7. The Sub Male Lead and the Supporting Character

Usually, such a question would be asked with a fluttering heart and shyness, but her voice was businesslike and dry. Although he had seen many ladies reveal their feelings to him, this was the first time he encountered such a situation.

Kiriel felt a sudden pang in his chest as he looked into her cool and calm green eyes. He was flustered and could only move his lips without speaking before denying it almost reflexively.

“No.”

“Then that’s good.”

Her relaxing expression contrasted sharply with his handsome face, which twisted in confusion. He even witnessed her openly feeling relieved amidst his turmoil.

Unaware of his swirling emotions, Kana merely guessed based on his outward expression.

‘Wow, no matter how much he’s meant to fall for the female protagonist… it must have been an absurd question to make him frown like that. It was an unnecessary worry.’

Although leaving a potential issue unchecked could lead to star rating deductions, the embarrassment was fleeting.

She steeled herself and asked one more question to confirm.

“Lord Kiriel, I’m really curious, why did you protect me first earlier?”

“You were the first one I saw and the closest.”

“Ah, I see.”

To her ears, it sounded like there was no special reason, unrelated to the cause of her star rating deduction. Firmly misunderstanding, Kana finished her judgment, feeling awkward.

“I’m sorry, Lord Kiriel. I must have startled you with my sudden questions at night?”

“No, I…”

“I fully understand if you feel displeased. Now that I know for sure, I won’t ask such questions again.”

Kana smiled gently and clenched her fist as she assured him. Kiriel, seeing her smile as if a heavy burden had been lifted, was left speechless.

He stared at her blankly before finally managing to speak.

“…Is it such a happy thing?”

“Well, it’s more of a relief than happiness.”

Kana carefully chose her words, tapping her fingers on the window sill. Kiriel’s eyes narrowed.

“A relief?”

“Yes. You answered a sensitive question nicely. I’m just glad it went smoothly.”

In truth, Kana had prepared herself to hear unpleasant things when she decided to probe his true feelings.

Typically, main characters with a prickly disposition would lash out and rage the moment they realized a mere supporting character was probing them.

At least Kiriel, despite denying it, didn’t insult her for daring to test him.

With the potential issue resolved and the situation smoothly passing, Kana was quite satisfied.

Kiriel made a sour face.

“Did you think I’d get annoyed over a single question, Miss Kana?”

“No. I didn’t mean it that way; it’s just a sensitive topic for anyone.”

Kana replied skillfully and nonchalantly. Kiriel reluctantly agreed, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

She looked out the window again. Kiriel, unable to endure the silence, blurted out anything to break it.

“So, uh, are you okay from the shock of the attack earlier?”

“Yes. I rested well and now I feel better. I also have a feeling things will be resolved well.”

“…I see.”

With nothing more to say, Kiriel closed his mouth. Kana, wanting to ease his awkwardness, decided to leave first.

“Lord Kiriel, I’ll head back now.”

“Huh?”

“Have a good night.”

Kana waved to him and walked away lightly. Kiriel stared blankly at her retreating figure.

Back in her room, Kana summoned her spirit. She began speaking to her partner, whose round eyes sparkled.

‘Celia, I ran into Kiriel in the hallway and talked to him.’

[Wow, what timing. So, did you manage to probe him?]

Celia’s voice was filled with curiosity and anticipation. Kana shrugged and answered.

‘Yes. I straight-up asked if he liked me, and he said no.’

[Unbelievable. A prickly sub male lead wouldn’t be kind to someone unless he loved them.]

‘Well, if I were the female protagonist, that would make sense. But he outright denied it to a supporting character, so it’s not love. I even asked why he saved me, and he said it was because I was the first he saw and was close by.’

Celia’s eyes turned into slits at Kana’s detailed explanation.

[Hmm, it’s unsettling, but we should let it go for now and watch carefully from now on.]

‘Yeah. I’ll keep a proper distance and monitor him. It would be troublesome if my star rating drops again.’

Kana sighed. Despite risking herself to find out his feelings, she only lost a lot of star ratings. It was an expensive price to pay for a single question.

[Alright. Do as you wish, my contractor.]

‘Yes.’

Kana fell asleep with her spirit by her side.

* * *

The next day, they gathered in the room where they had talked the day before. Letie cautiously spoke first, scanning the group.

“Did everyone sleep well?”

“Actually, I couldn’t sleep, so I ended up looking at the moon through the window. What about you, Lady Letie?”

Letie smiled awkwardly at Kana’s honest answer and confessed.

“I couldn’t sleep either, so I took a night walk. If I had known you were awake, I would have invited you to join me…”

“It’s okay. Thank you for saying that.”

Kana smiled faintly, declining. The female protagonist’s night walk referred to the time she spent in the garden with the male lead. Kana didn’t want to intrude on their moment.

Richard, who had been quietly watching their conversation, cleared his throat.

“Ahem. We didn’t finish our discussion yesterday, but I plan to investigate the attackers. I’ve also listened to Lady Letie’s thoughts and might seek the Master of the Magic Tower’s cooperation if necessary.”

“I see.”

Having already guessed through the information in ‘Fake Saint,’ Kana nodded politely. Richard alternated his gaze between her and Kiriel before continuing.

“Anyway, based on the revealed circumstances and my own deductions, Lady Round isn’t involved. I suspected you because you were the first to mention the possibility of an attack. I apologize for that.”

“As I said yesterday, I fully understand.”

Kana graciously accepted his apology. In fact, it was surprising that the male lead would apologize to a supporting character.

‘Hmm, he’s somewhat generous to supporting characters.’

While Kana was assessing this, Kiriel spoke up more assertively than the person involved.

“You’ve made the right decision, Your Highness. You should help Miss Kana later, not just let this slide.”

“…I will.”

Richard accepted awkwardly. Kana wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but Kiriel’s forceful demeanor made her hold back.

Letie clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention.

“So, we might have to return to the capital earlier than planned. Is everyone okay with that?”

“I agree.”

Everyone, including Kana, agreed, deciding to return to the capital earlier as in the original story.

They had a light meal together and sipped tea before boarding the carriage.

Inside the carriage heading to the southern teleportation magic circle, Letie kept glancing at Kana. She smiled gently at the female protagonist.

“Lady Letie, do you have something to say to me?”

“Yes. But it’s not something to discuss here… I’ll tell you another time.”

Letie hesitated. With Richard and Kiriel present, she couldn’t probe whether Kana had regressed. Kana didn’t mind.

“Alright.”

“Aren’t you curious about what I want to say?”

“No. I’ll wait until you tell me at the right time.”

As long as it didn’t cause her star rating to drop, Kana didn’t care. Letie wouldn’t say anything bad to someone she recognized as a friend.

Kiriel found it somewhat pleasing that Kana remained indifferent even to Letie, who was usually treated softly. He added, trying to be kind.

“Give up, Lady Serade. Miss Kana isn’t very curious. She just goes with the flow, even if something happens.”

“…Oh, okay.”

Letie laughed awkwardly. The atmosphere became tense, but they soon arrived at the southern teleportation magic circle. Thanks to Kiriel, they could move to the Magic Tower without any hassle.

Upon arriving at the Magic Tower’s grounds, the main characters exchanged greetings and left together.

Kiriel, glancing at Kana who was calmly adjusting her clothes, spoke tentatively.

“Miss Kana, your schedule must be disrupted. Should I take you home?”

“It’s fine. I informed a maid at the mansion before leaving, so a carriage will come soon.”

“…Oh, I see. You’re very thorough.”

Kiriel clicked his tongue, impressed by her meticulous preparation. Though he found it surprising, Kana had simply taken precautions as a supporting character with no one to look after her. She responded with a businesslike smile.

“Of course. You must be busy too, Lord Kiriel. You should go inside.”

“No, I’ll wait until you leave.”

Feeling a sudden stubbornness, Kiriel insisted on escorting her to the front of the Magic Tower. Shortly after, the Round family’s carriage arrived.

As she was about to board the carriage, Kiriel instinctively grabbed her wrist.

“Wait a moment.”

Kana’s eyes widened in surprise. Realizing what he had done, Kiriel quickly released her wrist. Kana moved her wrist around before looking directly at him.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“Do you have any plans?”

“No. I left my schedule open since I was supposed to stay there.”

It was an unusually clumsy question from him. Kana answered, puzzled. Kiriel, unaware he was rambling, made up a suitable excuse.

“Me too. So, why don’t you visit the Magic Tower? We need to adjust your auxiliary magic tools.”