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Chapter : 27
Siena, who had been focused on Deborah, suddenly froze.
Startled, she quickly turned to look at Lian.
“…What?”
It was because of what he had just said.
My name…
Lian had called her by name.
It was more than enough to surprise her.
She had spent over a month with Lian, yet this was the first time he had ever called her by her name.
He always called me ‘Director,’ so why suddenly my name…?
Her heart suddenly began to race.
Thump, thump.
Siena recalled Lian’s words once more.
“Siena, look at me for a moment.”
Calling her name was surprising, but what shocked her even more was what came after.
Look at me?
That was… acting cute.
Clearly, it was a completely unconvincing attempt at being playful.
But… honestly.
If she were to be completely honest…
…It was a little cute.
She quickly snapped out of it.
No, what on earth am I thinking?
Lian de Bitchel… cute?
She must really be losing her mind.
What part of that giant butter-man is cute?
Siena refused to acknowledge the thought she had just had seconds ago.
I must have gone crazy from the heat.
She cleared her throat and spoke in a low voice.
“Ahem…”
“…”
“Y-you’re asking me to look at you, Young Master? Wh-what do you mean by that? Right now we’re…”
“Pay attention to me.”
Lian seemed completely unaware of Siena’s confusion.
That must be why he tried that unconvincing bit of affection again.
Siena’s eyes flickered like a candle trembling in the wind.
“N-no, I mean…”
“…”
“That’s not…”
“…”
“W-what are we doing right now? Did you forget? We’re supposed to be watching the marquis and Lady Violet.”
Siena tilted her head toward Violet and Johann.
“Young Master, we’re working right now. Yes, we’re pretending to be a married couple, but right now we should be eavesdropping on their conversation rather than acting—”
“Look at me. Okay?”
Lian reached out and gently stroked Siena’s cheek.
The touch was proactive, yet cautious at the same time.
Siena’s mind instantly went blank.
Has this man really lost his mind?
Why is he acting cute like the male lead of some million-seller romance fantasy, like Puss in Boots?
Lian was still looking at her with those cat-like eyes.
One hand holding the dress, the other lightly brushing her cheek.
Siena slowly swallowed.
“…Alright.”
Siena was someone who found it difficult to refuse people.
Damn it.
She should be keeping an eye on whether Johann was doing well, yet here she was getting bewitched by some fox instead…
Meanwhile, the person who had thrown her into confusion seemed completely unaware of what he had done.
Lian held the dress up against Siena again.
“Darling, how about this dress?”
Looking into the mirror, Siena half-heartedly played along.
“Oh my, it’s really beautiful! Do you think this dress suits me?”
“Of course. Everything suits my darling, but this dress looks especially pretty.”
“…”
“Maybe it’s because it’s gold—my favorite color. I can’t take my eyes off it.”
After looking Siena over several times in the mirror, Lian added,
“I see… so that’s what it was.”
“…”
“It’s not that the dress is beautiful. It’s because my wife is a peerless beauty who can pull off anything.”
“…”
“To think I obtained such a beauty. I must truly be a man chosen by the heavens.”
Still maintaining eye contact with Siena in the mirror, Lian winked.
Siena’s expression turned icy.
Ha…
Everything she had said earlier about him being like Puss in Boots or a charming fox-like male lead from an animation—
Canceled.
I always joked that he had ‘Wink Disease,’ but I never thought it was actually a real illness…
Now that she looked at it, it really seemed like one.
An incurable one at that.
There must be a wink epidemic going around the empire right now.
The one who spread the virus was probably her brother Chase.
While continuing their nauseating couple act, Siena watched the situation unfold.
Right then, Deborah asked Johann a question.
“Which product would you like to see?”
In truth, Johann hadn’t done anything yet.
He had simply entered the boutique looking neat and greeted Violet.
And Violet was even the one who greeted him first.
Yet Deborah’s gaze was sharp.
It meant she had already sensed Johann’s feelings and begun evaluating him.
In other words, she’s testing him.
Whether this man deserved to like Violet or not.
Johann replied with a warm smile.
“I came to look at handkerchiefs. The one I used before has worn out.”
“Handkerchiefs…”
Deborah repeated his words before letting out a faint snort.
“How interesting.”
“…”
“Usually noblemen have their butlers purchase small belongings like handkerchiefs.”
“…”
“But the marquis came personally. That’s unusual.”
As soon as she finished her sentence, the corners of Deborah’s lips lifted slightly.
But her eyes weren’t smiling at all.
The test has begun.
If he answers well here, he can move on to the second round.
Siena clasped her hands together as if praying.
Johann, you can do it. Just follow the script!
In truth, she had predicted all of this.
She already knew Deborah had a strict personality.
Siena recalled all the mother-in-laws and mothers from the countless morning dramas she had seen in her previous life.
By combining their lines, she had come up with about ten “Predicted Deborah Valenry Questions.”
Johann had memorized everything Siena had written for him.
Ah, this is predicted question number three from the script.
Without panicking, he answered.
“As you just said, it’s merely a personal belonging.”
“…”
“My butler is a good man. Whatever I ask of him, he gladly accepts.”
“…”
“But he’s a busy person. In some ways, even busier than I am. I often feel sorry because his rest time seems ridiculously small compared to his workload.”
“…”
“That’s why I didn’t want to ask him to buy a handkerchief for me. It’s just a personal item, after all.”
This time, Johann lifted the corner of his lips.
The difference between him and Deborah was that even his eyes were smiling.
Which meant—
Johann had won.
Johann…
During script reading he was like a broken robot, yet during the real thing he performed unbelievably well.
Siena became convinced.
If my favorite character had been born in Korea, he would have swept the Blue Dragon Film Awards with both his looks and acting.
Deborah, who had been staring blankly at Johann, cleared her throat.
“Ahem…”
“…”
“…I see. Let me show you the handkerchiefs.”
Her tone had softened considerably.
Siena raised an eyebrow.
“Oh…”
That worked more easily than expected.
Of course, part of it was because the line Siena wrote was good—but it was probably more because Johann’s face made him look trustworthy when he said it.
Johann would be dangerous if he were a cult missionary.
The staff brought out samples of handkerchiefs.
Five handkerchiefs were placed on the display counter.
Johann stared at them quietly.
That’s definitely the face of someone who has no idea what the difference is.
Siena clicked her tongue.
…Honestly, I don’t know either.
Just like Johann, she was completely clueless about fashion.
All five handkerchiefs looked exactly the same.
They all look identical—how are you supposed to choose…?
At that moment, Violet spoke.
“Shall I choose one for you?”
Siena looked at her.
What?
She hadn’t expected it, but Violet was being proactive…?
According to the script, Violet was indeed supposed to choose Johann’s handkerchief.
But Siena hadn’t expected her to volunteer first.
Johann swallowed nervously.
“If you would do that for me, I would be very grateful, my lady.”
“Hmm, in my opinion…”
Violet began examining the handkerchiefs.
Taking that chance, Johann glanced toward Siena.
Siena nodded and mouthed silently,
“You’re doing great.”
Only then did Johann relax his expression.
That’s a relief…
But his face soon stiffened again.
Because Lian had entered his field of vision.
After watching Lian for a moment, Johann suddenly stepped behind Violet.
He placed his arm behind her.
Their bodies didn’t touch, but it was clearly a back-hug posture.
Just like when Lian had embraced Siena in the salon and covered them with a newspaper.
