“Right. It was nice to have a wide range of artistic discussions… but Lady Letie and Miss Kana seemed to be particularly targeted.”

Evie answered cautiously, glancing back and forth between Letie and Kana. Her blue eyes were filled with concern for her close friends. Della nodded in agreement.

“I agree. You both were just sitting quietly, but the other side kept provoking you.”

“That’s right. Lady Letie, Miss Kana. Are you okay?”

At Bianca’s question, Letie slowly closed her eyes and then opened them. She answered nonchalantly.

“Yes. Honestly, this doesn’t affect me much. It was worse before I awakened my healing abilities.”

“…Oh.”

“But the attitude of the other Serade lady…”

Everyone hesitated and couldn’t continue their words. Letie lowered her eyes slightly and sighed. Exuding a melancholic atmosphere, she answered slowly.

“Cordelia was originally kind. My dear half-sister must have been very nervous this time.”

“Really? It looked like she was clearly jealous of Lady Letie to anyone watching.”

“That’s right. Rumors really can’t be trusted.”

Della and Bianca comforted and praised Letie. When they criticized Cordelia, Letie would occasionally interject, telling them not to go too far.

“Lady Letie is truly generous and dignified, just as Countess Dearon mentioned. If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate Lady Cordelia Serade’s shameless attitude.”

At Bianca’s angry words on her behalf, Letie smiled silently. Her method of building an image was indeed clever.

Kana leisurely observed the situation while sipping her tea. Evie glanced at her.

“Miss Kana, you’ve been quiet for a while… Are you alright?”

“Of course, Miss Evie. I was just listening to the conversation about Lady Letie.”

Kana calmly replied to Evie with a faint smile. Letie, a bit impressed by her composed demeanor, added to the conversation.

“I was prepared to be attacked, given my reputation and the relatively large number of enemies I have… But honestly, it felt like Miss Kana was being unfairly targeted.”

“Wasn’t it the young ladies from the south, led by Lady Margareta Cotton? They seemed to be glaring at Miss Kana even at the imperial palace banquet…”

Olivia trailed off, frowning. Kana shrugged nonchalantly.

“Yes, it seems they were displeased with me partnering with the Tower Master at the imperial banquet. The Curtis family is a major noble house in the south, so I somewhat expected it.”

“Well, it’s their fault for not forming connections themselves. Why blame an innocent person? And it’s not like Miss Kana begged for an escort; the Master of the Magic Tower asked her first.”

Olivia, upset, took several sips of tea to calm herself. She knew the reason behind Kana and the Master of the Magic Tower partnering because she had previously recommended her brother as a partner to Kana.

Kana, long accustomed to playing a supporting role, shook her head.

“Exactly.”

“Still, it was refreshing to hear you speak so boldly earlier, Miss Kana. After you told them to take it up with the Master of the Magic Tower, everyone quieted down.”

“Right. Miss Kana maintained her manners and spoke sparingly, yet they attacked her for it. It was so unseemly.”

Della and Bianca chimed in, agreeing enthusiastically.

They continued to chat at length about the events at the salon, other upcoming parties, gatherings, and events.

Kana selectively absorbed the important information and stored it in her mind.

After the impromptu tea gathering ended, everyone dispersed in their respective carriages. The only ones left outside the tea house were Kana and Olivia.

Olivia approached Kana cautiously as she was about to board her carriage. Tilting her head, she asked,

“Miss Olivia, do you have something to say to me?”

“Yes. I couldn’t mention it earlier because of the others… It’s about my brother. May I consult with you for a moment?”

“Of course.”

When Kana readily agreed, Olivia hesitated uncharacteristically before speaking.

“My brother told me. He said Miss Kana was very kind to him…”

“Oh no, I just did the basics, but Lord Alderaan spoke kindly of me.”

Kana imagined her industry friend explaining cautiously to Olivia and stifled a laugh. Olivia, unaware of this, brightened and her eyes sparkled.

“How was it when you talked with my brother?”

“We got along well. Our first private conversation was at the imperial banquet, and surprisingly, we found common ground.”

Kana lied smoothly, keeping a straight face. In truth, it was because they were industry friends, but she couldn’t reveal that.

Olivia, reassured by Kana’s words, suddenly looked worried.

“I see. Actually, my brother has been acting out of character lately…”

“What has he been doing?”

“Well, he suddenly started training in martial arts. He says he feels stifled just looking at documents. He used to prefer reading over practicing martial arts…”

Olivia fidgeted with her fingers, exuding a gloomy atmosphere. Her olive-colored eyes were filled with worry. It was natural for her to be concerned since her brother was doing something completely out of character.

‘…Alderaan must have endured a lot. But as an experienced person, he handled the setting issue well.’

Kana sympathized with her industry friend’s plight. It was understandable; anyone would feel frustrated and suffocated wearing an ill-fitting role.

She deliberately smiled brightly to defend her friend’s actions.

“Isn’t it a good thing? Reading is a great hobby, but physical activity is beneficial for health. I also train in both spirit summoning and swordsmanship.”

“Oh, Miss Kana trains in swordsmanship too?”

Olivia’s eyes widened in surprise. Kana nodded confidently.

“Yes. I thought it would be good to combine it with spirit summoning.”

“…Wow, I had no idea. That’s really impressive.”

Olivia clapped her hands in admiration. Kana responded with an awkward smile.

“Thank you. Anyway, Sir Alderaan probably feels the same, so please support him.”

“Yes! I’ll follow your advice, Miss Kana.”

Determination filled Olivia’s eyes as she clenched her fists. She was the type to follow through on what she decided, so she would likely act as she said.

Kana comforted Olivia and sent her off. Then she took the carriage back to the Round estate.

‘If a close family member supports me, it would be less restrictive for my actions. Alderaan, you really owe me big time.’

Kana muttered inwardly towards her industry friend. Surely, he would understand her deep intentions.

If the supporting roles in the novel were compared to a building, they were structures built only with the core settings that must be followed in the role.

You shouldn’t twist that framework, but it was okay to add auxiliary settings, which were like additional materials, to avoid setting conflicts as long as you didn’t damage the core settings.

Alderaan operating aura and training in martial arts, and her using spirit summoning and practicing self-defense were examples of adding auxiliary settings that did not originally exist in ‘Fake Saint.’

Upon arriving at the estate, Kana washed up and took a rest. Celia looked at her sprawled on the bed with a sympathetic gaze.

[…Kana, you’ve worked hard.]

‘Yeah.’

[You look really tired. How about taking a long break once this novel ends?]

‘I think I should. I must have accumulated fatigue from running without looking back all this time.’

Kana sighed. No matter how much she was trying to earn star ratings, her situation was quite pitiful. Celia created a gentle breeze towards her contractor who had closed her eyes, making her feel refreshed.

* * *

On the day of Evie Reas’s art exhibition, Kana meticulously checked the letter and tickets she had received from Evie.

The art exhibition was held in a building owned by Evie, featuring her paintings and those of artists she sponsored.

Kana finished preparing early and headed to the exhibition hall before the opening time. The surroundings were still quiet as no visitors had arrived yet.

Evie, neatly dressed in a navy blue dress, greeted her with a bright smile.

“Miss Kana, you came early!”

“I wanted to see your paintings first before the crowd arrived.”

Kana answered in a low voice, winking. Evie widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand, laughing shyly.

“Oh my.”

“I can take my time with the other paintings, but I wanted to see yours as soon as possible. To be honest, I’ve been excited imagining what they would be like ever since I received the tickets.”

“Oh my, really? Since there’s still plenty of time, I should show you my paintings first. Please follow me.”

“Yes.”

Kana moved closer to Evie. Evie, humming a tune excitedly, led Kana into the exhibition hall.

Inside, staff members were busily moving around. They all greeted the two politely as they passed by. Evie and Kana accepted their greetings and moved further inside.

Evie’s paintings were displayed in a separate space at the back, covered by a red curtain. Kana glanced sideways at Evie.

“Did you deliberately place your paintings in a spacious area at the back?”

“Yes. Conversations about my paintings might get lengthy, so I thought it would be better to have more space.”

Evie confirmed with a gentle smile, pulling back the curtain.

The painting in the large frame vividly depicted a garden in full bloom with lisianthus and roses. Kana admired it carefully.

“It’s a very beautiful painting. It’s so vivid that it feels lifelike.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Evie, who had been nervously watching Kana appreciate the painting, relaxed and smiled broadly. Kana’s eyes curved into a gentle arc.

“I personally love looking at flowers, and seeing your painting makes me feel like I don’t need to go flower viewing. Thank you for painting such a wonderful picture.”

“…That’s an overwhelming compliment. I’m really happy.”

Evie clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. Kana casually added,

“I just said what I honestly felt.”