Siena Dating Agency - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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109.

Of course, I might have been exaggerating in my assumptions.

‘No, that’s probably likely.’

Johan and Lian weren’t strictly acquainted with each other.

They knew each other’s faces, but just… they had only passed by each other a few times so far.

‘If anything, Lian would know Johan better.’

In such circumstances, there was no way Johan would imitate Lian.

But what he had asked me was bothering me.

“An employee named Lian de Vicelle who works at the Counseling Center…”

“…”

“Would it be alright if I asked what kind of relationship you have with that employee?”

When I first heard that question, I didn’t know that Johan liked me.

But thinking about it again now, it sounded different.

‘That was… he asked because he thought of Lian as a ‘rival.”

He had asked to confirm, assuming that I was interested in Lian.

‘So that’s why I’m suspecting whether Johan is imitating Lian or something now.’

Whatever the case, that didn’t make it exciting.

Johan was Johan, and Lian was Lian.

It had been that way from the beginning.

It’s just… I felt a familiar nuance and pattern, so my mood was strange.

‘Am I thinking about him more because Lian hasn’t come to work for a few days?’

That was highly likely.

“Center Director.”

The clingy gum that was always stuck to me had suddenly disappeared.

So I think I’m feeling the strangeness more acutely.

‘…Could this possibly be separation anxiety?’

What a crazy thought.

I swallowed a sigh inwardly and tried to act nonchalant.

I turned my gaze back to the menu.

“Um… I think strawberry cake would be good. What about you, Marquis?”

Getting through this situation was the urgent priority.

But once again, Johan’s naked gaze reached me.

‘I urgently need a mouse hole.’

If I could, I felt like plucking and eating one of the roses placed on the table.

But I held back, thinking of social decorum.

Johan slowly blinked as if thinking for a moment.

“Strawberry cake sounds good.”

He nodded and asked back.

“Do you like raspberries, Lady Willow?”

“Oh, me?”

“Yes, you.”

Johan’s eyes curved leisurely.

‘Ah, this reminds me of Lian again.’

The slight difference was… in the same situation, that guy would have said this:

‘Yeah, it’s you, Center Director. Who else is here besides you, Center Director?’

Damn it.

‘Stop thinking about him, please.’

I hurriedly shook off Lian’s face that was walking around in my head.

“Yes, I like them.”

Then Johan chose another dessert written on the menu.

“Then I’ll order the raspberry tart. For drinks… what would you like, my lady?”

“Ah, I’ll have an iced americano…”

Only after saying it did I realize.

‘It’s iced americano again.’

Even though I had it at the Center…!

Does my life begin with iced americano and end with iced americano?

While I was regretting that I should have chosen something else, Johan said.

“Then I’ll have an iced americano too.”

“…”

“I’m curious since it’s a drink that Lady Willow likes.”

Then he raised his hand to call the employee.

The employee from before immediately came over and took our order.

In an instant, silence descended on the table again.

“…”

“…”

I turned my gaze outside the window for no reason and just fidgeted with my hands.

I had nothing to say.

No, to be precise, I didn’t know what to say.

I just inwardly hoped that this awkward time would pass quickly.

Before long, the things we ordered took their places on the table one by one.

The fresh strawberries on top of the strawberry cake looked appetizing, and the raspberry tart had a beautiful, luscious purple color.

I picked up a fork and took a bite of the cake.

“…It’s delicious. Really.”

I smiled along with my honest impression.

The soft cream and the sweet and sour taste of strawberries melted gently on my tongue.

Johan seemed relieved by my words and gently raised the corners of his mouth.

I could see his shoulder line relax slightly.

“I’m glad. I heard that the strawberry cake here is famous.”

After that, conversation continued intermittently.

All of it was initiated by Johan first.

“Has the Center been very busy lately?”

“Yes… somewhat. With one employee out, the work has been piling up.”

It was true.

With Lian not coming in, the speed of document processing had noticeably slowed.

It wasn’t because he was a good worker.

‘Roderick, who came in as Lian’s substitute, is so incompetent…’

Roderick wasn’t filling the gap but was making the Center more chaotic.

“When you say one employee is out… do you mean Sir Lian de Vicelle? I don’t think I saw him when I went to the Center earlier.”

In an instant, my hand holding the fork stiffened.

When that name came up, I felt like somewhere in my chest was being poked.

But I nodded calmly.

“Yes, he’s resting. He’s not feeling well.”

“I see.”

Johan remained silent for a while after mentioning that name.

Soon he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly opened his mouth.

“…My lady.”

“Yes?”

“I hear that the autumn foliage of the plane trees on Ergen Street is famous in the fall.”

It was a random topic.

‘Autumn foliage?’

Why autumn leaves all of a sudden?

I stopped mid-way from putting the strawberry cake in my mouth and stared blankly at Johan Beloster.

“Yes…? Oh, yes. I’ve heard of it too.”

Ergen Street in autumn was indeed famous.

It was also a date course I actively recommended to my clients.

Johan Beloster turned his gaze toward the window.

The deep blue summer street trees were swaying in the wind.

“When autumn comes, I would like to walk down that street.”

At Johan Beloster’s words, I blinked slowly.

‘…With whom?’

Alone?

‘Or… with me?’

I was curious but didn’t ask back.

Because it was obvious what answer would come if I asked.

Instead, I consciously changed the subject.

“Oh, besides Ergen Street, there are other nice places to walk. The ginkgo trees near Leon Square are also…”

Johan Beloster listened attentively to my words.

He responded appropriately and occasionally asked questions about things he was curious about.

During that time, his blue eyes remained completely focused on my face.

Encountering Johan Beloster’s attitude made me resolve myself again.

‘Right… Let me answer as sincerely as possible.’

This was a date, but it was also basic courtesy between people.

‘If someone has made time for me, I should respond just as sincerely.’

It wasn’t because it was Johan Beloster, but because that’s how it should be originally.

I earnestly thought of things to talk about and spoke up.

“Come to think of it, a new bookstore opened near the Center recently.”

“…”

“I went there and it was quite nice. Do you enjoy reading books, Lord?”

Of course, I knew that Johan Beloster was a book enthusiast.

‘Well, Johan Beloster is a member of the Reading Club after all.’

It was the only club that he, who had little interest in socializing, had joined.

‘As someone who had Johan Beloster as my ultimate favorite, there’s nothing I don’t know about Johan Beloster.’

The slightly troublesome thing was that I had to be ‘Siena Willow’ who knew nothing about Johan Beloster until the commission.

So I necessarily had to pretend not to know.

“If you haven’t been there yet, I recommend it. They seem to have books from the Kingdom as well…”

“My lady.”

That’s when it happened.

“I would appreciate an honest answer.”

At Johan Beloster’s direct words, my fork stopped abruptly on the plate.

Cream dripped from the fork, but I had no time to care about that.

“Is there perhaps something troubling you right now?”

My heart sank with a thud.

I reflexively shook my head.

“N-no…”

It was another lie though.

At my answer, Johan Beloster slowly spoke.

“…Is that so.”

He seemed to back down obediently.

But his gaze didn’t waver even a step.

After a brief silence, Johan Beloster put down his teacup and quietly added.

“Your expression is darker than usual. That’s why I asked.”

…Ah.

‘It shows.’

I prided myself on being good at managing my expressions.

‘Since I dealt with all sorts of bizarre clients while working at the Center.’

It was a poker face trained by dealing with difficult customers.

But now that had crumbled.

‘I had no idea.’

No… perhaps it had been crumbling from the beginning.

From the moment I left the Center.

Throughout eating the cake.

My gaze that kept drifting elsewhere even while pretending to smile.

My answers that were always half a beat late whenever Johan Beloster spoke.

‘…So he noticed everything.’

I couldn’t deny it.

Because I couldn’t deny it.

Johan Beloster wasn’t someone who lacked perception.

He was just someone who, even after reading others’ hearts, didn’t make assumptions and waited patiently.

“…”

After pondering for a moment, Johan Beloster added.

“Could you tell me about it?”

…What had to come, came.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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