Siena Dating Agency - Chapter 17

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

17.

Then Johan, who had been looking dejected, blinked his eyes.

He seemed a little surprised.

“Huh? Taking responsibility…”

“…!”

“What do you mean by that?”

I snapped back to my senses.

‘Crazy.’

I hurriedly tried to salvage my words.

“Th, that is…”

“…”

“I meant… that I, as the Center Director of Willow Center, would take responsibility and make sure your romance succeeds.”

“…”

“You don’t need to worry about other nobles. You’re already charming enough.”

“…”

“I’ll work hard to make sure Marquis Beloster shines even brighter on the day of the ball.”

Again, words completely opposite to my true feelings spilled out.

‘No, I wish you wouldn’t shine, Johan.’

I want to kidnap you and hide you somewhere only I can see…

But kind Johan didn’t seem to notice any of these dark thoughts of mine.

He looked at me intently and launched a dimple attack.

“So that’s what you meant.”

“…”

“Center Director, you’re truly sincere and wonderful. I think it’s heavenly fortune that I got to meet you.”

Hah…

‘And so my romance grows more distant again.’

Having nothing to say, I could only smile awkwardly.

I turned my gaze toward the window.

In the distance, the blue roof of the Center Building was beginning to come into view.

‘I don’t want to get off this carriage.’

I wish this time with Johan could last forever…

Like a female lead in some drama, I repeated the line ‘I wish time would stop’ over and over in my mind.

Meanwhile, Johan spoke up.

“By the way…”

His gaze was fixed on Hawk.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone keep a hawk as a pet. I know hawks aren’t very numerous.”

Johan, who had been examining the obviously suspicious-looking hawk, soon let out a small breath.

His blue eyes turned back to me.

“It suits you quite well. The combination of the calm Center Director and the sharp hawk…”

“…”

“It’s like an unexpected charm.”

Johan’s eyes curved like a bow.

At that moment, I regretted once more.

‘Damn… I shouldn’t have met my bias.’

It would have been so much easier if I had just lived as an NPC my whole life, knowing nothing.

“Suits… the hawk well.”

“…”

“Th, thank you… ahaha.”

The possessed person who failed at unrequited love could only hold back tears once again today.

* * *

Thanks to my kind and considerate bias, I was able to enter the Center comfortably.

Of course, with coffee in my left hand and a large hawk on my right shoulder.

Heaven, who encountered me first, was horrified.

“Ugh!!”

Heaven instinctively shrank back and took several steps backward, placing his hand on his chest while panting.

He scolded me.

“Center Director, are you trying to kill us?”

At those words, Finn and Isadora, who had been writing letters, turned to look at me.

Their eyes widened just like Heaven’s.

“…Huh? Is that really a hawk?”

“Center Director, why did you bring a hawk?”

“Wow, it really looks like a lethal weapon?”

It was a better reaction than Heaven’s, but the two of them also seemed to find the hawk unsettling.

“What lethal weapon… It’s not like that.”

“…”

“It’s gentler than it looks. Don’t worry.”

To reassure the staff, I deliberately stroked the hawk’s beak.

Then the hawk closed its eyes and rubbed its face against my palm.

Isadora asked.

“Are you raising it, Center Director?”

“No, it’s not one I’m raising. It suddenly came through my manor window last night…”

“…”

“Right. I don’t know why this happened either. It keeps following me around.”

Heaven tilted his head.

“Then you were chosen by the hawk?”

“Seems like it.”

It’s my first time being chosen by a hawk instead of a cat.

Anyway, the Center that had become noisy quickly became quiet again.

I set down the coffee and hawk at my seat.

“Screech.”

The hawk walked with its thin, sharp feet and settled on an empty chair.

Its posture looked very comfortable, as if it were in its own bedroom at home.

‘This guy… do I really have to raise it?’

Then what should I name it?

With a mountain of work to do, I now had to worry about the hawk’s name too.

‘Let me work first.’

I picked up the stack of documents organized on my desk.

Then I suddenly realized.

That gloomy gaze that was always directed at me wasn’t there today.

‘Huh?’

I checked Lian’s regular seat.

Indeed, there was no one on the sofa.

“That’s strange?”

Even if Lian didn’t work, he was surprisingly the type to keep punctual attendance.

Indeed, since joining the Center, he had never been later than me, not even once.

‘Where did that guy who’s strangely punctual in weird ways go from morning?’

I spoke to Isadora, who sat closest to me.

“Dora, by any chance…”

Then I suddenly shut my mouth.

‘…No wait, why am I asking Dora about that guy’s whereabouts?’

If it had been Finn or Heaven who was missing at this hour, I would have naturally asked about them.

They were the ones handling the Center’s work—in other words, they were necessary people.

But Lian was a parachute hire that the representative had arbitrarily inserted.

He was someone whose presence or absence didn’t affect the work.

‘That’s right.’

I’m already busy enough, so why am I worrying about some parachute newbie?

‘This is all because that guy has been pestering me for a whole month.’

He’s been singing “Center Director, Center Director” every day, so I got brainwashed.

Isadora pushed up her glasses and looked back at me.

“Yes, Center Director. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

I pouted and sat down in my seat.

‘He’ll come eventually, whatever.’

I erased Lian’s shameless face that was walking around in my head.

Just then, Finn strode over to my seat.

“But you know, Center Director.”

For some reason, his expression was extremely serious.

I blinked my eyes.

“What? Is something wrong?”

Finn, who had been facing me with a sullen expression, said:

“Why don’t we have any?”

“That’s right.”

Heaven chimed in from a distance.

At first, I had no idea what they were talking about.

But soon I realized that Finn was eyeing my coffee.

‘I thought something big had happened, but they’re complaining because I didn’t buy them coffee?’

These guys, really…

But I answered like this:

“…Sorry, I’ll buy some for you guys next time too.”

The truth is… I wasn’t good at refusing people.

‘That’s probably why I accepted Johan’s request too.’

Finn grinned mischievously, showing his teeth.

“Awesome. Thank you.”

“Center Director, I’ll take mine without milk.”

Heaven added excitedly.

‘Geez…’

Today too, the only one I can trust is Dora.

I shook my head slightly and flipped through the calendar positioned on one side of my desk.

“First, we have a consultation scheduled for 11 o’clock today, so before the client arrives, I need to finish two letter-writing jobs…”

While making plans, something suddenly came to mind.

“The Center Director is truly a good person.”

It was about meeting Johan a little while ago.

‘Ah, damn. This isn’t the time for this.’

I need to have a meeting about Johan before the clients arrive.

I immediately put down the documents and spoke up.

“Wait, everyone stop for a moment.”

Then the employees sitting at their respective seats all looked at me at once.

“Actually, I met the Marquis Beloster on my way to work today. We had a conversation…”

I told the employees about the ‘Imperial Palace Ball’ that Johan had mentioned.

It was certain that Violet would attend, and Johan was looking forward to that day.

Isadora slowly pushed up the bridge of her glasses with her middle finger.

“The Imperial Palace Ball… it is a good environment for developing relationships.”

“…”

“That place on that day becomes a meeting ground for everyone, doesn’t it? Since an excited atmosphere will be maintained, Lady Bringer and the Marquis will also benefit from it.”

She was right.

‘It’s kind of like that thing.’

Even if you don’t drink alcohol at a drinking party, you end up feeling drunk along with everyone else.

‘Besides, that day will be filled with men and women of marriageable age.’

Johan and Violet would inevitably get swept up in the atmosphere.

Then, Isadora added:

“However, the key issue is that realistically, it would be difficult for us to make use of that good opportunity.”

“…”

“We cannot enter the Imperial Palace.”

…Right.

Only then did I realize the reality I had forgotten.

That commoners cannot enter the Imperial Palace.

‘I guess both Johan and I forgot for a moment.’

In other words, the romance manipulation request for the ball was impossible.

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