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Chapter : 26
In fact, the shirt Rian was wearing right now wasn’t his.
Naturally, he hadn’t chosen it himself either.
As for how this happened…
It all started last night when he ran into Chase at the mansion.
The moment he saw Castillian, he asked,
“Rian, aren’t you hot?”
Indeed, since it was summer, Castillian was feeling warm.
But at the same time, he was also cold.
That was a side effect of the dye patch.
However, he didn’t fully understand his condition and replied,
“Well…”
“Hmm.”
Chase stroked his chin, wearing a rather serious expression.
Is he worried about my health?
Castillian waited silently without saying anything.
After thinking for a while, Chase lifted one eyebrow.
“Still… no matter how I look at it, it’s not great.”
“…?”
“Rian, it’s summer. Aren’t you wrapped up too tightly? If someone saw you, they’d think autumn had already come.”
“……”
“And the shirt design is too plain. It’s boring… It looks even worse because you’ve buttoned it all the way up.”
…That was it.
Chase wasn’t worried—he simply didn’t like the fashion.
My outfit is boring…?
Whenever Castillian went to the center, he always wore a shirt and pants.
It was a completely ordinary design that anyone would find normal.
But apparently, that kind of clothing bothered Chase.
Because he was “Chase Willow.”
As a Casanova, unless it was freezing cold, he always preferred clothing that highlighted his body lines and muscles.
To someone like Chase, Castillian’s fashion looked like this:
Someone who would lock himself in a library 365 days a year, cut off from society, and just study.
In other words, the ultimate nerd.
“Here.”
Chase handed him a shirt.
“It’s one of the bigger ones I have, so the size should fit.”
“……”
“Wear this to work tomorrow.”
Castillian panicked as soon as he received the shirt.
“…What is this piece of cloth?”
Just holding it up made his palm visible through it.
It was so thin it was barely clothing, and it looked narrow in width.
“Piece of cloth? That’s hurtful. I waited six months for this shirt to be custom-made at a high-end tailor.”
Chase forcibly made Castillian put it on.
“Hmm, it buttons up, but it’s still a bit small.”
“……”
“…No, this is an opportunity. You can appeal to Siena by showing off your bursting muscles.”
“……”
“You know this, right? To catch Siena’s eye, you have to act like me and dress like me.”
Once again, Castillian was completely tricked.
Fine… for Siena.
If it meant winning her heart, he would wear even embarrassing clothes.
So he closed his eyes tightly and went to work wearing the sheer shirt.
Even that required suppressing his embarrassment.
Siena keeps looking at my chest…
Is this okay…?
He didn’t show it at all due to his naturally expressionless personality.
Then—
The sound of heels clicking echoed.
“…Anyway, let’s try on all the accessories first, young lady. It’s better to see them in person than in a catalog.”
“Yes, I will.”
Violet and Deborah were walking toward the jewelry display.
Damn it.
Siena quickly turned her back to them and linked arms with Rian.
“Honey! I want to look at clothes!”
She needed to get away from the jewelry display immediately.
Rian seemed to understand instantly.
He grasped the hand that was wrapped around his arm.
“You want to look at clothes?”
“Yes, you choose for me. You know better than anyone in this world what suits me.”
“Well, that I do.”
Siena pulled him along immediately.
Luckily, they narrowly avoided running into Violet’s group.
Once they reached the area with the dresses hanging, Siena sighed in relief.
“Phew…”
Violet and Deborah seemed busy discussing accessories.
“First, let’s think about necklaces. What do you like?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. Since the dress is light purple, maybe a necklace of the same color would be good?”
“That’s not bad, but matching too perfectly makes it less attractive.”
“T-Then what should I do?”
“You should stay in the same color family but vary the shade. A deep purple necklace and earrings would be better.”
“Oh…”
Violet looked completely enchanted, as if listening to a sermon.
Deborah took out a deep purple necklace.
Violet nodded.
“It’s true. Deep purple matches the dress better than light purple.”
As she admired it, her cheeks suddenly turned red.
“I hope… His Highness the Crown Prince likes purple too.”
Siena snorted before she could stop herself.
Seriously… Violet.
You still haven’t come to your senses?
After experiencing such a romantic first meeting with Johan, you still only care about the Crown Prince?
Your dramatic friends must have lost their power.
Then Rian suddenly leaned close to Siena.
“Darling.”
“Yes?”
“I like gold.”
An abrupt announcement of his preference.
What are you talking about all of a sudden?
Siena stared blankly at him without answering.
Then Rian added,
“Gold is the color of my darling’s eyes. What about you?”
He tilted his head habitually.
(Though she hated to admit it,) he looked like a sly cat capable of charming anyone.
He looks like the fox male lead from that animal-utopia animation…
Without thinking, Siena replied,
“I like gold too.”
“I’m glad.”
“……”
“I’ve never liked purple.”
Rian said this while looking straight into Siena’s eyes.
Siena tilted her head.
“…Huh?”
What was that supposed to mean?
Ding.
At that moment, a bell rang at the entrance.
It was slightly slower than the one at Aisa Salon, but pleasantly clear.
The person who entered was Johan.
Siena’s face instantly brightened.
Johan…!
He arrived exactly on schedule.
“Welcome, customer. This is the Valenri Costume Shop.”
The staff greeted him, though they couldn’t hide their puzzled expressions.
It wasn’t common for a male customer to come alone to a place like this.
Deborah seemed the same.
While Siena and Rian paid little attention, Deborah looked at Johan in surprise.
She approached him directly.
“Sir, what brings you here?”
“I… came to buy a handkerchief.”
Violet, who had been looking at necklaces, flinched.
She turned toward Johan.
“…Marquess Veloster!”
“Ah, young lady.”
Johan’s stiff expression immediately softened, clearly nervous.
His dimples appeared as he reacted to Violet.
He delivered the line Siena had scripted:
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Neither did I. I didn’t expect to see you here today…”
Violet tucked her hair behind her ear shyly.
Johan bit his lip slightly.
Deborah was watching the two of them with sharp eyes, alternating between them.
Siena’s mouth fell open.
Wow, she’s really perceptive.
She already knew Johan had come here intentionally.
With only a few words and his behavior toward Violet, Deborah had figured out his intentions.
Of course, she doesn’t know about the romantic manipulation squad.
While Siena focused on Deborah, Rian was doing something else.
He picked up a dress and held it against Siena.
“Darling, how about this?”
“Ah…”
“Hm?”
“Yes, it’s pretty.”
Siena replied mechanically, without even looking at the dress.
Rian stared at her quietly, then said,
“Siena, look at me.”
