A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: The Heir’s Position

They had already explored nearly half of the exhibition hall, yet there was still no sign of them. Could it be that they truly hadn’t come?

Emeline, who had deliberately timed her visit to coincide with their invitation, felt slightly disappointed.

“There’s a coffee house downstairs as well. Let’s go there later and have a chat.”

“That sounds good.”

She was doing her best to focus on her date with Mathis when he suddenly stopped while admiring the artwork on the walls.

“Miss Emeline, was Lord Zenon also invited here?”

“What?”

Hearing his words, Emeline quickly turned to look in the direction he was facing.

At the far end of the exhibition hall, she saw a figure leisurely strolling along, observing the sculptures.

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

“Ah… Yes, Lady Fendine attended one of our social gatherings recently, so I also sent an invitation to Lord Zenon…”

Trailing off, she quietly gazed at Zenon from afar.

‘Why is he alone?’

No matter where she looked, Labore was nowhere to be seen.

She considered the possibility that she had momentarily stepped away to the powder room, but Zenon didn’t seem like someone waiting for anyone.

He continued moving from sculpture to sculpture without stopping in one place for long.

‘Could he have come alone?’

His fiancée had declined the invitation, yet he had chosen to attend by himself. Why?

As she stood there watching him, Zenon suddenly turned his head in her direction.

As soon as their eyes met, he halted his leisurely pace.

Mathis, who had been watching alongside her, spoke, “It would be best to just let him pass by.”

Zenon, who seemed uninterested in making conversation, stiffened momentarily before turning in the opposite direction.

Observing his reaction, Emeline narrowed her eyes.

He had accepted an invitation that his fiancée had refused, yet now he was avoiding her after running into her.

Previously, he had approached her with a smirk, throwing cruel words her way.

A sudden, inexplicable sense of defiance rose within her, and she smiled.

“Lord Zenon!”

At her unexpected call, Zenon halted his steps.

Mathis, flustered by her abrupt action, turned to her in surprise. Emeline calmly smiled and offered an excuse.

“Still, he is a guest. It would be rude not to at least greet him. I do have my reputation to uphold.”

Throughout the exhibition, she had exchanged polite greetings with several noble guests, thanking them for attending.

There was no reason she couldn’t extend the same courtesy to Zenon Trancium.

She approached him as he turned back toward her.

“Hello, Lord Zenon.”

“…It’s a pleasure to see you, Lady Delzeier. And Lord Renier.”

Zenon hesitated for a brief moment before returning their greeting.

Emeline noted his neatly put-together appearance—different from before—and his lack of company.

“Thank you for accepting the invitation. But… your fiancée hasn’t come?”

He had claimed that they were getting along well.

If that were truly the case, wouldn’t it have been more natural for one to follow the other’s decision?

“…She had personal matters to attend to and couldn’t make it.”

Zenon’s expression became somewhat uncomfortable. He, too, seemed to recall his previous claim about his relationship with his fiancée.

‘As expected, they don’t seem particularly close.’

If that was the case, why had he lied about it? What was the reason behind the deception?

Driven by curiosity, Emeline studied his carefully composed face.

For a moment, Zenon seemed to avert his gaze, but then he slowly met her eyes again. His gaze lingered on her face before shifting downward—to where her arm was intertwined with Mathis’s.

His eyes subtly narrowed.

Sensing something odd in his expression, Emeline quickly snapped out of it.

‘Get a grip. Mathis is right next to me. I can’t afford to act suspiciously.’

Simply greeting Zenon had already been enough to raise questions.

‘I invited them here to confirm the nature of his relationship with Lady Fendine, and I’ve done that.’

However, it felt like a waste to just let him go now. The longer she observed him, the easier it would be to decipher his thoughts.

For now, it might be best to part ways and later take advantage of the exhibition’s layout to cross paths naturally.

With a bright smile, Emeline spoke, “Mathis, if there’s nothing else we need to discuss with Lord Zenon, shall we continue? We wouldn’t want to disrupt his appreciation of the art.”

Just as Mathis was about to respond, Zenon suddenly interrupted.

“…Wait a moment, please.”

Zenon paused momentarily before curling his lips into his usual smirk and speaking, “I have something to discuss with Lord Renier. I believe he is already aware of it. Since we are all here, why not discuss it while enjoying the exhibition together?”

“…If it’s about that matter, we can talk another time.”

“Well, do I look like someone who has that kind of free time? This may be the only opportunity.”

Zenon spoke in his characteristically confident tone. After hesitating for a moment, Mathis eventually sighed and agreed.

The one most surprised by this was Emeline.

‘…Mathis is accepting Zenon’s proposal?’

She had assumed that Mathis would reject anything Zenon suggested, especially since he often expressed suspicion about the connection between Emeline and Zenon.

Unable to understand their conversation, Emeline blinked in confusion.

For some reason, Mathis seemed to be in a weaker position, while Zenon held the upper hand.

Emeline, unable to suppress her curiosity, gently tugged on Mathis’s sleeve, silently demanding an explanation. Mathis let out a sigh before responding.

“The reason I had to step away from work recently is related to Lord Zenon. If this situation makes you uncomfortable, Miss Emeline—”

“Ah… No, it’s fine. Don’t mind me.”

Emeline quietly followed them as they conversed. Standing right beside them, she overheard discussions about banking affairs.

‘Wasn’t the marquis’ bank supposed to be inherited by the successor?’

Yet, somehow, Zenon was involved with the bank.

Mathis, treating Zenon as if he were a manager, was questioning his sudden involvement in the business.

Feigning disinterest, Emeline scanned the artwork around them while recalling something Allen had once said.

That Zenon was stirring up trouble in his ambition to claim the successor’s position.

Emeline had tried to ignore it, but now, she couldn’t help but glance at Zenon again.

‘Could his recent absence be related to that? Then… did he really succeed in securing the heir’s position?’

As Emeline continued her serious speculation, Zenon’s gaze suddenly shifted to her.

He must have sensed her looking at him.

Their eyes met. His green eyes held a complex, unreadable emotion as he stared at her intently.

Though not as filled with certainty as in the past, nor as cheerful as before… there was something familiar in his gaze.

“I’m curious about you.”

A long time ago, Zenon had looked at her with curiosity and seriousness, speaking softly.

His lips had curved into a mischievous smirk, his voice low and steady, his eyes forming crescent moons as he spoke.

And at the end of it, he had said—

“I wonder what kind of person you are, and what you’re hiding.”

Emeline recognized this look—this was the gaze he had when he was deeply curious about her.

But why was he curious about her now?

It didn’t seem like mere playful interest. The emotions in his gaze now were much heavier, much deeper than before.

Just as Emeline, mesmerized by his gaze, slightly parted her lips to speak, a strange sound echoed from above.

Glancing up, she saw a large angel sculpture suspended from the ceiling, blowing a trumpet.

‘…Did I hear wrong?’

As she stared up at the ceiling, Mathis spoke to her from the side. “Miss Emeline, is this conversation making you uncomfortable? If you’d rather look around on your own, I can finish my discussion with Lord Zenon and return shortly.”

“Ah, no, I’m fine.”

“I won’t take long.”

Perhaps thinking she was simply bored, Mathis led Zenon away despite her insistence.

‘I wanted to hear more.’

Emeline had been paying close attention, but now, she had no choice but to explore on her own.

Pretending to be absorbed in the exhibition, she discreetly glanced toward them. They had moved to a quiet corner, engrossed in conversation.

After stealing one last glance, she refocused on her surroundings.

Eventually, she found herself back beneath the massive angel sculpture she had noticed earlier.

The angel, wings beautifully spread, appeared almost as if it were truly soaring through the air.

Emeline gazed at it silently. The angel’s form exuded an air of freedom.

As she observed it, she unconsciously stepped forward, moving closer to the sculpture.

That was when she heard the strange sound again—this time, louder and more abrupt.

Startled, she froze beneath the statue.

Dust began trickling down from the ceiling.

Emeline’s eyes widened in shock. Something was wrong.

But she had no time to react.

It all happened in an instant.

The enormous angel sculpture, which she had been staring at just moments ago, suddenly plummeted toward her.

For a split second, the world seemed to fall silent. Her breath caught in her throat as she instinctively tensed.

Underneath the collapsing sculpture, Emeline stood frozen in place, unable to move.