046. The Witch’s Man (4)

To be honest, Owen didn’t expect Lucia to react that way.

It was an expression he had never seen before.

Regret.

Lucia looked so sorry that she couldn’t say anything.

Owen had thought that Lucia would naturally be happy to receive his confession.

Wasn’t this the moment she had longed for and anticipated so much?

For him to say he loved her and become entirely hers.

So he added that she didn’t need to feel sorry, but Lucia remained silent.

Only the quiet meal continued.

During the meal, Lucia kept drinking wine as if something was frustrating her.

“You’ll get drunk at this rate.”

Even when Owen spoke with concern, Lucia tilted her wine glass, saying she was fine.

By the time the wine in her glass disappeared for the third time, Owen hesitated whether he should stop Lucia.

Because the author of *The Flower of the Empire* had once shared character settings, he knew that Lucia was weak to alcohol.

“I’ll pour more for you.”

However, before Owen could say anything, a staff member approached and refilled Lucia’s glass.

Lucia naturally picked up the wine glass again.

The glass was refilled twice more.

In total, she had drunk six glasses.

Lucia’s limit was said to be three glasses of low-alcohol wine, so she had far exceeded her capacity.

Fortunately, the meal ended in time.

Owen hurriedly tried to lead Lucia out of the restaurant.

It didn’t seem like she would cause a scene, but if anything happened, Lucia would be embarrassed.

“Ah…”

But on the restaurant stairs, she stumbled.

Just before she fell, Owen caught Lucia.

Then he held her in his arms.

“Put your arm around my shoulder.”

Owen whispered in Lucia’s ear.

Drunk, Lucia forgot her embarrassment and calmly wrapped her arm around his neck.

As he descended the stairs with long strides, Lucia leaned her head on his shoulder.

Owen’s body momentarily tensed, but Lucia merely leaned quietly and murmured.

“I suddenly remembered… what Marie said that day.”

What came out of Lucia’s mouth was an unexpected story.

Owen was puzzled.

Marie was Lucia’s personal maid.

There was no reason for her to bring up something her personal maid had said.

‘She must be really drunk.’

Concluding this, Owen continued walking briskly.

Just in time, the carriage arrived and waited for them.

“Marie told me… to think about how Owen treats me.”

But Owen had to stop at Lucia’s next words.

He had no idea that Marie had said such things.

“When I thought about it, Owen was a curious person. Owen reacts sensitively to every word I say.”

Lucia, drunk, was more honest than usual.

She spoke without filtering her thoughts.

“As if I were someone absolute. As if he would do anything I wanted. It was strange.”

“…”

“Owen prioritizes me over himself. That’s something that doesn’t make sense. Who in the world puts others before themselves?”

From the beginning, Lucia couldn’t understand.

Because Owen’s love was unfamiliar to her.

She had never received such love before.

Owen finally realized why Lucia looked so apologetic at the restaurant.

She wanted to have Owen.

So she used him, his situation, and made him move for what she wanted.

That was typical of Lucia.

Because she always did this to get what she wanted.

However, the person she wanted had never acted like Owen.

No one had ever looked at her as absolutely as Owen did.

Not in this world, not in his world.

No one cherished her as much as he did.

“But today, you even said that I don’t need to love you. That you don’t expect it. That you don’t want anything.”

Lucia, leaning on Owen’s shoulder, looked up at him.

She was so drunk that she was speaking informally.

Somehow liking it, Owen smiled lightly and replied.

“Yes, I did.”

Had so much time passed while they were talking?

The coachman, who had been sitting on the driver’s seat, approached curiously.

At that, Owen started walking again.

The coachman quickly dismissed his curiosity and opened the carriage door.

He seemed to judge that knowing too much about the affairs of the upper class wouldn’t be beneficial.

Owen got into the carriage, still holding Lucia.

He could have seated her across from him but didn’t.

Owen sat down with her in his arms just as she was.

In other words, this was his desire, revealed when she was drunk.

It was one of the few selfish acts he could indulge in, realizing his boiling emotions of love.

“You even said that the only thing you wished for was my happiness. You have no idea how absurd that sounded to me.”

“Was it such an absurd thing to say?”

“Of course! Owen, humans are inherently selfish. They are creatures who think of themselves first.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Owen tilted his head slightly at Lucia’s words.

He didn’t quite understand.

He knew that Lucia thought that way.

Her world was full of such people.

And she was one of those people.

She must have believed it that way.

But…

“Not everyone is like that.”

Owen also knew that there were many selfish people in the world.

But not everyone was selfish.

There were altruistic people as well.

Just as there are bad people and good people, there are both selfish and altruistic people in the world.

“Being selfish isn’t necessarily bad, though.”

He didn’t think being selfish was bad.

As long as it didn’t cross a line, what did it matter?

“It’s not that not everyone is like that, Owen. It’s just you who isn’t like that.”

Lucia’s finger poked Owen’s cheek.

Startled by the sudden poke, Owen blinked.

As he sat there in a daze, Lucia continued.

“You’re the strange one. I never even wished for happiness, yet you wish for my happiness. Does that make sense?”

“You don’t wish to be happy?”

“I don’t even know what happiness is.”

“…”

Seeing Owen’s shocked expression, Lucia placed her hand on his cheek again.

This time, it was her palm, not her finger.

“Why do you look hurt again? I really don’t understand.”

Lucia sighed, patting Owen’s cheek.

“You said that one’s own feelings are their own responsibility and that I shouldn’t feel sorry. But do you pity me for not knowing happiness?”

“Of course.”

“What’s so obvious about that? Is that only obvious to you, Owen?”

“Of course. I love you. Wishing for the happiness of the one you love is only natural.”

At Owen’s answer, Lucia fell silent.

Even in her drunken state, she seemed at a loss for words.

She moved her lips as if wanting to say something but ultimately couldn’t make a sound.

“And then you tell me not to feel sorry.”

“You’ve done nothing to be sorry for.”

“I normally don’t feel sorry either.”

“Then why.”

When Owen asked, Lucia looked at him.

Owen tilted his head in confusion.

Lucia reached out and ruffled Owen’s hair.

Startled again, Owen blinked as she spoke.

“You’re too kind. You speak so kindly and purely…”

Kind and pure.

Owen pondered Lucia’s words.

He furrowed his brow but couldn’t come up with a clear answer.

What did she mean by kind and pure?

“Don’t think too deeply. It just means you’re a good person. You’re a very perfect person, Owen.”

“Me?”

Lucia’s answer was that he was a good person, a perfect person.

This puzzled Owen even more.

Was he a good person?

He certainly wasn’t perfect.

“Yes. More perfect than anyone or anything I’ve ever seen. You’re so perfect that I’m worried I might leave a flaw.”

While he was pondering, Lucia explained further.

“Not that it matters much…”

Owen was even willing to be honored if she left a flaw on him.

But he didn’t say that out loud, fearing she might be shocked.

“We’ve arrived.”

The carriage came to a stop.

They were in front of the Edelte Duchy.

Owen got off the carriage with Lucia still in his arms.

Knights and maids from the duchy, who had come to greet Lucia, were waiting.

As Lucia clung closely to Owen, they murmured amongst themselves.

Owen calmly set her down.

“I’ll send the next invitation by letter.”

Lucia nodded with a smile.

“Alright.”

“Good. Sweet dreams.”

As Owen spoke to Lucia casually, the murmuring among the servants grew louder.

Owen, maintaining a calm expression, bid Lucia goodnight and returned to the carriage.

On the way back to the Verdun estate, Owen pondered.

He clearly understood that his feelings were not mere fan affection.

Whether Logan intended it or not, *The Witch’s Man* gave him many realizations and thoughts.

“Love…”

Owen murmured the unfamiliar word slowly as he lowered his eyelids.

It was an emotion he had never known before.

Something he had never experienced.

But just realizing it made his fingertips tingle.

He clearly felt his rapidly beating heart and the loud sound of it, and every time he met Lucia’s gaze, his emotions flared.

Like an unripe apple, he was very clumsy at love.

He only hoped Lucia wouldn’t notice.

That he was someone who loved so blindly and recklessly.

Yet he had so many desires that he wanted to do a lot for Lucia.

He wanted to fulfill all her wishes, give her everything she wanted, and offer himself if she desired.

He wanted to be the first to teach her what happiness was.

He also wanted her to live surrounded by people who would cherish her.

Despite being immature and incomplete in love, Owen had many desires.

Lucia thought he loved without desires, but that was a big misunderstanding.

He was trying to love despite the whole world’s opposition. How could that not be a desire?

Even the creator, the author, didn’t want this love, and he wanted to make the villain, unloved by the author, happy.

Owen had no intention of giving up this great desire.

He intended to achieve it somehow.

No matter what, he would make it happen.