002. Garden Party (2)
As Owen stepped into the mansion, he was met with the sight of the servants at the entrance panicking.
“Oh!”
“D-Duke Verdin…?”
Each of them wore expressions of disbelief, causing Owen’s brows to involuntarily furrow.
At this point, he began to wonder if there was something wrong with his very existence.
Well, there was indeed something wrong.
Given that he was currently possessing someone else’s body.
Surely, they couldn’t have noticed that, could they?
During Owen’s moment of confusion, the servants managed to gather themselves and spoke to him.
“Y-You’ve come to the goddess’s Garden Party, Your Grace?”
Though still in disbelief, they stammered out their words.
“Yes.”
As Owen nodded, another round of gasps spread among the servants.
Fortunately, this time, they quickly composed themselves, putting on a nonchalant facade.
“I-I will guide you, please follow me.”
One of the servants stepped forward to lead him.
Judging from her attire, she seemed to be the head maid of the mansion.
Owen followed the head maid towards the garden where the party was being held.
The garden seemed to be bustling with the ongoing Garden Party, with voices of conversation filling the air.
“Milady, Duke Verdin has arrived.”
But as soon as the butler spoke, those voices vanished.
Instead, a heavy silence filled the space.
Owen stepped into the garden where a deep silence had settled.
Silently moving with a practiced grace, Owen scanned the garden, making everyone shrink in his slow gaze.
Encountering an unexpected figure in an unexpected place was surprising enough, but to meet the Duke of Verdin, known as the most elegant noble of the empire, was even more astonishing.
As everyone tensed, Lucia calmly spoke up.
“Welcome to the garden party, Your Grace, Duke of Verdin.”
Owen’s gaze, scanning the surroundings, immediately turned towards her.
‘…Lucia.’
He silently called out her name in his mind.
Though he tried to suppress the rising breathlessness, his heart beating loudly was unavoidable.
With ruby-red eyes deeper and darker than rubies, elegantly flowing long chestnut hair, a straight nose, distinct features, emanating a proud and seductive aura, Lucia was perfect.
She surpassed any fan art he had drawn and fell short of descriptions in novels.
The Lucia in the webtoon was undoubtedly beautiful, but seeing her in person revealed the truth.
Nothing could fully capture her in front of him.
She was truly, undeniably perfect.
“Would you like to sit here?”
Even though Owen didn’t respond, captivated by Lucia, she remained composed.
Gracefully smiling, she instructed a maid to set up another chair at the table.
“…Sure.”
After replying, Owen quickly took his seat.
Since Lucia herself suggested it, there was no reason to refuse the seat she offered.
His seat was directly across from Lucia.
As Owen sat down, Yeong-ae and Yeong-sik on either side stiffened.
Unfortunately, Owen was so engrossed in looking at Lucia that he didn’t pay attention to their discomfort.
“We have green tea, black tea, and lemon tea.”
In the now silent garden due to Owen’s arrival, only Lucia’s voice softly echoed.
Perhaps due to all the attention on Lucia, Owen didn’t notice the quietness around him.
He only focused on Lucia’s voice as he spoke.
“Green tea, please.”
“Here, let me bring you a cup of green tea.”
At Owen’s response, Lucia called the maid, who quickly brought a teapot of green tea and placed it in front of Owen in an empty cup.
The maid’s hand trembled slightly, likely due to nervousness from facing Owen.
“…….”
After seeing the maid’s trembling hand placing the teacup in front of him, Owen’s gaze shifted away from Lucia.
It was out of curiosity.
‘Why is everyone so tense and jittery around Owen?’
Surely, in ＜Empire’s Flower＞, Owen was the male lead and not a particularly villainous character.
He couldn’t understand why everyone seemed terrified and jittery just by looking at him.
‘Is it because of Owen’s personality?’
He pondered over Owen’s character setting.
Until meeting the female lead Bella, Owen was like a fierce wild beast.
Not a crazed, attacking wildcat, but more like a dominant lion ruling over all, looking down from the top.
He was excessively indifferent and pragmatic.
Preferring to focus solely on work without building personal relationships, his personality was cool and resolute.
Therefore, if he found dealing with someone uncomfortable, he would cut them off without hesitation, even if it meant causing harm or loss.
He didn’t care about people’s lives or circumstances.
As a result, those who had only seen Owen from a distance or for the first time naturally found him intimidating.
‘So, that’s why.’
Connecting his personality to the reactions of the servants and the noble guests sitting around the table made sense to him.
As Owen was mulling over these thoughts, Lucia raised her voice.
“Since spring is here, shall we have a boat party on the lake? Shall we all move to a different spot?”
It seemed like the tense atmosphere had been weighing on her.
As she spoke, the quiet garden regained its liveliness.
It seemed that everyone was more curious about the boat party than fearful of Owen.
“Yes, let’s do it.”
“A boat party on the lake… I’m really looking forward to it.”
“As expected, you are a lady of the court.”
Owen admired Lucia’s effortless handling of nobles and aristocrats.
“I never thought I would witness this in reality.”
It was something he had only seen in novels or webtoons.
But now, seeing it in person, Owen couldn’t take his eyes off Lucia.
Even as everyone rose from their seats to head towards the lake, Owen remained lost in watching Lucia.
“Your Grace?”
“Yes.”
Lucia, seeing Owen seated in place, carefully addressed him by his title. It was only after hearing Lucia’s voice that Owen finally snapped out of his trance.
“Aren’t you enjoying the boat ride?”
Lucia questioned Owen’s demeanor, finding it the most plausible doubt from her perspective.
Given Owen’s usual lack of interest in such amusements, his response was not surprising.
“…No.”
Owen slowly rose from his seat, his lips parting. Despite Lucia wearing heels, there was still a noticeable height difference between them, with Owen standing a head taller.
As Lucia seemed to realize the height contrast between them, Owen spoke again.
“I just have something to ponder. My apologies for being rude.”
Lucia stiffened as Owen spoke, maintaining eye contact.
She had long desired Owen, but had never been in such a situation before. Despite her efforts, Owen remained distant, with few opportunities for close interaction.
So, being this close, with his words almost a whisper, made Lucia feel unexpectedly tense.
“Milady?”
After Lucia remained frozen in place for a while, Owen called out to her in confusion.
“Oh, yes.”
Lucia managed to respond to Owen’s different attitude, narrowing her eyes slightly before extending her hand toward hers.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
With that, Owen placed his hand on her forehead.
Feeling the warmth emanating from his large hand, Lucia stiffened even more.
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As she stood there, unable to move, Owen gently touched her forehead with his hand, saying, “You don’t seem to have a fever.”
“…”
When Lucia remained silent, Owen quickly added an excuse, “I just wanted to make sure… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
It was a truly awkward situation, treating a deviation from the norm as an ailment.
If it were someone else, they might have been severely reprimanded for insulting a lady like that…
“…Not at all.”
But it was Owen.
The person Lucia desired so much.
The most perfect being in her eyes.
“It is an honor that you cared for me.”
To have someone she cherished worry about her.
Lucia felt no inclination to blame him.
On the contrary, she felt grateful.
He, who had always been distant and cold, was now reaching out to her first.
Although it was somewhat uncomfortable to have her body stiffen at his touch, she could bear it if that was the price of his tenderness.
“If it’s an honor…”
Lucia’s hesitant response made Owen lift his head to look directly at her.
Nobles and aristocrats heading towards the lakeside were now turning their ears in their direction, curious about the conversation.
It was a well-known secret that Lucia had feelings for Owen.
Everyone knew, yet pretended not to.
They were extraordinary individuals at the center of rumors.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Owen reached out his hand again.
“Everyone seems to have already arrived and is waiting.”
Lucia hesitated for a moment, looking at the large hand extended in front of her.
“Is this an escort right now?”
She seemed hesitant, glancing at his hand several times as if she couldn’t believe it, before finally mustering up the courage to place her hand on Owen’s as it was offered. When her hand met Owen’s, warmth could be felt between their intertwined hands, separated only by gloves.
“I shouldn’t have worn gloves.”
Lucia thought to herself, staring blankly at their joined hands. Lost in her thoughts, she and Owen had unknowingly arrived at the lakeside.
Owen smoothly let go of her hand as Lucia briefly looked at his hand that had slipped away. As much as she felt regret, she knew grabbing his hand again would not only startle Owen but also the guests at the party.
She made an effort to look away and proceeded with the party smoothly, knowing she couldn’t ruin it due to her personal feelings.
“Except for the seat where the helmsman sits, two people can board the rowboat together. Since we have exactly ten people, you can pair up and board.”
After Lucia finished explaining, the guests, in pairs, boarded the rowboat. Lucia, who was the last one among the guests to participate, found herself without a partner.
Naturally, the only person left besides her was Owen, as no one dared to approach him.
Meeting each other’s gaze, they both walked towards the rowboat and sat facing each other with the helmsman between them, just like the others.
As they both boarded the boat, the helmsman slowly began to row, and in the silence that enveloped them, only the occasional sound of oars hitting the water could be heard.