Moreover, the male protagonist hadn’t treated the female protagonist well in the first place. To her, it was a very convenient plot development.

Kiriel was quite taken aback by her rare cynical tone.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. The male protagonist might be happy, but… I wonder if the female protagonist feels the same way.”

“Chasing after her when she left to rest quietly?”

Kiriel tilted his head. Kana kindly explained for the relatively less empathetic and prickly sub male lead.

“Yes. Think about it. I treated someone kindly even though I didn’t care for them. After finishing my work, I erased my presence and left quietly, but that person chased after me just because they liked me. Lord Kiriel, how would you feel if you were in that situation?”

“That would be terrible.”

Kiriel’s face crumpled. Given his personality, she expected such an answer. Kana nodded and smiled proudly.

“Right?”

“Yeah. I hadn’t thought about it from that perspective, but listening to you, Miss Kana, I understand. I thought it was good because he managed to hold onto the person he wanted so badly.”

She could sense a subtle obsession in his straightforward answer. It was surprising that he had such thoughts, even unconsciously, but it was typical of him.

‘Wow, even the sub male lead here is no joke. Thankfully, I won’t have to deal with that.’

Feeling a chill down her spine, Kana rubbed her arm and tried to change the subject when the protagonists and villains clashed. The VIP seats were filled with a tense atmosphere due to their power struggle.

Kana, who had anticipated the situation, watched leisurely, but Kiriel was annoyed by the sudden commotion. Eventually, he frowned and amplified his voice with magic to intervene.

“Excuse me. Do those of you causing a fuss think you own the theater?”

“Tower Master…”

“Master of the Magic Tower?”

The Second Prince and the two Serade ladies were quite taken aback.

‘Wow, he really laid it out there.’

Kana admired the sub male lead’s boldness.

Unlike Evie’s exhibition, this scene originally included the Master of the Magic Tower, so his intervention didn’t disrupt the plot’s coherence.

Kiriel, ignoring the others’ gazes, continued speaking sharply.

“Take your fight elsewhere. Haven’t you already made the atmosphere worse with the presence of such esteemed individuals? I came out for some fresh air, and this is ruining my mood.”

By ‘esteemed individuals,’ he meant the princes. The already tense atmosphere shattered further with his sharp rebuke.

Before they could respond, Kiriel pulled a shawl from his subspace and covered Kana.

‘Wait, why me…’

A pleasant, deep voice whispered into Kana’s ear as she was bewildered by the sudden cover.

“Let’s leave first.”

“What?”

Kiriel applied the teleportation magic to include her as well. Before she knew it, they were inside the Curtis family’s carriage.

He put the shawl back into his subspace. The coachman, accustomed to his master’s sudden actions, remained unfazed.

“Young master, where shall we go?”

“Hold on. Miss Kana, shall we stop by a tea house?”

In contrast to his earlier stern tone, his voice was now light and cheerful. Kana, seeing his sparkling purple eyes, resignedly asked.

“…Where do you want to go?”

“Fria.”

“Alright.”

Kana nodded. She figured she would just follow his lead, have tea, and then return to the mansion to chat with her mother.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Fria tea house, they immediately secured a room. After ordering tea and desserts and paying for everything, Kiriel snapped his fingers. He had cast a soundproofing spell.

‘What on earth is he trying to say that he even cast a soundproof spell in such a secretive place?’

Kana furrowed her brows.

Even though the staff had placed tea and desserts in front of each of them, they remained silent for different reasons. She was trying to gauge his intentions, while he was waiting for the right moment to speak.

In the subtle air of tension, it was Kiriel who spoke first.

“Miss Kana, are you going to the west anytime soon?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Kana feigned surprise, widening her eyes. Although it was highly likely she would go to the west, she had not yet heard the details from her mother. Kiriel stared at her as if seeing right through her.

“Don’t be so guarded. I heard there was an issue with monsters at the magic stone mine in the west. Since the Round Viscount couple can’t make time, I just assumed they might send you to check it out instead.”

His tone was calm and logical. Kana instinctively felt that her mother’s explanation would not be much different from his words. She sighed and confessed honestly.

“Actually, my mother mentioned it today, but I don’t know the details yet. I was planning to ask when I got back.”

“I see.”

“It’s probably as you said, Lord Kiriel. A problem with monsters at the magic stone mine…”

Her eyes glinted as she fiddled with the teacup handle.

There was a setting where monsters occasionally appeared in magic stone or spirit stone mines due to the rich energy. Especially in magic stone mines. There were even monsters that contained magic stones.

Kiriel, with a serious expression, snapped Kana out of her thoughts.

“So, Miss Kana, when are you going?”

“I appreciate you giving me a heads-up… but is this something you really need to know, Lord Kiriel?”

Even though he was a supporting male lead, the background of his family was important. He was a man of many resources, befitting his role, but matters involving the family had to be handled carefully.

Despite her drawing a line, Kiriel responded calmly.

“I was just curious. Actually, I also have business in the west soon.”

“You too, Lord Kiriel?”

“Yes. It’s related to the Hail family.”

Since he had revealed his intentions clearly, there was nothing more to say. Kiriel wasn’t the type to lie about such things. Kana tilted her head.

“Oh, I see. Are you planning to accompany me on the way?”

“Yes, if our schedules align.”

Kiriel’s attitude was firm. Moving together with the Master of the Magic Tower was certainly beneficial for her. It would be better than most escorts, and if necessary, she could even borrow his strength.

‘But nothing in this world comes for free. This feels suspicious.’

In novels, the protagonist usually received favors without any strings attached. In romance novels, it was naturally the female protagonist’s share. Such a good opportunity would never just fall into the lap of a supporting character like her.

So far, the favors she had received had understandable excuses or were justifiable, but this was different. Feeling an involuntary sense of unease, Kana hesitated for a while before speaking.

“Lord Kiriel, do you expect something from me?”

“…What?”

Kiriel asked back, surprised. Kana gave a bitter smile, exuding a sorrowful atmosphere.

“Unfortunately, I have very little to offer. My authority is limited, and any compensation I could provide would not satisfy you, Lord Kiriel.”

“It’s alright. I don’t intend to ask anything from you, Miss Kana. If you don’t trust me, I can even swear on my mana.”

Kiriel’s purple eyes were firm and serious as he sat upright.

For a mage to mention a mana oath meant they were truly sincere. Breaking it would be a heavy burden. Most mages even avoided bringing it up.

Surprised by his seriousness, Kana waved her hand dismissively.

“No need. Even for someone like me who isn’t a mage, that oath sounds burdensome. I’ll contact you after I hear from my mother since I don’t know when I’m going.”

“Alright.”

The tense atmosphere finally eased.

‘There’s no way our schedules will overlap, right?’

Kiriel was naturally busy, and he wasn’t the type to adjust his schedule for others unless it was something important.

Her business was trivial to him, and it wasn’t even his matter to begin with.

* * *

Kana returned to the mansion. From a distance, she saw Lena smiling brightly as Kiriel bid her farewell.

“Miss, did you have a good trip?”

“Yes. By any chance, is Mother waiting for me?”

Surprised by Kana’s probing question, Lena nodded.

“That’s right! She asked you to come to her room when you returned.”

“Please tell Mother that I will come after washing and tidying up my clothes, so please wait a little.”

“Yes, Miss!”

Kana returned to her room, washed, and changed her clothes. After finally tidying up her appearance in the mirror, she went to find Viscountess Round. Her mother greeted her with a kind smile.

“Kana, did you have a good time?”

“Yes.”

Kana sat demurely across from her mother. Viscountess Round chuckled softly.

“I heard from the maids that you were with the Master of the Magic Tower. How was it?”

“It was fine. It wasn’t a grand schedule, but we watched a play together and had tea. But while we were having tea, he mentioned something about the magic stone mine in the west.”

Kana emphasized the latter part. Her mother seemed hesitant to get to the main point. Viscountess Round furrowed her brows and blinked slowly.

“Hmm, if it’s him, he would already know. How much did you hear?”

“Just that there was a problem related to monsters at the magic stone mine.”

At Kana’s words, the Round Viscountess nodded.

“You’ve heard the essential part.”

“Yes. But since it wasn’t a topic for casual conversation, it was glossed over… I’d like to hear a more detailed explanation.”

Kana leaned toward her mother.

Unless it was a major event with a subtitle, now was the time when Letie and Cordelia were fiercely fighting behind the scenes.

Since there were no scenes for her to intervene in, she needed to pay more attention to the background issues for the core setting.