032. Oceane (2)

When Owen mentioned the carriage’s jolting to the coachman, he was informed that the fastest route to Oceane was in poor condition.

As a result, they decided to take an alternate route that would take approximately two additional hours compared to their original plan.

Fortunately, there were no more jolts after that.

Inside the smoothly traveling carriage, Owen and Lucia shared various small talk.

While conversing, Owen tried to discern the nature of Lucia’s earlier emotions, but he still couldn’t reach a clear conclusion.

When it was time for a meal, they stopped in a small, yet quite developed, town between the capital and Oceane.

Upon alighting from the carriage, they were immediately surrounded by the curious gazes of many onlookers.

Lucia seemed pleased, evidently wanting their trip to become the talk of the town.

Though she tried to hide it, her eyes betrayed her excitement.

Noticing this, Owen felt satisfied.

Lucia wanted to attend the Imperial banquet with him to solidify current rumors and make it difficult for ‘Owen’ to extricate himself by revealing their relationship in a public setting.

With the banquet postponed, she probably wanted to spread the news of their trip together.

Fortunately, his assumption was spot on.

“Where will we be staying in Oceane?”

Owen was contentedly eating when Lucia asked with a pleased expression.

Her face reminded him of a languid, content cat, but he quickly brushed off the thought and answered.

“There is a villa in the name of the Verdun Duchy. My parents bought it.”

‘Owen’ had no desire for material possessions.

His countless business ventures and near-constant work were aftereffects of trauma.

A childhood filled with mental and physical abuse from his parents left him with scars.

Forced to receive rigorous and oppressive training to become the perfect head of the family, he became a workaholic.

Owen, educated to believe he ‘must’ do everything for the family, did whatever was necessary.

His existence was for the sake of being the ‘perfect head’ and ‘the Verdun Duchy’ itself.

Thus, he had no zest for life and little interest in others.

Maintaining what was already established was his only purpose.

“A legacy from the previous Duke and Duchess.”

“That’s right.”

So, ‘Owen’ would never have bought a villa.

To him, travel was a worthless endeavor.

He likely didn’t even understand the concept of a vacation, unable to distinguish it from a business trip.

“I’m happy to be invited to such a place. It must be precious to you.”

“…”

Owen opened his mouth to respond to Lucia’s words but found nothing to say, so he closed it again.

‘A precious place…’

It couldn’t be.

For ‘Owen,’ such places were mere assets, neither more nor less.

As an adult, that’s all they were to him.

And as a child…

– Butler. Make sure to keep an eye on Owen while we’re away.

Like a water reflection, a scene surfaced.

At first, these visions had disoriented him, but now he knew.

This was a memory.

‘Owen’s’ memory.

– Don’t worry and have a good trip, sir and madam.

Cold voices pierced his ears.

– At least he doesn’t throw tantrums anymore. Last year, he was making a fuss about wanting to come along.

“…”

The child remained silent at his mother’s words.

As if she didn’t expect a response, his mother boarded the carriage with his father.

– Have a safe trip. You mentioned going to Oceane this time.

– Yes, Oceane is the most beautiful in the summer.

When the vacation season arrived, his parents went on trips, leaving him behind at the mansion.

At first, the child tried desperately to go with them, but after failing for several years, he gave up completely.

Eventually, he stopped expecting anything from his parents.

– Young master.

“Owen?”

The calls overlapped.

With that, the fragments of ‘Owen’s’ memory scattered.

“…”

Owen silently lifted his gaze.

From the memory he had just faced, his eyes were darkened with a deep sadness.

Lucia probably noticed immediately.

She was quick-witted.

There was no way she could have missed the hardened expression on his face.

“…Even if it’s not, it’s okay.”

Sure enough, she quickly shifted the conversation.

As if the brief silence had been a lie, Lucia smiled and her eyes twinkled.

Her rose-colored eyes were bright and clear without a hint of wavering.

“After this trip, it will become a precious place.”

* * *

After finishing their lunch, they boarded the carriage again and traveled for several more hours.

Finally, the landscape of Oceane began to appear through the transparent windows.

Oceane, with its houses made of white bricks and blue roofs, looked like a village from a fairy tale.

The carriage stopped at a mansion that had the best view of the sea, situated right along the beach.

The mansion was so large and splendid that calling it a villa seemed almost laughable; it felt grand.

It was entirely different from the quaintness they had seen while passing through the center of Oceane.

In truth, all the mansions along the coastline were like that.

They were all likely the villas of noble families or the wealthy, so it was only natural.

“Wow.”

Lucia exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.

The grand seaside mansions with blue roofs and white bricks, the white sandy beaches, and the vast blue sea beyond—it was all stunningly beautiful.

“It’s beautiful.”

She murmured as if entranced.

To someone who loved beauty, it must have felt like an ideal paradise.

“Do you like it?”

Owen asked as he watched her admire the view.

She nodded in response.

“Yes, very much.”

Owen naturally smiled at her answer.

That was enough.

Even though he had no good memories of Oceane and its villa, it didn’t matter as long as Lucia liked it.

Such trivial things didn’t need to be a concern.

After all, he barely remembered…

‘…Huh?’

Owen paused for a moment in his thoughts.

‘It’s natural that I don’t remember.’

Something was bothering him.

He had too naturally assumed ‘Owen’s’ memories as his own.

It was unlikely that ‘Owen’s’ memories were his own.

Had he been ‘Owen,’ he would surely have known his past memories.

‘He and I are different people.’

Just because he wore Owen’s shell did not make him the real Owen.

‘Owen’ and the current Owen were different people.

Surely, that must be true.

‘Why did I naturally think like that?’

Something was bothering him.

Since the first flash of ‘Owen’s’ past in the forest during the hunting competition, the perplexing aspects had grown more significant.

‘It’s the same during lunch. The trauma from childhood wasn’t mine, but his. Why did I react like that?’

When Lucia mentioned the villa at the restaurant, he had reacted too sensitively.

Even if the villa wasn’t a precious place for ‘Owen,’ it had nothing to do with him.

“Owen.”

A small warmth touched his hand.

Instantly, the confusion vanished.

In the focus of his dark eyes was a person with red hair fluttering.

The person leading him with a bright smile.

“Let’s go in.”

Meeting Lucia’s gaze, Owen simply nodded.

Her voice and eyes had a certain power.

Just hearing and seeing them made him focus.

It pushed away all other thoughts.

Complex thoughts subsided, leaving only her in his mind.

No interruptions, no headaches from thinking too much.

Just her.

Just this moment.

“Okay.”

He followed her gentle lead.

Lucia was in front of him, and she wanted him.

Yes, that was enough.

The rest could wait.

Everything else could wait.

Owen consoled himself with these thoughts as he walked.

“Welcome, Your Grace, and Lady Edel.”

Upon entering the villa, the staff greeted them.

The butler managing the villa, maids and servants handling cleaning and chores, and the cooks and their assistants, all together, there were about thirty people.

“Let me show you to your bedrooms first.”

Their belongings were to be handled by the accompanying staff, allowing the two to rest.

The butler led them to their rooms.

“Your Grace’s bedroom is on the fourth floor, and Lady Edel’s bedroom is on the third floor.”

Their relationship was neither that of a married couple, engaged, nor clearly lovers.

This meant they weren’t sharing a room.

Moreover, the empire was still conservative.

Only married couples shared rooms, and even nobles of different genders didn’t usually share the same floor.

The first floor housed the dining room, kitchen, banquet hall, and reception rooms. The second floor was where the staff lived.

Thus, it was natural for Lucia to stay on the third floor and Owen on the fourth floor.

Since the third floor was closer, they arrived at Lucia’s room first.

“This is your room, Lady Edel.”

Lucia’s bedroom had a window overlooking the sea.

The large window framed the ocean view like a picture.

“You can see the sea directly.”

“This mansion is the closest to the beach.”

The butler seemed proud as Lucia admired the view.

Owen glanced at the butler and then scanned the room.

‘They must have worked hard.’

Even though the location provided a beautiful view, preparing the room to suit Lucia’s tastes in just five days was impressive.

The room, likely decorated in blue, had been changed to red curtains and bedding, which Lucia preferred.

Even the vases, flowers, and small ornaments reflected her preferences.

‘I did mention it, but I didn’t expect them to do it so perfectly.’

Owen was impressed by his subordinates’ capabilities.

He had ordered the preparations through the butler five days ago and conveyed Lucia’s tastes through letters, but producing such results in such a short time was remarkable.

No matter how freely they could use money, it would have been impossible without time and effort.

“You must be tired from the journey. Rest until dinner.”

Owen, inwardly praising the staff’s abilities, quickly turned his attention to Lucia.

Since the journey had taken considerable time, heading to the beach immediately would be too much.

Riding horses would be better scheduled for the next day, both for timing and physical reasons.

A short walk along the beach seemed appropriate for today.

“Owen.”

As he finished speaking and was about to head to the fourth floor with the butler, Lucia’s voice stopped him.

She approached him quickly and whispered in his ear.

“I’ll come to your room later.”