A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Are We That Close?

Emeline collapsed onto the sofa.

Even after leaving the scene of the accident, her heart pounded wildly, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

Was it a mistake to suspend such a massive statue from the ceiling? The support embedded in the ceiling had given way, causing the incident.

She clenched her hands and placed them over her chest. The moment replayed in her mind, making it impossible for her to calm down.

The statue had come crashing down in an instant.

But faster than that, Zenon had seized her.

Thanks to him, she had avoided being crushed beneath the statue, but Zenon, who had held her in his arms, had been struck multiple times by the falling debris.

The moment she looked up at Zenon, she knew something was wrong—he was on the verge of losing consciousness.

She had been so shocked that she froze.

Only after snapping back to reality did she call out to him in a panic, but Zenon remained motionless. The only thing that showed any strength was the way he held onto her, as if still trying to protect her.

Compared to his battered state, Emeline was unscathed.

“Get a hold of yourself, Zenon Trancium…”

Her voice trembled pathetically as she looked into his unfocused eyes.

She couldn’t understand why he had risked his life to save her.

For four years, he had treated her as if she were insignificant—so why? Why now?

Even when she desperately tried to pry his arms away to check his condition, Zenon refused to let her go until the very end.

It was only after repeatedly calling for help that people finally came to assist her.

Mathis, who quickly assessed the situation, called for medical assistance, allowing Zenon to be transported to the hospital immediately.

‘His arm and one leg were caught under the fallen statue…’

Blood had also been trickling from his forehead, but fortunately, it was just a superficial wound caused by a fragment of the stone.

After accompanying him to the hospital for a brief examination, Emeline couldn’t even remember how she had returned home.

The moment she arrived, her father and brother rushed out, having heard the news, anxiously checking on her. But Emeline remained dazed for a long time.

Even now, she struggled to maintain her composure.

‘Zenon Trancium…’

She blankly stared out the window.

The sun had long since set, yet the unease in her heart refused to settle.

The way he had smiled at her, weak and fading, before losing consciousness replayed in her mind over and over again.

The relief in his expression had been unmistakable.

Despite being in unbearable pain, how could he smile like that?

Unable to suppress her emotions any longer, Emeline buried her face in her hands.

‘…Are we really that close?’

Close enough for him to throw away his life to save mine? Close enough for him to smile in relief as his consciousness slipped away?

Close enough for him to hold onto me until the very end, refusing to let go?

Her entire body trembled—her hands, her shoulders, everything.

Even though everything was over, the terror from that moment still gripped her, but the warmth she had felt back then was indescribably comforting.

Weren’t we… supposed to be enemies?

Letting out a long sigh, Emeline shut her eyes tightly.

‘What exactly am I to you, Zenon Trancium…?’

Why do you keep doing this?

No matter how much she thought about it, she found no answers.

Curled up on the sofa, Emeline eventually lost consciousness.

Somewhere far away, perhaps Zenon Trancium had also drifted into a deep sleep.

By the next morning, Emeline felt significantly more composed than the day before.

Her entire body still felt heavy, and she remained in a daze, but at least she wasn’t paralyzed by shock anymore.

Ignoring the servants’ protests, she got out of bed.

“Where’s Father?”

“I heard he’s about to head out… He’s likely preparing now.”

“I see. I need to speak with him.”

“My lady, I believe it would be best for you to rest a little longer. Once the master returns this evening, I can inform him that you wish to see him—”

“No, I need to go now. Move.”

With firm resolve, Emeline ordered the servant blocking her way to step aside. Reluctantly, they did as they were told.

Leaving her room, she headed straight for Duke Delzeier’s chambers.

She had seen her father yesterday when she returned home, but in the midst of everything, she hadn’t mentioned Zenon to him at all.

It was only after waking up that she realized she had forgotten to say anything, and now she intended to correct that.

Standing before the dimly lit entrance to her father’s chamber, she knocked.

The servants inside promptly opened the door, revealing Bernard in the middle of his preparations.

Upon seeing his daughter, Bernard dismissed the servants momentarily and approached her.

“Emeline, I was planning to visit you after work today. Why have you come so early instead of resting?”

His gaze swept over her, filled with concern. His eyes lingered on the scratch on her face before he clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“It’s going to take time for that to heal properly. You only just recovered from that previous injury, and now this… It would be best if you stayed indoors for a while.”

Patting her shoulder with sympathy, Bernard let out a sigh.

Emeline hesitated, opening her mouth and closing it a few times before finally speaking.

“…Father.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“You may have already heard, but… Zenon Trancium was injured in an accident yesterday.”

The moment she mentioned Zenon’s name, Bernard’s expression darkened.

But then, as if dismissing it as trivial, he let out a chuckle. “He ended up in the hospital? Serves him right! That bastard dared to look down on our family and torment you. He got what he deserved.”

“Why…”

Hearing his tone of amusement, Emeline was at a loss for words.

As she listened to his genuinely delighted laughter, she furrowed her brows.

Perhaps it was the sheer shock of it all, but her trembling voice escaped before she could even think.

“Father, he was injured saving me… He ended up like that in my place.”

“Yes, I know. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t get caught up in any more scandals with that bastard. We’ll say he brought this upon himself. We can even claim that the marquis was behind some underhanded scheme.”

Once again, she was left speechless. At that moment, Emeline recalled a memory from the past.

Back when her father’s business had collapsed due to his own corrupt dealings, he had blamed not only the marquis and Zenon but also Emeline herself for mentioning the incident. His hypocrisy and shamelessness had been revolting.

Her gaze slowly turned to one of contempt.

“…What are you saying? Are you planning to frame Zenon? Everyone at the scene saw what happened… They all saw that he saved me.”

“Money can silence mouths. Don’t worry, Emeline. This is unavoidable. I’ll take care of everything so that you don’t suffer any repercussions. That bastard and his family have looked down on us for too long—this is just karma.”

Emeline let out a scoff of disbelief. The sheer absurdity of his words made her tremble with anger, and her eyes welled with frustration.

Zenon Trancium had saved her life, yet her father wanted to punish him instead.

Even Emeline, who had been betrayed by him and resented him deeply, had never entertained such cowardly thoughts. She felt ashamed to even look up at the sky, knowing that her father was such a man.

Consumed by unbearable rage and disappointment, her words burst out without restraint.

“Father, have you lost your mind?”

“What?”

“You’re not thinking straight. How could you do something so vile to someone who risked his life to save me?”

What does Trancium matter?

What does Delzeier matter, for things to end up like this?

As Emeline trembled with anger and glared at him in disgust, Bernard’s expression hardened.

“I’m standing by you, and yet you’re defending that bastard?”

“How is this defending him? I’m just asking for fairness. And how is what you’re doing standing by me? You’re just using me as an excuse to protect the family’s reputation!”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

As he listened to her scathing criticism, Bernard’s expression twisted in fury.

His sharp glare bore into her, his anger barely restrained. It seemed that he held back only because she had just narrowly escaped an accident the day before.

Then, suddenly, he snatched his coat from a servant and brushed past her.

“Stay inside until I return. We’ll discuss this again later.”

With that, the duke left the room.

Emeline stood frozen, unable to process the shock of his words.

His twisted sense of protection, his blind certainty—she felt suffocated by it all.

That night, Bernard returned home but left again soon after.

When he attempted to restart the same conversation, Emeline rejected it once more, pushing him to the brink of rage. In response, he ordered her to remain confined within the estate.

Claiming that he was too busy dealing with the media frenzy and overseeing the exhibition hall’s ceiling repairs, he soon left for a business trip.

In truth, he was always too busy, even without such matters.

“You’re the one who’s not thinking straight. You’re still desperate to be manipulated by that bastard!”

Recalling her father’s enraged words, Emeline sat by the window table and laughed in disbelief.

‘He thinks I’m desperate to be manipulated by Zenon?’

Ridiculous. Emeline felt no such thing.

She still harbored hatred and resentment toward him deep in her heart.

‘And yet… he saved my life.’

Had Zenon Trancium not been there, she wouldn’t be standing here now.

She still resented him, but she couldn’t bring herself to hate him completely.

The warmth of his arms, holding onto her even as the statue collapsed, refused to fade from her memory.

He had truly risked his life to save her.

There was no other explanation.

With a sigh, Emeline opened her eyes and glanced at the calendar.

Mathis had mentioned that he would visit the day after tomorrow to check on her.

Because of this, she had avoided the worst punishment—being locked in her room.

Staring at the calendar, she hesitated for a moment before ringing the bell to summon Benica.

“Miss, you called for me?”

“…Yes, come in. I have another errand for you.”

“Of course. What would you like me to do this time?”

Benica responded dutifully. She was quick-witted, composed, and experienced in handling all sorts of matters, making her someone Emeline trusted deeply.

Lowering her voice slightly, Emeline gave her instructions. “Go to the hospital where Zenon Trancium is admitted and find out if he has woken up.”

No matter what her father thought, she couldn’t treat her savior with the same cold indifference.

She needed to see him again.

Even if their relationship had long been broken, she had to confirm the truth behind his actions—his unwavering decision to save her life.