The time flew by as Kana arranged the spirit summoner guilds she had listed, coordinated schedules with Kiriel who promised to accompany her, and focused on her tasks.

The main story of ‘Fake Saint’ was also nearing its end.

As the Second Prince’s tea party approached, an invitation from the First Prince also arrived, just as Kiriel had casually mentioned.

She recalled the reactions of other characters who were buzzing about this sudden event.

“Oh my, did everyone see the invitation from His Highness the First Prince?”

“Of course. I received one too. It seems he’s hosting it together with Lady Cordelia Serade, doesn’t it?”

“It looks like they deliberately scheduled it to overlap. Perhaps it’s aimed at His Highness the Second Prince and Lady Letie?”

“That’s probably it. So, what is everyone planning to do?”

“Naturally, we should respond to the invitation we received first.”

“I’m planning to do the same.”

The young ladies of the female protagonist’s faction, including her, all firmly decided to attend the tea party hosted jointly by the Second Prince and Letie.

* * *

At last, the day of the protagonists’ tea party arrived. Kana dressed up a bit more lavishly than usual and tidied her appearance.

After confirming that Celia and Gnome had seeped into the pure pearl of her accessory, she left the mansion and departed.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, the servants and knights of the Second Prince’s palace checked the invitations and guided them in one by one. As mentioned in the story, the palace where the male protagonist resided was located in a somewhat remote area.

Upon reaching the venue for the tea party, the splendid and majestic decorations caught her eye first. Kana lightly scanned her surroundings.

‘There are those who are here to spy or just attend without any particular thoughts… but most are supporters of the Second Prince or those friendly to Letie.’

Alderaan was standing with nobles of similar rank, and Seria was surrounded by other nobles. As she exchanged brief eye greetings with her industry friend, Seria approached her.

“So Lady Round came as well.”

“Of course. Young Marquis Hail, you’re here to see Lady Letie, right?”

“Yes. It would have been nice if Liriel came too. But she’s holed up in her workshop due to personal reasons, so I couldn’t bring myself to urge her to attend.”

“Haha.”

Kana awkwardly laughed as she watched Seria shaking her head. Seria casually changed the subject.

“Still, it’s nice to see a familiar face. How’s your spirit magic training going?”

“Well, it’s naturally slow progress, so I’m always diligently working at it.”

“That’s an admirable attitude. I’m sure you’ll achieve great things.”

“Thank you. I hope so too.”

After finishing her small talk with Seria, Kana naturally joined the group of young ladies gathered nearby. They all welcomed her with smiles.

“Oh, Miss Kana. Welcome.”

“Thank you, everyone. I’m grateful for your warm welcome. It feels reassuring and nice to be all together like this.”

“I feel the same way.”

As she exchanged light conversation with the young ladies with a smiling face, Kiriel also arrived. Walking with long strides, he exuded his usual confident and relaxed aura.

“Wow, I was surprised to see Young Marquis Hail attend, but even the Tower Master is here.”

“My, following Young Marquis Hail, even that Tower Master is attending. I’m glad I came to this tea party.”

“It’s truly surprising. I thought he wouldn’t attend at all due to his work and ambiguous position.”

Everyone at the tea party buzzed at the sight of him. Kiriel, ignoring the gazes and conversations of others, searched for only one person.

Soon, after spotting Kana among the group of young ladies, Kiriel waved with a broad smile. She responded with a slight bow amidst the puzzled characters.

He approached her openly, his eyes twinkling.

“Miss Kana, so you were here.”

“Yes, Lord Kiriel. You really did attend, I see.”

“Of course. We promised to meet here, didn’t we?”

Kiriel raised the corners of his mouth, blatantly flaunting his closeness with her. Enough to make the
onlookers flinch. Kana smiled awkwardly, feeling the focus of attention.

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Yes, and on that note, would you like to stay together during the tea party?”

At Kiriel’s words, delivered in a low voice, the eyes of the young ladies around them grew wide. Kana, receiving their intrigued gazes all at once, politely declined in a roundabout way.

“Um, I think others might feel left out if I monopolize your time, Lord Kiriel.”

“What does that matter? You’re a big part of why I’m attending.”

Kiriel fixed his gaze solely on her, smiling with his eyes. The sound of someone whistling and the young ladies’ exclamations of admiration mixed and reached her ears.

Kana glanced around and cleared her throat politely.

“Ahem, and I promised to stay with the other young ladies.”

“Ladies, would it be a problem if I took Miss Kana away?”

Uncharacteristically, Kiriel smiled brightly as he looked at each of the young ladies around her. Momentarily enchanted by his face, they blurted out without thinking.

“Oh, we don’t mind at all.”

“Everyone says it’s fine. What do you think?”

Kiriel smiled brightly at Kana. His handsome features made him shine almost blindingly. He looked quite natural wielding his charm offensive.

Kana reflexively rubbed her temples.

“…No, this is cheating.”

“Isn’t it natural to use everything at your disposal to achieve what you want?”

“You’re really incorrigible. Still, it’s inconvenient right now. Let’s talk after the tea party is over.”

Kana restrained his forward behavior. As a supporting character, she needed to respond well to the protagonists’ engagement announcement.

Being with Kiriel could interfere with her work in various ways.

Kiriel recalled how she became passive particularly in matters related to Letie or the Second Prince.

Perhaps, like himself, she might have some unspoken constraints. He decided to resolve his doubts after the tea party and stepped back.

“Can’t be helped then. It’s disappointing, but I’ll respect your wishes.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Kana smiled gently. Kiriel nodded and moved towards where the male nobles were gathered. Of course, it was a position where he could still observe her from time to time.

After he left, the young ladies in the same group surrounded her as if they had been waiting. They spoke excitedly with sparkling eyes.

“Oh my, what’s this all about!”

“Miss Kana, you said you’re just a light acquaintance from official business. But it doesn’t seem that way at all!”

“That’s right. I’ve never seen the Tower Master act like that before. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“He seemed very conscious of you, Miss Kana!”

“Everyone, please calm down. Lord Kiriel was just playing a light joke.”

Kana’s attempt at damage control had the opposite effect. The young ladies’ eyes widened.

“…What? That’s surprising in its own way!”

“That’s right. He’s not the type to do that.”

“Miss Kana, you don’t need to be so shy. Everyone develops from light acquaintances to deeper relationships.”

“Oh come on, that’s too much of a leap. I understand you’re excited, but there are other protagonists for today’s tea party. It would be better if everyone calmed down a bit.”

As Kana was trying to calm the young ladies while breaking out in a cold sweat, Richard appeared escorting Letie. All the guests, including her, bowed to greet him.

“We greet Your Highness the Second Prince!”

“Everyone, please stand up and raise your heads.”

Richard lightly waved his hand. As everyone followed his words, he slowly opened his mouth while carefully observing the crowd.

“Despite various circumstances, I’m grateful to everyone for attending and gracing this tea party of mine and Lady Letie’s. I hope you all have a pleasant time.”

“Yes.”

The atmosphere among the responding nobles became solemn. They were aware of the First Prince’s interference in this matter. Riden had deliberately scheduled the same event on the same day with Cordelia.

Of course, Kana, who knew through ‘Fake Saint’ that the other tea party had quite a tense atmosphere, maintained a calm smile.

Richard slowly continued speaking.

“Ah, some might be curious why I involved Lady Letie in hosting at my palace. It’s because we have something to announce together.”

“What might that be?”

At a noble’s cautious question, everyone focused on the protagonists standing side by side. Richard exchanged a brief glance with Letie and announced gravely.

“Lady Letie and I have decided to get engaged.”

“Oh, an engagement?”

“Congratulations!”

The nobles applauded vigorously. Although they didn’t outwardly show much surprise at the engagement news, their minds were probably racing.

Kana quietly applauded along with the group of young ladies and unconsciously glanced at Kiriel.

Unlike in ‘Fake Saint’ where he clenched his fists in frustration, he was giving lifeless applause with an indifferent expression.

Then, as if noticing her gaze, he suddenly turned his head. When their eyes unexpectedly met, the corners of his eyes wrinkled prettily. Kiriel mouthed words towards her.

‘Come if you want to be with me.’