When she turned her head, she saw the protagonist’s brother wearing a hood. Kana responded nonchalantly.

“It’s Young Duke Dain Serade. You recognized me despite the hood.”

“Don’t change the subject. What business does an ordinary lady have in this area?”

His golden eyes narrowed. Before Kana could respond, Alderaan, feeling indignant, interrupted.

“Can’t you see she has company?”

“Ah, Lord Alderaan Short? That’s an unexpected combination. I didn’t expect there to be another man close to you besides the Tower Master.”

Dain clicked his tongue as he looked between the two of them. Kana was displeased with him wasting their time by mentioning Kiriel but remained professional.

“That’s possible. It’s not something for you to be concerned about, Young Duke Serade.”

“No, as a friend of my sister, I must address this.”

“Oh, really.”

If Letie had seen this, she would have stopped him from acting this way. Instead of Kana, who hid her bitter feelings and responded indifferently, Alderaan gave a plausible reason.

“We were just passing through on personal business. Since we didn’t question your presence here, let’s pretend we didn’t see each other.”

“Agreed. We’ll excuse ourselves first.”

Kana exchanged a glance with Alderaan and turned her back on the protagonist’s brother. As they exited the alley, Alderaan asked discreetly,

“Miss Kana, what’s your history with Young Duke Serade?”

“We had some friction while I was working with Lady Letie. If he’s not holding a grudge, he’s probably being protective of the protagonist and wary of my actions.”

Kana speculated, counting the reasons on her fingers.

In novels with the keyword ‘regret,’ main characters often neglected the protagonist until she decided to leave, only to desperately cling to her at the last moment.

Dain Serade was similar. He should have treated her well from the start. Her belief was that people don’t change.

Alderaan clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“Ugh, whatever the reason, it’s ridiculous and annoying.”

“I agree. Let’s ignore him and finish our work.”

Kana shrugged it off. Though Dain Serade was the protagonist’s family, he wasn’t the main male lead, sub male lead, or the villain. Therefore, he wasn’t someone they needed to focus on.

Alderaan, aware of this, concentrated on their task.

“Next is near the clock tower?”

“Yes. We’ll also test spirit communication there.”

“Sounds good.”

He readily accepted her suggestion. They headed towards the clock tower. Walking in step with his industry friend, Alderaan suddenly asked,

“Miss Kana, we’ve walked quite a bit. Are your legs alright?”

“Of course. That’s why I built up my stamina.”

Kana jumped in place to show her energy. Alderaan, observing her closely, said,

“Still, if your feet start to hurt, please let me know. Your shoes must be uncomfortable as well.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

They exchanged light conversation as they reached the area near the clock tower. The old-fashioned tower, with a large clock at the top, exuded a sturdy, ancient tree-like atmosphere.

Kana removed the pure pearl ring from her finger and handed it to Alderaan. He carefully took it and asked,

“Is this the pure pearl infused with Gnome?”

“Yes, that’s right. Lord Alderaan, do you have the auxiliary magic tool?”

“Of course.”

“Then, since we need to test communication from a distance, going up the clock tower…”

As Kana glanced at the towering clock tower and trailed off, Alderaan volunteered.

“I’ll do it.”

“Alright. I’ll wait below.”

Kana found a suitable spot below the clock tower. Alderaan left his industry friend behind and climbed the tower.

She stroked the pure pearl in her necklace, waiting for his voice. Just as she yawned slowly, his voice came through her mind.

‘[Testing, testing. Round, can you hear me?]’

‘[Yes, I hear you. Have you already reached the top of the clock tower?]’

Kana chuckled softly. Alderaan responded playfully.

‘[I moved faster so you wouldn’t get bored waiting.]’

‘[Can’t argue with that. How’s the view from the tower?]’

‘[It’s great. Worth seeing. Ah, I can see you down there, too.]’

Alderaan whistled. Kana, holding the pure pearl in her necklace, said,

‘[It’s no wonder this place is part of the route. Communication seems smooth, which is a relief.]’

‘[Yes. You said the range was sufficient, so there shouldn’t be any issues even if we’re farther apart.]’

‘[Let’s run a few more simple tests.]’

‘[Got it.]’

After Alderaan agreed, a familiar male voice interrupted her from behind.

“Miss Kana, what are you doing here?”

When she turned around, she saw Kiriel standing right beside her, wearing a white robe embroidered with gold thread.

Kana, managing spirits and focusing on communication, didn’t notice his approach. She calmly responded without showing her surprise.

“Lord Kiriel, what brings you here?”

“I was on my way back from official business at the palace and saw you, so I came over.”

Kiriel shrugged nonchalantly. He had been looking out the carriage window when he spotted her standing by the clock tower.

Though other people were passing by and she blended into the scenery, she caught his eye immediately.

He sent his carriage away and rushed over. Kiriel scrutinized her face, but her professional smile revealed nothing.

Suddenly, Alderaan’s voice came through her mind.

‘[What happened? The communication cut off. Is there a problem?]’

‘[No, Kiriel suddenly appeared.]’

Distracted by the sudden appearance of the sub male lead, her focus had broken and communication had stopped.

Kana quickly explained to her industry friend. Alderaan clicked his tongue.

‘[Tsk, of all times to run into him while working. How annoying. We’ve confirmed the spirit communication, so I’ll come down now.]’

‘[Alright.]’

After responding to her industry friend, Kana smiled gently at Kiriel.

“I see.”

“Yes. Now that I’ve answered, tell me what you’re doing.”

Kiriel stared at her intently. She awkwardly replied, looking into his heated purple eyes.

“I was training in spirit magic.”

“Training? Alone, in a place like this?”

Kiriel looked around, clearly skeptical. It didn’t seem like an excuse, but it was hard to believe. Kana responded calmly.

“Yes, I was practicing managing multiple spirits simultaneously. And technically, I’m not alone. I have company.”

“Company?”

Kiriel tilted his head. Just then, Alderaan descended the clock tower and approached them.

Kiriel’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the approaching man. Alderaan ignored the Tower Master’s sharp gaze and tossed the pure pearl ring to his industry friend.

“Miss Kana, the test was successful.”

“That’s a relief. Thank you for your help, Lord Alderaan.”

Kana caught the ring gracefully. Alderaan smiled warmly and waved it off.

“You’re welcome. We’re helping each other out.”

“That’s right.”

Kana smiled back. Kiriel frowned at their oddly familiar interaction and finally intervened.

“Miss Kana, your company was Lord Alderaan?”

“Yes.”

When Kana confirmed, Alderaan greeted the sub male lead courteously.

“Ah, the Tower Master is here too. Hello.”

“Hello.”

Kiriel nodded indifferently. Though his attitude was starkly different, the two supporting characters, knowing his personality, didn’t react much.

Kiriel grumbled, looking at her with a hint of disappointment.

“If it was about spirit magic, you could have asked me.”

“You’re a busy person, Lord Kiriel. It would be impolite to call you for personal and trivial matters.”

Kana politely but firmly shook her head. Her firm stance left him feeling a bit dejected, and he muttered quietly.

“Still, if you called me, I would have made time.”

“I appreciate the thought. Besides, this was something that aligned with Lord Alderaan’s objectives as well…”

Kana left no room for argument. Alderaan silently nodded in agreement. Kiriel hesitated before speaking.

“…So, the spirit magic training was secondary.”

“Yes, something like that.”

With Kana’s response, an awkward silence enveloped the three of them. The men, in particular, felt the tension.

As she pondered how to break the uncomfortable atmosphere, Kiriel spoke first.

“So, are you two going to keep walking around?”

“We planned to walk to a nearby teahouse, take a break, and then head to the central plaza’s carriage service to part ways.”

Kana explained honestly, fidgeting with her folded fan. Kiriel’s eyes lit up as if he had been waiting for this.

“Then I’ll join you.”

“Pardon?”

“Instead of walking, I’ll use teleportation magic to take us to the central plaza’s carriage service.”

It was a reasonable suggestion. They had already discussed work-related matters while walking, so they planned to purely relax at the teahouse.

Kana glanced at her industry friend before answering. Alderaan gave a nonchalant nod of approval. With his consent, she agreed readily.

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

She found herself walking with her industry friend and the Tower Master on either side.