Kiriel fiddled with the handle of his teacup, deep in thought. Kana quietly observed his thick eyelashes encircling his purple eyes, his tightly pressed full lips, and his sharp jawline before speaking up.

“Do you dislike both colors?”

“No. I’m still undecided because both are fine. Miss Kana, which color do you prefer?”

“I don’t mind either.”

Kana shrugged nonchalantly. She had chosen colors that wouldn’t overlap with the main characters, so either option was fine for her. Since the point color would be reflected in the dress or accessories, it affected women more. Despite this, her indifferent attitude made him more concerned.

Kiriel looked Kana over carefully. In his mind, her outfit alternated between green and blue hues.

His gaze fell on her eyes. Green eyes reminiscent of a lush forest. Kiriel spoke without thinking.

“…Then how about green?”

“Sounds good. I’ll wear a slightly lighter dress. Should I match the accessories with emeralds?”

“Let’s do that.”

It was a clean and swift decision. They ended their meeting after a brief chat.

* * *

Two days before the imperial palace banquet, a gift arrived for Kana. Lena was excited and made a fuss.

“It’s from the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“He must have sent it because we’re partners.”

Kana opened the boxes and carefully examined their contents. There was a light green dress, finely crafted emerald accessories, and a pure pearl ring.

‘Did he send it because I have to switch the pearl necklace with the emerald one? He has quite the sense.’

Kana was satisfied with Kiriel’s thoughtfulness. While she nodded in approval, Lena chatted away with a cheerful smile.

“The dress is from the famous Bozeta boutique. The emerald accessories are luxurious too. And that pearl ring must be for the lady who commands spirits, right?”

“Seems like it.”

“The Master’s taste is excellent. Everything suits you perfectly! You can wear these clothes and accessories to the imperial palace banquet.”

“Yes.”

Lena was so excited that she seemed ready to float into the sky. Kana, smiling at her delighted maid, gave instructions.

“Please organize and store them properly.”

“Yes!”

Lena hummed a tune as she took care of the gifts. Celia whistled in admiration.

[Wow, he even sent gifts.]

‘Maybe because he requested me as his partner. You know how sub male leads usually take care of their partners until they fall for the female lead. It’s surprising that Kiriel, who isn’t the caring type, did this.’

[Interesting. A minor change, I guess.]

‘Yes.’

Kana didn’t need to misunderstand or be flustered by a small variable in the novel. The core elements and main storyline wouldn’t change anyway.

‘I should send a thank-you note, even if he won’t read it.’

Kana sent Kiriel a letter expressing her gratitude with polite greetings and flowery language.

* * *

The day of the imperial palace banquet arrived. Kana woke up earlier than usual and started preparing while looking in the mirror. She wore the light green dress, braided her light brown hair, and adorned it with an emerald hairpin shaped like leaves and branches.

She put on small, round emerald earrings and replaced her usual pure pearl necklace with a round emerald necklace. She wore the pure pearl ring on her finger.

Dressed entirely in the items Kiriel had gifted her, she finished with light makeup. Lena and the other maids cheered.

“Miss, you look so beautiful!”

“Thank you, everyone. Although it’s a bit early, I should go out and wait.”

Kana greeted the maids and left the mansion to wait. Before long, a luxurious carriage bearing the Curtis family crest arrived.

Kiriel stepped out of the carriage. Unlike usual, he was not in his mage’s robe but in a proper suit.

He wore a white shirt, a khaki vest, black trousers, and a neatly tied cravat. His dark green jacket, adorned with gold thread, had a white handkerchief in the chest pocket and an emerald brooch near the collar.

However, he hadn’t styled his hair up. His golden hair, which usually covered his forehead, was neatly arranged.

He was already handsome, but dressed up, he looked even more striking. Kana admired him silently as she looked him over.

‘He really went all out. Does having a partner change one’s appearance?’

Kiriel from ‘Fake Saint’ attended the imperial palace banquets in his mage’s attire. While Kana recalled the novel’s setting, Kiriel quietly observed her.

The gifts suited her perfectly. He opened his mouth, finally regaining his composure.

“Miss Kana, you look lovely.”

“Thanks to Lord Kiriel for choosing the perfect items for me. Thank you.”

“There’s no need for thanks. Miss Kana, you pulled it off well. It’s much better than I imagined.”

His tone was plain, but the content was not. Even if it was just a polite remark, it was hard to get used to. Kana, who flinched for a moment, barely managed to compose her expression and responded with a smiling face.

“Lord Kiriel, you look splendid as well. Every time I see you, I’m surprised by how handsome you are, but today you shine even more.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Kana smiled and nodded. Although it was outside of work, since they were partners now, she planned to go along with Kiriel until he got distracted by the female protagonist.

Kiriel extended his hand to her.

“Shall we go now?”

“Yes.”

Kana accepted his escort and got into the carriage. The two remained silent on their way to the imperial palace. Kiriel, looking at the pure pearl ring on her folded hands, asked.

“Did you put a spirit in the ring?”

“Yes. As long as I don’t release it inside the palace, it should be fine.”

The security at the imperial palace was strict. The emission of mana, aura, or spirit energy, as well as openly displaying weapons, was strictly prohibited. In other words, it was a problem if it was visible, but mere possession was not banned.

Kiriel nodded slightly and gave a warning.

“Hmm, I know Miss Kana wouldn’t act recklessly… but be careful. The imperial family can be quite devious.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kana took Kiriel’s advice to heart. His words were something she could roughly sense just from reading ‘Fake Saint’.

* * *

Soon, they arrived at the imperial palace. In the spacious area in front of the grand and magnificent palace, other noble carriages were also arriving one after another.

Kana, accepting Kiriel’s escort, got off the carriage and subtly looked around.

“There are a lot of people.”

“It’s the imperial palace banquet to welcome the new year, so many families have to attend.”

Kana silently nodded in agreement. She spotted a few familiar young ladies among the gathered nobles and exchanged light greetings with them.

They entered the hall where the banquet was held. It was even more spacious and lavishly decorated than it appeared from the outside. Tables were placed in the corners, each set with desserts, finger foods, and wine.

From the area where the musicians and instruments were, cheerful music flowed. Kana looked up at the ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was so dazzlingly bright that she had to slightly shield her eyes with her fan.

‘Several of those chandeliers will fall when the atmosphere is at its peak.’

Outwardly, they appeared perfectly fine. Of course, they were sturdy and had been inspected before the banquet, but the cause was a spell targeting a specific individual. Kana memorized the locations of the chandeliers.

When the accident happened, she needed to speak quickly. As she stepped into the starting point of her task, she braced herself.

Kiriel, noticing his partner glancing around, asked.

“Is this your first time at the imperial palace?”

“Yes.”

Strictly speaking, she had experienced an imperial palace banquet in another novel, but it was indeed her first time in this one. Kiriel understood why she was looking around.

Kana heard whispers around her about the Tower Master having a partner. She also sensed sharp gazes from unfamiliar young ladies. They seemed to be from southern families.

‘Not my concern.’

Kana brushed it off indifferently.

Around that time, Olivia and Evie approached with quick steps, waving their hands.

“Miss Kana, we saw you right away, so we came over.”

“You look so beautiful today!”

“Miss Olivia, Miss Evie. I was going to greet you, but you came first. You both look stunning as well.”

Kana greeted the two warmly. Olivia and Evie also greeted Kiriel, but he simply nodded indifferently.

Knowing the Magic Tower Master’s personality, the two didn’t mind and focused on Kana.

Olivia glanced sharply at the whispering people and said.

“Miss Kana, don’t worry about it. They’re just jealous because you’re the Tower Master’s partner.”

“I’m fine, Miss Olivia. Thank you for your concern.”

“As expected, Miss Kana is strong-hearted. We’re here too, so if it gets tough, come to us.”

“Thank you, Miss Evie.”

After a brief chat, the two left as their partners were waiting.

As Kana and Kiriel found an appropriate spot, the names of the entering nobles were announced.

“Duke Ethan Cardium, Young Duke Dain Serade, Young Marquis Seria Hail, and Lord Liriel Curtis have arrived.”

Even before the members of the imperial family and their escorts entered, the hall became noisy in an instant. Four individuals had arrived separately without partners.

Though they weren’t the protagonists, they were all major characters. Naturally, Kana’s gaze followed the stirring gazes of those around her. Kiriel muttered to himself.

“My sister has come too.”

“How did the four of them enter at the same time?”

“They probably planned to draw attention all at once.”

Kiriel answered Kana’s admiration. In fact, in ‘Fake Saint,’ he was originally part of that group. He had just entered a bit earlier because he had a partner.

Suddenly, the gazes of the four who had entered the hall simultaneously turned toward Kana and Kiriel.