009. A Bit More Often (2)
“You remembered what I said last time.”
“Well, people generally prefer gifts that they like.”
Owen nodded, making an effort to suppress the emotions trying to overflow.
“…Indeed.”
While Lucia and Owen exchanged a brief conversation, an auction house employee approached with a product.
“The item you won.”
The employee spoke with a courteous tone and handed the box containing the item to Lucia.
The box was surrounded by blue velvet, presenting an elegant appearance.
Lucia opened the box as soon as she received the product.
Inside the luxuriously packaged box lay the cufflink she had seen earlier.
“All right. You can leave now.”
In response to Lucia’s words, the employee bowed politely and left the room.
Once he was gone, Lucia immediately turned to Owen and said, “Please accept it.”
Externally, her actions seemed assertive and straightforward, but Lucia’s true feelings were closer to anxiety.
This was because Owen had a history of repeatedly rejecting and discarding her gifts.
So, even though she had clearly asked if he would accept the gift this time, and he had agreed, there was still a lingering concern that he might refuse or accept and then discard it.
At that moment, when she was worried that he might reject the gift once again,
“I’ll Wear it now.”
He briefly responded while accepting the gift box.
Owen took off his jacket, skillfully removed the cufflink he had worn on one sleeve, and then put on the new cufflink Lucia had given him.
“…”
Lucia silently looked at the cufflink attached to Owen’s shirt sleeve.
A rose enclosed in a red ruby.
Whether it was because it was the first time he had accepted a gift from her, or if the cufflink resembled him somehow.
His chest felt a tingling sensation.
“Looks good on you.”
“Well, I’m glad you think so.”
Owen replied as he put on his jacket again, responding to Lucia’s slow compliment.
“I like it too.”
Then, he offered a faint smile.
Facing his smile, Lucia momentarily held her breath.
The rapid heartbeat echoed in her chest, intensifying the tingling sensation.
‘How can he be so perfect?’
Being this flawless was almost unfair for a person.
Even with an expressionless and indifferent face, he was more beautiful than anyone else.
When he smiled, a deeper desire surged within her.
‘I want him.’
Whether it was genuine or simply appealing to her taste, she couldn’t tell.
The person she considered beautiful turned out to be even more captivating than she thought.
Perhaps that was it.
He was the top noble of the empire, a skilled entrepreneur, and, at the same time, an exceptional knight.
He even said he understood the desire to have beautiful things.
How could she not want someone like him?
Greed was deeply reflected in Lucia’s crimson eyes.
‘…No.’
However, revealing this greedy feeling directly to Owen was dangerous.
He had put so much effort into giving her a chance.
She couldn’t afford to act recklessly and waste this opportunity.
Lucia struggled to suppress her feelings and slowly opened her mouth.
“Your Excellency.”
In response to her call, Owen’s obsidian-like eyes were solely fixed on Lucia.
Feeling pleased, Lucia pulled her lips into a smile.
Her red smile, reminiscent of him, was exceptionally charming.
“Could we meet again before the hunting competition?”
Lucia asked with a red smile, delving deeper into the hidden depths.
For her, it was necessary to meet him frequently to become a natural presence to him.
Once it became natural, even if she lingered around him, he wouldn’t push her away.
To achieve that, she needed to meet him often.
“Yes.”
Owen easily agreed to Lucia’s request.
It was strange; just a short while ago, it was difficult even to start a conversation with him.
Now, he readily responded to her requests.
It was a peculiar situation but a positive sign.
With a smile, Lucia continued, “Then, will you go out with me next week?”
“Next week.”
“…Are you very busy?”
Once again, Lucia glanced at Owen’s expression.
He raised his head and opened his mouth with a straightforward gaze.
“No.”
Looking directly at Lucia with a firm gaze, he said, “I just wish to see you more often.”
Lucia was taken aback by the unexpected words, and her heart pounded loudly, sounding rough.
“I asked if we could meet again before the hunting competition, sorry about that.”
“…”
“I just want to see you more often than that.”
Now, her head was spinning.
Lucia tried to carefully choose her words from her whitening mind.
“…I’d like that too.”
When affirmative words came out from her, Owen’s lips curled slightly.
“Yeah.”
“…”
Lucia was familiar with the act of flirting with Owen, but she had no immunity to what he did to her.
After all, he had never done such a thing to her before.
As a result, whenever he attempted even the slightest bit of flirting, she would immediately stiffen up. Of course, it wasn’t his intention, but that’s how it often turned out. However, today, perhaps due to the severity of the situation, she couldn’t even maintain her usual composure and couldn’t function properly.
Her heart raced wildly, and her mind went blank. The best course of action for her was to pretend everything was fine.
“Now, shall we get on the carriage? I’ve made a reservation at a restaurant for dinner.”
Not noticing her current state, Owen stood up and spoke.
With graceful manners, he extended his hand towards her. Lucia absentmindedly shifted her gaze and reluctantly raised her hand when Owen took her hand. As Owen grasped her hand, Lucia took a deep breath and rose from her seat.
In that moment, her body wavered. Just as she tried to regain her balance, Owen pulled her into his arms.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Although she didn’t fall thanks to him, she found herself in a position almost like being embraced by Owen.
Whether due to this or the rough sound of her heart that had been persistent since earlier, it was now beating so fast that it felt noisy.
Lucia, trying to stabilize even her breathing, forced her lips open to speak, “…You can let go now.”
In response to her words, Owen gently released her from his embrace. Lucia, separated from him, tried to compose herself and took steps.
Even while walking, her heart was still beating rapidly, making her feel uneasy.
* * *
After finishing dinner at the restaurant and returning to the mansion, Lucia changed into comfortable indoor clothes and collapsed onto the bed as if she were about to fall.
She didn’t have the energy to care about anything else, as she had made an effort to appear unaffected during the meal.
The best option was to maintain proper etiquette while dining to look elegant.
There was no room to pay attention to how Owen looked at her, what menu he chose and ordered, or how he ate.
‘It was our first dinner together.’
She should have carefully observed Owen’s eating habits.
However, due to her scattered thoughts, she couldn’t do it.
Lucia sighed regretfully and buried her face in the pillow.
As she reconsidered the events of the day, her ears turned slightly red.
‘He accepted my gift.’
Even though she sent gifts and letters every time, the response was always that he had discarded them.
Because of this, she didn’t hold high expectations—expecting him to willingly accept her gifts.
However, today was different.
It wasn’t discarded.
Instead, he used the gift right in front of her.
The momentarily calmed heartbeat began to quicken again.
‘Would he accept another gift?’
Perhaps it was because of what happened today.
A small expectation blossomed in her chest.
Since he received a gift today, she hoped that he might accept a gift sent to the mansion this time.
‘…When did I start worrying about such things?’
Lucia, who was contemplating for a moment, stood up with a slight frown.
Whether Owen accepted her gifts or not, she had persistently continued her gift offensive without any reservations.
But now, she was contemplating such matters.
If she had wanted to think about it, she should have done so earlier.
Originally, she wasn’t even someone who cared about others’ feelings.
Finding it pitiful to be contemplating, Lucia immediately pulled the bell and called for the maid.
“You called, milady.”
Not long after, her personal maid, Marie, entered the room.
Marie spoke politely, awaiting Lucia’s words.
Lucia nodded and spoke, “Yes. I bought a tie I bought last time.”
“If it’s the one you bought last time… What are you referring to?”
A tie.
Marie asked, seeming confused, as Lucia had not bought just one item for Owen.
Because it would be burdensome to give them all at once, Lucia had stored the items she bought in a dedicated storage warehouse, planning to give them separately at the right times.
So, the tie was the same.
Among the many ties Lucia bought and collected, pointing out “the one I bought last time” was somewhat challenging.
“The most recently bought one. The wine-colored tie.”
“Ah, the limited edition…”
After Lucia explained, Marie shook her head as if in bewilderment.
If it was the most recently bought wine-colored tie, she remembered it.
It was a tie boasting an astronomical price, released as a limited edition from the most well-known clothing store in the Empire.
Even if it couldn’t match the value of an entire house, it could probably cover the cost of half a commoner’s house.
“Yes, that one. Pack it well and send it as a gift to Duke Verdun.”
After Marie’s response, Lucia nodded approvingly and continued to instruct her.
Then Marie asked her usual question, “Shall I also send flowers as usual?”
At Marie’s question, Lucia didn’t nod right away but hesitated.
Flowers.
That was something Lucia habitually included when sending gifts.
So, there was nothing strange about Marie asking that question.
Even though she always sent flowers with gifts, the choice of flowers was always made by the gardener.
It was unavoidable.
No matter how much research she did, she couldn’t find out Owen’s preferences.
He left no traces of himself, as if he were a person who had no interest in anything.
So, it was impossible to know.
What colors he liked, what scents he preferred, and what flowers he liked.
In the end, Lucia chose the method of instructing the gardener to choose the most appropriate flowers.
It was regrettable to think that she had to send flowers she found beautiful, but there was no other way.
“Please use roses for the flowers this time.”
However, now the situation was different.
Now she knew what he liked.
She no longer needed to borrow someone else’s hands to choose flowers.
“Roses, milady?”
Marie, who couldn’t fathom Lucia’s thoughts, asked in confusion.
It was understandable.
Owen was not someone who showed his preferences to others.
Honestly, there were many opinions questioning whether he even had preferences.
Seeing Marie’s puzzled expression, Lucia briefly explained, “Red roses. His Excellency likes them.”
It was a story she heard when she recently visited Duke Verdun.
-He likes roses.
-Red ones are the most eye-catching. They’re beautiful, aren’t they?
Words spoken with deep, straight black eyes.
The words spoken while meeting my eyes directly were unforgettable.
“Yes, I understand.”
As Lucia reminisced about that memory, Marie lowered her head and responded.
Although she found the story unfamiliar at first, since her young mistress said so, she wondered what more there was to say.
Suppressing her curiosity, Marie left the room to follow Lucia’s orders.
Once Marie left, Lucia lay back on the bed.
‘Will he wear the tie I gave him tomorrow?’
As she entertained a faint hope, she soon shook her head.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Even if he acted that way, Lucia had no intention of giving up on Owen.
Moreover, didn’t he suggest meeting tomorrow without directly mentioning it?
Even if the tie she gifted was rejected, it would still be a significant achievement.
‘…I want to see him soon.’
Thinking of Owen hours after parting ways, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
