030. Reason for Change (4)
Tap, tap.
Marie looked puzzled as she watched Lucia tapping her palm with the end of the fan.
“Lady, do you need anything?”
Lucia sighed and shook her head silently in response to her question.
“No.”
Opening the next box as if nothing happened, Lucia brushed off her thoughts.
‘It’s an excessive thought. Owen wouldn’t do such a thing.’
Without realizing it, she had started calling him by his name in her mind, and she quickly concluded not to think too deeply about it.
That Owen assigned someone to me, huh.
It was something entirely uncharacteristic of Owen.
Apart from that, there were other ways, like hiring the information guild to obtain information or mobilizing her own people, but that also didn’t seem like something Owen would do.
Owen didn’t delve deeply into information unless it was necessary. Unless it was business-related.
Even if he suddenly became interested in her, it wouldn’t be his style to secretly move people.
“Wow, this is a dress.”
After finishing her thoughts, Lucia pulled out a dress from the next box.
It had a thin and comfortable design that vividly represented the theme of this season, ‘the seaside.’
As it was sleeveless, another box contained a thin summer shawl to wear together.
“There are also shoes.”
The shoes had no high heels, possibly keeping in mind a sandy beach on the seaside.
They were low and flat, suitable for walking, with thin leather intertwined like straps.
“It looks like a sandal style.”
“Sandal?”
“People often wear them in the summer. Most commoners wear slippers or sandals in the summer. Of course, they aren’t as fancy and pretty. They are a bit rough. There are some that are decorated, though.”
It seemed like a form of shoes that had first become popular among commoners.
While nobles pursued ‘nobility,’ elegance, and beauty, commoners tended to prioritize convenience. It was somewhat natural.
“I’ve never seen designs like these in a boutique.”
In other words, it meant that these were designs that had never appeared in social circles before.
Lucia, satisfied with that, lifted the carefully placed shoes from the box with a smile.
“I should go on a lakeside outing or something.”
While Lucia smiled happily, Marie opened the last box.
This time, it contained small earrings and a necklace made of blue sapphire in the shape of shells.
“Or maybe a trip to the seaside.”
Whether the designer was captivated by the sea or not, the design entirely reminded one of the sea and the beach.
Although each season has its own atmosphere, this level of insistence seemed to say, ‘Please wear them at the seaside.’
“It wouldn’t be bad since summer is coming soon.”
In April, when cherry blossoms fluttered during the sponsorship event, Lucia had her first private conversation with Owen.
The day of the garden party was still vivid.
The words they shared on the lake were still fresh in her memory.
A month had passed since that day after the hunting competition, and the season was heading towards early summer.
Around the end of June marked the clear end of spring.
“Should I suggest going to the seaside?”
After attending the hunting competition, Lucia met Owen twice.
Once was for his evening invitation, and the other was when I invited him.
Three days ago, we were drinking tea at a rose garden in full bloom in June.
‘There was no talk about horseback riding.’
Come to think of it, there was a promise made at the hunting competition, but Owen hasn’t mentioned it to me since then.
He did contact and meet me, but lately, he seemed very busy.
He looked preoccupied, like someone with something on his mind.
‘…Is it because of the saint?’
Lucia, reaching that thought, furrowed her brow slightly.
If there was something that could catch Owen’s attention abruptly, it would be the appearance of a saint.
Due to the awakening of the saint in the forest, he might have had something to deal with and take responsibility for.
As a saint born miraculously after a long hiatus, all attention was on her. It wouldn’t be strange for Owen to be concerned about her presence.
Especially when the temple was close to the palace, unlike the Berdine Duke.
Moreover, as the temple sided with the palace, gaining power against the Berdine Duke, there might have been things to prepare for or consider.
“Still, I don’t like it.”
Although she understood the reason, she still didn’t like it.
It was because of what she realized when she saw the saint at the hunting competition.
‘Those eyes were definitely longing, eyes that couldn’t endure not having it.’
Lucia, who was fidgeting with the necklace’s gem she held, let out a short breath as she put it back into the velvet box.
‘I can’t not know.’
It was impossible not to know.
How could she not realize?
The emotions reflected in the saint’s silvery eyes were the same as hers.
‘Owen seemed unaware, but…’
Unfortunately, it seemed like she was the only one who noticed that fact.
Lucia tapped the table quietly and contemplated.
‘I thought there wouldn’t be such a thing after three years ago.’
Three years ago, after encountering Owen, Lucia used her power to drive away those around him.
People who remembered that time dared not approach Owen.
There were occasionally young ladies who came up for the first time, or young men who approached Owen by using the fact that he was a man…
But they were still the same as they were three years ago.
‘Being too popular is a problem.’
Lucia ordered Marie to tidy up the unpacked wrapping paper and ribbons and looked quietly at the gifts on the table.
“Well, there’s nothing you can do if you have such good looks.”
However, what could she do?
About Owen’s excessively beautiful appearance.
Fragrant flowers tend to attract insects.
Beside him, there were always businesspeople and nobles approaching him based on his abilities and status, as well as young ladies and a few young men captivated by his appearance.
Since three years ago, the latter group had significantly diminished, but that was likely just on the surface.
It wouldn’t be easy to give up on him completely, even in her heart.
“Shall we spread the rumor of a love affair a bit more?”
Lucia smiled mischievously and stood up from her seat.
It seemed like she might need to write a letter.
If Owen didn’t bring it up first, there wasn’t much else she could do but take the initiative.
* * *
“Your Excellency, a letter has arrived from Lady Edelt.”
While Owen was busy with documents in his office, his butler, Logan, knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
With a short permission, the office door opened quietly.
Logan silently approached the desk and delicately placed the letter on it.
Glancing through the red envelope, with the Edelt seal stamped in wax resembling an eagle, Owen took out a paper knife from the drawer.
Carefully removing the wax seal with the paper knife, he revealed a letter written in Lucia’s elaborate handwriting.
[Owen,
Do you remember the promise we made during the hunting competition?
We agreed to go horseback riding together.
You mentioned a place you wanted to go together.
I’m curious about that place.
It’s almost summer vacation; I hope we can visit before it’s too late.
Considering that many people will head to the seaside for summer.
Lucia Edelt.]
‘Ah…’
After completely reading Lucia’s letter, Owen recalled the promise they made during the hunting competition.
‘How could I forget about this?’
There was a place Owen wanted to go horseback riding with Lucia.
A place with an impressive landscape described in <Empire’s Flower>.
The coastal city, ‘Ocean,’ located in the west.
He originally wanted to visit the seaside resort where Owen and Bella went for vacation in the prequel to the original work.
‘I got distracted by the fact that the original work deviated…’
Owen let out a long sigh and ruffled his hair.
Though Logan found his behavior strange, that wasn’t important right now.
‘The fact that the original work deviates and Lucia are separate matters.’
Bella behaving differently from the original work?
Of course, it’s important.
It’s necessary to anticipate what might happen in the future because of this.
However, no matter how important those things were, they were not more important than Lucia.
‘Prioritize.’
Owen silently admonished himself.
For him, Lucia was the priority.
No matter what else was placed beside her, that fact wouldn’t change.
“Logan.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Prepare the mansion in Ocean for my stay. I’ll visit there soon.”
“Yes, understood.”
Although going to Ocean was a predetermined fact, preparations needed to be made in advance for a place to stay.
Fortunately, there was no need to find separate accommodation.
Owen had a mansion registered in his name.
The reason for his visit to Ocean with Bella in the original work also included this fact.
With a mansion available and Ocean being a resort city, it was a suitable place for seaside relaxation and sightseeing.
Even though it felt a bit awkward to visit the place where the two of them had been, it didn’t matter since that was an event that didn’t exist in this world.
Even though this place served as the backdrop for <Empire’s Flower>, it was no longer the novel called <Empire’s Flower>.
This place was another world and Owen’s current reality.
“Tell them to prepare two horses.”
“Yes.”
Having conveyed even the message to prepare the horses, Owen immediately wrote a reply to Lucia’s letter.
As his graceful writing flowed onto the paper, Owen soon sealed it with black sealing wax in an envelope.
He handed it to Logan.
Having exchanged letters quite a bit between them, Logan accepted the letter without asking any questions and bowed before leaving the office.
Now it had become familiar.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
Logan left the office after a brief farewell.
On his way to deliver the letter to the chamberlain, Logan suddenly recalled stories from his friends.
Many of his friends, working as butlers, complained about their superiors engaging in love affairs.
However, Logan’s perspective was the opposite.
‘Finally, my lord is meeting someone.’
Owen had an extraordinary record of never engaging in a romantic relationship.
Not only had he never liked someone, but he also had no friends.
‘Ah, he got a bit friendly with Topju at the last hunting competition.’
Logan recalled the recent rumors that had been circulating.
There were mainly three stories about Owen lately.
One was a rumor that Owen and Lucia were dating, another was about his swordsmanship skills, and the last one was about his closeness with Matopju.
‘It’s fortunate, truly fortunate.’
People are social animals.
Although not many, it was necessary to have one or two acquaintances.
‘And fortunately, his romantic relationship seems to be going well.’
Moreover, there seemed to be no trouble on the romantic front.
He was surprised when Owen received a gift and seemed to want to keep it, but since then, things had been proceeding smoothly.
‘And if things continue like this, they might get engaged and married, right?’
Given the rumors about the two of them dating and the events that happened between them during the hunting competition spreading, it seemed likely.
With their social status and family influence being so similar, it wouldn’t be surprising if they eventually got engaged and married.
‘Then he’ll become the future lord.’
Thinking ahead of the parties involved, Logan, who was far ahead of the participants, touched his chin as if contemplating.
‘Then I must present myself well.’
