059. The Original Story (2)

A faint crease appeared on Owen’s forehead as he furrowed his brow.

“There’s no need to make that face, you know,” Lucia said, her hand gently touching his forehead.

It had become almost a habit for her, this action of smoothing out the wrinkles on his forehead whenever he furrowed his brows. Owen had even picked up this habit himself, doing the same to her on occasion.

“Duke Verdun.”

Just as Owen was about to respond to Lucia, the Emperor’s voice rang out.

Owen turned his gaze toward the Emperor and bowed his head.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Fortunately, he had been keeping an eye on the situation, so he knew what was going on.

There was no way he could miss it.

Even while overhearing two young nobles in the corner of the banquet hall whispering about when they could leave, how could he not be aware of the unfolding events?

“I understand that you, too, have been keeping an eye on the situation.”

When Bella mentioned that the poison didn’t come from the Kingdom of Yuria but from another nation, the Emperor pointed to the two duchies with highland regions.

Both duchies were located in the western part of the empire, and the farthest west of the continent was made up of highland areas.

The Emperor asked the delegations from both duchies about this, but they both denied it in unison.

Their stance was clear: without evidence, they would deny everything.

“The only person who had the poison in the banquet hall and handed it over was the diplomat from the Kingdom of Yuria. However, if it’s a poison that grows in the highland regions, only the two duchies could have handled it. They’re the only ones who possess the formula.”

“That is…!”

“This is a misunderstanding. It must have been the assassins’ guild that made and sold the poison independently.”

The delegations from both duchies immediately refuted Owen’s words.

It seemed they were trying to blame the assassins’ guild, just as they had done during the assassination attempts on the Crown Prince when he was younger.

“Your Majesty, as this matter concerns me personally, I would like to investigate it myself.”

At this point, Bella stepped forward again, speaking in a firm and clear voice.

“Please grant me the authority. I request the authority to conduct the investigation.”

“So be it. Since they dared to attempt to harm the saintess, I will grant you the authority to punish them personally.”

“Thank you.”

It seemed that the matter was about to come to a close for the day.

Even the Emperor declared the end of the banquet and dismissed the nobles.

Only the delegations from the four countries remained in the palace, where they would be subjected to further interrogation.

As things wrapped up more quickly than expected, Owen was about to leave with Lucia when—

“Duke Verdun.”

Bella called out to him.

‘…Should I just not turn around?’

For a moment, he considered ignoring her.

Lucia was right beside him, and he was feeling particularly exhausted.

‘But I can’t do that, can I?’

However, Bella was the saintess, and this was a society with a strict social hierarchy.

Although, in the original setting, Owen didn’t formally address Bella, her title was still “Your Holiness.”

In this world, the Crown Prince, the Tower Lord, the Saintess, and Duke Verdun were all considered to hold similar status, so Bella was not someone to be ignored.

“Your Holiness.”

In the end, Owen turned around.

He could feel Lucia’s grip on his arm tighten.

Her expression remained the same, so it seemed to be an unconscious reaction.

“What is it?”

His words came out more curtly than they had during the hunting competition.

He had tried his best to keep it in check, but it wasn’t easy.

This was the first time Owen had felt such fatigue since becoming Owen, so his nerves were a bit on edge.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Bella must have heard the coldness in his voice.

Surprisingly, she didn’t react to it.

She simply continued to speak with a bright smile.

She truly was the epitome of a kind and pure heroine.

“Since I will be investigating the case from now on, I may need to seek assistance from you, Duke Verdun. Would it be alright if I visit the House of Verdun when the time comes?”

It was a difficult question to answer.

Owen glanced at Lucia, who was standing beside him.

The tightness in her smile suggested she wasn’t particularly pleased.

And that was to be expected.

She disliked sharing what was hers with anyone else.

Since Owen had become the head of the House of Verdun, Lucia was the only one who had been permitted to visit his estate.

Naturally, the idea of allowing someone else inside would not sit well with her.

“I’d prefer if you could communicate through letters. Most matters can be handled that way.”

“Would that be sufficient? However…”

“If a face-to-face meeting is necessary, we can meet at the Mage Tower. You’ll need Kyle’s help as well, won’t you?”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

“Let him know in advance.”

Kyle held all the records from today’s events, so his assistance would be crucial. As for the rest of the investigation, the Imperial Knights and cooperation from various nations would suffice.

While Owen would have to provide information about the business dealings with different countries, there was no need for anyone to visit the ducal estate.

In the original story, Bella and Owen’s relationship developed into a romantic one, so they spent time together under various pretexts. But now, that was irrelevant.

“Your Holiness.”

As the conversation was wrapping up and they were about to leave, Lucia spoke up.

“Given the events that transpired, I feel I didn’t have a proper chance to greet you. I’m glad to finally introduce myself. I’m Lucia Edelte.”

She smiled brightly, her expression warm and seemingly kind.

“Oh, no worries. It was quite a startling incident. I’m Bella Taylor. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Edelte.”

Bella responded just as she had in the original story.

So innocent and kind-hearted.

“Indeed. It’s quite unfortunate. To have such an incident at your first debutante ball.”

“…It is unfortunate, but there will be other opportunities. And if this incident helps to eradicate such threats completely, then it’s a good thing.”

As the two conversed, Owen found himself with nothing to say.

It felt like a subtle power struggle was taking place, but there wasn’t anything for him to interject.

So he chose to remain silent.

“I hope so. Though belated, welcome to the social scene.”

As he listened passively, a line from the original story suddenly came to mind.

It was the line from Lucia’s first appearance in *The Flower of the Empire*.

[“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucia Edelte, Your Holiness. Welcome to the social scene.”]

“…Thank you, Lady Edelte. I’m glad to be welcomed by you.”

Bella’s response, while slightly different from the original, was clear.

Owen, noticing the similarity, looked surprised, but Lucia smoothly continued the conversation with a smile.

“I’m also pleased to meet you, Your Holiness. It’s the first time since the hunting competition, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The topic of conversation differed, likely due to the altered circumstances of their first meeting, but the atmosphere was similar.

“I was impressed by the way you handled the monsters during the competition. You were amazing.”

“Thank you. I still have a lot to learn…”

“No, you shone more brightly than anyone.”

Lucia had a talent for subtly warning others with a sweet facade.

She would praise and highlight the strengths of her opponent.

“I would love to get closer to you, Your Holiness. As you know, I could be quite helpful to you.”

The lines and dialogue shifted again, continuing to diverge from the original.

Owen listened intently to the changes in Lucia’s words.

“I hope you feel the same way.”

As Lucia spoke, she took a step closer, separating herself from Owen.

This brought her directly in front of Bella.

Lucia leaned in close to Bella’s ear and whispered.

“I don’t like people who covet what’s mine.”

Although she whispered, Owen heard it clearly.

“Not that anyone would, of course. Right?”

“….”

Bella’s expression stiffened.

And rightfully so.

It was a blatant warning and a thinly veiled threat.

It was difficult not to tense up when someone was smiling so brightly while expressing such raw emotions.

“I hope we can talk more at the next gathering. I’d like us to become friends.”

“….”

“Well, I’ll be going now. It was an honor to meet you, Your Holiness.”

Lucia smiled as she said her goodbyes.

Bella remained silent.

Owen observed the two of them briefly before taking Lucia’s hand.

“Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

Judging by her broad smile, she seemed to be in a good mood.

Though Owen wasn’t sure exactly what had pleased her so much.

‘Did Lucia enjoy warning Bella?’

After all, she had been so concerned about Bella, irritated by her, and even jealous of her.

‘As if Bella actually liked me… Ah.’

It was only then that he realized something.

At the banquet, Lucia had mentioned the debutante and Bella in the same breath, noting how both of them had been staring intently at him.

‘But why would Bella even like me?’

There was no reason for Bella to like him.

In *The Flower of the Empire,* Bella only made up her mind about her feelings at the very end of the story.

There was no way she would have made such a decision so early in this reality.

‘…Am I too caught up in the original story?’

Of course, since the original story had begun to unravel, the actions of the characters could change significantly.

But still…

There were many parts that didn’t make sense.

‘Then why did Bella visit the Mage Tower?’

Last time, when he had gone to the Mage Tower to ask Kyle for a favor, Bella had visited as well.

There had been no real reason for her to visit in person, yet she had.

‘Wasn’t she interested in Kyle?’

He had assumed that must be the case.

That Bella was interested in Kyle and had come to see him.

Kyle hadn’t been as brusque with her as he was with others, so Owen thought the two of them were getting along well.

‘Even if that was all just my misunderstanding, why did Bella go to the Mage Tower in the first place?’

Even if everything had been a misunderstanding on his part, there were still things that didn’t add up.

First, why did Bella visit the Mage Tower? And second—

‘If Lucia’s suspicions are correct, what on earth would make Bella like me?’

There was absolutely no reason for Bella to fall for him.

In *The Flower of the Empire,* Owen was kind and gentle with Bella.

He looked out for her and spent a lot of time with her.

But that was all within the confines of the story.

Reality was different.

‘I haven’t done anything.’

Not only had he done nothing, but Owen had been cold and distant with Bella, treating her with indifference and even ignoring her.

He had even pushed her towards Kyle a few times.

‘…Does Bella have a strange preference?’

At this point, he couldn’t help but wonder if Bella had a peculiar taste for men—perhaps she liked bad boys or something.

But that didn’t make sense either.

If that were the case, Bella wouldn’t have ended up with Owen in the original story; she would have ended up with someone like the young Marquis of Ceres, Lucia’s former fiancé.

“Owen?”

Lucia’s curious voice broke through his thoughts as they walked together.

They had arrived at the carriage, and she was looking at him with concern.

“We’re at the carriage… but why do you look like that?”

“Ah.”

Owen hesitated for a moment.

Perhaps it would be better to ask Lucia directly.

She probably understood love better than he did, having experienced it herself and having received affection from others.

Just as she had recognized her own feelings for him before he had.

“Lucia.”

“Yes?”

“You mentioned that the saintess bothers you. Could it be because…?”

Before he could finish his thought, Lucia’s expression hardened.

She let out a sigh and muttered in response.

“So you finally figured it out. Well, it would have been strange if you hadn’t, considering what I said.”

“How did you know? It’s not easy to recognize someone else’s feelings.”

At Owen’s question, Lucia responded with a slight smile.

“How could I not know? The saintess’s eyes were exactly like mine.”