unexpected encounter.

The man wearing a light blue-gray jacket over a casually worn shirt without a tie was Zenon. Though his outfit seemed carelessly put together, he still drew attention effortlessly.

For a moment, Emeline stood frozen, but she quickly climbed the remaining steps, closing the distance between them.

Zenon looked at her approaching figure but, as always, made no move to acknowledge her first.

He simply stared blankly at her, his eyes clouded as if lost in a dream.

So, Emeline spoke first.

“We meet here. Such a coincidence.”

“……”

“Zenon Trancium.”

Seeing that he neither responded nor showed any sign of leaving, Emeline softly called his name.

For a fleeting moment, his vacant eyes seemed to regain focus, but then they quickly darkened again.

Lowering his head slightly, he let out a soft chuckle.

“Strange.”

He murmured after a long pause.

Then, straightening his posture, he took a slow step forward. The wooden floor creaked beneath his feet.

“Why is Lady Delzeier not using honorifics with me today?”

“……”

“It’s strange.”

Deliberately closing the distance, as if to gauge her reaction, he carefully examined her face.

She could feel his gaze tracing over her features. Emeline silently met his eyes.

Suddenly, Zenon’s eyes narrowed. “Your face… what happened?”

In that instant, the skepticism he had been holding toward her vanished completely.

As he stared at the faint scar on her cheek, his eyes were filled only with concern and confusion.

Though the wound had nearly healed, he had noticed it immediately.

Emeline answered plainly, “It just happened.”

Seizing the moment when his suspicion had faded, she quickly changed the subject.

“Since we’ve met, I have a favor to ask.”

“From me?”

“The book I couldn’t buy last time—I want to get it now. Could you take it out for me again?”

As soon as she mentioned a favor, Zenon’s eyes briefly filled with doubt once more, but he listened quietly.

After a moment, he turned and stepped back into the bookstore without resistance. She had worried he might refuse, but fortunately, he seemed willing to oblige.

Zenon walked toward the shelf where he had last retrieved the book for her.

Even she barely remembered which book it was, yet he recalled it effortlessly.

‘The more I watch him, the more suspicious he seems…’

Was the odd feeling she got from his actions merely a coincidence, or was it something more?

Zenon reached up without hesitation, pulling the book from the high shelf. After checking the title, he handed it to Emeline, who stood beside him.

“This is the one, right?”

“Yes.”

“…Of all books, you picked this one.”

Just as she took the book from him, he muttered under his breath.

Emeline looked up at him.

“…What’s wrong with this book?”

Though asking for the book had been an excuse, she had genuinely been curious about it. But seeing Zenon’s reaction now, her suspicion grew.

After a slight pause, he finally answered.

“That book… it’s erotic.”

“…What?”

“It’s pretty explicit.”

Blinking in surprise, Emeline stared at him. Judging by the cover and title, it hadn’t seemed that way at all. The revelation was completely unexpected.

Though momentarily taken aback, she quickly regained her composure. Right now, the book was the least of her concerns—there was something more important to discuss.

“Zenon Trancium, now that I think about it, there’s something I want to ask.”

She had expected him to respond with a teasing remark or a sarcastic joke as usual.

But unexpectedly, Zenon remained silent.

So, Emeline continued on her own.

“You and Lady Fendine—what exactly is your relationship?”

“…Are you asking because you don’t know? Labore is my fiancée.”

“Do you think I’d ask if I didn’t know that? I’m asking about what’s beneath the surface. I happened to see Lady Fendine with someone else recently. No matter how I look at it, it seemed suspicious.”

“……”

“Tell me. What’s the real relationship between you and Lady Fendine?”

Zenon remained expressionless as he listened to her words. Then, out of nowhere, he let out a soft chuckle.

Tilting his head slightly, he furrowed his brows. “Why do you care?”

“I already told you, your fiancée—”

“You pushed me away… So why do you care about me now?”

He glared at her, his eyes narrowed in frustration.

For a moment, Emeline was at a loss for words.

There was something worn and weary in his gaze—something tangled with resentment and desperation.

It startled her.

Zenon Trancium looked utterly unstable.

“Emeline Delzeier.”

Without warning, he grabbed the corner of the book she was holding and yanked it toward him.

In that brief moment of distraction, Emeline was pulled closer, stopping just inches away from him.

They stood so close that she could feel his breath.

Zenon had successfully drawn her in. His grip slowly shifted from the book to her wrist, wrapping around it firmly.

Like a trap tightening around her, Emeline found herself staring directly into his eyes at close range.

His low voice resonated between them.

“Do you still like me?”