011. More Often (4)
Owen, perhaps done with his thoughts, stood up and headed straight to the room with the dresser.
Carefully, he took out his tie and cufflinks.
As Owen quickly removed the tie and cufflinks he was originally wearing, Logan approached him and took them.
Seemingly accustomed to being catered to by another, Owen appeared nonchalant.
Handling the wine-colored tie as if it were a treasure, Owen skillfully tied it neatly with deft hands.
He then glanced at the ruby cufflinks he had worn yesterday, now fastened at the end of his shirt, after changing into the new tie.
“…Seems like the colors don’t match.”
Not pleased with how the original outfit and tie colors didn’t quite complement each other, Owen muttered in dissatisfaction.
Upon Logan calling for an attendant to bring a suit in a similar tone to the tie color, Owen quickly changed into the deep wine-toned suit and looked at himself in the mirror again.
This time, it seemed quite fitting.
Nodding affirmatively, Owen expressed his approval, and the attendant stepped back.
Even after the attendant left, Owen continued to scrutinize himself in the mirror for a while.
His gaze was fixed on the tie.
After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.
“If you’ve received a gift, it’s best to reciprocate.”
“Of course.”
In agreement with Logan’s affirmation, Owen also nodded slightly.
In his mind, Owen recalled everything Lucia liked.
Having read “Empire’s Flower” dozens of times and meticulously organized the details, he dared to boast that he knew Lucia’s tastes almost as well as he knew Lucia herself.
In an instant, a list spanning dozens of pages flashed through Owen’s mind.
A rare gem said to be one of a few on another continent, a red sapphire dyed with magic, a black diamond found in the depths of the sea.
A brooch to be released as a limited edition this summer at Lucia’s favorite boutique, a masterpiece of a famous painter to be auctioned in a foreign country in a few months.
Although dozens of gift ideas came to mind, only a limited number could be prepared immediately.
“…Could we make a bouquet with pink flowers?”
“Pink flowers, you say?”
“Lucia mentioned she likes pink.”
Owen instructed Logan on the flowers that could be prepared immediately.
For some reason, Logan nodded with a relieved look in his eyes.
“Still, it’s fortunate that you seem to know a bit.”
“…? What do you mean?”
“No, just talking to myself.”
Seemingly unwilling to explain, Logan rambled vaguely and left to inform the gardener.
Watching Logan disappear in an instant, Owen furrowed his brows in confusion before focusing on preparing his attire for meeting Lucia, which seemed more important than deciphering Logan’s incomprehensible muttering.
***
Before Owen’s arrival, Lucia had come out to the front of the mansion.
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Although Marie suggested waiting inside, Lucia declined, feeling too anxious to sit still and wait due to her racing heart.
It was strange that she was becoming familiar with the idea of meeting him, yet she felt so nervous.
Lucia checked her appearance one last time with the handheld mirror Marie brought out.
Today, her attire was coordinated to match the tie color she had sent Owen yesterday.
A wine-colored, splendid dress and garnet-crafted jewelry.
As she had adorned herself with her usual splendor, she worried whether Owen might dislike it…
But since he had made no comments on her somewhat dazzling outfit when they went to the auction house yesterday, she concluded it should be fine.
How long had she waited?
Now, the black wolf insignia-adorned carriage, which she had grown quite accustomed to, arrived at the Edelte Viscount’s estate.
As the attendant opened the carriage door, a man with black hair stepped out.
“…”
Taking a sharp breath as he stepped out of the carriage, Lucia was taken aback.
His attire seemed to be coordinated with hers in a way that almost seemed intentional.
Moreover, around his neck was the tie I had gifted him.
Her heart fluttered at the fact that he hadn’t discarded my gift and had personally worn it.
“You’ve kept me waiting.”
As Lucia was taken aback, Owen took a step closer and spoke up.
“…No, it’s me who came early.”
With a voice tinged with apology, Lucia slowly replied, “Next time, you should come even earlier.”
Owen murmured as if there was nothing he could do.
Then, he handed the bouquet of flowers he was holding to Lucia.
“This is…”
As Owen offered the bouquet, Lucia’s ruby eyes widened slightly.
“A token of appreciation.”
“Thank you.”
At Owen’s brief response, Lucia’s cheeks blushed a light pink.
She reached out and embraced the bouquet Owen handed her.
The bouquet was made up of carnations, lisianthus, and ranunculus, all in shades of pink.
“Pink flowers.”
As Lucia murmured while inhaling the scent of the flowers, Owen’s lips curled up.
“Last time, you mentioned that you like pink.”
“…That’s right.”
As Owen’s explanation continued, Lucia’s heart started to beat unexpectedly fast.
Just receiving a gift from him was surprising enough, but for him to remember my passing comment…
It was truly something she hadn’t anticipated.
“I like it.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Owen soon reached out his hand to her.
Upon this, Lucia hesitated for a moment.
It was hard to let go of the bouquet he gave her by taking his hand.
After gazing at the flowers once more, Lucia instructed Mary to bring the bouquet to her bedroom.
Only then did she place her hand on top of Owen’s.
“Shall we go?”
As Owen asked, holding her hand, Lucia nodded.
The two of them got into the carriage one after the other, and the carriage set off towards its destination.
When they arrived at an elegant building, the carriage came to a stop.
“This is…”
Owen, getting off the carriage, gazed at the building in front of him and trailed off.
The grand building, constructed magnificently with white marble and the like, was reminiscent of a famous museum or a medical school.
As Owen compared the building in front of him to modern buildings, Lucia spoke up.
“It’s an art gallery.”
Since Owen had chosen the place they visited last time, today’s destination was chosen by Lucia.
After much consideration, she had picked this place.
It was a ‘noble’ place frequented by aristocrats, which Lucia herself also liked personally.
Considering Owen had mentioned liking ‘beautiful things’ before, it seemed reasonable to assume he would enjoy an art gallery.
“I see.”
Having heard her brief explanation, Owen silently nodded.
Just as Lucia had chosen this place based on her own reasons, Owen seemed to understand why Lucia had come here.
Given that she had mentioned liking beautiful things, it seemed only natural for her to enjoy art pieces.
Owen reached out his hand, escorted Lucia as she got off the carriage, and together they entered the art gallery.
Inside the gallery, there were several aristocrats who had come to see the exhibits.
Among them, the striking red hair and unique jet-black hair stood out.
Naturally, the two of them drew attention, and people whispered about them.
“Count Verdin and Lady Edelt…”
“Are they following each other around only to end up dating?”
“The Count Verdin is in love? Ridiculous.”
“If not, why would the two of them come here alone?”
“Moreover, look at their clothes. Seems like they coordinated.”
Despite various comments floating around, the two of them remained unfazed.
They simply walked in sync, quietly examining each piece on display.
As they meticulously inspected the artworks, the two suddenly stopped in one spot.
Whether it was a piece that caught her heart, Lucia stared intently at a certain artwork.
It seemed like she was meticulously examining the artwork, even down to the smallest details.
“Do you like it?”
Observing her, Owen asked.
Lucia nodded slightly.
“I like it.”
The artwork she was staring at was hers.
Her blue-hued self took the elegant shape of a flower vase.
Judging by the explanation that her famous master from the continent had meticulously crafted and painted it, the piece seemed quite valuable.
Owen alternated between the artwork and Lucia before calling over a museum employee.
“You called, Your Grace.”
Seeing the employee bow respectfully, Owen nodded slightly and opened his lips.
“I would like to purchase this artwork.”
The museum in ＜Empire of Flowers＞ had a slightly different concept from modern art galleries.
In this world, the museum was not just a place to admire art, but also a place for buying and selling.
It was somewhat similar to modern galleries.
Having familiarized himself with the world setting, Owen remembered this point as he tried to buy the artwork.
“If you could sign here, we will inform the family of the artwork price.”
Since nobles rarely carried around large sums of money, they often settled payments this way.
Whether buying clothes at a boutique or at an auction house, the practice was the same.
Keeping this in mind, Owen watched as the employee wrote his name on the paper.
According to his body’s will, Owen signed fluently as ‘Owen’ and suddenly saw the price written above.
[Master Ezark’s Blue Flower Vase – 100 gold]
100 gold.
It was a piece worth 1 billion.
Owen couldn’t help but wonder why a flower vase was worth so much, but he decided to stop dwelling on it.
Nobles were naturally extravagant.
Besides, Viscount Verdin was wealthy.
Overflowing, even, and rotting in wealth.
‘Owen,’ too, was in the dark about how to earn money, let alone spend it.
“A hundred gold should be fine.”
Recalling the piles of money in banks and warehouses, Owen cleared his mind of distractions.
Then he instructed the employee, “Please list the recipient as Viscountess Edelte for the gift.”
“Oh, it’s a gift. I’ll make a note of it. We’ll send the artwork to Viscountess Edelte by this afternoon.”
Lucia, who had been listening to the exchange between Owen and the employee, widened her eyes in surprise.
“Is it for me?”
As a mix of astonishment and doubt filled Lucia’s bright eyes, Owen nodded.
“You received a lot from me yesterday, and I can’t just keep receiving.”
“But the flower bouquet you gave me earlier…”
“I felt it was a bit lacking.”
At his response, Lucia pressed her lips together.
She thought the flower bouquet was sufficient.
Not being one who received gifts well, she believed it was more than enough, almost overly generous.
Though it seemed excessive, there was no reason to refuse.
“And you said yourself, it’s better when the recipient likes the gift.”
Seeing Lucia’s silence, Owen added, “That’s right. The recipient should like the gift.”
Then a faint pink hue rose on Lucia’s cheek.
-Gifts are better when the recipient likes them.
I clearly said that yesterday.
But he didn’t think he would remember those words, let alone expect him to give a gift for that reason.
“…You remembered what I said.”
Muttering softly to herself, Lucia made Owen tilt his head slightly.
“It’s your words; how could I forget.”