[Yes.]

‘Of course, I remember. It was a historic moment when I, who had no abilities, gained my first power and met a reliable partner. You directly asked me to become your contractor.’

[I felt we would be a good match, so I was in a hurry. In the end, my choice was right. You’re an amazing contractor!]

‘As expected of my partner, you have excellent judgment.’

Kana and Celia laughed as they complimented each other based on their memories. While they were enjoying their harmonious time, Evie and Olivia arrived at the garden, guided by a servant.

Kana adjusted her attire and greeted them with a gentle smile.

“Miss Evie, Miss Olivia. Welcome.”

“Miss Kana, thank you for inviting us.”

Evie and Olivia greeted her with smiling faces. While Kana seated them in their respective places, a waiting maid brought a trolley with pre-prepared refreshments, placed them on the table, and withdrew.

The lively Olivia spoke first.

“Although we’ve exchanged letters occasionally, it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

“That’s right. We’ve all been busy, so we haven’t had much time to meet. How have you all been?”

Kana carefully observed her guests’ faces. Olivia’s eyes sparkled as she responded positively.

“Absolutely. I’ve been busy attending social gatherings.”

“I’ve also attended some gatherings but mostly focused on my hobbies. How about you, Miss Kana?”

Evie answered calmly and looked at the host. Kana paused briefly before responding smoothly.

“I’ve been handling official matters and training in spirit summoning.”

“Come to think of it, Miss Kana, you’re always diligently training. Have you made any progress?”

Olivia’s eyes were filled with curiosity. She was a bit surprised and deeply impressed by Kana’s consistent training. Kana smiled and shared her situation.

“Yes. The spirit’s rank has increased by one level, and I’ve obtained a good auxiliary magic tool. The training hours have extended as I adapt to it.”

“Wow, I heard it’s really hard to raise the rank of a contracted spirit… Miss Kana, you have both talent and dedication. As expected, a great spirit summoner has a different mindset!”

Evie sincerely admired and praised Kana. Her lines were typically used by supporting characters to praise the main characters.

‘These are the kind of compliments I often use to lift up my work subjects. Now I’m hearing them myself.’

She chuckled softly at the familiar lines. Unaware of this, Evie mistook her soft laughter for a mix of happiness and slight embarrassment.

Kana waved her hand lightly, being modest.

“You’re too kind, Miss Evie.”

“Miss Kana, at times like this, you should proudly accept the praise.”

“You’re all flattering me too much.”

Kana pretended to be embarrassed by Olivia’s playful comment. They created a warm atmosphere by complimenting each other.

When the conversation reached a lull, Olivia, who had been timing her words, cautiously spoke.

“By the way, did you all hear the news? There’s a complicated matter with the Serade family. The imperial family is involved, and the Curtis family is also looking into it.”

“Oh, no wonder Lady Letie seemed tired…”

Kana pretended to be unaware, although she knew the internal affairs of the Serade family through ‘Fake Saint.’ Olivia shook her head and continued.

“I heard Lady Cordelia Serade acted rashly, and Lady Letie had to clean up the mess.”

“Hopefully, things like that won’t happen again.”

“Right.”

Kana and Evie’s responses were calm. Unlike Olivia, who held the position of a well-informed character close to the female protagonist, the two of them were quiet supporting characters who highlighted important moments.

Olivia continued without minding their reactions.

“Speaking of the imperial family, that reminds me. I heard from some noblewomen recently… There’s a rumor that the Crown Prince will be decided around the winter ball or shortly after.”

“Oh, really?”

Kana widened her eyes in feigned surprise. Olivia looked around and lowered her voice.

“Yes. Among the nobles, it seems that the First Prince is the likely candidate. It’s said he has the Empress’s favor and his faction slightly surpasses that of the Second Prince.”

“I see.”

Already knowing the ending, Kana was indifferent.

Regardless of the process, the winner was the male protagonist. Although the First Prince held a more advantageous position, he, being a shallow villain, couldn’t endure his impatience and openly checked the Second Prince.

The Second Prince gathered evidence of his attacks and used it to topple him. Additionally, he gained the support of the heirs of the four major families, including Letie.

Olivia’s eyes sparkled as she looked back and forth between Kana and Evie.

“What do you all think?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, it depends on His Majesty’s decision and the abilities of the princes, doesn’t it? The winter ball is far off, and so is the founding festival.”

Evie responded with an awkward smile, and Kana gave a vague answer. Olivia, not getting the desired reaction from them, eagerly grabbed onto the new topic of the ‘founding festival.’

“Ah, even if it seems far off, time will fly by if we stay busy. I’m already looking forward to it. I heard there are many romantic moments during the festival.”

“I also think it will be a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Evie responded with a slightly excited voice and smiled bashfully. Olivia glanced at Kana, who was quietly sipping her tea.

“What about you, Miss Kana?”

“I’m looking forward to it as well. During the founding festival, I plan to enjoy the festivities comfortably.”

Kana answered in a slightly trembling voice, feigning excitement. Contrary to her outward appearance, her eyes were emotionless. She had already experienced numerous festivals while working.

Sometimes she couldn’t even enjoy the festival, buried in her assigned role, and other times she had to perform her duties while pretending to enjoy the festival to monitor the work subjects.

‘This time, I’ll observe the flow.’

As Olivia said, wouldn’t there be a romantic atmosphere during the festival? Since her star rating had dropped, she needed to keep an eye on the situation during the founding festival as well.

Olivia leaned towards Kana, her eyes sparkling.

“Do you have plans to go with anyone?”

“…I don’t have any specific plans.”

Kana responded with an awkward smile. She needed to discreetly check the movements of the main characters, so who could she take along?

Even if she ran into the subjects she needed to check, she had to pretend it was a coincidence and act as naturally as possible. Having a companion would only restrict her movements.

Being alone was the most convenient, but if she had to have a companion, the best option was her colleague from the industry.

The next best option was a kind and gentle supporting character who would follow her lead, or someone with a considerate personality who wouldn’t delve deeply into her actions.

Olivia visibly deflated and mumbled.

“I see. It sounds like my brother’s reaction. Now I understand why he feels a sense of kinship with you, Miss Kana.”

“Really? I’m curious about the similarities between Lord Alderaan and me that you see, Miss Olivia.”

Kana’s lips curved slightly with interest. Olivia blinked and then cheerfully chattered.

“First, you both focus on training and work, and the way you both hold back when asked something, saying you’re thinking about it. Recently, my brother’s personality seems to have changed a bit, but the basic tone seems similar.”

“Necessary tasks must be done. It’s better than fooling around, isn’t it?”

“…That’s true.”

Olivia didn’t like training or work and preferred being surrounded by people rather than spending time alone.

She was more inclined to make spontaneous decisions rather than thinking things through and preferred talking over holding back. Her answers usually came out immediately.

Evie smiled softly at Olivia.

“Perhaps holding back means they’re thinking deeply. I also don’t give immediate answers unless I’m certain, like Miss Kana or Lord Alderaan.”

“Everyone has different tendencies, so it’s natural.”

“I agree.”

As Kana and Evie exchanged words, Olivia nodded, somewhat bewildered.

After the tea time ended, the two guests left.

Kana scanned the garden once more. The low-level earth spirit was still peeking around. She took out a spirit stone from her subspace and placed it in front of the flowers where the earth spirit was hiding.

The spirit cautiously observed Kana before nibbling on the spirit stone. Considering the spirit’s timid nature, Kana kept her distance and smiled.

‘A new contract might be worth trying.’

Kana decided to approach it slowly and steadily.

* * *

Kiriel had another strange dream. This time, specific scenes unfolded before his eyes as if he were watching a play as a third party.

A gray street with human-shaped black shadows walking slowly. A massive building, the only thing in color. The shadows lined up orderly and entered the building.

What first caught his eye were the densely packed books everywhere, unfamiliar types of magic circles between them, and slowly moving white cloth dolls.

The murmuring of the shadows was faintly audible. Even though the scene was right in front of him, his ears felt blocked, and the sound didn’t reach him. The only thing he could barely make out was someone saying they didn’t want to work.

‘…Work? Where is this? A library?’

While he speculated, the cloth dolls guided the shadows one by one, taking books from the shelves and handing them to the shadows standing before the magic circles.

The titles of the books and the symbols engraved on the magic circles appeared blurry, like letters soaked in water. Kiriel frowned in frustration.

‘Why are the parts I’m curious about so unclear?’