060. Original Work (3)
After hearing Lucia’s answer, Owen narrowed his eyes.
He couldn’t grasp the meaning of her words properly.
“They were eyes that wanted to possess.”
Seeing him with that expression, Lucia continued.
“You wanted to possess, to have you.”
“…What.”
He was taken aback.
So, Lucia’s words now mean-.
“Bella wants to possess me?”
Bella?
Why does “Bella” appear in this sentence?
Confusion set in.
Bella is not that kind of character.
She was far from having possessiveness or obsession.
Even if the original story had changed, the protagonist’s personality couldn’t have changed so drastically….
“Sure. She’s been like that since the hunting competition. She looked at you with those eyes at first sight.”
“….”
Even more unbelievable words followed.
“Why the surprised look?”
As Owen stood there with a stiff face, Lucia chuckled and led him into the carriage.
He obediently followed her touch, but still couldn’t relax his expression.
The world seemed so strange, as if the original had completely disappeared.
“Owen, it seems like you don’t know, but many people have looked at you with those eyes. It’s just that the type of emotions is slightly different.”
The two sat facing each other in the carriage.
Then the carriage door closed, and the carriage slowly began to roll.
Lucia spoke slowly as the carriage moved.
And as if wondering if it was too much, she added with her head tilted.
“Or perhaps, do you think it’s because she’s a saint?”
It wasn’t because she was a ‘saint,’ but rather due to the setting of ＜The Empire’s Flower＞, they ended up with similar reasons.
However, there seemed to be no point in revealing this, so I didn’t bring it up.
“Owen.”
Was that the issue?
Lucia let out a faint laugh.
It wasn’t a light chuckle or a joyful voice.
It sounded mocking, or perhaps a bit annoyed.
“It’s because a saint is someone under the sacred image of a temple. But you know, that doesn’t hold any real meaning.”
Lucia leaned in, reaching out her hand.
Her palm touched Owen’s cheek gently.
Her white hand softly caressed his clenched cheek as if enveloping it.
It was a gesture filled with caution yet brimming with emotion.
“The Freyon Empire acknowledges temples and has designated them as the state religion, but I don’t believe in any god. You knew that about me. Didn’t you?”
As the hand that caressed his cheek moved down to hold his chin, Lucia, slightly raising her body, looked down at Owen from a slightly higher vantage point.
Owen’s black pupils followed Lucia’s crimson ones.
Lucia’s smile formed at the corner of her lips as she met his upright gaze.
“That’s right.”
Owen answered obediently.
It wasn’t a difficult answer since it was indeed the truth.
“I don’t believe in any god.”
Not in Korea, not in this world.
He had never believed in a god.
The original Owen must have been in a similar situation, facing an environment where believing in a god seemed impossible.
“But why are you so certain that a saint is a sacred and noble being?”
Lucia grasped Owen’s chin.
Tilting his head up, he lowered his eyelids.
His faintly dilated black pupils were tinged with emotion.
Owen couldn’t find words to respond.
It was probably close to being impossible, but Lucia, who couldn’t know the truth, furrowed her brow.
She didn’t like it.
Even though she said it like this, he still couldn’t understand.
“Because everyone reveres them, it’s easy to conceal greed in such a position.”
Lucia felt the emotion burning that Owen had mentioned.
She glimpsed possessiveness and obsession.
Lucia didn’t know the name of this emotion either.
But one thing was clear: she wanted to completely rid herself of the hesitation visible in those dark eyes.
He, who had rarely seen a saint, didn’t like that she trusted him.
Not understanding the clear possessiveness and obsession in his silver eyes, not believing his words.
Lucia moved the hand from his chin to slowly stroke Owen’s lips.
A shiver ran through his body as she did so.
“Owen.”
She raised her body and sat on Owen’s lap.
He felt him stiffen beneath her.
Meeting his gaze while sitting on his lap made their proximity striking.
Lucia pulled Owen’s neck and embraced him.
“Can I kiss you?”
She whispered into his ear.
Brushing his lower lip, she made him flutter his eyelashes.
Owen knew what his response would be.
Even though he knew, he hesitated to answer.
“…Yes.”
As expected, Owen nodded his head.
After lightly caressing his reddened ear, she pulled his neck closer.
Their lips met, breath mingling.
Owen now had his eyelids completely closed.
Lucia found it endearing and gently caressed his eyelashes.
So, even with his eyes closed, he fluttered his eyelashes.
It was charming even then.
“Mouth.”
Lucia had never been in love before, but she had kissed before.
It was amusing how some people would sometimes cross the line into amorous acts.
But she had never taken it further into a relationship.
Because if an accident happened, it would be a big problem.
It was better to discard someone you had to be in a relationship with from the start.
It was certain that it would be no different than foul-smelling garbage.
“You need to open your mouth.”
Lucia briefly separated their touching lips and used her fingers to open Owen’s lips.
The red lips looked quite seductive when parted.
It seemed even more so against the white face.
Looking so neat yet having this kind of face, she didn’t know why.
“I said let’s kiss.”
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Owen’s ears were still red.
She liked his sincere reaction as someone who didn’t know anything since it was their first time.
It was also cute.
“Owen.”
Calling his name, her gaze became entangled again.
Unlike before, only one thing remained in the blackness.
Now, only she was reflected in Owen’s eyes.
Her and the emotions directed towards her.
Finding it pleasing, Lucia swallowed his breath as it was.
Breath mixed with breath, and warm sensations intertwined.
It felt like the heat was tangled like a burning ember.
It was somewhat bewildering.
Owen might not know, but despite this not being Lucia’s first kiss, why did it feel like this?
“Lucia.”
Her heart began to beat roughly.
As their lips, which had been pressed together for a while, parted, her name flowed out as if scratched from his lips.
The heat gathered in his pitch-black eyes.
The water that she thought was a sea seemed like it would boil.
“Lucia….”
Taking a deep breath, he embraced her.
Owen buried his face in Lucia’s shoulder, elongating her name before tilting his head sideways.
Their meeting eye asked for permission.
Lucia willingly nodded her head.
Then their lips met again.
Unlike before, it was a rough and greedy kiss.
The immature look of not knowing anything and freezing up had disappeared, replaced by a heat that seemed to consume everything.
“Ah-.”
Her breath was being cut off instead.
Although she was the one who seemed relaxed before.
Lucia eventually grabbed Owen’s shoulders.
Understanding her signal, Owen immediately let her go.
Fortunately, he was generally quick to catch on.
“…Disappointed?”
While catching her breath, the gaze of his black eyes stayed fixed on her.
The eyes still seemed burning, as if looking for something lacking.
Well, this was Lucia’s fault.
When someone you love asks if they can kiss you, who would just stay still?
Even if she didn’t understand love well, she could grasp that much.
“It’s okay.”
Despite looking very disappointed, Owen casually replied.
Even though one of Lucia’s thighs sitting there seemed not okay.
It felt like a storm had suddenly hit the calm sea.
“Did I stimulate too much….”
Perhaps she had gone a bit overboard.
It was to the extent that he thought he should reflect on himself.
Kissing her without returning her love.
From Owen’s perspective, it might have been a form of torture in many ways.
Of course, if they were to become engaged and married later on to secure a successor, they would have to do more.
“We’ve arrived just in time.”
As he pondered what to do, the carriage came to a stop.
Owen got off the carriage, lifting Lucia and embracing her with both arms.
Then, he carefully set her down on the ground.
“Uh, Owen.”
“Don’t worry too much about today’s events.”
He opened his mouth, feeling like he should say something, but that was the response he received.
In the midst of his brief confusion from the unexpected type of response, another sentence followed.
“And, you’re right. It’s hard to know. People’s emotions.”
It seemed like a conclusion he had come to after some thought and contemplation.
As someone who didn’t believe in God, fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult for him to reach such a conclusion.
Of course, that was just Lucia’s thoughts.
“Since the imperial reception has been canceled for today, we’ll have plenty of time to see each other this week.”
Owen realized belatedly that he shouldn’t dwell on the original and that Bella was no longer the Bella he knew.
If Lucia’s words were true, Bella was already someone else.
The fact that Bella was different from the start, not due to any changes or actions he had taken.
“Ah. I see. It’s a shame, but perhaps it’s actually a good thing?”
“Does it please you?”
“Yes, very much.”
Owen smiled lightly at Lucia’s happiness.
While thinking that he should find out more about the changed Bella.
“But Owen, about today-.”
Lucia brought up the earlier conversation once again.
Before Owen could respond that he was fine, she finished her sentence.
“I guess you didn’t like that Owen seemed to think highly of the saint so easily. You didn’t like that Owen believed in her.”
Lucia remained honest as ever.
To what she desired and wished for, what she liked and disliked.
Owen smiled faintly as he looked at Lucia speaking like that.
He wondered if that was the reason she suddenly initiated physical contact.
Although he was swept away without thinking about anything when it happened, he was curious about the reason behind it.
And it turned out to be this reason.
“To think highly of her. That’s not it. I don’t believe in her either.”
“Really? But….”
This was so typical of Lucia.
Owen forgot his worries and simply smiled and spoke.
“I believe in my memories, in myself, and in you.”
He believed in only himself.
That was how it had always been.
But things had changed after he came to this world.
He had people he cherished and valued now.
Owen believed in himself and, in turn, in his people.
“Moreover, to think highly of someone so easily. I tend to observe people for a long time.”
In the original world, there were no individuals he could call precious.
After his parents passed away, he fell into depression and shut himself off from everyone for a while, which led to a strained relationship with his old friends.
He barely managed to graduate from high school and go to college, but the people he met there were more like ‘colleagues’ or ‘alumni’ than true friends.
Caught up in the harsh reality, he didn’t have time to meet people properly, nor did he have the will to do so.
Building new relationships seemed troublesome and tiring.
He even wondered if it was necessary to build them if they would eventually part ways in some manner.
“Even if I realize it late, who else would I think of besides those who have been by my side for so long.”
But the people he met here were different.
Even though they didn’t know him, Owen had known them for a very long time.
So, he could care for those he cherished freely.
It was a one-sided accumulation of trust, but it was a form of trust, no matter what.
“Besides, I am somewhat selfish. I only like those I like.”