031. Oceane (1)

On the day Owen sent a letter inviting Lucia to Oceane, she immediately responded with a positive reply.

Thanks to this, their vacation plans proceeded smoothly, and the two of them went on a short trip together that weekend.

The staff at Oceane’s villa were given only five days to prepare.

“Lucia.”

A large black carriage arrived in front of the Edel Duke’s residence.

The arriving carriage wasn’t just the one with the black wolf emblem.

Behind the large black carriage were wagons that appeared to be for luggage, and carriages and horses for the servants and knights who would accompany them.

“Owen.”

As she placed the now familiar pronunciation on the tip of her tongue, he, dressed in a deep blue suit, approached and extended his hand.

Today, too, he wore thin cotton gloves on his hands.

Lucia placed her bare hand on top of his white-gloved one.

Owen grasped her hand familiarly and spoke.

“It suits you well.”

“It’s because Owen gave it to me as a gift.”

At his whisper, Lucia smoothly smiled.

Today, her outfit consisted of the limited edition items from this season’s Stella Boutique, which Owen had gifted her not long ago.

From the dress and summer shawl to the sandals, brooch, and accessories, everything was in shades of blue, which made Owen’s eyes curve gently.

“I thought you might like it.”

“I really loved it. I was actually planning to buy it myself.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But since Owen sent it as a gift first, I got to have it early.”

Lucia spoke with a hint of wonder, glancing at Owen, but he pretended not to notice and changed the subject.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

It was clear he was deliberately changing the topic, but Lucia decided to let it slide.

She was curious about how he knew, but not enough to press for an answer.

As they boarded the carriage, the unusually large group began to move busily.

Oceane was a twelve-hour journey from the capital, so they would have to hurry to reach it.

“It feels like my first trip.”

As Lucia settled in the carriage with Owen, she spoke and looked at him.

Though they were heading to a place quite far from the capital, she didn’t want to look outside.

She thought it would be a waste of time to focus on anything other than Owen, who was right in front of her.

“…”

Lucia’s intention was to have a conversation, but Owen only heard her remark about it being her first trip.

It was a new realization.

In her memories, Lucia’s childhood had no time spent joyfully with loved ones.

No happy family trips or fond memories with friends.

None of those existed in Lucia’s memories.

The happy moments and memories she had were likely when she obtained something she wanted or when she was the center of attention in social circles.

To be precise, since she had no affectionate and dear memories with family or friends, she had replaced them with something else.

“It’s an honor.”

After a moment of silence, Owen finally spoke.

“To be able to share your first trip with you.”

Owen naturally let down his previously stiff expression.

As he pulled his lips into a smile, his face lit up with genuine joy.

“…And you, Owen?”

Lucia responded belatedly to his words and smile.

“It’s my first trip as well.”

Owen answered with a faint smile to her question.

‘Owen’ must have lived without a single break.

It wasn’t a lie.

Not only ‘Owen,’ but he himself had lived the same way.

Having lost his parents early and living independently, travel was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

He had to work part-time jobs every day to earn living expenses and study hard to get scholarships.

His only hobby and way to relieve stress was being a fan of <The Flower of the Empire>.

Reading the original work, digging into its settings, reading webtoons, and creating fan works.

Others might have told him to sleep instead, but without it, his life would have had no joy.

“It’s an honor for me too. To share our first trip together, Owen.”

Lucia smiled again, a natural expression, as if she hadn’t been startled by his use of the word ‘honor.’

Owen looked quietly at Lucia’s bright face and then nodded with a light chuckle.

“Being each other’s first is special.”

He spoke softly, then changed the topic.

“I heard the Imperial banquet has been postponed from its original date.”

“That’s right. They announced it was postponed due to the awakening of the Saintess.”

The Imperial banquet was originally scheduled to be held one month after the hunting competition.

This schedule was the same every year.

The timing of the hunting competition was fixed in spring and autumn each year for the safety of the northern region, and the summer Imperial banquet was fixed in early July as it was meant for debutantes.

“The Saintess has to have her debut as well.”

Although the schedule had never changed before, the influence and impact of the Saintess were immense.

For the Saintess who appeared for the first time in 200 years, the Imperial family gladly accepted the temple’s request.

They decided to give the Saintess, Bella, time to learn and adapt to the etiquette of the social circles.

Thus, the Imperial banquet, which was supposed to be held in July, was postponed to early August.

“…I heard it was requested by the temple.”

When Owen mentioned the Saintess, Lucia responded slowly.

Owen, curious about her slow response, glanced at Lucia, but she had already composed her emotions.

“Owen.”

Instead, her red eyes deepened as if they were burning.

The emotion in her voice when she called his name became more vivid.

“…Yes.”

Facing the intense emotions directly, Owen slowly opened his mouth.

‘Why…?’

As he calmly answered, he searched for the reason.

Why did Lucia’s eyes, voice, and atmosphere suddenly flare up with possessiveness?

‘No, it doesn’t seem like just possessiveness.’

As Owen tried to define the emotions he was facing by recalling their conversation, Lucia spoke again before he could come to a conclusion.

“When we return to the capital, let’s go to the boutique together. It will take time to order and make the dress for the banquet, so it would be good to go early and allow for enough time.”

“Sure.”

Despite the burning emotions, the words that came out were mundane.

Finding it difficult to gauge, Owen slightly furrowed his brows.

Seeing this, Lucia smiled sweetly, put down the fan she had been holding to her mouth, and leaned in slightly.

With her leaning posture, she naturally closed the distance with Owen and extended her hand.

Her pale hand touched his cheek.

“I’m looking forward to this banquet.”

“…”

Thanks to this, ripples appeared in Owen’s dark eyes in an instant.

Lucia wore a languid and brilliant smile of satisfaction.

Owen swallowed his breath at the smile that resembled a relentless rose.

‘…Indeed.’

It was clear that Lucia had become less reserved and more daring towards him ever since the hunting competition.

Specifically, ever since he had spoken to her at that event, she had consistently acted in this manner.

At the dinner he arranged, at the tea time in the rose garden she invited him to.

Lucia had smiled as if she knew exactly how he would react, whispered to him, and approached him.

‘She must intend to keep this up until she feels completely certain she has me.’

Owen exhaled and slowly closed and opened his eyes.

Lucia, still smiling, looked at him.

Her leaned posture and the warmth of her hand on his cheek remained.

‘…It’s all good, but.’

Owen swallowed a sigh internally.

It was good that he had given her assurance at the hunting competition.

It was good that he had indirectly shown her that he didn’t mind her actions, and it was good that she acted freely as a result.

‘It’s all good, but it’s troublesome for me.’

Yes, everything was smooth.

Except for Bella appearing before the original story began and the unpredictable future developments, everything was perfect.

If only he weren’t so troubled by it.

‘Why didn’t I think of this part?’

Thump, thump.

The loud beating of his heart disturbed his ears and clouded his mind.

Before the hunting competition, she hadn’t been so proactive, so there hadn’t been any moments where he froze in surprise or felt his heart pounding as if it would deafen him.

He had simply liked her presence, actions, and voice, feeling a quiet excitement.

‘Will it get better if I get used to it…?’

Easily touching, whispering, and acting to elicit his reaction, Owen was helplessly swayed by Lucia.

It was difficult to maintain his composure.

He wondered if he would get used to it over time, but then doubted if this was something he could ever get used to.

While Owen was lost in such thoughts.

“Ah.”

Clunk.

The carriage jolted violently, likely passing over a stone.

As Lucia’s body was thrown forward, Owen reached out and pulled her towards him.

As a result, Lucia ended up almost entirely in his arms.

“Are you okay?”

Owen whispered, and Lucia, stiff with surprise, managed to nod awkwardly.

“Yes, I’m okay.”

Despite having reached out to him first earlier, Lucia was now flustered.

The carriage’s jolt had surprised her, but even more so was Owen’s casual embrace as he pulled her in.

‘…It’s pointless now.’

Swallowing her words internally, Lucia adjusted her posture.

She was trying to extricate herself from Owen’s embrace.

However…

“Tsk.”

The carriage jolted again.

It seemed the road they were traveling on was poorly maintained.

Considering this was a carriage used by the Verdun Duchy, it was undoubtedly of high quality.

Seeing even a carriage with the family crest jolt like this, it was clear the road was in poor condition.

“The road seems to be in bad shape.”

Gently patting Lucia’s back a couple of times as if to soothe her, Owen lowered her to the seat beside him.

The carriage was spacious, so there was plenty of room for the two of them to sit side by side.

Watching Owen calmly offer the seat next to him, Lucia made up her mind.

Clearly, she had no choice but to approach him even more passionately.

Unaware of the determination burning within Lucia, Owen clicked his tongue and asked the coachman about the road’s condition.