Siena Dating Agency - Chapter 52

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

52.

To tell the story about ‘The Woman,’ we must go back to the past for a moment.

It was when Castillian was 8 years old, still in his days as the First Prince.

Back then, he didn’t have the same personality as now.

“Nanny, Hedia Nanny!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Look at this. Yesterday it was definitely a tightly closed flower bud, but today it’s loosened up a bit. That means it’ll bloom the day after tomorrow, right?”

Far from being quiet, he was actually quite talkative.

He was similar to Edel when she was in happy cat mode.

“When the flowers bloom, I’ll make you a flower crown with these. I’ll make ones for Father and Mother too, and one for Edel!”

“Your Highness, the Second Prince is still too young to wear a flower crown. The pollen could be dangerous for His Highness.”

“Hmm… Then I’ll ask for Edel’s permission before giving him one later!”

Castillian was bright and full of laughter, just like other children his age.

He was simply a young prince who loved his family and nanny.

Then one day came.

While wandering around the palace as usual, he encountered a stranger.

“I greet the First Prince.”

That was his first meeting with ‘The Woman.’

“I am Sepia Lerbock, who will be teaching Your Highness etiquette and manners from now on.”

‘Sepia Lerbock’ – she had entered the palace as Castillian’s etiquette teacher.

Actually, Castillian didn’t want to take etiquette lessons.

The same went for other lessons too.

‘I just want to play with Nanny like yesterday…’

But he greeted her with a smile.

“Nice to meet you, Teacher Lerbock.”

The reason was simple.

Because he was a young child who simply loved ‘people.’

Because he had never experienced various types of people yet.

Castillian made this resolution to himself.

‘Let’s think of lesson time as conversation time with the teacher.’

Then it won’t be boring and will be fun.

“Please take care of me, Teacher.”

Sepia clasped the hand Castillian extended.

An enigmatic smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.

If he hadn’t taken that woman’s hand that day.

What would have happened then?

* * *

Castillian received lessons from Sepia every day.

At first, she was no different from other teachers.

“Prince Castillian, did you complete all the homework I gave you yesterday?”

“Yes, Teacher.”

“Let me see.”

“Here it is.”

“Oh my, what neat handwriting. However, look here. The ‘Y’ is slightly slanted…”

Castillian gradually began to open his heart sincerely.

‘Teacher Sepia is really kind and gentle.’

Indeed, she was more generous and benevolent than other teachers.

She cared for and cherished Castillian almost as much as his nanny did.

‘Teacher is such a good teacher.’

Before he knew it, Castillian came to completely trust Sepia as his ‘teacher’ and began to follow her.

But then… one day came.

“Prince Castillian.”

Sepia called to Castillian, who was practicing his handwriting.

Then she said this.

“Today I’ll teach you about the relationship between master and disciple.”

“…”

“Your Highness has probably never been outside the Imperial Palace, so you wouldn’t have heard about such things.”

Castillian put down his pen and looked at Sepia.

“Yes, Teacher. Please tell me.”

The reason for this response was simple.

‘Stories from outside the Imperial Palace…’

Castillian had never once left the Imperial Palace and was always curious about the outside world.

So when she said she would tell him stories from outside the palace that he didn’t know, he was drawn to it.

‘I’m curious.’

Sepia continued speaking.

“The Empire has an old custom. Disciples must blindly follow whatever their master tells them to do.”

“…”

“They must answer ‘yes’ to whatever the master commands. That’s the duty a disciple must show to their master.”

Sepia was smiling faintly.

Castillian, who had been blinking slowly, asked back.

“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“It’s not difficult. Your Highness just needs to listen to what I say and follow it exactly.”

Sepia, who had been wearing a gentle smile, immediately erased her expression.

She spoke in a low voice.

“Prince Castillian, kneel before me.”

It was an absurd request.

‘Kneel…?’

Even though Castillian was young, he could tell that Sepia’s words weren’t normal.

‘Other teachers have never asked me to do something like this.’

After pondering, he opened his mouth.

“Um… Teacher. It’s not that I think you’re strange. But is it really the Empire’s custom to…”

“Prince Castillian.”

Sepia firmly grasped Castillian’s hand.

Castillian’s gaze fell to his own hand.

“One must not question the master’s words.”

“But…”

“No. You mustn’t do that.”

Sepia’s tone was serious and stern.

Her grip was clammy and hot.

“The master’s words are blindly correct.”

“…”

“So you must follow my words, Your Highness. That’s how you become a wonderful adult.”

“…”

“Do you understand?”

She whispered.

“I know how wonderful an adult Your Highness will grow up to be.”

“…”

“So you just need to follow my words well. I, as your master, will make you into that.”

He felt an unsettling feeling.

Sepia wasn’t a fortune teller who could see the future, and those words were obviously empty promises.

‘…It really sounded like she knew what my future self would look like.’

Everything felt strange and unsettling.

But in the end, he accepted it.

“…Yes, teacher.”

He didn’t want to carelessly suspect Sepia.

Though she had been acting a bit suspicious today, she hadn’t actually done anything bad to Castillian.

So he decided to trust Sepia.

‘Right…, if teacher says so, it must be correct.’

She said she was helping him become a wonderful adult…

When he knelt down on one knee, Sepia shook her head.

“No. You need to kneel on both knees.”

“…”

“Respectfully.”

Sepia was wearing ‘that smile’ she had shown during her first meeting with Castillian.

* * *

From that day on, Sepia gradually began to reveal her true nature.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“His Highness gave permission.”

“Pardon…?”

Suddenly she was saying she would bathe Castillian.

“That is not permitted. Bathing the First Prince is the authority of his nanny, Lady Hedia Kindeste.”

When rejected, she went to a corner and bit her nails until they bled.

“Ugh… Ughhh. He’s mine anyway. That’s why I came here…”

She made strange sounds like an animal along with her nonsensical muttering.

“…Your Highness Castillian, you’ve arrived?”

But when she made eye contact with Castillian, she smiled sweetly as if nothing had happened…

“Oh, hello, teacher.”

“The formal wear His Highness is wearing today is very pretty. Who helped you put it on? Hedia Kindeste?”

Castillian felt that Sepia was becoming increasingly strange.

‘Lately she’s not the kind teacher she used to be.’

She’s become so different from the beginning.

‘She keeps grinding her teeth and muttering to herself…’

Moreover, the things she made him do during lessons in the name of ‘a disciple’s duty’ were becoming excessive.

However, Castillian didn’t confide in anyone about his situation with Sepia.

“Matters with one’s teacher should not be carelessly spoken of to others. That would not be proper respect for one’s teacher.”

“…”

“Your Highness Castillian, you wouldn’t be a disciple who does bad things to his teacher, would you?”

Because Sepia always drilled this into him.

Castillian didn’t want to become a bad person to anyone.

So he kept his mouth shut.

“…Yes, teacher.”

But it didn’t work on his nanny Hedia.

‘His Highness has been noticeably dejected lately.’

Hedia, who had cared for Castillian for eight years, noticed that he was subtly depressed.

And she realized it was because of Sepia.

“Last time, Lady Sepia Lerbock said she would attend to the First Prince’s bath.”

“What…? Is that true?”

“Yes, she also said she had received the First Prince’s permission. But it felt very uncomfortable…, and I couldn’t allow such an improper request, so I stopped her.”

The incident the maids reported was very shocking.

Hedia pondered deeply for several days.

‘The etiquette teacher is suspicious.’

However, since she hadn’t witnessed anything directly, she couldn’t rashly report to Her Majesty the Empress…

‘I should ask His Highness directly.’

Eventually, she questioned him closely while putting Castillian to bed.

“Your Highness Castillian, has the etiquette teacher perhaps made any unreasonable demands of you?”

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