It was the second day of the Foundation Festival. Kana, who had been resting comfortably on the sofa in the morning, finished preparing to go out. Celia, who had once again permeated the pure pearl, asked to confirm,

[Kana, how did you say the flow of the second day goes?]

‘Letie ends up going out with Dain and Cordelia unexpectedly, but while they’re wandering around, Cordelia suddenly collapses, and the atmosphere becomes chaotic.’

The unlikely combination of these three characters was the result of a casual remark by Duke Serade and Dain’s initiative.

Dain had directly declared that he would take responsibility and try to improve the relationship between the siblings by spending time together. Unfortunately, despite his good intentions, it ended up fizzling out.

Meanwhile, Cordelia’s collapse was the result of her failed attempt to secretly curse her half-sister through a dangerous lesser-known curse using tea and a hairpin-shaped magical tool.

It was a backfire from Letie’s response, who had been watching the situation closely due to experiencing a similar attack before the regression.

In the end, this incident led Cordelia to suffer both the backlash received by the caster and the damage inflicted on the curse’s target, gradually weakening her healing abilities until they were eventually lost.

Moreover, the pendant, which was her mother’s keepsake and had the function of protecting its recognized owner while evoking people’s goodwill, cracked and broke, causing its effects to diminish.

She had paved her own path to destruction due to unnecessary greed and inferiority complex.

It was Celia’s voice that pulled Kana out of her reverie.

[Yes. And then?]

‘Dain uses his healing ability on the collapsed Cordelia, but it doesn’t work well, so he suggests to Letie that they all return to the townhouse together, but Letie refuses, so only those two characters return first.’

[So that’s how the female lead ends up alone.]

‘Yes, Letie, left alone, gets pickpocketed in the crowd and chases after the thief, then runs into Kiriel near the clock tower. That’s how the two characters end up spending time together.’

Kana finished her explanation briefly, focusing on the key points. Celia muttered with a strange tone in her voice.

[Hmm, it feels a bit flimsy when you think about it, doesn’t it?]

‘Really? I don’t think it particularly lacks plausibility. Realistically speaking, it seems like something that could happen if the circumstances align.’

[I suppose you’re right.]

Celia agreed and moved on. Kana gently caressed the pure pearl ring, intending to encourage her partner.

She left the mansion and wandered around the main street area like on the first day.

It wasn’t long before Kana spotted the Serade siblings. Although they were quite far from her, she could quickly recognize them because the two red hair and one pink hair stood out particularly.

They were awkwardly conversing and looking at items in front of a shop selling accessories and other miscellaneous goods.

Kana confirmed that Dain was handing out various accessories to his siblings and informed her industry friend who would be in the outskirts of the capital.

‘[Alderaan, I’ve spotted the female lead’s group in the shopping area. Cordelia is still fine. Anyway, it seems to be progressing as per the flow.]’

‘[That’s good. It’s the same here. The mages from the magic tower are gathered and working, and Kiriel occasionally shows his face.]’

‘[Oh, really?]’

It was typical of him to act properly when needed, despite his usually capricious behavior. Alderaan affirmed and continued.

‘[Yes, they said that once everything is finished, Kiriel and some other mages will move to the area near the clock tower to enhance the effect. If there are no problems, No. 1 and No. 3 should meet naturally.]’

‘[I see.]’

‘[Let me know if there’s anything else to report. You too, give me a heads up if you think there might be a problem. I won’t be surprised even if unexpected situations arise.]’

‘[Understood.]’

As Kana finished her conversation with Alderaan and was about to quietly leave while pretending to look around, Dain and Letie spotted her and approached.

With two members of their group gone, even Cordelia, who found Kana uncomfortable due to her closeness with her half-sister, reluctantly came along.

Even though Letie was bound to Dain and Cordelia as family, from her perspective, it was an uncomfortable relationship. Especially with her half-sister.

Letie, who had been suppressing her frustrating feelings with superhuman patience, brightened up upon seeing her friend.

“Wow, Miss Kana. We meet again today.”

“Indeed. I’m glad to run into you again. Did you have a good time with Duke Cardium yesterday?”

Kana deliberately mentioned Ethan. Recognizing her intention, Letie chuckled softly and nodded.

“Yes. We were both busy so we couldn’t spend much time together, but it was nice. How about you, Miss Kana?”

“I enjoyed myself too. I wandered around and even met some close young ladies and played together. I think it was more refreshing and fun because it wasn’t an intended meeting.”

“Oh my, I heard about it from Miss Olivia yesterday. She said you were incredibly good at darts and gave everyone prize dolls?”

Letie recalled Olivia, whom she had accidentally met yesterday. She kept praising Letie and Ethan being together, then revealed the origin of the doll she was holding with a broad smile.

‘Indeed, even among supporting characters, the female lead’s informant is different. As expected of Olivia.’

Kana was taken aback by how quickly the news had spread, then smiled shyly while playing with the ends of her hair.

“Oh my, I feel embarrassed when you praise me like that. It was just luck.”

“Miss Kana, you’re always so modest.”

The two looked at each other and smiled. The atmosphere, which had been tense and awkward throughout, suddenly became warm and friendly.

Surprised by this, Dain, who had been absentmindedly listening to their conversation, gathered his wits and abruptly interjected.

“Is Lady Round wandering alone without any companions?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, if you’re lonely being alone, you could join us.”

His tone was as if he was bestowing a favor. Kana could clearly see through his intentions — he either wanted to keep her around out of boredom or have her mediate the uncomfortable atmosphere between the half-sisters.

‘If I’m here, when Letie is left alone, she might try to hang out with me instead of joining Kiriel. After all, it’s more comfortable to spend time with someone familiar and close. Is this a high-level work interference?’

She inwardly scoffed and flatly refused.

“It’s fine. Although I’m playing separately for a while, I do have companions.”

“The Tower Master?”

Dain’s golden eyes narrowed. Contrary to his guess, Kana had her industry friend in mind when she said that. She countered with a question.

“…Don’t you already know that the Magic Tower and its head are busy during the Foundation Festival period?”

“So it’s not him then.”

“Yes. I’m not sure why you keep mentioning him whenever you see me, Young Duke Serade, but I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from making remarks that might be disrespectful to both parties.”

Kana drew a clear line. She was annoyed by his behavior of subtly belittling Kiriel and, intentionally or not, trying to mess things up.

Unlike Letie and Dain, Cordelia, who couldn’t join the conversation, was afraid that Kana might join their group and disrupt her plans.

She nervously fiddled with the hairpin-shaped magical tool decorating her hair and the pendant that was her mother’s keepsake, then seized the lull in the conversation to interject.

“Ahem, Brother Dain. Lady Round said she has companions, so let’s move on.”

“Cordelia.”

“Oh come on, you said it was family time, didn’t you? Lady Round might feel burdened too. Besides, she said she has companions even if they’re separated right now.”

Cordelia opposed Dain with an innocent face, trying to curry favor. Despite being on different sides, her interests aligned with Kana’s. Kana subtly added,

“It’s as Lady Cordelia Serade says. While it’s fine for me to spend time alone with Lady Letie, I’m not close enough with the rest of you to do so.”

“That’s right. I don’t want to unnecessarily drag Miss Kana into our ‘family’ matters.”

There was a sharp edge to Letie’s words. Knowing her circumstances, Kana gave a gentle smile to the female protagonist who was being considerate of her.

Faced with his sisters’ opposition, Dain reluctantly backed down.

“Alright.”

“Then I’ll be going ahead. I hope the three of you have a cozy time together.”

After exchanging formal greetings, she sent a final glance to Letie, mixing caution and encouragement, before moving away from them.

‘Wow, I almost ruined the job and lost some star ratings.’

Kana let out a sigh of relief as she calmed her pounding heart, then casually mentioned to her industry friend.

‘[Alderaan, earlier when Dain asked me to join them, I vaguely said I had companions without specifying…]’

‘[You mean I should also make up something appropriate if problems arise? We’ll coordinate our stories as needed.]’

‘[Exactly.]’

‘[Don’t worry about that. Improvisation is one of the virtues of a supporting character isn’t it?]’

‘[You’re right.]’

Kana found herself smiling without realizing it. As she walked through the gaps in the crowd, she spotted Evie standing alone in a distant corner with a blank expression. At first glance, she looked like someone who had been stood up.

Evie was listlessly fidgeting with her fingers when her eyes met Kana’s. Her wavering blue eyes suddenly widened.

“Miss Kana?”