011. A Bit More Often (4)
It seemed like Owen had finished his thoughts as he rose from his seat and headed straight to the room with the wardrobe.
Carefully, he took out a tie and cufflinks.
As Owen quickly untied the tie and unbuttoned the cufflinks he had originally worn, Logan approached and took them from him.
Somehow, Owen seemed accustomed to someone else assisting him.
Owen held the wine-colored tie as if handling a treasure and skillfully re-tied it with deft fingers.
He also glanced in the mirror after inserting the ruby cufflinks he had worn yesterday at the end of his shirt.
“…It seems like the colors don’t match.”
Owen muttered with a dissatisfied expression, as the colors of the clothes and tie he had prepared didn’t seem to go well together.
Upon hearing this, Logan called for a servant and had a suit brought that matched the tone of the tie.
When Owen quickly changed into the dark wine-toned suit, he looked into the mirror again.
This time, it looked quite decent.
Owen nodded affirmatively, and the servant withdrew.
Even after the servant left, Owen continued to scrutinize himself in the mirror for a while.
His gaze was fixed on the tie.
After a brief contemplation, he opened his mouth.
“If you receive a gift, it’s probably good to reciprocate.”
“Of course.”
In response to Logan’s affirmation, Owen also nodded slightly.
In Owen’s mind, he recalled everything Lucia liked.
Having read ‘The Empire’s Flower’ dozens of times and meticulously organized the settings, he dared to boast that, next to me, he knew her tastes quite well.
Dozens of pages worth of lists flashed through Owen’s mind momentarily.
Rare gems, said to be a handful even on other continents, a red sapphire dyed with magic, a black diamond found in the depths of the sea.
A brooch to be released as a limited edition this summer at Lucia’s favorite boutique, and a masterpiece by a famous painter to be auctioned in a foreign country a few months later.
There were dozens of gifts he wanted to give, but among them, only a few were readily available for preparation.
“…Can we make a bouquet with pink flowers?”
“Pink flowers, sir?”
“Lucia likes pink.”
Owen instructed Logan to prepare the flowers that could be arranged right away.
For some reason, Logan nodded with a relieved look.
“It’s fortunate that you seem to know at least a little.”
“…What do you mean?”
“No, it’s just a mutter.”
Seemingly unwilling to explain, Logan casually circled around and left the room, saying he would convey the message to the gardener.
Owen watched Logan, who disappeared in an instant, with a puzzled look, then shook off his thoughts.
For now, it was more important to check his attire for when he faced Lucia than to ponder over Logan’s inexplicable muttering.
* * *
Lucia was waiting in front of the mansion before Owen arrived.
Even though Marie suggested that she could wait inside, Lucia shook her head and declined. It seemed that sitting quietly and waiting made her too anxious, perhaps due to tension making her heartbeat loudly.
It was time for her meetings with him to become more familiar, and it was quite strange. Lucia checked her appearance with a handheld mirror that Marie brought out for the final inspection.
Today, her outfit matched the color of the tie she had sent to Owen yesterday. A wine-colored, splendid dress and jewelry crafted with garnets adorned her.
Worried that Owen might dislike such extravagance, especially considering the somewhat flashy attire she wore when they went to the auction yesterday, Lucia had concluded that it should be fine, as Owen hadn’t said anything then.
How many minutes had passed while she waited?
Now, a familiar black wolf emblem-adorned carriage arrived at the Edelt mansion.
When the coachman opened the carriage door, a person with black hair descended from the carriage.
“…”
As he stepped down from the carriage, Lucia took a deep breath. His attire seemed to be in the same color scheme as hers, as if it had been coordinated with her.
Moreover, the tie I had gifted him was tied around his neck. The fact that he hadn’t discarded my gift and had chosen to wear it himself made her heart flutter.
“I made you wait.”
While Lucia was still in surprise, Owen took a step closer to her and spoke.
“…No. I came out early.”
Lucia replied slowly in a voice that carried a sense of apology.
“I should come earlier next time; there’s no helping it.”
Owen muttered as if he couldn’t help it, then handed her the bouquet of flowers he had been holding.
“This is…”
As Owen offered the bouquet, Lucia’s ruby-colored eyes trembled.
“A token of appreciation.”
“…Thank you.”
Lucia’s cheek turned a light pink at Owen’s short response. She reached out, accepting the bouquet from him.
The bouquet consisted of carnations, lisianthus, and ranunculus, all in shades of pink.
“Pink flowers.”
As Lucia inhaled the scent of the flowers, Owen’s lips curved slightly.
“You mentioned you liked pink last time.”
“…That’s right.”
As Owen’s explanation continued, Lucia’s heart started to beat with a thump. It was astonishing enough to unexpectedly receive a gift from him, but the fact that he would remember my words as he casually passed by…
It was truly something she hadn’t expected.
“I like it.”
“Good to hear.”
Owen immediately extended his hand to her. At this, Lucia hesitated for a moment. It was regrettable to let go of the bouquet of flowers he had given her.
Lucia looked at the flowers once more, then asked Marie to bring the bouquet to her bedroom.
After that, she placed her hand on Owen’s hand.
“Shall we go?”
When Owen asked, holding hands, Lucia nodded.
The two of them boarded the carriage one after the other, and the carriage set off towards its destination.
When the carriage arrived at a grand building, Owen, looking at the building in front of him, trailed off his words.
“This is…”
As Owen got off the carriage, he surveyed the building in front of him.
The building, constructed grandly with white marble, reminded one of a famous museum or a medical school.
While Owen was comparing the building in front of him to modern architecture, Lucia opened her mouth.
“It’s an art museum.”
Since Owen had chosen the place they visited last time, today’s destination was chosen by Lucia. This place was frequented by nobles, and Lucia personally liked it. Also, considering Owen’s preference for “beautiful things,” an art museum seemed like a place he would appreciate.
“I see.”
Hearing her brief explanation, Owen nodded silently. Just as Lucia had her reasons for choosing this place, Owen seemed to understand why Lucia had come here.
Beautiful things were something he appreciated, as he had mentioned before.
Owen reached out, escorting Lucia as she got off the carriage. Then, they entered the interior of the art museum together.
Inside the museum, several nobles, just like them, were wandering around.
Among them, the vivid red hair and the distinctive black hair from the original world stood out prominently.
Naturally, the two drew attention, and people around them started whispering about the couple.
“The Duke Verdun and Lady Edelt…”
“Are they following each other around and finally dating?”
“The Duke Verdun is in a relationship? What absurd talk.”
“Otherwise, why would the two of them be here alone together?”
“And look at their clothes. They seem coordinated.”
Various words of concern were scattered, but the two of them didn’t pay much attention. They simply walked in sync, adjusting their pace to each other, and examined each piece of art one by one.
Casually and meticulously appreciating the artwork, the two suddenly stopped in one place.
Whether it was a piece she liked or not, Lucia was gazing intently at a particular artwork, as if she was thoroughly examining every detail.
“Do you like it?”
Watching her, Owen asked the question.
Upon hearing that, Lucia nodded quietly.
“I like it.”
The artwork she was clearly admiring was a piece by the name of ‘Blue Flowers.’
The blue clay figurine depicted an elegant shape of a flower vase. Given the explanation that it was crafted, painted, and baked by a renowned clay artisan on the continent, the artwork seemed to be of considerable value.
Owen alternated between examining the artwork and Lucia, then called over a staff member at the art museum.
“Did you call, Your Grace?”
The staff member, bowing politely, prompted Owen to nod slightly and opened his lips.
“I would like to purchase this artwork.”
The concept of the art museum in the <Empire of Flowers> was somewhat different from modern art museums. In this world, art museums were not just places for simple viewing but also involved buying and selling, similar to the concept of modern galleries.
Knowing this aspect of the world’s setting, Owen remembered it and intended to purchase the artwork.
“If you sign here, we will transmit the artwork’s price to your family.”
Since nobles didn’t often carry large sums of money with them, they frequently made payments like this. Whether buying clothes from a boutique or participating in auctions, this method was common.
Owen, recalling this fact, watched as the staff member wrote his name on the paper provided.
Signing with the familiar handwriting of ‘Owen’ out of habit, he suddenly glanced at the price written above.
[Blue Flower Vase by Artisan Ezraque – 100 Gold]
100 Gold.
It was a piece worth 1 billion. Owen found it somewhat unbelievable that a mere flower vase could cost so much, but he decided to stop delving deeper into the thought.
Nobles were originally extravagant, living in luxury. Moreover, the Duke of Verdun had a lot of money. To the point of it piling up and decaying.
‘Both Owen and Owen.’
None of them knew how to earn money, only how to spend it.
‘100 Gold should be fine.’
Owen dispelled his distracting thoughts, recalling the piles of money in banks and warehouses.
Then, he instructed the staff member, “Please fill in the recipient as Lady Edelt, as it’s a gift for her.”
“Oh, a gift. I’ll keep that in mind. Then, we’ll send the artwork to Lady Edelt’s residence by this afternoon.”
Lucia, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Owen and the staff member, widened her eyes in surprise.
“Is this my gift?”
As surprise and curiosity filled Lucia’s bright eyes, Owen nodded.
“You received a bouquet from me today, but it felt a bit insufficient.”
Lucia bit her lip at his response.
She had thought that a bouquet of flowers was enough. She wasn’t someone who received gifts often. Receiving a gift already seemed more than enough, and she thought it was even too much.
He said he would give her a gift because the bouquet seemed insufficient.
It was excessively generous, but there was no reason to refuse.
“And, as you said, gifts are better received when the recipient likes them.”
As Owen added these words, a faint pink color appeared on Lucia’s cheek.
“Gifts are better received when the recipient likes them.”
Yesterday, I clearly said those words.
However, Lucia hadn’t expected him to remember that statement, let alone use it as a reason to give her such a gift.
“…You remembered my words.”
Lucia whispered as if murmuring to herself, and Owen tilted his head slightly.
“It’s your words; how could I forget them?”
