SDA 11

Chapter : 11

10:00 a.m., at , located in the heart of the capital city.
The Willow Love Manipulation Squad was waiting in position, each disguised in their own way.

Why did they pick a beauty salon as the meeting place, you ask?
Initially, Sienna judged that this location wasn’t suitable for a first encounter.
After all, Violet often visited this place with her friends.
But after reconsidering, Sienna realized there was no better place.

“Because we have to use her friends.”

Dahlia Jerhenstone and Flora Maihen—Violet’s close friends—were talented at “over-the-top reactions.”

“Wow, a dress from Valenry’s boutique! I can’t wait!”
“His Highness will definitely fall for you. I guarantee it.”
“At this ball, Violet, you’ll surely steal His Highness’s heart!”

They were the so-called “reaction masters.”
No matter what Violet did, they would shower her with applause and exclamations of, “Oh my, oh my! What’s going on!”
They had generous reactions and no trace of jealousy.
In other words, they were genuinely good friends who cheered for Violet.

“If they witness Violet and Johan’s first meeting, they’ll make a fuss for 28,774 hours straight.”

Indeed, Sienna’s goal was “immersive training.”
“Even if Violet doesn’t care about Johan at first, constant mention of him nearby will gradually get on her nerves.”
She could only hope everything would go according to plan.

Two days ago, Sienna had come to an agreement (or, more accurately, bribed) with the salon owner, Aisa Monton.
And today, the day of the operation, she sat at a corner table with Rian.
She glanced at him sitting next to her.

“The staff are handling their tasks, so I need to give Rian something to do too… but he’s not exactly reliable.”

It was natural to think so.
“What do you expect from a guy who just lounges on the sofa all day?”

So Sienna decided to act out a married couple scenario with Rian once again.
Her role was simply “Citizen 1, sitting at a table drinking tea.”
Adding a “husband” beside her wouldn’t make any difference.

“Director.”
A teasing voice sounded. Sienna reflexively responded.

“Be quiet.”

“I never thought you’d ask me to remarry you, Director.”

Sienna was about to snap, “I said be quiet,” but hesitated.

“…Remarry?”

“Yes. We married before, but it ended in just one day.”

“….”

“This time, we married again, so it’s a remarriage.”

Rian grinned, holding up two fingers.
Then he rested his cheek on her hand and asked, winking at the end of his sentence,

“How does it feel to marry me again?”

“Is he crazy…?”

If you followed that logic, every child in the world would have been divorced at least once before adulthood.

Suppressing a sigh, Sienna replied,

“Please, just say nothing and stay quiet. Even if you hide your face, your build makes you noticeable.”

“….”

“If Violet notices, it’ll all be your fault.”

“All my fault…”
Rian puffed his cheeks.

“I’m hurt. You secretly like talking to me but always act this way.”

Now he was even throwing in #cuteness.
“There’s no worse cringe keyword left to add.”

Sienna’s expression soured as it did when dealing with Chase.

Ding.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
A man, wearing a hat and fake mustache, entered the salon—it was Finn disguised as an old man.
He muttered as he passed the table where Sienna and Rian sat:

“Miss Violet Bringer and her friends will arrive in two minutes.”

Sienna’s eyes widened.
She quickly opened the newspaper she had placed on the table.

“Hold this over your face, sir.”
Handing the newspaper to Rian, she crouched as much as possible and began watching the salon entrance with hawk-like focus.

Rian, pressed closely against her, finally spoke:

“Director.”

“Stop calling me that. Violet is about to—”

“Don’t.”

His deep voice resonated in her chest.
At the same time, his large hand covered her shoulder.

“…Huh?”

Before Sienna could react, Rian held her close and unfolded the newspaper.
His breath brushed her ear.

“This way, it’s perfectly hidden, isn’t it?”

Only then did she realize:

“…Ah, this is how it needs to be to be fully concealed.”

Sienna replied, stunned,

“Y-Yes, that’s true.”

“See?”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The scent of his cologne tickled her nose.

‘This is the first time I’ve noticed Rian’s scent.’

Sienna usually didn’t like strong, artificial scents.
But Rian was different—he smelled fresh yet distinctly masculine.

“…Not bad at all.”

The embrace was large, warm, and protective.
Suddenly, his words from a moment ago replayed in her mind:

“This way, it’s perfectly hidden, isn’t it?”

The voice was serious, unlike his usual drunken charm.
Sienna, who had been rolling her eyes, cautiously lifted her gaze and met Rian’s.
Half-lidded eyes, mischievous red pupils.
Sienna swallowed unconsciously.

“…This feels eerie.”

She couldn’t quite remember, but she felt like she had experienced this before.
‘Not sure when, though.’

Her heartbeat thumped against her chest.
She held her breath for no reason.

‘No, what am I even thinking?’

Yes, she was flustered by Rian’s behavior—she had to admit it.
But who was he, really?

‘He’s just like Chase, a thoughtless flirt.’

Feeling nervous over this insincere man was foolish.
‘Focus. Don’t be fooled by his face.’

Calming herself, Sienna agreed:

“Yes, this way Violet won’t notice me.”

“Director, you know why?”
Rian leaned in again.
A low voice brushed her ear:

“It’s because we’re remarried.”

“….”

“See? Marrying me again was the right choice, don’t you think, Director?”

Sienna, slightly tense, straightened her eyes.
‘Of course…’

Rian had long since returned to his usual butter-like, flirty self, as if the previous moment had been an illusion.

Ding.

The salon door opened, letting in a faint breeze.

“Really, I’m telling you!”
“Dahlia, come on. That’s impossible.”

The inside immediately became chaotic.
‘It’s Violet and her friends.’

Sienna quickly spotted the salon owner.
Aisa Monton greeted Violet’s group with a playful smile:

“Welcome, ladies! Thank you for visiting today.”

She led Violet and her friends to the agreed-upon table.
‘Connected to the entrance corridor, and perfectly visible from where I’m sitting.’

As Violet and her friends approached, Sienna hid again in Rian’s embrace.
Rian noticed her small frame pressed against him, making her even tinier, and raised an eyebrow.

‘She’s squirming like a little squirrel.’

Violet and her friends ordered tea and immediately fell into chatter.

“Yesterday, Violet in her dress was absolutely perfect!”
“I wanted to see it too, but I had plans…”
“Don’t be sad, Flora. You can visit anytime.”
“Really?”
“I’m so excited for the ball. Violet in that dress will surely capture the Crown Prince’s heart.”

They were talking about the Crown Prince again.
‘Talking about Castilian all the time… soon everyone will know Violet likes him.’

Sienna clenched her fist.
“I can’t let that happen…”

She was determined to make the first meeting a success.
‘I’ll turn Violet’s heart away from the Crown Prince and make our Johan the empire’s ultimate heartthrob.’

At that moment, Isadora, playing the role of a waitress, became busy.
She whispered something to Aisa and then glanced at Sienna.
Snorting in determination, Sienna instinctively realized:

“…Ah, it’s time to use it.”

Willow Counseling Center’s “secret weapon.”