Siena Dating Agency - Chapter 23
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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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23.
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace, a banquet was in full swing.
However, despite the lavish feast laid out on the table, the Emperor and Empress’s faces were deathly pale.
“Sigh….”
“There’s no news today either.”
Because.
It had already been three months since Castillian had made his last survival report and disappeared.
As mentioned earlier, Castillian had been hiding at Chase’s mansion and only occasionally visited the Imperial Palace.
To report whether he was alive or dead.
The problem was that this ‘occasionally’… was practically every few months.
From the Empress’s lips, which had been repeating sighs, a longed-for name slipped out.
“Castillian…, when on earth will you come?”
The Emperor and Empress had dispatched dozens of hawks throughout the country to find their son who kept running off somewhere.
Despite all that, there had been no results so far.
Moreover, they had recently even heard that one of the fifty hawks had gone missing.
That’s why their worries were now reaching the sky.
The Emperor’s brow furrowed.
“What kind of disgraceful behavior is this from someone who’s supposed to be the Empire’s Crown Prince…. This is all because I raised Castillian too indulgently.”
“No, Your Majesty. Castillian has been exceptionally brilliant since childhood. The reason Your Majesty was indulgent was because he was a child who couldn’t help but be that way.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“….”
“…Hm?”
The Emperor and Empress talked about Castillian while barely eating their meal.
They seemed to have forgotten about eating altogether.
A man who had been quietly listening to their conversation spoke up.
“Father, Mother. Please don’t worry so much.”
A youthful face with a gentle smile, and the same golden hair as Castillian.
The man’s name was ‘Edel la Peshirod Carnon’.
He was Castillian’s younger brother and the Empire’s Second Prince.
As evident from his two-character name without honorifics, Edel wasn’t one of the 30 male leads.
He wasn’t even a character from the novel.
He was an NPC in the game who could only be seen when pursuing Castillian’s route.
The reason the developers created the character Edel was….
Because Castillian was an extremely difficult male lead to raise.
When 【Male Lead Maker】 first came out, complaints flooded the game’s website bulletin board.
[Castillian’s route is too difficult. Isn’t the difficulty level too high compared to other male leads…. Please create a difficulty adjustment feature.]
[How exactly can you see Castillian’s ending? No matter how much I follow him around and try to talk to him, he doesn’t respond;]
ㄴ[Could this be an error? But then again, our Castilian is also observing a vow of silence. ㅠㅠ]
[Will I at least be able to greet Castillian within this year….]
Overall, the content was that Castillian was too taciturn, making his route impossible to clear.
So the developers added an NPC named Edel.
They positioned him as Castillian’s ‘spokesperson’.
「You see Second Prince Edel sitting in the Imperial Palace garden.
Should you try talking to him?
1. Prince Edel, where is Prince Castillian?
2. Prince Edel, I actually… have worries that keep me awake at night.
3. I’m a handsome bandit. Hand over Castillian.」
Edel, being an extreme F-type personality, was simple.
When players evoked his sympathy, he would readily share information about Castillian without suspicion.
「”Prince Edel, I actually… have worries that keep me awake at night. Could you listen to them?”
“Oh, OO. Tell me anything. Edel will listen!”
“Actually, Prince Castillian….”
.
.
“I see…. OO’s heart must have been truly troubled, right?”
“….”
“But Prince Castillian didn’t do it on purpose. Brother is….”」
Anyway, since Edel was an NPC created for Castillian’s route, he was completely on Lian’s side.
In fact, Edel’s habitual phrase in the game was ‘Brother Castillian is the best!’
That’s why Castillian cherished Edel quite a lot too.
Enough to tell him where he was currently staying.
“Where exactly is he hiding that makes him so hard to spot?”
“Exactly. Neither the Imperial Knights nor the hawks have been able to find him….”
To Edel, whose empathy was extremely developed, the Emperor and Empress looked pitiful.
‘Father, Mother…. They seem to have aged ten years already.’
But he gritted his teeth firmly.
‘No. Get it together.’
Brother told me not to tell anyone, so I must keep my mouth shut!
He endured while internally shouting ‘Aizet Baron’s Mansion! It’s Aizet Baron’s Mansion!’
Edel knew why Castillian kept escaping from the Imperial Palace.
Half a year ago, unable to contain himself, he had asked.
“Brother, why do you hide at Aizet Baron’s mansion? Is there a reason?”
“…There’s someone I like…. That’s why I go out.”
“Oh my, Brother…!”
Edel was moved by Castillian’s unexpectedly romantic reason.
Since then, he had been supporting him and consistently helping with his escapes.
‘I hope Brother’s love comes true soon.’
Then I’ll have a sister-in-law too!
With his simple thought process befitting an NPC, Edel just wanted to quickly see who Castillian liked.
For that to happen, he had to play dumb no matter what in front of the Emperor and Empress.
‘Because Brother told me to!’
The Empress asked him.
“Edel…, do you really not know where Castillian is?”
Edel met her eyes.
‘No, I know! He’s at Aizet Baron’s Mansion!’
And he said he’d return the day before this Imperial Palace Ball!
‘I received a letter through carrier pigeon at dawn today!’
Though his mind was noisy, he put on a calm expression.
“I don’t know either.”
“….”
“But Brother Castillian isn’t someone who acts thoughtlessly. There must be a valid reason.”
“….”
“I believe Brother will return safely someday.”
As always, he only spouted obvious platitudes.
The Emperor and Empress’s sighing battle continued endlessly.
Edel put a small piece of cut meat in his mouth with the sound of sighs as background music.
‘The woman who will become Brother’s wife….’
My sister-in-law!
‘I want to see my sister-in-law soon.’
Indeed, could Edel’s wish come true?
* * *
A few days later, in an alley near Valerie Atelier.
I was hiding with a scarf wrapped around my head.
I wrote down the situation on the record sheet I was holding.
[Violet Bringer entered the atelier a moment ago.
Johan Beloster is expected to arrive within 10 minutes.]
And next to me… today as well, that sticky piece of gum was attached.
Lian de Vicelle, that is.
While recording, I wiped the sweat that had formed on my forehead.
“Ugh, it’s hot…”
The weather had become muggy over the past few days, which was torture.
It was hot just walking around, but I had to wear a scarf for disguise.
‘Of all times, why did Johan have to make this request in summer…’
Johan in 【Milaira’s Flower Garden】 was a person who miraculously didn’t feel the heat.
In fact, there was a description in the story: ‘Everyone else in the same space was drooping from the heat, but only Johan was fine.’
When I read the work, I thought that setting was cool.
‘I was completely smitten with Johan, so even trivial details were swoon-worthy.’
But now it was nothing but resentful.
‘Johan, you might be fine walking around in summer because you don’t feel the heat, but I’m not…!’
It was a moment when I envied the employees sitting in the cool Center doing transcription work.
“Center Director.”
Then, Lian called me.
I glanced up at him.
“Hot?”
“Yes, it’s hot…”
Lian’s expression looked relaxed today as well.
‘Still, this guy doesn’t seem to be immune to heat like Johan.’
Because Lian’s shirt had become noticeably thinner over the past few days.
I was unconsciously looking over his outfit when I hurriedly turned my gaze away.
My face naturally flushed hot.
‘But even if it’s hot, why is he wearing clothes like that…’
Excuse me, Mr. Lian.
We’re strictly on duty right now, you know?
‘I acknowledge it’s hot. But don’t you really think your outfit doesn’t suit the situation?’
Why am I grumbling like this?
Well… because Lian was currently wearing a see-through shirt.
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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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