Of course, at first, he drew his sword when the dragon appeared out of nowhere, but he soon opened his heart enough to give Bebe candy.

‘Is it because he’s small and cute?’

Then please make sure to include me in that range!

I grabbed the candy-chewing Bebe by the arms and lifted her up.

How could I not like Bebe, he’s so fluffy and tiny and cute!

Bebe squeaked and cried. He wanted me to put him down.

In the meantime, he looked down.

He was looking pitifully at the candy in her lap.

It seems that he likes candy more than me, who has fed and put him to sleep. A hint of mischief crossed my face.

“Bebe. If you eat too much candy, your teeth will rot. Eat one more and give me the rest.”

“Kking!”

In the blink of an eye, Bebe stuffed the rest of the candy into his mouth and ran out of the parlor.

“Hah.”

I let out a small sigh of laughter as I stared at the door through which Bebe had disappeared.

“Huh?”

Then she realized that the wall Hert had smashed through was still intact.

“What?”

I ran my palm over the wall, but it was still smooth, with no signs of damage.

The butler, who had just entered, looked at the wall and at me, then grabbed the wall and shouted, almost crying.

“My dear. By God, the mansion has been restored–oh, could it have been an illusion?”

“Uh… I guess so.”

Well, it’s a dragon at the pinnacle of magic, so it could be.

It could have used an illusion to scare me.

But why bother, let alone if it was so real that it gave me chills?

I put aside my mild annoyance.

***

Kahen continued to visit the mansion the next day, and the next, and the next.

He’d come to see Bella, I guess, but she hadn’t come after the ball, though she’d made the occasional surprise visit before.

I wonder why.

I thought, now skillfully pouring him tea.

Kahen was probably hoping for a chance meeting with Bella, but it seemed the gods were not on his side this time.

I patted him on the shoulder, feeling unnecessarily salty.

“Stay strong…”

“…”

His reaction was strange.

Is he offended by my comfort? I thought we were close enough.

I wish there were some instructions on how to treat the male lead. I’m willing to live faster than anyone.

I flinched and withdrew my hand, and Kahen grabbed it.

So fast I wondered if a human could be that fast.

Thankfully, my hand stops on his shoulder.

It was an awkward position, not quite reaching, not quite pulling away.

Surely he’s not going to say, ‘If you put your hands on my body, die,’ right?

Kahen seemed surprised by his own behavior. His grip slowly slackened.

“You came up to me out of nowhere and…”

He stammered.

He was silent for a moment, as if considering something, then spoke again.

“Consolation… Is that it?”

“Oh, yes!”

His question caught me off guard.

I could see it.

Kahen had received so many death threats since he was a child that he probably felt that my reaching out to him was dangerous.

If I hadn’t gotten to know him, or if he hadn’t been a close friend of Bella’s, I might have been out of a job.

Thank God.

I patted my chest and mentally prayed for the release of the male lead manual.

Kahen murmured, ‘Comfort…’

His eyes sunk deep into thought.

Then a small voice said, ‘So this is how it works.’

“What?”

No, Kahen said, and gave a small smile.

‘Wow, wow…’

To be honest, I don’t mind Kahen’s frequent visits.

I genuinely wanted Bella and Kahen to meet, but I also wanted him to keep coming back.

Selfish, I know.

But where else would I get the chance to see the male lead up close?

It was a miracle that after spending so much time with Bella, who was so heavily buffed that she looked like the goddess of beauty reincarnated, everyone else appeared to be insignificant fish in the sea.

Kahen’s appearance among the seafood would have brought tears to my eyes if it weren’t for the location I’m currently in.

‘But why…’

Why me, why a blind date? I couldn’t properly appreciate his face because I was distracted.

I never thought I would meet Kahen in the first place.

I had avoided meeting him because I had no intention of getting involved in the story.

I guess I should just let the chips fall where they may.

Suddenly, I looked up.

I was a little disappointed that Kahen didn’t smile more often in the original.

Wouldn’t that smile have softened all the villains?

Every time he smiled, I could feel the mood change.

“…”

Every time that smile was directed at me, I felt an uncontrollable emotion, but I managed to pull myself away each time.

“Young master Cherta.”

Kahen’s eyes locked on mine.

Staring into his walls is like being sucked into an infinite blue ocean.

I seemed to know why the Cherta family wanted to keep their blue eyes.

His piercing blue eyes had a way of drawing you in.

It made it hard for me to avoid his gaze.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you went to Havelion’s main mansion to see Bella?”

I relish the opportunity to admire Kahen’s face, but I have no choice but to help him.

I felt sorry for Kahen, who had been shoveling for days.

He shouldn’t have a lot of work to do, but he’s wasted days waiting to see Bella.

Kahen frowned slightly.

Maybe it’s just me, but he really does look like an abandoned puppy.

“Wouldn’t it be more fateful to meet by frequent coincidence?”

Hmm.

I scratched my cheek, lost in thought.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, Lady Bessia, I will not come to your mansion like this.”

I smirked at the cute way he sneaked a glance at me as he said that.

To be honest, he wasn’t exactly comfortable.

I was also afraid that something would happen to me, an extra, next to the main character.

My goal is to live a long, long life.

If I’m with the main cast, I’m more likely to be drawn to the original story.

But at the same time, it’s definitely safer to be around the main cast.

Leaning in. I keep leaning further and further.

Kahen looks up at me pleadingly.

He looks like he could burst into tears at any moment.

He merely arched his bushy eyebrows and looked at me at an angle, but it felt like it.

Strangely, my chest tickled, so I pressed my hand against the pit of my stomach.

It felt like something was on top of me.

I’d rather not look at it, but it’s probably okay…

Oh, really.

Both Bella and Kahen seemed to make good use of their looks.

In fact, if they were that good-looking, there would be people who would lie down like dogs if they just breathed still.

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

I have a nice smile.

It’s definitely nice to see, and I can help right away from the sidelines, everything is good.

“It’s just…”

Is it public opinion?

I’d been worried that Kahen’s in and out of Havelion Manor like it was his home, and I’d been worried about rumors spreading.

Of course, my rumors were controlled by Ventian.

Arguably the best source of information in the world.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that all information is within his grasp, and there’s nothing he doesn’t know.

I haven’t heard of him lately, but he also manages rumors.

Somehow, a lady’s coy gossiping about Bella in the original story has been blown out of proportion and made the rounds.

I had no idea Ventian was behind it all.

I learned this when I stopped by his clearinghouse to heal him.

It was hard to endure the irritation.

The Empire is large, and people’s mouths are constantly moving.

Managing rumors in such a place had the potential to shake the empire.

“I’m not sure how the rumors about Lord Cherta will spread…”

The relationship between the two, especially in the original, was not a good one.

If they didn’t fight, they verbally belittled each other whenever they see each other.

It is naturally strange that they are on good terms because they were in a tug-of-war over Bella

So there’s no reason for Ventian to help Kahen, and it’s good if he doesn’t inflate the rumors strangely.

Ah ah. What do I do.

I haven’t made it official, but I’m sure the people at Viscount Rugise party are questioning my presence.

So will he, since Kahen and I had our first dance.

In this part of the world, the first dance carry a lot of weight.

Even though Kahen said he was fine, if rumors spread that he would visit the Havelion Mansion every day in the midst of this, there might be articles with the nuance that he is straddling his legs.

In the novels enjoyed by commoners, it may come out even more stimulating.

“…”

I was puzzled. It seems he didn’t seem to care about the rumors.

But he looked pretty serious about it.

His ears were red, and his face was ambiguous.

His posture straightened somewhat in response.

I didn’t know why, but I feel like I should.

“Have you seen it?”

“What?”

I tilted my head, and he said, ‘If you haven’t seen it, it’s nothing.’ and shook his hand.

I narrowed my eyes at his reaction.

Something was off, but I didn’t know what.

“Would you rather I leave?”

“What?”

He looks confused.

Why, do you not want to? No, I mean, you come here all the time, and I offer to go, so why do you not want to?

I’m trying to help you, so why are you giving me that look?

“Do you hate it?”

My mouth stays open and I spit out the question at him, as if an affirmative answer would hurt just as much.

Silence settled over the room.

He closed his mouth without giving any answer.