065. Dream (3)
“What…?”
It was only natural for Lucia to react with surprise to Owen’s question.
She deemed love unnecessary and was ignorant of it.
“What’s all of a sudden…?”
That’s why he asked directly.
It seemed better to put it this way.
Otherwise, Lucia might not realize her own feelings.
She wouldn’t even doubt herself.
He didn’t know if it would end in possessiveness, obsession, jealousy, or just confusion.
“Because you looked at me that way.”
Her red eyes narrowed slightly.
Owen met her gaze and spoke.
“You looked at me as if you loved me.”
“…I…”
Lucia’s lips trembled slowly.
She started to say something briefly, but couldn’t finish her words.
The confused look in her eyes clearly revealed her inner thoughts, even though she was usually good at hiding deep emotions.
That’s how flustered and sudden it all was.
“Your maid asked me. Think about what you truly desire.”
“…Yes.”
“You thought it was my affection.”
“Right.”
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Owen chuckled, nodding at Lucia’s response.
Warmth and affection filled the faint smile on his face.
“Think about it again.”
“…Again?”
“Yes, again.”
Smiling, Owen gently tucked Lucia’s hair behind her ear.
His touch carried tenderness.
“Consider why you enjoy affection. Why you seek it from someone like me.”
“That’s…”
“It’s probably not just about affection. You don’t usually like affection from someone you’re not interested in.”
As he added those words, Lucia tensed up.
Her face looked as if she had been pierced.
“So think, Lucia. Think about what you truly desire.”
Whispering into Lucia’s ear as she sat there blankly, Owen briefly brushed her forehead with his lips and then pulled back.
He could now sense her startled reaction.
“There’s plenty of time, no need to rush.”
Looking at Lucia’s bewildered eyes, he added.
There was really no rush.
Owen loved her, and regardless, the two would be engaged.
Even if Lucia took her time to realize her feelings, the situation was already perfect.
“Take your time to ponder slowly. Stay at the mansion for a few days if you wish.”
Stepping back from the desk, Owen distanced himself from her.
The sun was hanging in the middle of the sky beyond the window.
It seemed like noon had arrived unnoticed.
“I had canceled all other plans due to the royal banquet. I have four days of free time, including today.”
The summer royal banquet lasted five days, and Owen and Kyle were originally supposed to attend the entire duration.
But due to the incident, this banquet ended early, giving Owen some free time.
“…Can I stay for four days?”
After some consideration, Lucia asked.
She probably realized why Owen had brought up such a proposition.
Staying for a few days wasn’t enough to solidify the rumors of their engagement and marriage.
Especially for Owen, who was known for not inviting people to his mansion.
“If you wish.”
“Okay. Then I’ll do that.”
“I’ll send a message to the Edelt Viscount.”
Lucia agreed with Owen’s suggestion.
Thinking of informing the Edelt Viscount that Lucia would be staying for a few days, Owen pulled the bell cord.
“Bring the butler.”
As the bell rang, a servant waiting outside quickly entered.
He glanced momentarily at Lucia sitting at the desk but quickly composed himself with a casual demeanor.
“Send a letter to the Edelt Viscount. Lucia will be staying at the Berdine Mansion for four days.”
“Understood.”
It pleased Owen how smoothly the servant acted despite guessing the situation.
Fortunately, the staff at the Berdine Mansion were generally as perceptive as this servant, ensuring a smooth operation without any awkwardness.
“Is lunch ready?”
Just before the butler left, Owen added a short question.
“Yes, it seems to be almost finished. Shall I assist with the serving?”
“Please do.”
After nodding once, Owen approached Lucia again, just as he had seated her on the desk earlier, he now embraced her and lifted her down.
Although Lucia could have managed to descend on her own, he thought it was appropriate since he had placed her there.
“Shall we head to the dining room?”
“…Yes.”
After hearing Owen’s question about whether she didn’t love him, Lucia seemed lost in thought.
She slowly responded, holding Owen’s hand, moving her body as the butler guided, but she seemed distracted.
It appeared as though she was deeply contemplating various thoughts in her mind.
Questions Owen had asked her and whether she was truly ‘in love’ with him.
“Enjoy your meal.”
As they walked down the corridor and descended the stairs to reach the dining room, the butler respectfully bowed.
Owen nodded back, then entered the dining room with Lucia.
Due to the grandeur of the Verdin Duke’s mansion, there were many dining rooms owned, so the number of dining rooms totaled to 12, each for a specific number of guests and purposes.
The place they had chosen for lunch today was different from the one they had dined at last time.
Unlike the solemn and formal atmosphere of the long dining table from their previous visit, today’s dining room had a relatively lighter atmosphere.
Although the chandelier hanging from the ceiling added a touch of splendor, the ambiance felt more intimate.
The table itself was not a long communal one but rather a round one.
Since it was a table used in noble households, it was certainly not small, but it was suitable for two people to dine facing each other.
“Let me pour some water for you first.”
As they entered the dining room, the butler and maids who were waiting approached.
Two of them pulled out chairs to make Lucia and Owen comfortable, while the others brought water and beverages.
“What would you like to drink? We have wine and champagne, herbal tea and black tea, as well as fruit ade and juice prepared.”
“I’ll have the fruit ade, please.”
Among the array of drinks laid out, Lucia chose one with a fruity flavor.
Owen silently thought it was a good call to have prepared the drink she chose.
The fruit ade prepared for today was grapefruit, and the juice was orange-flavored.
“What about the black tea?”
“It’s green tea, Your Highness.”
“Then, I’ll have that.”
The fruit ade and juice prepared for Lucia were mixed with sugar for sweetness and freshness.
It wasn’t to Owen’s taste.
Not only did he not prefer overly sweet flavors, but his body was also overly sensitive to sensations.
Although he had coffee like Americano or espresso in Korea, unfortunately, there was no coffee in ＜The Empire’s Flower＞.
Hence, Owen mainly drank beverages from the tea category with strong caffeine content here.
Green tea and black tea were the most common choices.
“It seems Owen generally likes tea.”
When the servants were serving the drinks.
Lucia mentioned this.
“Do you like green tea the most?”
“I lean towards that.”
As he nodded, she brightened her eyes.
It seemed like she was about to seek a present.
‘…Come to think of it, she does have a lot of tea.’
Looking at it this way, it seemed that her emotions were visible in many aspects.
If he said something, she would listen attentively, and if it was something she liked, her eyes would sparkle.
Then she would happily embrace what she liked.
‘I can’t believe I didn’t notice. I’m quite dense.’
He chided himself inwardly.
But now it was useless to regret.
Well, if he wanted to make an excuse, he could.
How could a person, who realized their own feelings late, quickly recognize what someone else liked, especially when observing unilaterally for a long time?
“Let me serve the appetizers.”
As the staff finished pouring the drinks and left, the appetizers promptly arrived on the table.
“Fruit salad, bread, and vegetable soup.”
As Lucia loved fruits, the table was adorned with an abundance of them.
Not only in the drinks and appetizers, but fruits made another appearance in the main dish and dessert.
“We will serve the main dish once you finish the appetizer.”
At the waiter’s words, Owen nodded briefly.
Then he bent at the waist and withdrew.
Now, only Lucia and Owen remained in the restaurant.
“Shall we?”
“Yeah.”
Brief words exchanged as the two picked up their utensils.
Despite all the forks and spoons being made of silver, not a single clink was heard.
It was a matter of course, given that they were people who had learned strict etiquette from a very young age.
With smooth movements, Owen and Lucia used their spoons to scoop the soup and forks to eat the salad.
Even the bread, following the noble etiquette, was torn apart with neat and elegant gestures.
As they were about to finish the appetizer and delve into the main course, a flash of light appeared outside the window, then vanished.
Shortly after, a thunderous sound was heard.
“Thunder and lightning. Looks like a downpour is coming.”
In a normal medieval era, one might have worried about buildings collapsing, but this place was one where magic existed instead of science.
There were magical items to replace needles.
So, that part was nothing to worry about.
However…
– Mother?
That was the issue.
The dreadful memories that clung whenever the weather turned slightly grim.
– Father….
It was a summer of heavy rain.
The monsoon that made the scorching hot summer days bearable, but the slippery roads due to the heavy rain led to frequent carriage accidents.
So, it was a plausible accident.
Though rare and unfortunate, it was a story entirely possible.
As always, the Duke and Duchess of Verdin, who had left Owen behind for a vacation, were swept away by the accident and perished.
When Owen lost his parents, he was just seventeen.
Having suffered only abuse and gaslighting, Owen was greatly shocked.
No, perhaps it hit him even harder because of that.
To a young boy, his parents must have seemed like a huge, unshakable mountain.
They, who seemed like they would never fall, suddenly turned into cold corpses, which must have shattered him with a sense of emptiness and loss.
-It was an accident. It was an accident, but… it seems there’s more to the story.
Losing both parents overnight was enough to shake him.
But it didn’t end there.
There was a reason why Owen didn’t believe in love.
-It seems both of them were secretly meeting someone. The servants in the villa reported that they found out about it during the last trip.
On their final journey, Owen’s biological father and mother seemed to have had a big fight.
And then the accident happened.
Given that they argued even in the carriage, it didn’t seem like it ended peacefully.
“Owen?”
His breath quickened.
It felt like his breath was being choked.
Owen clasped his chest tightly, breathing unevenly.
-If you were going to leave me, you should have loved each other.
It was strange.
These were just memories.
But as if he had experienced the trauma firsthand, his emotions and body were reacting uncontrollably.
-If you both didn’t love each other, were we even a family?