A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Epilogue 2

Epilogue 2

“Angel, would you like to sleep in my room tonight?”

“Huh? Is that okay?”

On the third day of Angel’s stay at the marquisate, Emeline smiled and made the suggestion.

Angel’s eyes lit up briefly, but she soon wore a worried expression.

Lately, with Zenon busy with work, it had been Angel who kept Emeline company.

After spending a few days like that, Zenon had clearly started shooting Angel sharp looks.

Just as Angel had subtly felt like Emeline was being taken from her, it seemed Zenon felt the same.

Seeing Angel’s cautious look, Emeline responded breezily, “Of course it’s okay. My husband will probably be working late in the office again tonight, so don’t worry about it.”

“It’s not that…”

“Sleeping together is… a bit much, isn’t it? I just thought of the time I stayed at your house and felt nostalgic, so I suggested it…”

Emeline’s brows lowered in a touch of disappointment.

Angel couldn’t resist the look on her face.

In the end, unable to turn her down, Angel stayed up late that night, chatting with Emeline and spending a cozy night in her room.

The next day, while Emeline briefly stepped out to give new directions for the garden landscaping, someone came looking for Angel.

“Lady Laresa, may I have a word with you?”

It was Zenon Trancium.

Startled, Angel kept glancing nervously toward the window.

Any time she had been in the same space with him before, Emeline had always been there.

She’d heard many good things about Zenon from Emeline, and with a face as handsome as his, he gave off a good impression when he smiled—but Angel was still on edge.

It was due to the sharp looks he had given her and the rumors she’d heard, though Emeline had once denied them.

For Angel, who often felt like Zenon had taken Emeline from her, he was a difficult person.

“What did you want to talk about…?”

At Zenon’s request, they moved to a quieter place, and Angel cautiously asked.

She had assumed it would just be a brief chat, but relocating like this felt suspicious.

What if he was about to tell her to pack her things and leave, and limit her visits to once a month?

The thought made Angel feel slightly offended.

She knew Emeline was precious to him, but to Angel, Emeline was a precious friend too.

Just as she was preparing to push back, Zenon relaxed his expression and gave a faint smile.

“Actually, I wanted to ask a favor.”

“…A favor?”

“I’d prefer if you kept it a secret from Emeline… would that be alright?”

Angel, thrown off by the completely unexpected words, looked at him curiously.

But as Zenon continued, all her doubts and caution faded.

Soon, admiration and surprise filled her face in the most pleasant way.

“Ah! So that’s what it was. If it’s for that, I’d be more than happy to help.”

“I’m glad you’ll help. I was worried, but luckily, you happened to be here.”

Zenon smiled warmly, his earlier awkwardness gone.

Angel could now see why people stared at him in awe.

And why Emeline called him clever and charming—she suddenly understood.

Wanting to stay respectful to Emeline, Angel erased that charming smile from her memory.

Now that the misunderstanding was cleared, she felt much more at ease.

“Is that all? I think Emeline will come looking for me soon.”

“Ah, there’s one more thing.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I’m sorry, but while you’re staying here, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t sleep in the same bed with Emeline, or hug her too much, or touch her all over.”

“……”

“I get a bit jealous.”

Angel’s opinion of Zenon dropped again.

In truth, once Zenon finished his work, he would sneak into Emeline’s bedroom late at night just to see her sleeping peacefully and steal a kiss before leaving.

But the night before, he hadn’t been able to do that because of Angel.

Remembering his disappointment, Zenon smiled affably and added firmly, “Please, Lady Laresa. I’m counting on you.”

***

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of Emeline turning the pages of a book with her gloved hands quietly filled the garden.

Though the winter wind was cold, Emeline had recently taken to sitting in a chair in the marquisate’s garden to read.

Apparently, it had been a favorite spot of Zenon’s mother before she moved to the annex.

‘Quiet and peaceful.’

Emeline, who insisted on reading outside despite the cold, continued her hobby calmly.

Warm hands gently cupped her cheeks from behind.

Caught off guard, Emeline tilted her head back.

“I knew you’d be here.”

A smiling face entered her view, and Emeline gave him a sulky look.

“…Why do you always appear from behind?”

“Because I want to be special? I don’t want to be ordinary to you.”

“You’re already special, even if you don’t try.”

At Emeline’s response, Zenon lifted the corners of his mouth.

His striking looks held up well even when viewed from below—he looked even more handsome than usual.

As Emeline quietly looked up at him, his lips landed gently on the tip of her cold nose. Then Zenon flinched in surprise.

“It’s freezing. Weren’t you cold?”

“I was fine.”

“Then it’s my job to warm you up now, right?”

Whether or not he had heard her reply, Zenon began planting kisses all over Emeline’s face.

Unable to hold it in, Emeline burst out laughing.

“It tickles.”

“Just hold on a bit more. Only one spot left.”

Zenon finally pressed his warmth against Emeline’s lips.

The chilly winter air around them melted into the heat of his lips.

Their breath mingled through their shared warmth, and the exhale that escaped turned into a soft cloud.

Zenon placed a short final kiss on her lips, then pulled back completely.

Still, he looked as if he regretted not kissing her even more.

But he had another reason for coming to see Emeline.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“Did something happen?”

“I have something I want to give you.”

His gaze landed on the book Emeline had been reading. Reaching out, he gently pulled it from her hands and closed it.

Emeline looked at him in mild confusion.

Meanwhile, Zenon placed a gift bag he had set beside him into her hands.

“Open it. Go on.”

As if his job was done, Zenon rested his hand on the backrest of Emeline’s chair and looked at her.

Then, in a voice tinged with nervousness, he added a few words.

“I don’t know if you’ll like it… but since it’s one of your hobbies, I tried hard to make it nice…”

Blinking curiously, Emeline unsealed the gift bag.

She could feel Zenon sneaking glances over her shoulder the entire time.

‘What could it possibly be, for Zenon to look this nervous?’

Once the wrapping was fully removed, what appeared was a book.

With a deep burgundy cover and clean gold-embossed lettering, the stiff texture of a brand-new book greeted her fingers.

The title was Summer Paradise.

Emeline glanced up at him.

She sent a look demanding an explanation, but Zenon only returned a nervous gaze, saying nothing.

His throat bobbed as if he were swallowing dryly.

Finally, Emeline lowered her eyes again, having gotten no answer.

But in that small gesture, she suddenly realized why Zenon was so tense.

Emeline’s eyes widened in shock. “You… You wrote this book?”

When she looked up again, Zenon nodded.

Then, trying to ease his tension, he gave her a small smile.

“I wanted to make another book you could enjoy. That’s what I’ve been so busy with. It’s my first time writing, so there might be some rough parts…”

“So it’s a book for me?” Emeline asked, her smile slowly blooming.

As Zenon stared at her gentle, radiant smile, he too smiled like a boy.

“Yeah.”

“What made you think of this? Come over here, not back there. Let’s read it together.”

Pulled by her hand, Zenon sat beside her.

Emeline ran her fingers over the book’s title and the author’s name, then spoke again, visibly touched.

“Thank you, Zenon…”

Every gift from him was nothing short of special.

While Emeline lovingly gazed down at the book, Zenon gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Go on, read it. I want to know if you’ll like it.”

“I probably will, but alright.”

Emeline moved her hand from the cover and opened the book Zenon had written just for her.

***

Summer Paradise by Zenon Trancium, after being read by its first reader, was officially published through a small press with Angel’s help.

Though released without any advertising, the book quickly became a topic of conversation across the kingdom.

Every time new stock reached bookstores, it sold out within the day.

Summer Paradise was a novel set in Winderbilm on a sweltering summer day. The story followed the protagonist observing another person intently.

The one observed, referred to only as “she” throughout the book, was always present wherever the protagonist looked.

Who was she?

Many wondered as they read, but the question was only answered at the end—in the author’s note.

Though never named, “she” was described as someone strong-willed, particular, and tender in her own way.

[Emeline Trancium is

someone so similar to me that she could be called my other half in this world.

And the one who gave me a reason to be passionate again through something as simple as observation in the midst of ennui, the person I love most in my life.]

In truth, the reason the book became so popular was precisely because of those final lines.

Now, everyone knew:

The Marquis and Marchioness of Trancium were truly, inseparably devoted to one another.

-The End-