After asking for permission and entering, she found Kiriel sitting on the sofa, scrutinizing her.

“You’re wearing a different dress from yesterday?”

“It’s an extra dress from the villa. Is it not good?”

Kana moved around, examining her dress. Kiriel shook his head as he watched her fidget.

“No, the light yellow suits flower viewing well.”

“Thank you. Are there many people at the good place you know, Lord Kiriel?”

“No.”

“That’s a relief.”

As Kana openly expressed her relief, Kiriel tilted his head in curiosity.

“Why?”

“I prefer to quietly enjoy the scenery in places with few people. The fewer people there are, the more at ease I feel.”

“Ah, I see.”

She really likes being alone, doesn’t she? Kiriel chuckled. His gaze naturally shifted to her arm.

“What’s the basket for?”

“Snacks. Lena packed them for us to eat while flower viewing. If we get hungry, we can eat together.”

Kana smiled brightly and shook the basket. The memory of going on picnics in her original world vaguely surfaced, making her heart flutter.

“Alright.”

“Are we leaving now?”

“Yes.”

Kiriel grabbed Kana’s arm and used teleportation magic. Soon, the two of them disappeared from the guest room.

* * *

They arrived at a gentle hill covered with colorful flowers of various sizes in full bloom. The breeze tousled her light brown hair.

As Kiriel had guaranteed, there were no people, and the scenery was beautiful. Kana beamed as she looked around.

“Wow, it’s really a beautiful view! Can I summon my spirit? I think she would love it too.”

“Go ahead.”

Kana summoned Celia. As she expected, the wind spirit was very pleased.

[Kana, I thought you were busy with work, but you came to such a nice place. As expected of my partner!]

‘This is a place Kiriel told me about.’

[Hmm, that sub male lead? How unusual. But since it’s good for us, who cares? Hooray!]

Celia, like the wind spirit she was, floated in the air and then gently perched on her contractor’s shoulder.

Kiriel silently watched her as she laughed brightly, mingling with the spirit.

The sight of her light yellow dress fluttering in the wind, blending with the fully bloomed flowers, resembled a picturesque landscape.

Kana, who had been excited, suddenly remembered Kiriel, who had come with her, and snapped back to reality. She approached him again and asked.

“Oh right, where are we?”

“This is a hidden spot at the edge of the Curtis family’s territory in the southern region. I used to come here to clear my head.”

Kana was slightly taken aback by his straightforward explanation. Kiriel was not the type to share his personal places.

She awkwardly smiled as she tidied her disheveled hair.

“Oh, um. It seems like a secret place for you, Lord Kiriel. Is it okay to bring me here?”

“It’s fine. It’s not easily accessible anyway.”

“I see.”

Considering how beautiful the scenery was and how quiet the place was, his words seemed true. Kana nodded in agreement.

They sat side by side.

Kana glanced at him. Kiriel was casually brushing back his flowing golden hair.

As a sub male lead in a romance story, his appearance harmonized with the blooming flowers. He looked both elegant and radiant.

Kiriel shifted his gaze to the wind spirit perched on her shoulder.

“Is the spirit satisfied too?”

“Yes. It seems like a place rich in natural energy.”

“Indeed. Spirits can recognize it right away.”

“True. It’s good for everyone.”

“Yeah.”

Listening to his reply, Kana looked up at the sky. The clear blue sky had fluffy white clouds drifting by. She hummed a tune and spoke to herself.

“The weather is perfect for an outing.”

“I thought you liked focusing on work at the mine.”

Kiriel’s low voice startled Kana, and she waved her hands in denial.

“No way. It’s just something I have to do. I prefer having fun and doing what I want.”

“You’re quite honest.”

Kiriel chuckled as he looked at her. Kana shrugged and confessed.

“I didn’t want to say I liked work when we came here to have fun. Don’t you feel the same, Lord Kiriel?”

“Except for my areas of interest… well, sometimes a break like this isn’t bad.”

His tone had a hint of lingering sentiment. Kiriel closed his eyes briefly and then opened them slowly. Major characters often led busy lives, so it made sense.

To lighten the mood that was becoming heavy, Kana clapped her hands. Kiriel looked at her curiously. She smiled and gently shook the basket.

“…Enjoying the flowers is nice, but how about we have some snacks first?”

“Sure.”

With Kiriel’s agreement, Kana immediately set down the basket.

She opened the thin wooden lid and lifted the light green checkered cloth to reveal sandwiches, cookies, and simple snacks along with bottled drinks.

Kana handed him a sandwich and a bottle of drink first. Just as she was about to get her share, the communication orb started to glow. It was Alderaan’s code.

‘Of all times, when I’m with Kiriel. The timing is just…’

Kana’s eyes narrowed. Kiriel, unaware of who it was, looked curious and spoke plainly.

“Judging by the way the communication orb keeps blinking, it seems urgent.”

“…It looks like it. Excuse me for a moment.”

Kana activated the communication orb and spoke before Alderaan could say anything.

“Oh, Lord Alderaan. What brings you to contact me?”

Using formal speech instead of her usual casual tone was a subtle way to indicate that she couldn’t have a smooth business conversation at the moment.

While Kana focused all her attention on the communication orb, Kiriel’s handsome face subtly twisted as he inadvertently recalled the incident at the palace banquet.

Not knowing the exact situation beyond the communication orb, Alderaan played along with her tone.

— Ah, Miss Kana. Where are you?

“In the south.”

It meant it wasn’t at the Round mansion. She usually communicated with her industry friends from the mansion.

Alderaan realized she was in a situation where she couldn’t contact him.

— I see. This is sudden, but is there a number that comes to mind?

“Three.”

— Understood.

The communication abruptly ended. That number exchange was one of their code phrases. It was used among supporting characters to ask if any major characters were nearby.

Zero meant she was alone, and any other number indicated the presence of main characters or villains. Three referred to the third most important character, which in ‘Fake Saint’ meant Kiriel Curtis.

Kiriel, unaware of the hidden meaning in the conversation, was displeased with Alderaan for contacting her without any particular reason and disrupting the atmosphere. Naturally, a grumble escaped his lips.

“…Is Sir Alderaan Short contacting a busy person just to ask about a number?”

“Haha, it’s no big deal. People do that sometimes.”

Kana awkwardly laughed, trying to defend her industry friend. Kiriel squinted at her slightly embarrassed face.

“Or is there a hidden meaning?”

“Well, maybe Sir Alderaan was just curious. When people are close, they tend to share trivial things without any particular meaning.”

Kana nonchalantly deflected and pretended not to notice.

Kiriel frowned. He felt a mysterious frustration, like he was using magic that didn’t work properly. He responded sarcastically.

“Oh, so you’re that close with him. You didn’t have much interaction before the imperial banquet.”

“Getting close to someone doesn’t necessarily correlate with how long you’ve known them. It depends on how well you connect.”

Kana gently answered, softly stroking the petals of a nearby blooming flower. Kiriel couldn’t refute her reasonable words.

She glanced at his stubbornly closed lips and asked.

“Don’t you think so, Lord Kiriel?”

“…I agree to some extent.”

Kana smirked at his reluctant nod.

“We got sidetracked with the call. Let’s finish our snacks.”

“Sure.”

Kana, after confirming he was eating the snacks, picked up a sandwich. The villa’s chef had done an excellent job, as Lena had hinted.

She also picked up a cookie and tossed it to Celia. The spirit puffed up and shrank repeatedly, then opened its mouth wide to catch the cookie.

[Tasty!]

‘Glad you like it. Maybe it tastes better because we’re on an outing.’

[I agree.]

Kiriel quietly observed the warm and friendly interaction between the spirit and its contractor. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked.

“Does the spirit like cookies?”

“Yes. Eating isn’t necessary, but it’s good for relieving boredom. Celia prefers hard and sweet things like cookies.”

It had been the same since their first contract in another novel. Kana nostalgically reminisced. Although she had struggled back then, meeting her precious partner was meaningful.

Kiriel leaned toward her. While Kana blinked, he asked a curious question.

“It’s not related to the increase in spirit power?”

“No. But it might help in getting closer. People also tend to work harder when they’re in a good mood or close to someone.”

“That makes sense.”

Kiriel agreed and leaned back. The distance that had dangerously narrowed widened again.

They quietly ate their snacks while enjoying the scenery.

Celia, watching them, tilted her body.

[Wait a minute? This situation looks a lot like a date…]