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Chapter : 30
At Isadora’s blunt remark, Finn and Haven turned pale.
“D-Dora…!”
The employees’ main job was counseling.
So they were quick to read the room.
They had long known that Lia was hiding his true personality and that he was imitating someone.
And that person… seemed to be Chase Willow.
“It’s not just simple imitation. It feels more like he was thoroughly trained by the boss.”
But they had never dared to say it out loud.
“Well, that noble human is uncomfortable!”
Since he was the Crown Prince’s friend, they had been acting a bit more politely than before, but Lia was still an awkward presence.
“But to say something like that so openly…”
Dora, you’re the true brave one.
The fearless youngest member had caused quite a scene.
While making steady eye contact with Isadora, Lia took a small breath.
“Well…”
“…”
“I have to.”
Lia replied as briefly as the air he had just inhaled.
Question marks appeared on the employees’ faces.
“…What does that mean?”
In truth, what Lia meant was this:
‘The reason I deliberately change my personality and act sociable is because that is Siena’s ideal type.’
But without further explanation, how could they possibly understand?
‘Changing my personality and pretending to be someone else… because I have to?’
…What in the world.
Even though they were speaking the same language as Lia, it felt like he was speaking another language entirely.
“Hmmm…”
Unable to find an answer, Finn scratched the back of his head.
Haven absentmindedly wet the corner of his lips with his tongue.
Only Isadora remained calm amid the situation.
The black eyes fixed on Lia’s shoulder moved back to his face.
“…I’m not entirely sure what you mean, Youngest.”
“…”
“But one thing is certain. Your current self is much better than the one you created.”
At that, Lia—who had been staring at Isadora dryly—blinked.
His long eyes briefly widened.
‘My original personality is better?’
It was the first time he had ever heard that.
—
“Lia, you’re good in every way, but your personality is the problem.”
He had heard that from Chase, and even from his parents—that he was “too blunt.”
—
“Castilian.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Please smile a little when dealing with people. The Castilian I know is a gentle person, but others don’t seem to realize that.”
“…”
“I do not wish for the Crown Prince to be misunderstood. Being warm to others will also be good for when the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future.”
“…”
“And Castilian, communication between people is important.”
“…”
“The Crown Prince even hides things from me, his mother. Since he does not share his true feelings, I am always worried about Castilian.”
Naturally, he had never told Isadora about such circumstances.
Yet she added, as if reading his mind:
“After all, sincerity is one of humanity’s greatest charms.”
“…”
“Rather than trying to win someone’s heart with a fabricated appearance, it would be better to find someone who loves your true self, Youngest.”
Her quiet words echoed through the silent center.
Lia kept his eyes fixed on Isadora, not blinking once.
He had frozen.
‘Find someone who loves my true self…’
He hadn’t expected Isadora—whom he had barely interacted with—to hit the mark so precisely.
He reflected carefully.
‘If I approached Siena with my original personality, would she open her heart to me?’
But he quickly sighed.
No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t find the answer.
Isadora, who had given him the hint, remained composed.
She turned her gaze to her desk and began organizing documents swiftly.
“Leaving work on time.”
It was almost time to go home.
Isadora, with her strict personality, had a rule that she must leave the center exactly at 6 p.m.
“Uh… oh! Speaking of which, it’s almost quitting time?”
Finn and Haven, sensing the mood, began packing up.
They awkwardly chatted to fill the silence.
“Today really went by fast. It’s already time to go.”
“It’s not already time. Mr. Finn complained five times today that time was moving too slowly.”
“Was it? Haha… I’ll be the first one out the door.”
“Let’s hurry home and lie down. It’s getting hot, and I don’t feel like doing anything.”
“Haven, you barely worked half as much as Dora and me today…”
Lia checked the wall clock.
5:52 p.m.
The minute hand had not yet reached 6:00 and was slightly tilted.
“…Just like Siena.”
It felt like her—always reaching toward Johan no matter how much she stretched her hand.
—
At last, the day of the Imperial Palace ball arrived.
I woke up early in the morning.
“Miss! Miss Siena!”
“Ugh… eh…?”
“It’s the day of the ball, so please wake up! You need to prepare!”
It was because of the maids.
“R-Right now…? It’s five in the morning?”
“Yes, it’s already five!”
Honestly, I didn’t understand why they were waking me up so early.
First of all, I was extremely, extremely tired.
‘I stayed up late yesterday because of the ghostwriting…’
Was it really necessary to wake someone like that at five?
Also, I didn’t particularly need to dress up carefully.
The person who wanted to attract someone’s attention today had to decorate themselves thoroughly.
That way, they would stand out among the many competitors.
But not me.
I had no purpose other than Johan’s relationship manipulation.
‘And to carry out the request, I shouldn’t stand out at all.’
However… I couldn’t tell the maids that.
So I simply sat at the vanity table while they applied makeup for three hours.
“Oh my! Miss Siena! Your skin is especially good today, so the makeup applies beautifully.”
“So what color would you like for today’s makeup?”
No… girls.
‘I’m not the main character today.’
And even if they asked what color I wanted…
‘I don’t know anything about that.’
While living as Siena in this world, I had never been interested in fashion or makeup.
And neither had I in my past life.
“Just do whatever…”
“Oh my! Miss!”
“How irresponsible!”
The maids placed their hands on their hips and protested loudly.
Then they worked even harder to refine my face.
‘As if this would change anything.’
I knew that no matter how much I dressed up, I wouldn’t look drastically different.
Because I wasn’t particularly pretty.
Of course, my appearance wasn’t bad.
‘Just… ordinary. Completely average.’
But who was attending the ball today?
‘Violet Bringer, the most beautiful woman in the Empire.’
And many other beautiful people would also attend.
‘If I dress up, do you really think I could even come close to them?’
Again, I was a very realistic person.
Unfortunately, the maids didn’t seem to understand reality.
After several hours, it was finally finished.
“Miss! You look so beautiful!”
“Princesses from fairy tales would cry!”
The maids admired my reflection.
But to me, it looked the same as always.
‘Nothing has changed.’
Maybe just slightly paler than usual…
Still, I didn’t want to disappoint the hardworking maids, so I thanked them.
After finishing my hair, I began wearing the dress with their help.
“The dress is truly beautiful, Miss Siena.”
“As expected, Baron Izet has excellent taste.”
Ah, right.
Yesterday a package arrived for me.
It was a gift from Chase.
‘What is this all of a sudden?’
It was very unexpected.
Because he was the type of person who bought gifts for the women he dated, but not for his younger sister.
Even more surprising was the origin of the delivered dress and accessories.
No matter how I looked at them, they were unmistakably—
“Darling, how about this dress?”
The ones I had seen at the Valenly boutique with Lia.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
“…Did Lia send this?”
