021. Distortion (2)
“…I’m fine with that.”
Lucia was someone who wanted whatever she desired and was determined to obtain it by any means necessary.
Having acquired everything she wanted until now, she knew better than anyone that to fulfill newly arisen desires, one must be extremely cautious.
Lucia slowly interlaced her fingers with Owen’s as she gently pressed her ring into his hand. As her fingers delicately threaded through Owen’s, he twitched slightly.
Her thin, elegant eyelashes were gracefully long as Lucia spoke, observing his face.
“Well, you did promise to go horseback riding together. Instead, can you do something else with me?”
Going horseback riding together was something Owen had already promised. Judging by his current demeanor, there seemed to be a reason why they couldn’t ride together today, but…
Lucia had no intention of letting an opportunity go to waste.
Since Owen seemed willing to do anything for her.
“Of course.”
As expected, he responded with an answer implying he would do anything for her.
Lucia smiled and playfully pursed her lips.
“Could you be my partner at the upcoming imperial ball?”
The imperial ball, scheduled for a month later, was a grand event.
Held every summer, it was both a debutante ball and an event attended by dignitaries from various countries. All nobles of the empire were obligated to attend.
If they entered the ball together as partners, rumors of an engagement would inevitably spread.
Those rumors would quickly become widespread as if they were the truth.
Lucia was well aware of this fact, and that’s why she intended to exploit it.
She couldn’t obtain Owen, who possessed everything, in one fell swoop.
He wasn’t someone who could be obtained so easily.
So, she decided to create a situation where he had no choice but to be with her.
“…Alright.”
In response to Lucia’s proposal, Owen slowly uttered his answer.
It wasn’t because he hesitated.
The proposal for the ball was actually a rather trivial matter, considering Owen had anticipated it before.
He thought Lucia would naturally make such a proposal.
However, he disliked the idea of receiving even this level of proposal as a consequence for breaking a promise.
Owen wished Lucia could have everything she desired, even if it wasn’t material.
If it were him, he felt he could easily provide whatever she desired.
What she desired most at the moment was ‘Owen’.
But achieving this seemed difficult in this way.
She was unusually cautious, unlike other times.
While she executed her plans effortlessly in the past when obtaining other things, now she was overly careful, paying attention to details and trying to coordinate even the smallest aspects.
It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Even if ‘Owen’ meticulously calculated and considered every detail, it didn’t always go according to her plans, and showing that he was slightly resistant wouldn’t reverse their relationship.
“Milady.”
Upon reaching this point in his thoughts, Owen realized he had to give Lucia confidence.
Certainty that no matter what she wanted or did, there would be no need for him to push back as before.
That’s the only way Lucia could act without hesitation.
“If it’s not impolite, may I call you by your name?”
To Owen’s question, Lucia blinked silently.
In a moment he hadn’t expected, unexpected words flowed out.
He realized he needed to give her confidence that there would be no pushing back, just like in the past.
“So, you’re fine with it.”
Though unexpected, the response at the end of the long silence was positive.
She smiled, responded positively, and then asked a question.
“May I call you by your name as well?”
It seemed like permission would come back, so he spoke.
“Sure.”
As expected, Owen responded with a positive answer.
“Lucia.”
When her name was embedded in his voice, the attendants who followed Lucia made a noisy reaction.
Even though their noisy voices were somewhat irritating, Lucia, lost in thought, stared blankly at Owen, forgetting the surrounding noise.
Thump, thump.
Her heart was pounding loudly.
At the same time, the sensations inside her grew uncontrollable.
“Owen.”
Lucia, struggling to calm down the noisy turmoil inside, managed to utter his name near her lips.
Although she had seen and longed for him for a long time, strangely, his name felt unfamiliar, almost awkward, as it settled on her lips.
“Yeah.”
During the moment when the air was becoming awkward due to the unfamiliarity, Owen responded.
His calm voice was exceptionally gentle and affectionate.
Lucia looked up at him again.
His dark eyes, met so intimately, were strangely warm.
“Owen.”
As if entranced, Lucia whispered his name again.
Even though it was only the second time she had called his name, it was already starting to feel familiar.
“Yes.”
Owen, responding to her call, slightly curved his eyes and pursed his lips.
His eyes contained elusive emotions, difficult to decipher precisely, but undeniably warm and tender.
“…”
In the face of his unusually affectionate attitude, Lucia remained silent.
Recently, he had become strangely harmful to her, but this was truly…
A sudden and unexpected change.
Or perhaps, I might not have noticed it until now.
He might have changed already, hiding his altered emotions and attitudes easily, given his natural ability to conceal his feelings.
‘…Why?’
However, no matter how much one would say that, it was challenging to understand.
There didn’t seem to be any special event that could explain it.
Exactly what prompted the change in his heart, or if he was laying bare his true emotions to me, I couldn’t fathom.
I simply couldn’t know.
“You promised to be my partner at the royal banquet, right?”
Because it was incomprehensible, my thoughts became more complicated.
However, instead of getting lost in even more complicated thoughts, Lucia decided to focus on what she could gain now.
Recalling a memory when she had once pondered over this, she realized that if something was unknowable no matter how hard she tried to find out, it was better to concentrate on what was visible.
So, she questioned Owen’s positive response to the proposal.
Since there were quite a few people gathered who could spread the rumor, it seemed necessary to firmly establish the situation.
“Lucia, I don’t lie to you.”
It was a simple question emphasizing the fact that he would be her partner, yet the answer that returned was sweetened.
There was a bitter sweetness, as if to proclaim that he had fallen into her hands with an air of absoluteness.
‘Ah.’
As the sweetness touched her tongue, Lucia felt a dizzying sensation.
It might be due to tasting the fruit of her long wait and patience.
The satisfaction she felt now was incomparable to acquiring things in the past.
No, satisfaction was an inadequate term.
It evoked a sensation so exhilarating and blissful that her heart trembled, and it even stirred up an intensified possessiveness.
“…Is that so?”
Lucia tried to control her expression, grabbing the hem of her dress in her hands.
Excitement might lead to mishaps, so she needed to suppress her emotions.
“Yeah. So, I hope you trust me. I won’t break the promise I made to you.”
“Everyone has their circumstances. You might not be able to keep a promise due to unforeseen circumstances.”
In response to his assertion, Lucia subtly turned her head to gauge his true feelings.
She wanted to know.
To what extent had he fallen into her hands at the moment.
Whether he merely had favor and goodwill toward her, or if it was something more.
Even though she knew it was a quite explicit question, she still asked it.
“That could be possible.”
The moment Lucia uttered those words, Owen perceived her intentions.
Lucia was subtly trying to gauge his thoughts.
Owen was pleased with that fact.
He felt glad that he could provide Lucia with confidence through this incident.
Feel free to do as you wish.
I won’t oppose whatever you decide now.
“But, Lucia, even if others don’t know, you won’t break your promise.”
In response to Owen’s firm and clear voice, Lucia gazed directly into Owen’s eyes.
As if trying to grasp his true intentions.
Owen didn’t avoid the intense red gaze.
On the contrary, he met it even more deeply and squarely.
He stared at the ruby-colored eyes as if he were trying to swallow them.
Without a hint of wavering in his pitch-black eyes, Lucia took a long breath.
As the emotions she had forcibly suppressed began to seep out one by one, the sound of her heart pounding loudly resumed.
“…Thank you.”
She attempted to suppress her emotions as before, but the emotions she had swallowed once did not obey her.
Lucia found it difficult to even contain the sensations that flowed out like a stream.
She eventually released the hand that was gripping the hem of her dress.
Then, she reached out to Owen, gently holding his hand.
“….”
In response to the sudden touch, Owen blinked his eyes in surprise for a moment.
He gazed down at Lucia’s hand that had taken hold of his, then, after a brief pause, he curved his lips into a smile.
He casually intertwined his fingers with Lucia’s, who had placed her hand on his.
“…Owen.”
As warmth transferred through, Lucia found it increasingly difficult to restrain herself and opened her mouth.
Right now, she just wanted to be with him.
There were things she wanted to confirm.
Alone together in a place where no one else was present.
“Can you invite me to Owen’s mansion?”
“If you wish.”
In response to Lucia’s question, Owen readily nodded.
While it might be difficult to engage in horseback riding at the moment, going to the mansion wasn’t a challenging task.
They had to wait until the search party returned with news anyway.
He was supposed to wait patiently at the mansion until news arrived.
Even if he invited Lucia there, it wouldn’t cause any significant trouble.
The rumors might spread that she was his fiancée, but that didn’t matter much.
Lucia, if she liked him, then that was good, and she wasn’t someone who would dislike him.
“It was nice meeting you. Well, then, I’ll be going.”
After giving an affirmative answer to Lucia’s request, Owen said goodbye to the attendants, the young men and women who had been following him.
Lucia, who had been preoccupied with Owen’s positive response, also bid farewell to those who were behind them.
“See you again next time. It was enjoyable today.”
“Yes, Lady. See you again next time.”
“It was a pleasure being together today.”
The attendants gathered around the two replied in a neat manner.
The two exchanged appropriate responses to their farewells and then turned away.
Owen, holding Lucia’s hand with one hand and the reins of his horse with the other, headed towards the mansion.
Upon reaching the mansion, he tied the black horse he rode near the stable and then entered the building.
“You can sit over there.”
Owen gestured to a seat near the table for Lucia.
While Lucia took a seat, he prepared tea by placing tea leaves in the teapot and pouring hot water to brew it.
Perhaps due to Owen’s body acquiring basic noble etiquette, he could handle brewing tea effortlessly.
Once the tea was adequately brewed, Owen poured the tea into a teacup and moved it to the table.
“I hope the tea suits your taste.”
Carefully handing over the teacup, Lucia smiled as she picked it up.
After taking a sip of the tea, she smiled again.
“The fragrance is delightful. Is this rose tea?”
“That’s right.”
“You seem to really like roses.”
Lucia commented as she set down the teacup.
She had been curious since the first time Owen mentioned his fondness for roses.
Amidst the overflowing emotions today that couldn’t be controlled, she decided not to hesitate and ask him about it.
