043. The Witch’s Man (1)
-Opera tickets. Don’t just go to the boutique and come back, watch the opera, have dinner, and then come.
On the way to the Edelte Viscount’s house in the carriage.
Owen quietly looked at the opera ticket he had received from his butler, Logan.
The ticket, with the letters “VIP” added to “The Witch’s Man,” was quite difficult to obtain.
Owen admired Logan’s abilities once again and tucked the ticket into his pocket.
“Going to the opera.”
It was a date course he had never considered before.
“It’s like watching a movie, isn’t it?”
Thinking about it, in Korea, watching a movie together and having a meal was a typical date course.
Was there something similar here as well?
For wealthy nobles, even if opera tickets were expensive, they would have easily spent the money, so it was worth considering.
“…Perhaps I seemed lacking in Logan’s eyes.”
As he reached that thought, he felt embarrassed.
It seemed quite frustrating to Logan.
The relationship between Lucia and Owen.
“Of course, to others, it must seem like I’m slow to make a move.”
If they were other nobles, by now they would have progressed to engagement and set a wedding date.
However, Lucia and Owen had only spread the word of meeting as if it were true, but their relationship on paper had not been established.
In reality, Owen had been preoccupied with his feelings lately, so from an observer’s perspective, it must have been frustrating.
As soon as he finished his business, he prepared various documents, searched for someone to take over the business, so he was actually busy.
-What happened in Oceania?
At first, Logan asked that question.
However, he was quite surprised to hear that it wasn’t Owen who went and even asked Kyle to make a video stone.
There was no problem between the two, and Owen’s attitude was one of not understanding why someone who had bought a video stone to leave a record would do such a thing.
“…I’ve known you for a long time, but I still don’t understand.”
Logan sighed deeply and soon brought the tickets.
“They said it’s a popular opera. Especially loved by the young.”
He added that he didn’t understand what Owen was thinking lately, who used to go out whenever there was a chance.
Then he made an excessive greeting.
“Have a good time.”
Though embarrassed, Owen decided to make good use of Owen’s loyalty.
He didn’t need to push away the gift he was given.
“Lucia.”
The carriage soon arrived in front of Count Edelt’s house.
Today, Lucia was already outside.
“Owen, it’s been a while.”
Lucia was dressed in a black dress today.
It was quite unexpected compared to her usual bright and flashy dresses.
However, he wasn’t surprised as he had received her letter in advance.
It was written in the letter.
Today’s dress code is to be in black.
Even though it was a black dress, it didn’t feel plain at all, as it snugly hugged her body in a mermaid shape and had sparkling jewel powders scattered on the bottom of the dress made of sheer fabric.
“It’s been a while since Oceania. Have you been well all this time?”
“Yes, as always.”
Lucia smiled and answered Owen’s question.
Reaching out her hand, she showed it.
Owen familiarly took her hand and led her into the carriage.
Like her dressed in black, his attire today was also based on black.
Black symbolizes the Verdin family.
As soon as he saw the contents of the letter, Owen realized what Lucia wanted.
To confirm the rumor of a romantic relationship and to show that the two would soon be engaged.
In the end, they would become part of the same family.
“I’m glad to hear that. The black dress suits you well.”
The words to be given to Lucia, who wanted the rumor, were already determined.
Owen easily chose his words to convey.
There was no difficulty as they were filled with sincerity.
“Is that so?”
It was the exact words Lucia wanted to hear, as her smile deepened.
The blooming red smile contrasted with the black clothes, making it even more dazzling than usual.
“Yes.”
Owen again spoke positively and followed Lucia into the carriage.
Today, as well, they sat facing each other in their respective seats.
As Owen and Lucia both got on the carriage, the wheels slowly began to roll.
“I’ve made a reservation at Stella Boutique.”
Owen spoke as the carriage started moving.
“It’s my favorite boutique.”
“So I heard.”
Lucia added, and Owen smiled slyly.
“How did you know?”
“I inquired a bit in social circles.”
“You hired someone.”
“Well, you could see it that way.”
Lucia’s eyes widened a bit at Owen’s words of having investigated by hiring someone.
Owen was capable of such things.
They say people change when they fall in love, perhaps that was the case.
“And, this.”
When Lucia was surprised.
Owen took out the ticket from his pocket.
“Opera tickets.”
Lucia accepted the ticket he handed her.
Reading the words “＜The Witch’s Man＞”, Lucia quickly recalled the contents of the opera.
It was an opera she had seen a few months ago.
She remembered it being quite impressive.
Thanks to that, she still remembered the song the male lead sang in the opera.
“I stopped by the boutique, and it should end around the right time. If your schedule allows, how about going to see it?”
“Sure.”
Lucia readily agreed to Owen’s suggestion.
Although she knew the plot and ending of the opera she had already seen, she thought, why not watch it again.
It had been entertaining the first time, so it wouldn’t be a waste of time to watch it again.
Especially since she was going with Owen.
“We have arrived.”
As the two briefly conversed, the carriage had already arrived at Boutique Street.
The carriage stopped, and the coachman opened the carriage door.
Owen, familiarly, got off the carriage first and took Lucia’s hand.
The warmth of their clasped hands now felt natural.
As Lucia stepped down from the carriage, Owen held her hand and led her towards the boutique.
Feeling the guiding touch comforting, Lucia smiled and followed him.
“Welcome. Count Verdin, Lady Edelt. We’ve been expecting you.”
Stella Boutique had reserved the entire store for about two hours in advance.
Thanks to this, besides the staff, there was no one else in the store.
“We are preparing evening gowns for the imperial banquet.”
“Oh, it’s an honor to create summer evening gowns for both of you.”
The staff gasped at Owen’s words.
It was understandable since the members of the noble family themselves had asked for evening gowns to be tailored here.
As the boutique’s main customers were nobles and some wealthy commoners, their sales were easily influenced by the social circle.
Whether it was for better or worse.
Stella Boutique, originally a favorite of Lucia’s, had quite high sales due to her patronage.
Women’s clothing sold well because of Lucia, but men’s clothing did not.
So, when Owen mentioned that he would wear Stella Boutique’s evening gown at the summer imperial banquet, it was something to be welcomed.
It would be a name attached to the boutique chosen by the only noble family in the empire, and the clothes would make Owen’s exceptional appearance shine even more.
“Here is the catalog. Would you like to have a seat here?”
The staff guided them to a table and then left to fetch the catalog.
Meanwhile, another staff member served them tea and pastries.
Lucia enjoyed their hospitality comfortably.
It was a first for Owen, and he felt a bit uneasy.
“This is the catalog for evening gowns. Please take your time to look through and call us when you’ve made your choices.”
The returning staff brought a very thick catalog.
It seemed to be as thick as the spellbook Owen had seen in Kyle’s study during their visit to the tower.
As Owen looked at it with a slightly queasy expression, Lucia unfolded the first page of the thick catalog.
“Since it’s a summer event, it’s best to use thin fabric, right?”
Having attended multiple events and personally selected clothes before, Lucia easily found the page with summer fabrics and designs in the catalog.
Owen looked at Lucia, who was so knowledgeable, with admiration.
Not having much interest in clothes, he still relied on servants to take care of tailoring even now.
What he did was simply to coordinate colors among the options.
Thanks to the skill of the servants he had hired, Owen had never expressed significant dissatisfaction with the clothes they had ordered.
Surely, not knowing much about the details played a role, but his outstanding appearance also made almost any design look good on him unless it was extremely eccentric.
“I think this thinness of fabric will be good. What color do you think would be nice?”
As Owen observed Lucia flipping through the catalog with dedication, he eventually looked at the pages after receiving the question.
The detailed drawings and colors were diverse, but he couldn’t discern the subtle differences.
After some contemplation, Owen finally gave a simple answer.
“How about mixing black and shades of red?”
Not being able to distinguish subtle colors well, he thought it might be better to assign some meaning to it.
Black symbolized the Verdin family, and red symbolized the Edelt family.
If he used these two colors, everyone would think of only one thing.
The union of the two families.
And family unions were mainly achieved through marriage.
“Black and red together, right?”
Lucia’s eyes widened at Owen’s words.
With a look of surprise, she soon wore the face of realization.
“Black and red together… I see. So that’s how it’s done.”
Muttering to herself, Lucia soon wore a bright smile.
“That’s a good idea. Colors will work that way. And the design…”
Flip, flip.
The catalog turned a page.
Listening quietly to the sound of the pages turning, Lucia spoke with a smile.
“If it feels like this, it should be good. It’ll suit a charming and seductive vibe. Black and red.”
The dress she pointed to had a design with a hollowed-out back.
Owen nodded, thinking it would suit Lucia quite well.
From Noble mtl dot com
She then picked out various accessories to go with it.
Unable to choose jewelry as it needed to be selected at the jeweler, he pondered the types of gems considering the overall feel.
Then, flipping through a few more pages of the catalog, they touched on men’s attire.
“Owen, how about this vibe?”
It seemed he was looking at her with eyes that suggested he didn’t quite understand.
Owen immediately nodded at Lucia’s suggestion.
Without properly checking, whatever it was, Lucia’s choice seemed better than his.
And honestly, above all, what pleased her was most important.
If she chose the outfit with her own hands, he believed it would fit her tastes.