059. Original Work (2)
A faint crease appeared on Owen’s forehead.
It was due to him narrowing his eyes.
“Even so, there’s no need for that expression.”
Lucia’s hand touched his forehead.
It had become almost a habit by now.
When he furrowed his brow, she would gently smooth it out as if pressing it.
He would mimic her actions from habit, doing the same in return.
“Verdine, the Duke.”
As he was about to respond to Lucia, the Emperor’s voice was heard.
Owen averted his gaze to look at the Emperor and then bowed his head.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Fortunately, he knew how things were unfolding.
It was impossible not to know.
Amidst the murmurs of when the two at the corner of the banquet hall would leave, could they have missed the progress of the incident?
“You, too, are aware of the situation.”
When Bella claimed the poison was from a diplomat of the Yuria Kingdom, not the Guild of Assassins, the Emperor pointed to the two countries with the plateau region.
Both countries were located in the western part of the empire, with the farthest point of the continent being the plateau region.
The Emperor asked both countries’ envoys about this.
However, they collectively denied it without evidence.
It was an attitude of refusing to be implicated without proof.
“If the poison was from the Yuria Kingdom’s diplomat within the banquet hall and is native to the plateau region, then only the two countries could handle it. It’s because the two countries alone possess the manufacturing method.”
“That’s…!”
“It’s a misunderstanding. It would be an act carried out solely by the Guild of Assassins, who produce and sell poisons.”
The envoys of both countries countered Owen’s statement.
Once again, the Emperor seemed inclined to blame the Guild of Assassins, as he did during his time as the Crown Prince.
“Your Majesty. Since it was an incident involving me, I would like to personally investigate this matter.”
As the situation unfolded, Bella stepped forward once more.
She spoke confidently and directly.
“Please grant me authority. I request investigative powers.”
“So be it. I shall grant you the right to carry out the punishment directly by the hands of the Saint, the representative of the gods.”
“Thank you.”
It seemed like today was coming to a close in this manner.
Even the Emperor ordered to end the banquet and dismissed the nobles.
Only the envoys of the four countries remained in the palace to receive further instructions.
Thinking it would end sooner than expected, Owen was about to leave with Lucia.
“Duke Verdine.”
Bella stopped him.
“…Should I turn around?”
Honestly, a fleeting thought of ignoring crossed my mind.
Lucia was right beside me, and he was clearly exhausted at the moment.
“Well, then, I shouldn’t, right.”
But Bella was a saint, and this was a society based on social hierarchy.
Although Owen, by setting, didn’t address Bella with formality, her title was ‘Your Highness’ as a saint.
In the world’s view, being treated similarly to a Crown Prince, a Topper, a saint, and the Duke of Verdin meant Bella was not someone to be disregarded.
“Your Highness.”
In the end, Owen turned around.
He could feel Lucia squeezing his arm even tighter.
Perhaps it was an unconscious gesture, but his expression remained unchanged.
“What is it?”
His words came out more bluntly than during the hunting competition.
Despite his efforts not to be so, it wasn’t easy.
Since becoming Owen, this was the first time he felt such exhaustion, making his nerves somewhat sharp.
“I have a favor to ask.”
Surely Bella must have heard a cold tone as well.
Surprisingly, she showed no particular reaction.
She simply continued with a warm smile.
Truly embodying a kind and pure heroine.
“As I will be investigating the case from now on, I might need to seek help from Duke Verdin. Would it be alright for me to visit him as the Duke of Verdin when the time comes?”
A difficult question followed.
Owen glanced briefly at Lucia standing next to him.
The smile on her lips didn’t seem genuinely pleasant.
Naturally.
She disliked sharing what was hers with someone else.
Since Lucia was the only one who had been granted permission to visit the Duke of Verdin ever since Owen became him, it was only natural that she would feel upset if someone else were to be brought there.
“I should contact him through letters. Most likely, that will suffice.”
“Would that be so? But…”
“If a personal meeting is necessary, see him at the Matap. You will need Kyle’s assistance anyway.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“Make sure to inform Kyle in advance.”
Kyle held all the records of today’s events, so his help was essential.
As for other investigations, they could rely on the Imperial Knights and cooperation from various countries.
Since Owen was involved in business with several nations, he needed to provide information about himself, but there was no need to involve the Duke.
In the original work, for the development of a romantic relationship between Bella and Owen, they had various excuses to be together, but that was now an irrelevant story.
“Your Highness.”
As Owen was about to conclude the conversation and leave, Lucia spoke up.
“I realize I failed to properly greet you due to the recent events. Allow me to do so now. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lucia Edeltrap.”
She smiled brightly.
Her expression exuded warmth and charm.
“Not at all. It was quite an unexpected turn of events. Oh, I’m Bella Taylor. Nice to meet you, Lady Lucia.”
In response, Bella reacted as she had in the original work.
Truly innocent and kind.
“That’s true. It was quite unfortunate. To have such an event on my debut.”
“…It’s regrettable, but it’s unavoidable. There will be other opportunities, and if we can completely eradicate such incidents as a result of this, it would be a good thing.”
As the conversation flowed between the two, Owen found himself at a loss for words.
It seemed like there was some tension, but he had nothing to interject.
Thus, he chose to remain silent.
“I hope so. Though it’s belated, welcome to the social gathering.”
Just as he was silently observing.
A line from the original work suddenly came to mind.
It was Lucia’s first appearance scene dialogue from ＜Flower of the Empire＞.
[Welcome. I’m Lucia Edeltrap, Your Highness. Welcome to the social gathering.]
“…Thank you, Lady. I’m pleased to be welcomed by you.”
Bella’s subsequent dialogue differed from the original work, but it was clear.
Seeing Owen’s surprised expression, Lucia smoothly smiled and replied.
“I’m also delighted to meet Your Highness. It’s the first time since the hunting competition, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The first meeting had changed, and the subject of conversation was different.
The atmosphere was similar, though.
“I was impressed by Your Highness’s impressive defeat of the demon. It was impressive.”
“Thank you. I was far from perfect…”
“No, you shone brighter than anyone else.”
Lucia had a talent for soothing before giving a warning to the other person.
Complimenting and listing strengths was her way.
“I want to become closer to Your Highness. You see, I can be quite helpful to Your Highness.”
The dialogue had changed once again, words flowing back and forth.
Owen listened attentively to Lucia’s changed words.
“I hope Your Highness feels the same way.”
As Lucia continued speaking, she took a step back from Owen.
Thanks to that, she found herself right in front of Bella.
Lucia whispered in Bella’s ear.
“I don’t like people who covet what I have.”
It was a whisper, but naturally, Owen heard every word in his ear.
“Everyone feels the same way, don’t they?”
“…”
Bella’s expression hardened.
It was understandable.
It was a clear warning and threat.
With such a bright smile and openly showing emotions, it would be hard not to feel uncomfortable.
“I hope we can talk more at the next social gathering. I’d like to get to know each other better by then.”
“…”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. It was an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
Lucia smiled as she bid farewell.
Bella remained silent until the end.
Owen briefly observed the two and then took Lucia’s hand.
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“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Judging by the faint smile on his face, he seemed to be in a good mood.
He wasn’t sure what he liked so much.
“Was it good to warn Bella?”
For some reason, he had been so concerned about Bella, feeling jealous and annoyed.
“Like Bella likes me… Ah.”
It wasn’t until his thoughts reached that point that he realized.
At the reception, Lucia had mentioned the debutante ball she had attended with Bella.
Both of them had been looking at him intently.
“But why Bella, after all?”
However, there was no reason for Bella to like him.
In “Empire’s Flower,” it was only towards the end that she had decided on her feelings.
It was unlikely that she had made up her mind so early.
“Is this too confined to the original work?”
Of course, as the original work began to be destroyed, the actions of the characters could change.
That was true, but…
There were still many parts that didn’t make sense.
“Why did Bella go to the tower then?”
When she had gone to the tower to ask Kyle for a favor last time.
It was clear that Bella didn’t need to visit in person.
“Wasn’t she interested in Kyle?”
So he had thought.
Bella was interested in Kyle, and that’s why she had come to meet him.
Since Kyle wasn’t as brusque as he was with others, he had thought the two were getting along well.
“Even if it was all just my misconception. Then why did Bella go to the tower?”
Assuming all of this was just his misconception, there were still parts that didn’t make sense.
First, why Bella went to the tower, and second-.
“If it really is as Lucia thinks, why on earth would Bella like me?”
There was no reason at all for Bella to fall for him.
In “Empire’s Flower,” Owen had been very kind and affectionate towards Bella, after all.
I prayed for her and spent a lot of time with her.
But that was all just a story in ＜Empire’s Flower＞.
The reality in this place was different.
“Have I done nothing?”
Is it just that I haven’t done anything?
Owen treated Bella coldly, behaved rudely, ignored or avoided her.
He even left her for Kyle a few times.
“…Is Bella’s taste strange?”
By this point, even such doubts arose.
Maybe Bella’s taste was actually for bad guys, or something like that.
But even that was an unreasonable assumption.
So Bella wouldn’t end up with Owen in the original.
She should be connected to Selyd, Marquis of Lucia’s former fiancé.
“Owen?”
Was it because he couldn’t find an answer and just stood there blankly?
Lucia, who was walking with him, asked with a puzzled voice.
“We’ve reached the carriage… Why the expression?”
“Ah.”
Owen hesitated for a moment.
He thought it might be better to ask Lucia instead.
She probably knew a lot about love.
Having heard a lot of words of admiration from others, she seemed likely to understand the emotions of others well.
As if she had sensed his feelings first.
“Lucia.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you find the saint annoying? Maybe….”
As Owen continued, Lucia stiffened her face.
She finally sighed and replied as if muttering.
“So you’ve finally noticed. Well, it was strange that you didn’t know even after I said that.”
“How did you know? It’s not easy to understand someone else’s feelings.”
In response to Owen’s question, Lucia lightly smiled and replied.
“How could I not know? The saint’s eyes were just like mine.”