049. Summer Lake (3)

Lucia looked at Owen’s cold face with astonished eyes.

Since meeting him at the garden party, she had never seen such an expression on his face.

No, not even before then had his face looked this icy.

It had been an expression of indifference and annoyance.

“It’s not that… I just couldn’t bear to see you with His Grace…”

Louis’s voice trembled uncharacteristically, trailing off.

Lucia let out a short laugh at her half-brother’s attitude.

‘Look at this.’

Her eyebrows twitched.

It was a mocking expression.

She found it hard not to think it was amusing.

He always ran his mouth off in front of her, but in front of Owen, he couldn’t even speak properly.

“Go inside.”

Lucia stood up and spoke.

She put on the shoes she had neatly taken off beside the picnic blanket and walked towards her half-brother.

Judging by the fact that he had his favorite horse with him, it seemed he had sneaked in through the back entrance.

‘He sneaked in, and he’s criticizing others. This kid is still so immature.’

Her young, naive half-brother still didn’t know his place.

It didn’t matter that he was foolish and transparent, but sometimes it became a problem.

It was annoying to find him cute and insignificant when he made her feel bad.

“Do you want me to tell Father personally?”

If he had sneaked in, it was obvious why.

A young boy at his age didn’t have many reasons to sneak out, and Lucia wasn’t so foolish that she couldn’t figure out what Louis was up to.

“You snuck out to meet your lover, didn’t you? Someone from the baron’s family, right?”

She whispered it directly into his ear.

If she had shouted it, he would have flown into a rage.

If he had screamed, it would have made things troublesome.

It was merely a nuisance for Louis to have caught them having a picnic, but it would be different if the Duke of Edelte found out.

If their father knew, he would surely bring up the topic of engagement.

Even though the servants would eventually spread the story, meeting their father at this moment would be a different matter.

“How did you know…”

Louis’s brown eyes quivered.

The look of shock and fear on his face was quite a sight.

He was turning pale as if all the blood had drained from his face.

Lucia chuckled as she watched him.

“Be careful. You’re making it too obvious.”

Her dazzling smile caused Louis’s forehead to crease in frustration.

Finding it quite satisfying, Lucia decided to stop provoking him any further.

She finished her words with a pat on Louis’s shoulder.

“Go inside. You don’t want to get caught.”

She could hear her half-brother grinding his teeth.

She smiled as she waved him off, and he turned his head sharply.

“…Have a good time, Your Grace.”

He made sure to bow to Owen before leaving.

“He seems to respect you quite a lot. Isn’t that interesting, Owen?”

She clicked her tongue and turned back to face him.

But Lucia was taken aback by what she saw.

“Why do you have that expression?”

Owen’s eyes were unfocused.

Not only that, but his eyes were filled with emotion.

It was an expression that was overflowing with love and affection.

Lucia couldn’t figure out what had triggered such a surge of emotions in him.

“It’s just…”

Owen took a deep breath and looked up again.

In an instant, the turmoil in his eyes subsided.

Lucia was newly impressed.

The man before her seemed to be quite adept at hiding and suppressing his emotions.

“Just because you… just because.”

“Because of me?”

“Because you acted like yourself.”

“…”

Good heavens.

Lucia couldn’t respond and closed her mouth.

It seemed this man intended to continue surprising her for a long time to come.

Since the garden party, Owen had rarely stopped astonishing her.

It was shocking to see him make such an expression just because she acted like herself.

“What do you mean by acting like myself?”

She was curious about what he meant by liking her being herself so much.

What exactly did he mean by the side of her that he loved so much?

“Confident, self-assured, and able to control others.”

“…”

Lucia was at a loss for words.

She looked at Owen in silence.

The way he described her was undoubtedly accurate.

She was confident and assertive wherever she went, and she had a high self-esteem, often manipulating situations to her advantage.

However, hardly anyone ever described those traits in such a positive light.

“Of course, I love all aspects of you, Lucia, but those are the qualities I see most often.”

Owen added with a smile.

For some reason, she felt her heart pounding hard in her chest.

It must have been a feeling of anticipation.

Being intoxicated by the kindness and warmth the person in front of her exuded, deeply immersed in his altruism.

And thus, uncontrollable, burgeoning expectations emerged.

“Do you love everything about me?”

“Yes.”

He answered with a bright smile, his answer as clear and vibrant as she had never imagined a few months ago.

This surreal, beautiful person was astonishingly having a picnic by the lake at the Edelte estate.

And he looked up at her and said,

“I love everything about you.”

That he cherished every part of her.

The phrase “love as deep as the ocean” naturally came to mind.

She couldn’t remember if it was from a novel, a poem, or perhaps the lyrics of an opera.

But there was certainly a phrase like that.

[There are those who love like the ocean.]

In the work, such deep, ocean-like love was likened to a parent’s love.

Back when she first encountered it, she couldn’t relate to it at all.

A parent’s love being like the ocean?

Perhaps if it was a dried-up, parched ocean.

Because her father, the Duke of Edelte, was such a person.

“…Owen.”

She had always thought of love as a part of human selfishness.

Otherwise, how could humans willingly love?

Yes, she had always thought of it that way.

“I might be worse than you think.”

How could this person so easily shatter all her assumptions and beliefs?

In the kindest and most upright way possible.

Instead of breaking her expectations and causing disappointment and resignation, he provided unexpected results in places where she had no attachments, making her repeatedly form new expectations.

“I have a lot of desires. There are many things I want.”

“I know.”

“And I hate sharing what’s mine with others.”

“That too, I know well.”

He was calm.

His smiling face remained pure and clear.

A person as bright and white as snow.

Like the ocean, and like the moon.

“I might become possessive. I might get jealous. You’ve experienced it, haven’t you? Even before you told me you loved me, I’ve been that way.”

Lucia suddenly realized.

Owen was a person vastly different from herself.

She was someone who would protect her people even if it meant confining and oppressing them, but he-

“Yes. So I already told you I know well.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. No matter what kind of person you are, I’ll never abandon you.”

He was someone who would do anything for his people.

Someone who gave trust, and tried to instill trust in others.

When someone hurt or pained his people, he would unsparingly reveal his sword without hesitation.

A steadfast and unwavering person.

“I love you, Lucia, for who you are. Not just certain parts of you or for some false illusions.”

His unwavering, honest gaze met hers.

As he loved like the ocean, a phrase that had come to mind, he provided a love as vast and merciless as a tidal wave.

And so, Lucia was swept away, unable to do anything.

“Lucia.”

Unlike what was said in romance novels or operas, his love was not passionate.

It wasn’t scorching enough to burn, nor was it fiery enough to melt away.

“I love you.”

His love was like a calm ocean.

So vast and unfathomably deep that its size was unimaginable, yet it never caused a single wave.

With a single realization, he became certain of his feelings, and since then, he had not shown the slightest wavering.

It was terrifying.

Just the thought of diving into the calm sea made her feel as if she would never be able to escape again.

As if she would forget how to breathe and sink so deeply that she could never come back up.

“…Yes.”

Lucia finally responded.

He smiled as if he had been waiting for nothing more.

His unhurt demeanor left a mark on her heart.

It meant he hadn’t expected anything more, which made it all the more poignant.

“Come and sit.”

Owen extended his hand.

Lucia didn’t avoid his reaching hand.

He gently pulled her, and she found herself sitting back down on the blanket.

Owen carefully removed her shoes and gestured towards the food they had brought.

“Shall we eat?”

“…Alright.”

He was perceptive, quickly understanding her thoughts and feelings and acting on them.

It was curious how he understood her so well, better than even her family, who had known her all her life.

Lucia nodded silently and unwrapped a sandwich, taking a bite.

The salmon sandwich, meticulously prepared by the estate’s chef, tasted fresh and luxurious.

The smoked salmon, fresh vegetables, and tartar sauce combined perfectly.

“How about we meet at the Verdun estate next time?”

Owen asked while Lucia was taking bites of her sandwich.

She swallowed before answering.

“I like that. Shall we meet in the garden?”

“You mentioned you liked the garden.”

“Yes, it’s very beautiful.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

They easily set their next meeting.

They decided on a weekday afternoon next week.

As Lucia recalled their next date, she took another bite of her sandwich.

Glancing at Owen, she noticed he was also enjoying his food.

“You mentioned you like strawberries.”

As she finished her sandwich and picked up the pudding, Owen spoke up.

Lucia looked puzzled, so he elaborated.

“It’s something I heard at the social gathering.”

“Oh.”

It must have been because she had brought strawberry tarts to the previous picnic.

“That’s right.”

Since it was true, Lucia nodded.

“I see.”

Owen responded seriously, as if he had realized something significant.

“Why, are you planning to start a strawberry business?”

Feeling playful, she teased him.

Owen’s eyes sparkled as he answered.

“I was considering importing them. That’s a good idea.”

“Huh…? Didn’t you recently reduce the number of businesses?”

Lucia asked, surprised by the unexpected conclusion.

Owen nodded.

“I thought it necessary to streamline things because there were too many businesses.”

In reality, he had reduced his workload because he wanted to work less, but this explanation sounded more plausible.

As Owen casually lied, Lucia naturally believed him.

“That makes sense.”

“So, starting one or two more businesses shouldn’t be a problem.”

Owen had halved the number of businesses the Verdun estate was involved in.

He handed some over to his retainers, gave others to promising individuals, or sold them off.

This allowed him to significantly reduce his working hours and have more time to meet with Lucia.

He even had time to look for gifts for her.

“A fruit business would be good, considering there’s nothing properly established in the Empire.”

However, even in this matter, if it was related to something Lucia liked, it was different.

He wanted to always be able to give her what she loved.

He was already looking into auctions, jewelry, and boutiques.

Now, a fruit business.

With its rarity, it seemed like a great opportunity.

Tl/N: To be loved like this uff ngl this is so romantic. To my male readers take notes from Owen and make your girlie happy.