A Summer With Bitter Rivals - What If Side Story 6

What If Side Story: Marriage with a Rival (6)

Until now, Emeline had undergone various foundational lessons to become the perfect bride according to her family’s wishes.

Because of that, she had a vague idea of what would happen next.

‘It should be fine…’

She felt it would be alright since the other person was Zenon, not someone else, but a faint fear still crept in.

Lying on the bed waiting for Zenon, she shifted positions and sat back down at the edge.

After passing some time like that, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

“I’m coming in, Emeline.”

It was a familiar voice. Soon, Zenon opened the door and entered.

Lifting her head at the sound, Emeline unconsciously swallowed.

Their eyes met, and her heart felt like it lurched violently.

He always looked flawless no matter what he wore, but his relaxed appearance now was striking enough to make her briefly gape.

His blond hair, still damp from a recent bath, sparkled softly like shy stars.

Beneath the loosely tied robe, glimpses of his well-toned muscles drew her gaze.

Even though Emeline was usually more composed than most, a strange tension welled up in her.

As Zenon quietly approached and looked at her, he tilted his head.

With a curious gaze, he naturally leaned closer.

“You alright?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You looked a bit dazed.”

His green eyes, full of warmth, carefully searched her face.

Though his gaze held no hidden intent, every place it passed felt flushed.

It was a pleasant, ticklish warmth. Emeline quietly clenched her hands resting on the bed.

In a voice uncharacteristically timid, she murmured, “There’s nothing wrong…”

Then, after briefly averting her gaze, she looked back up at him.

As he leaned slightly closer, the inside of his robe came into view. Even at a glance, his body was firm and sculpted like art.

Moreover, a soft soap scent clung to him.

Mixed with the subtle fragrance of roses, it was an intoxicating blend that made her heart race.

“What are you staring at?”

Laughter burst out above her head. Emeline flinched, realizing she had been staring inside his robe.

“I, uh…”

She was at a loss for words, flustered.

‘What did I just do?’

She had just stared at someone’s body—at a man’s body.

Shame and unease surged at once.

Sure enough, when she looked up, Zenon was watching her with a teasing glint.

He was clearly about to make fun of her.

“You’re the one who left it wide open in front of me…”

Trying to defend herself, she suddenly felt the bed shift. Zenon had placed one knee beside her.

Startled, she looked up to see the corners of his mouth curling mischievously.

“If you want to see, don’t sneak glances. Just say so. I’ll show you as much as you want.”

“What?”

Zenon spoke without a hint of shame.

As Emeline recoiled in embarrassment, he laughed as if thoroughly entertained.

Then, giving her no chance to react, he leaned forward.

In a blink, Emeline was laid flat on the bed with Zenon above her.

As they faced each other in silence, his robe slipped further, almost as if on purpose.

“We’re married now. You know what happens on the first night.”

Her black hair scattered across the bed, and some strands caught on his hand.

He gently played with the strands, then slowly moved to whisper at her ear.

Yet, he went no further than that.

At some point, his gaze changed.

The way Zenon looked at her was no longer mischievous but serious, quietly intense.

Emeline met his eyes, entranced.

“What do you want to do?”

“…What?”

“If you’re not ready yet, or if you don’t want this, we don’t have to push it. We’ve got plenty of time ahead of us.”

His unexpected words made Emeline freeze, her gaze fixed on him.

His cheeks and ears were noticeably flushed. He wasn’t the only one whose clothes had shifted when they fell onto the bed.

‘I didn’t expect this kind of consideration…’

Emeline felt something stir within her.

From his kindness, and from his words, spoken with certainty that they would be together for a long time.

Zenon Trancium was someone who only grew deeper the more she got to know him.

So different from his first impression, so different from other men.

Sharp, playful, sincere, thoughtful, intelligent—someone who knew how to make others smile.

‘If it’s you…’

Emeline’s parted lips released a nervous breath.

“I’m ready. I don’t dislike it, and I’m not forcing myself.”

She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

Feeling her warmth, Zenon reacted faintly, then relaxed and smiled.

“Don’t regret this later, because I’m not stopping.”

“I won’t regret it.”

“You really are bold in the strangest moments. Should I say you’re daring?”

At his playful tone, Emeline let out a small laugh.

Zenon’s gaze briefly met hers, then gently slipped away. He began to take in the sight of her, clad in a simple, thin nightgown.

The further his gaze traveled downward, the more Emeline felt her body heat up, as if she had swallowed fire.

Eventually, his hand reached the ribbon tied at her gown. At the same time, he lowered his head and claimed her lips.

Their joined lips moved with urgency.

As she parted them under the strain of the stimulation, Zenon pushed in as if he had been waiting.

With each breathless gasp, Emeline clung tighter to Zenon’s neck, stealing his breath.

When his soft blond hair brushed the back of her hand, she reached up as if entranced, tousling and stroking it into a mess.

‘Zenon…’

Hearing the loud beating of her heart made Emeline feel overwhelmed.

The feeling she sometimes got when she met Zenon’s eyes or heard him laugh now swelled inside her, crashing like a wave.

‘Just a little more…’

Sensing her wish, Zenon broke the kiss and pulled back.

Both of them were disheveled as they tried to catch their breath. Zenon’s hand, which had been stroking her cheek, slipped into the loosened folds of her robe.

The Zenon Trancium before her was someone she had never seen before.

His intelligent green eyes and his breath carried a hazy passion. As Emeline inhaled that breath, a strange emotion stirred in her chest.

He was, unexpectedly, someone skeptical of others and drew clear boundaries with women. Emeline, having watched him all this time, knew it well.

She reached out and gently brushed his eye. “You once said someone blackmailed you into dating them a few times.”

“That’s right… around when I was fifteen.”

“Even then, did you let them touch you like this?”

“…No.”

He leaned his head into the palm of her hand.

Then he pulled his damp lips into a smile.

“I’m not easy, you know. You’re the first for everything.”

Seeing him smile hazily as if spellbound made her chest and head warm.

Emeline realized the truth about the quiet emotions bubbling inside her.

‘This expression and these reactions—only I’ve seen them…’

A strange sense of satisfaction filled her.

That he was different from the rumors, that he had his own circumstances, that he was sincere…

Only she knew all of that.

Though she had sensed it for a long time, she had pretended not to. Now, the truth hit her hard.

Emeline finally admitted it.

This man was someone very special to her.

More than a rival or a friend.

Perhaps even more than someone she shared secrets with.

“Ah…”

A sharp awareness shot through her as his hand slipped beneath her robe.

As Zenon watched Emeline’s face twist and relax, he leaned in again to kiss her.

In that sweet and mischievous heat, her whole body melted.

As his ragged breath and occasional low laughter filled her ears, the cool summer night deepened.

***

“Good morning, Young Madam. Shall I prepare the wash water first?”

“Yes, please.”

“Breakfast is being prepared as well. Would you like it in your room?”

“Yes.”

It had been a month since Emeline married Zenon and came to live at the marquisate.

Stretching lightly, Emeline sat up against the headboard, still feeling sluggish. Until the wash water arrived, she brushed her own hair with a comb.

Then she blinked and looked toward the window.

A gentle rose fragrance drifted in with the breeze from outside.

It was the same scent that always lingered on Zenon Trancium’s body—its origin was the garden.

Roses were in full bloom across the grounds, beautifully arranged.

She had heard that the garden used to have even more roses, but much of the mansion had been refurbished in anticipation of her arrival.

Perhaps because of that, the Trancium estate, filled with the romance of summer, looked to Emeline like a flawlessly beautiful estate. There was none of the vulgarity so often attributed to the Trancium name.

“Young Madam, the wash water is ready.”

“Alright.”

At the maid’s call, Emeline finally pulled off the covers and got out of bed.

After being attended to and completing her morning grooming, she asked, “My husband?”

Though the title still felt unfamiliar, she feigned composure.

“I heard he has a busy schedule today. He left the mansion early this morning.”

“…I see. So he’s busy again today.”

Emeline smiled faintly, though her gaze had cooled.

The maid, sensing her chill, quietly gauged her mood.

Not wanting to show her disappointment, Emeline smoothly changed the subject.

“Bring in breakfast.”

The second storm that had begun with the announcement of their marriage still hadn’t passed.

The problem had reemerged on the night Emeline spent with him—when she became aware of her feelings.

‘Why is he so busy?’

Emeline held Zenon Trancium as someone special.

But he was now so busy with other things that they barely saw each other.

They were like strangers, hardly like husband and wife…

In the end, she had no idea how he truly felt about her—even now, when everything between them had changed.