Distortion: Captivated

"Could you invite me to your lodge, Owen?"

"Of course."

While it might be difficult for them to go horseback riding at the moment, going to the lodge was not a challenging task. After all, they had to wait until the search party returned with news.

So, inviting Lucia to the lodge wouldn't cause any trouble.

Even if rumors spread that she was his fiancée.

Such matters were inconsequential.

After giving an affirmative response to Lucia's request, Owen bid farewell to the maids and butlers who were behind him. Lucia, who was also preoccupied with Owen, followed suit and bid them farewell.

"Until next time. It was a pleasure today."

"Yes, Your Grace and Milady. Until next time."

"It was delightful to be with you today."

The maids and butlers who had gathered around responded courteously to the farewell of the two.

After exchanging farewells, the two turned and headed towards the lodge, with Owen holding Lucia's hand and the reins of the horse in the other.

Arriving at the mansion, Owen tied the black horse he rode near the mansion before stepping inside.

"You can sit over there."

Owen gestured to a seat near the table for Lucia.

As Lucia settled into the chair, he then filled the teapot with tea leaves, poured hot water, and brewed the tea. Thanks to Owen's familiarity with basic noble etiquette, he was able to brew the tea effortlessly.

Once the tea was properly brewed, Owen poured the tea into a cup and placed it on the table.

"I hope the tea suits your taste."

Carefully handing her the teacup, Lucia smiled and took it.

After taking a sip of tea, she smiled again.

"The aroma is lovely. Is it perhaps rose tea?"

"Yes."

"You seem to really like roses."

Lucia remarked as she set the teacup down. Ever since Owen first mentioned his fondness for roses, it had been on her mind.

Today, where things overflowed beyond control.

Without hesitation, she decided to ask him about it.

"I do."

Lucia immediately followed up on Owen's affirmation.

"May I ask why you like them?"

After all, she had come to the mansion to inquire and learn various things about him. This was just the beginning of her questioning.

"As I mentioned before, they are beautiful."

"Red roses, right?"

"Yes."

With the same response as before, Lucia narrowed her eyes slightly.

She felt something was lacking in such a simple reason.

She needed a more definitive answer.

Not just a feeling, but clear evidence was what she sought.

The evidence that he saw her differently from others.

"Is there no other reason? Like a specific moment that made you find them beautiful?"

"Well... it just caught my eye."

With each successive questions, Owen finally realized her intention.

So, he decided to add more than just what he intended to say, sensing what she wanted to hear.

"They resemble someone who captivates me."

Someone who captivates him.

It was a blunt statement, enough to cause misunderstanding even if he was referring to someone other than Lucia.

Lucia was aware of this.

She knew that Owen was not foolish enough not to realize that what he said could lead to misunderstandings.

"So, this means...?"

Realizing this fact, her heartbeat intensified to an unprecedented level, creating an illusion that her surroundings were pulsating. And in the midst of it all, Lucia barely managed to repeat her question to Owen.

She wanted to know more.

Though she could already guess his intentions, she wanted to hear a more precise and detailed story.

Not a vague guess, but a complete certainty.

"Yes."

Looking into Lucia's eyes, Owen licked his lips.

Lucia's red eyes now held a tremor that was previously unseen. And in those slightly trembling eyes, emotions were intricately intertwined, making it hard to grasp everything contained within.

"...Like I said, my gaze fell upon you, and I grew to like you. Enough to occupy many parts of my mind and heart."

He wanted to unleash his emotions that seemed to overflow beyond control.

In his opinion, it might have been too much, but without doing so, she didn't seem to be at ease.

To him.

Lucia was a meaningful presence.

And to him, whatever she did, he would accept it without any hesitation.

It was a series of hesitant words that Owen always kept hidden in the deepest part of his heart.

"The things you, Lucia, have. All of you. I like it."

Hearing Owen's confession, Lucia seemed as if she would be engulfed by those words to the point of intoxication. Lucia forcibly held onto the fading rationality, pressing her lips together.

"Yes. And the things you gave me."

Owen decided to pour more oil on the fire by continuing to reiterate Lucia's words.

"This cufflinks you gave me."

He picked up the teacup, intentionally making his wrist visible. So that the single cufflink on his sleeves could be clearly seen.

"This teacup as well."

Then, he lightly shook the teacup.

Only then did Lucia's gaze shift to the teacup.

"Ah..."

Lucia examined the teacup closely only after Owen mentioned it. She knew it was of a crimson hue, but she hadn't thought to examine the details beyond that. Since her mind was preoccupied with Owen, she couldn't focus on other trivial things.

"Yes. Indeed, it's intricately engraved with red rose patterns. Just like you, Lucia."

The teacup was not just a simple, pretty crimson-colored cup.

It was an exquisite cup with elegant red rose patterns delicately engraved on the surface of the cup and saucer, a design not typical within the empire.

It was a high-end cup, adorned with patterns typical of other continents across the sea, making it seem hard to acquire.

"I went to see items from a business partner and it caught my eye. That's how I obtained it."

Whether he read the curiosity in Lucia's eyes about how he acquired it or not, Owen added an explanation right after.

"I see..."

At Owen's explanation, Lucia stretched the end of her words and grasped the teacup. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her beating heart. Then, she cautiously lifted the teacup and tentatively felt the surface.

The teacup, adorned with vivid red roses in full bloom, seemed to be associated with the Edelt to anyone who laid eyes on it. The emblematic color of the Edelt was red, and hence red flowers were often used during parties. Among them, the rose was the most commonly used flower.

"Why did you think the rose resembled me?"

Lucia, who was fiddling with the teacup, soon spoke again while biting her lower lips.

Until now, with all the words Owen had brought up, she felt quite distracted, yet she still felt like something crucial was missing.

She didn't want to hastily make a decision and end up disappointed. That kind of pitiful sight was not suitable for her.

"Well... it's difficult to define precisely."

In response to Lucia's question, Owen slowly tapped his chin with his index finger.

Why did he think the rose resembled Lucia?

It was a question he had never pondered before.

He simply thought she resembled the rose the moment he saw it.

It wasn't just his personal impression.

Everyone else agreed.

Lucia was fiercely associated to a rose with crimson thorns.

Many used that expression in a negative light, describing her as a villain. In those people eyes, she who was harming others with her thorns, ultimately was just a flower that wilted and died easily when plucked.

Originally, the villain in a novel was in such a position, so in a way, it was a fitting description.

However, Owen didn't think Lucia resembled the rose for those reasons.

"Perhaps it's the splendor. Or maybe, the ambiance."

Owen pondered the similarities between the rose and Lucia as he carefully spoke.

The rose, like Lucia, was splendid.

It had a strong scent and a distinct color.

At the same time, there were similarities in the ambiance as well.

"Whatever it may be, it's not important."

Lost in thought for a while, Owen put down the teacup and gazed directly at her.

"Because, Lucia."

As their dark eyes met, Owen softly pronounced Lucia's name.

And Lucia, wordlessly, met his eyes.

Deeply and clearly.

"You don't need any big reason to like something."

Owen met her gaze, facing her crimson eyes directly.

He wanted to fully face those emotionally charged eyes, so that there could be certainty in those eyes.

Those were words that could easily lead to bigger misunderstandings.

Of course, Owen was well aware of that fact.

Yet, he simply smiled beautifully.

Gently arching his eyes.

And then he spoke again.

"I want to be certain. Even though there are still many things I'm clueless about."

The words he spoke this time were all true.

Indeed, there were many things he still didn't know.

Starting with things about his own heart.

About how I hold Lucia in my heart, the difference between being a fan and feeling love.

I was still kind of confused and bewildered.

But.

While also wanting to know more about himself,

He wanted to give her reassurance.

He wanted to give her certainty.

He wanted to be honest with Lucia.

"So, if it's okay with you. I want to know more about you."

"I-"

Knock-

"Excuse me You Grace, the search party had returned and they're waiting for you outside."

"....Understand."

Upon receiving a report from the reconnaissance team through one of the servant, Owen reluctantly left the tent as soon as he finished speaking. He apologized to Lucia and said he was sorry, but Lucia was not in a state to even listen to his words.

"...What-"

It took a few minutes after Owen left the tent for Lucia to finally come to her senses. Clutching the teacup tightly, she still couldn't calm her excited heart.

"What did I just hear."

Whether it was because of something she couldn't believe happening, Lucia's fingertips still faintly trembled.

Lucia clenched her trembling hand into a fist to calm herself, then raised both hands to cover her face.

"Finally."

Lucia, with her face buried in her hands, felt a powerful thrill.

Her heart was still pounding wildly, but the new type of emotion she felt was clear.

"I thought I might never have it."

Honestly, she felt like she might never have Owen in this lifetime.

But she didn't plan on giving up, even though Owen's actions seemed to indicate a lack of interest in her. It was inevitable to realize that he was indifferent to her, and that he had no thoughts about any of her actions.

But one day, he attended her tea party.

And he started responding to her requests one by one, showing reactions to her actions.

He was gradually changing, so she thought there might be hope.

Yes, that's what she thought.

But she didn't expect it to come to this so soon.

"I don't dislike it."

In fact, she liked it.

"I've waited for so long."

She had put in so much effort to have him for a long time.

She had never invested such a long time to have something.

But the time she spent chasing Owen was almost three years.

Usually, after having it, she would have played with it for a while and then lost interest completely.

But now.

Maybe she had forgotten the fact that she had tried to have him.

Or maybe...

Anyway.

To her, Owen was different from her previous play-thing.

"Still, it's not over yet. Owen said he wasn't completely sure yet..."

Owen clearly said to her that he was confused and that he needed certainty because he didn't know himself well.

To her, it sounds like he meant that he would continue to meet her for some time, but it also meant that he could change his mind someday.

"I need more time. I have to make him sure. So that he thinks of me as someone special."

The uncertain future was worrisome, but Lucia had some confidence.

She had the confidence to deeply engrave her existence in him.

This is not her first time.

She, Lucia Edelt, had tried to possess people more than once.

And if she couldn't delve into the depths of a person who revealed such gaps...

Then she was simply foolish.