068. Dream (6)
He felt embarrassed when Lucia’s story came up.
Since they shared the same body, she must have seen everything.
“You don’t have to be so embarrassed. I can’t go anywhere to talk about it either.”
“But still….”
“And eventually, I will become you. Keep that in mind.”
Owen slowly nodded his head.
At that moment, he heard a faint chuckle.
His laughter.
With surprised eyes, when he looked at him, he reached out his hand.
His hand landed on his head.
With a soothing touch, he spoke.
“You are the only one who knows everything about me. You knew that and yet didn’t despise or pity me.”
“That’s because I….”
It couldn’t be helped.
Even if he didn’t know how it felt from his perspective, as Owen, he was seen that way.
Growing up isolated in a harsh and cruel environment, the child had been raised.
How could one not feel sorry and pitiful for such a child?
“I’m not pointing it out. It was just fascinating how easily you understood and empathized with others’ emotions. You were always so sympathetic and pitiful, and in the end, truly understanding everything was fascinating.”
He slowly withdrew the hand that had been caressing his head.
Unable to say anything, he looked at him, and he chuckled again.
“Thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything in particular.”
[Even staying here is saying a lot.]
“….”
[It feels like it’s time to go. Shall we part ways here today?]
With a farewell, he left.
Blinking, his vision blurred.
His figure distorted, leaving only a final word.
“Until next time.”
* * *
As he opened his eyes, it was morning.
The rain that had poured all night had stopped, just as the expression “dawn breaks” suggested.
He had thought the heavy rain would continue for days, but it had paused momentarily.
Owen rose from his place, looking at the sunlight streaming in through the curtains.
The clock pointed to 7 o’clock.
Pulling back the curtains flooded the room with sunlight.
“Owen….”
Facing the morning sun, Owen recalled last night’s dream.
It was definitely not a mere fantasy.
It must have been reality.
“Owen, you’re still here.”
Though he was now someone else, the essence of Owen lingered in his body as a soul.
Even though his body could potentially emerge with willpower, he showed no signs of it.
He even mentioned absorbing his soul without a hint of resistance.
Though his body was taken from him, the sense of gratitude he felt for that made the situation somewhat peculiar.
“Well, at least I know the reason now, which makes things easier.”
The fortunate part was realizing why memories resurfaced and why he started to mistake himself, leading to the conviction that he could remain here completely as Owen.
“….That should be enough.”
It was a positive development.
However, he couldn’t simply rejoice.
He might have said in the dream last night that he wasn’t entirely sorry, but it was hard not to feel remorse.
He claimed that according to his words, it wouldn’t completely disappear but become a part of him….
Yet, the fact remained that his agency was vanishing.
And there was no changing the fact that he had taken over his body.
“If only I hadn’t read ＜The Flower of the Empire＞.”
Perhaps if he hadn’t known the original ending, he might have felt a bit less.
But knowing from the original that he truly found happiness.
The feeling of destroying the happiness that could have been his future was a kind of inevitability.
“He’d probably be shocked if he knew I was thinking this way again.”
He seemed to believe that absorbing souls, or transitioning, wasn’t about sacrifice or giving up.
So, he shivered, unable to understand why or what was happening, expressing a dislike for feeling sorry or guilt.
“Your Excellency.”
Lost in thoughts about last night’s dream, he heard the voice of the attendant knocking on the bedroom door.
“It’s time to wake up.”
“Understood.”
He replied shortly, and the attendant entered the room.
It seemed he was there to assist with bathing and dressing.
Though not entirely necessary, Owen willingly accepted their help.
It might have been due to the influence of ‘Owen.’
After bathing and changing, Owen went to the training ground.
The routine of training every morning had become a habit over time.
Taking advantage of the break in the rain, he planned to finish training quickly.
“This must also be his influence.”
Reflecting, it was a habit he didn’t originally possess.
Therefore, it was likely becoming part of him due to the influence of the other.
Owen expelled his thoughts and lightly ran to the training ground.
After running ten laps and holding a sword, he heard Lucia’s voice.
“Training since morning.”
Uncertain about how long he would stay, Lucia had not brought clothes.
So today, the dress she wore belonged to Lady Verdin.
“You seem busy, truly.”
The deep green dress exuded an elegant and noble feeling.
It gave off a sense of sophistication due to its outdated design.
As Lady Verdin particularly pursued the ‘noble’ style, many of her dresses carried such a vibe.
Yet, when Lucía wore it, a completely different atmosphere surrounded her.
“You’re up early, indeed.”
Owen sheathed his sword and approached her.
Sweat trickled down his body from the training, so he kept a moderate distance without getting too close as he spoke.
“Does the dress fit well?”
“The length is a bit short.”
Lucía was on the taller side.
Even though she stood at 170 centimeters, Owen’s towering height of 190 centimeters didn’t make her feel significantly shorter.
“Your height surpasses your mother’s, hence the difference.”
Thanks to that, the dress exposed her ankles.
It still suited her in its own way.
Lucía’s distinctively flamboyant and attention-grabbing aura remained unchanged.
“Fortunately, the shoes are a similar size.”
The shoes she wore under the exposed ankles were heeled pumps.
Though they were made with a platform sole, the design was pointed at the front.
“Aren’t they uncomfortable?”
“No, they’re fine.”
While it was a relief that they weren’t uncomfortable, it still bothered her a bit.
In reality, she tended to feel uneasy when wearing high heels.
It was an unavoidable matter.
Every time Lucía’s late mother wore high heels, she seemed uncomfortable.
She would even get blisters if she wore new shoes or wore them incorrectly.
And she knew well that high heels were uncomfortable and not very healthy.
“If you wish, I can buy new shoes. The same goes for the clothes.”
So he inquired.
He was considering contacting boutiques right away.
“How long will you be staying? I might as well call some boutiques.”
“There’s no rush.”
“Well, rumors will surely spread. They’ll say I’m staying with Lady Verdin.”
Lucía lightly retorted.
Upon hearing her words, he realized it wasn’t a bad scenario.
After all, they were going to announce their engagement after the reception.
Since Bella inexplicably wanted him, letting her give up on her own like this could be a solution.
And perhaps, they could also detach the strange attachment Celid, Viscount Yeongsik, had.
“Then I shall call. I will instruct the chambermaid to send a staff member from a boutique with some time to spare.”
As he spoke, Lucía blinked her eyes in agreement.
“Well, it doesn’t have to be that way.”
“I want it to be.”
Owen calmly replied to her flustered voice.
“You mentioned feeling concerned. It’s about the Saint, right?”
He added quietly.
Lucía’s face stiffened at the mention of Bella.
It was almost like a reflexive response.
“After the engagement, there’s no turning back for them. This might be the best they can do before that.”
“…”
Lucía hesitated and pondered Owen’s words.
Owen patiently waited for her response.
He already knew what kind of answer she would give.
“…Alright. Let’s do it that way.”
Lucía was possessive and obsessive.
It seemed her jealousy was just as strong.
The vivid emotions burning in her red eyes showed it.
“Rumors will spread today. I hope you enjoy the show. I’ll be too busy investigating to do anything else.”
Her muttered words clung to the air in a Lucía-like manner.
Owen lightly smiled as he stopped a passing servant and asked him to deliver a message to the mistress.
If news was spread early in the morning, people would flock to the boutique in the afternoon.
Among the many boutiques on Boutique Street, there was no time to spare, and there was no place that would want to miss out on a guest like Viscount Verdine.
“But, Owen.”
As he was about to leave, Lucia called out to him.
Meeting her gaze and responding with a nod, she continued speaking.
“I told you yesterday. Do you think I like you?”
“…You did.”
What was she trying to say?
Feeling uneasy, Owen let out a short breath.
Seeing him like that, Lucia asked, “Why did you think that? I… have thought about it carefully, but I still don’t know.”
Her face was troubled, a mix of confusion showing the full extent of her distress.
“What about you, Lucia?”
Owen responded with a question to her question.
With a puzzled look, she turned back to him.
“What made you so sure about me?”
“…”
To his added question, she fell silent.
Her deep chestnut eyes seemed lost in thought.
After a long silence, Lucia finally spoke up.
“It was your actions and attitude. That’s what gave it away.”
“My actions and attitude?”
“Yeah. When we were out at sea. That’s when I realized.”
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Listening to Lucia’s words, Owen carefully recollected.
His actions and attitude when they visited the ocean, right.
Indeed, it was quite plausible.
But there were too many actions that could fit, making it hard to guess.
“It was when we were having tea before going out to sea. That’s when I noticed you were making an effort to please me.”
“Ah.”
An unexpected revelation.
Yet, it made sense.
At that moment, he wanted to show Lucia the most beautiful sea.
He also wanted her not to be uncomfortable.
“Thinking back, it makes sense. All the gifts you chose for me were to my liking, but I didn’t realize you were putting so much effort into it.”
“…I see.”
There was no mistake in his words.
Thus, he felt a bit embarrassed.
He thought carefully selecting gifts was just natural, which made it even more so.
He wondered if that behavior was so obvious.
“Realizing that, it became apparent. In all your actions and attitudes, in your words and conversations, I felt that you love me.”
“I seem to have no talent for hiding things.”
Feeling a bit disappointed, he said, and Lucia lightly nodded.
“There was no sign in your eyes. It was quite amazing. Your eyes are hard to read. It got a bit easier after the confession, but before that, it was hard to figure out what you were thinking.”
“Is that so.”
It was news to him.
Since he never looked at his own expression, he didn’t know.
Perhaps this was a habit he had developed under significant influence.
“On the contrary, your eyes are unique.”
Owen replied succinctly, changing the subject.
Having heard Lucia’s reason for realization, it was now his turn.
“Your acting and expression control are excellent, so I can’t tell from that. But your eyes are vivid with emotions. Things you can’t hide are clearly visible.”