044. The Witch’s Man (2)

After choosing their outfits at the boutique, Owen and Lucia went to a jeweler’s shop.

Since the jewelers were also located at the end of the boutique street, it didn’t take long to get there.

Lucia chose a dark red spirit stone.

It was said to be one of the few remnants left by the spirits that went extinct in ancient history.

Because of this, the price was exorbitant, but Owen bought it without hesitation.

Lucia commissioned designs for a necklace and earrings with the dark red spirit stone, and also ordered cufflinks and a tie pin for Owen.

‘A spirit stone…?’

As they got back into the carriage after their visit to the jeweler, Owen was lost in thought.

There was no mention of spirits or spirit stones in *The Flower of the Empire*.

He wondered if it was a setting known only to the author, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

“Owen.”

As he was deep in thought, Lucia quietly called his name.

Her image quickly filled his dark eyes that had been lost in thought.

“Have you heard of the opera *The Witch’s Man*?”

Owen shook his head.

Aside from the title written on the tickets Logan had given him, he knew nothing about it.

All he had was what Logan had told him earlier: that it was quite popular among young ladies.

‘Oh.’

As he retraced his memory, it suddenly occurred to him that Lucia might have seen this opera.

“Lucia. Have you seen this opera before?”

At his urgent question, Lucia hesitated for a moment.

But she quickly composed herself and smiled.

“Yes, I saw it last time. But it was an enjoyable show, so I think it will be good to see it again.”

“That’s a relief…”

It would have been better if it were a new opera for both of them.

But it was too late to change plans now.

Moreover, since she liked the opera, he was curious to see it as well.

“I hope you’ll enjoy it too, Owen. I liked everything about it. The female protagonist, the male protagonist, the plot, and their relationships.”

As she listed her reasons, Owen looked at her quietly and nodded.

“I’m sure I will.”

She said it was an opera she liked.

It was unlikely that he would dislike something she liked.

He cherished everything about her.

“We have arrived.”

The carriage stopped.

Unlike Stella Boutique, the opera house was bustling with people.

Owen and Lucia got out of the carriage and headed to the VIP entrance.

The line for the general entrance was quite long, but the VIP entrance was relatively quiet.

After a short wait, their turn came, and they were shown to their seats after their tickets were checked.

Their seats were similar to the VIP seats at an auction house.

If the general seats were on the first floor in front of the stage, the VIP seats were on the second floor, surrounding the stage without any windows.

Numerous magic stones enchanted with sound amplification spells were placed around the stage, ensuring good sound quality.

“These seats give us a direct view of the stage from above.”

“It seems so.”

Their seats were in the very center of the second floor.

As a result, they were right above the front seats of the first floor, providing a perfect view of the stage from above.

‘Aren’t the front seats usually the most expensive?’

Though these seats offered privacy, Owen couldn’t help but think that the front seats on the first floor would provide a better view of the stage.

Thinking about the prices of musical, play, and concert tickets, it seemed logical.

But this was another world, so he decided to let it go.

It seemed that in this world, privacy and special seating were more valued.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our theater. The opera *The Witch’s Man* will begin shortly, so please take your seats and maintain silence. Enjoy the show. Thank you.”

After a brief wait, an announcement was made.

It seemed that all the general seats on the first floor had been filled.

As the opera *The Witch’s Man* began, it became clear why it was so popular—every seat in the VIP section was filled. It was likely that the general seats on the first floor were also packed.

A short, sharp sound marked the extinguishing of all the lights, plunging the theater into darkness.

In the sudden blackness, the sound of instruments began to play, and a voice started singing.

Then, with a pop, the lights came on, illuminating the stage.

The spotlight fell on the male protagonist, who stood center stage.

In front of him was a mirror, and by his side were two attendants.

“Young master, young master. Please be careful when you go to the forest,” one of them began to sing.

“There is a witch in the forest. A witch who bewitches people. If you meet her, run away immediately. Do not look into the witch’s eyes.”

“Why not?”

“Because you will fall in love with the witch. You will be ensnared by her magic and fall in love with her, and you will never be able to escape.”

The attendants warned the male protagonist.

But the protagonist dismissed their warnings with a laugh.

“That’s an interesting story. I’ll be back.”

The male protagonist began to walk away.

The lights went out again, and the scene changed.

The stage was now set as a forest.

The male protagonist hunted wild animals.

He got lost and ventured deeper into the forest, where the female protagonist, the witch, appeared, singing.

“This forest is my fence. My cozy nest where no one can come near. My lonely, dear refuge.”

The male protagonist was mesmerized by the witch’s song, as if falling in love at first sight.

“This place is full of wild animals. It’s dangerous.”

After listening to her song for a while, he spoke to her.

But the witch replied with a smile.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors?”

“What rumors?”

“The rumors about the witch. They say a witch lives in the forest. Only a fool wouldn’t know that.”

“…”

“I am that ‘witch.’ The one who bewitches, captures, and harms people. Do you think I would be afraid of wild animals?”

The witch tried to scare the male protagonist.

But he looked at her with a surprised expression and replied.

“Do witches have two lives?”

“You…”

“Come on out. The only reason you’ve survived so far is because you’ve been lucky. If you stay here any longer, something really bad might happen.”

The male protagonist took the witch’s hand and led her out of the forest.

The scene changed again.

The stage now depicted a village.

The male protagonist showed the witch around the village, teaching her and helping her settle in.

But soon, tragedy struck.

The villagers discovered her true identity and tried to drive her out.

They set fire to her house and threw stones.

But the witch remained calm.

“You all have no fear. You’re too fearless.”

She laughed, scaring the people.

“You know I’m a witch, yet you burn my house. What if I decide to kill you all?”

As Owen listened to the witch’s song, he realized why Lucia liked this opera so much.

The female protagonist, the witch, must have appealed to her.

A person who remained confident and unshaken no matter the gaze or voice directed at them.

A person who mocked and threatened those who tormented her, much like Lucia.

“I don’t need your help. Do you think I would care about such useless and insignificant things? Go away.”

The way the witch rejected the male protagonist’s help, and the way she spoke coldly, having never experienced warmth, reminded Owen of Lucia.

The way she expressed her emotions in a blunt manner made him think of her.

It just… made him think of her.

“I’m not trying to help you. I just want to be by your side.”

The male protagonist was straightforward and honest.

He quickly realized his feelings and conveyed them.

“I love you.”

Owen envied him.

How could he be so certain of love without having experienced it before?

How could he realize it without knowing love?

“You don’t have to love me back.”

As Owen pondered this, the male protagonist sang the next lyrics.

Owen’s eyes trembled slightly at the words.

“I didn’t expect that. Just because I love you doesn’t mean you have to love me.”

“What…”

“I just want you to be happy. I want you to smile in a place where no one can hurt you.”

“…”

Owen looked down at the stage in silence.

His trembling eyes soon became deeply absorbed.

“People might be right. The moment I saw you, I fell in love with you. But I know. You’re not the ‘witch’ people say you are.”

An inexplicable melancholy rose within him.

Owen found himself empathizing with the male protagonist.

Perhaps it was because, just as he saw Lucia in the witch, he saw himself in the male protagonist.

Just as no one loved the witch in the world of *The Witch’s Man*, there was hardly anyone in the world of *The Flower of the Empire* who loved Lucia.

Anyone would find it laughable, he thought.

How could someone give so much of their heart to a villain in a novel?

There was no flaw in their words.

Lucia was just a villain in a novel.

That fact hurt him more.

It was possible that a character in a story might not receive a reader’s love.

But she was just a character.

However, in *The Flower of the Empire*, Lucia was shunned by everyone after Bella’s appearance.

“Even if you are truly a witch, it doesn’t matter.”

Everyone said it was only fitting.

She was a villain, she tormented Bella, and she tried to kill the heroine.

“Even if you truly bewitched someone and killed someone, I still…”

They called her a wicked woman who indulged in luxury, greed, and even treated human lives lightly.

They called her the villain of the century.

The people in her world, and the people in his world.

“Even if you are the real witch they say you are, I can’t help but love you.”

But so what?

She was already everything to him.

Lucia was already…

“Owen?”

Lucia gently grasped Owen’s arm.

Was she worried about his reaction?

Owen, with eyes full of emotions, quietly closed them.

Even as he tried to calm his emotions, it wasn’t easy, and eventually, he looked at Lucia with eyes still not fully settled.

Lucia’s red eyes rippled with concern.

“Owen. Are you okay?”

Meeting eyes filled with so much emotion, it was only natural she would be concerned.

It must have been troubling for her.

She wouldn’t understand what had caused his emotional turmoil.

She couldn’t.

The male protagonist in *The Flower of the Empire* and he were different people.

She couldn’t find the reason, even if she tried.

“…”

Owen looked at Lucia.

Silently, quietly.

The stage was still filled with the sound of singing.

The male protagonist’s fervent confession to the witch echoed in his ears.

“I love you.”