A Summer with My Bitter Rival - Chapter 9 - Care for a Chat?

Chapter 5.1 — Care for a Chat? (1)

Hah, Emeline let out a small, involuntary laugh of disbelief. Lying in bed, she replayed the events of the day over and over in her mind.

Since enrolling in the academy, she had always held first place, but today she had fallen to second.

She thought back to Angel’s reaction when they saw the results. Her friend had been so shocked, she didn’t know what to say.

Emeline was furious and speechless.

How could this happen?

If it had been the student that usually held second place who overtook her, she would’ve understood.

But… Zenon Trantium?

‘Why is his name above mine?’

Emeline began to recall everything she had heard about Zenon Trantium.

He was known by many titles.

A troublemaker. A spoiled noble brat. A shameless womanizer. A repeat failure. The most handsome man of the century…

That last one made Emeline frown.

From what she had heard, Zenon Trantium was the kind of man who lived his life however he pleased. And yet… someone like him, who had previously been held back twice for poor grades and attendance, had suddenly jumped to the top of the rankings?

‘Something isn’t right.’

Emeline had her own personal reason for maintaining her top grades—one so important that she ignored anyone who tried to dissuade her. It was directly tied to her dream. A dream she couldn’t even share with her father, but one that was deeply precious to her.

So if Zenon had cheated, then she was the one who had been unfairly affected.

The next day, she went straight to her teacher to explain the situation. Her teacher listened quietly before letting out a sigh.

“Lady Delzeor, I couldn’t believe the results myself, so I thoroughly investigated whether the student had cheated, but everything was clear.”

“I can’t believe it. He didn’t even make it to the top ranks in the previous exams, and now he’s taken first place…?”

For the first time in her life, Emeline exploded with frustration.

This was completely unacceptable by any normal standard. You couldn’t just pray the night before an exam and suddenly come out on top. Her mind raced to all sorts of negative conclusions—cheating, corruption, bribery, leaked answers.

Sensing her mood, the teacher spoke in a gentle tone, as if trying to calm her down.

“Lady Delzeor, there’s no need to get so upset… The results of this exam have already been announced, but if you’re dissatisfied, I can help you during the next one. So please, don’t be too harsh when speaking to His Grace.”

“…Excuse me?”

“If you wish to be first, Lady Delzeor, then that can easily be arranged—”

“Mr. Francis!”

Emeline shouted, shocked by his words, but quickly lowered her voice.

“Are you seriously suggesting something like that? To me?”

“You looked quite upset, so I merely assumed…”

Emeline’s expression turned cold and sharp.

She knew that others saw her obsession with being first place as nothing more than personal vanity. She also knew that, as a mere female student, no one pressured her about her falling grades because of her family’s powerful influence.

Emeline gritted her teeth.

“Please don’t make comments like that, even as a joke. I’m here to discuss fairness, not to throw a fit about wanting first place.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she continued.

“Rest assured, I won’t tell my father. That is, if this truly isn’t some form of corruption.”

She gave a curt farewell to her stunned teacher, whose glasses were nearly slipping off his face, and turned away. What kind of investigation had he even done? Seeing how easily he was willing to hand her first place only made her trust him less. Besides, wasn’t Marquis Trantium known to be a very wealthy man?

Emeline pondered what to do next.

A feeling of helplessness washed over her.

Her father didn’t care about her grades in the slightest.

He might be outraged that it was the second son of Marquis Trantium who took first place, but he wouldn’t lift a finger to help Emeline because of it.

If it had been for another reason, then maybe, but when it came to school—especially concerning his daughter rather than his son—he became completely indifferent.

‘I sent you there to socialize, so what in God’s name have you been doing? Do you think you’re the same as your brother, a man?’

Those were his words the first time she earned first place.

Back then, Emeline had been bursting with pride, excited to tell her father about her achievement, hoping he would praise her. Ever since she was little, her father had admired her for being so bright, saying she was quick to pick up on things.

But instead of praising her, he scolded her, treating her like there was something wrong with her.

He even went so far as to say that being too smart was a flaw for a woman who was meant to be a bride.

Still, Emeline loved studying and reading, and she wanted to maintain her grades so she could go to university. She wanted his approval, to be acknowledged, so she took first place again.

And that was the day her father slapped her for the first time, asking if she had lost her mind.

It was a shock.

Using the excuse of poor health, Emeline was forbidden from attending school for some time. During that period, she was confined to an empty room, forced to reflect on what she had done wrong.

Her crime? Daring to dream of something as far-fetched as going to university.

She was wasting precious time on pointless studies when she barely had enough to look after her appearance. Only after she had repeatedly reflected on her actions was she finally released.

But if she were the type to give up so easily, she wouldn’t have chased such an impossible dream in the first place.