Chapter 96: Tangled Affections in the Mansion

Let me introduce him: this is Lord Robes, the stunning robe aficionado…

Hey, there’s even a seat next to me—what’s the point of sitting over there?

At that moment, an irritable, overbearing voice burst from the other side. Lara glanced over uneasily.

When the gaze hidden beneath the robe met Karlahee’s, she twisted her split lips and spoke, her voice dripping venom.

“I’ve been dying to meet you.”

“I waited a full fifteen days, you fake bastard…”

If he really believed that hacking his account to flirt with his crush was clever, no one would be excited about this meeting. Perhaps eager to release all his pent-up stress, Karlahee didn’t hold back his words.

“I don’t care what your ulterior motive was for clinging to my close friend, but it’s over today. Had fun? Ready for all your secrets and identity to be exposed? Besides, in a four-seater, shouldn’t men sit with men?”

“……”

“You’re not even my lover—so why insist on sitting next to Lara? Or is it that you fancy her? Were you hoping her elbow might brush yours? Does that bastard really care about Lara?”

“……”

“Ah, of course I was joking. Haha. Stop killing the mood and just laugh. Didn’t I say it was a joke?”

“…Hey, Rahi?”

Inside, Lara broke into a cold sweat amid the tense atmosphere. Rahi felt oddly unfamiliar. She tried to forget thoughts of corpse collectors, tyrants, and figurines, yet memories she had fought to erase surfaced with Rahi’s rough new demeanor.

“Hey, can’t you speak? Didn’t I tell you to sit beside me?”

“…Enough—please stop.”

Quickly raising her hand, Lara stepped between them. Fortunately, the handsome gentleman kept his cool, preventing their clash from escalating into a brawl—something she was determined to avoid at all costs.

“Rahi, why don’t you head out for today? You look way too stressed.”

“Why are you sending me off? That punk should leave, not me… Oh, did you mean we should leave together? Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“No, it’s you who needs to go, Rahi.”

Karlahee looked at Lara as though he couldn’t fathom her indifference. With her head lowered, she was staring at the fake Lord Robes.

“Lara…”

Why did it seem as though her gaze and heart were entirely fixed on that impostor? Overwhelmed by an inexplicable despair, his strength faltered—but then he abruptly stood. In his desperation, Karlahee’s hand reached out sincerely for Lara.

He didn’t forcibly grab her wrist; instead, he offered the Lilica mini-figurine for her to see. It was the figurine she had given him for his birthday.

Carrying that around—could it be that he really was a corpse-collecting tyrant? As Lara peered down at the figurine with half-open eyes, Karlahee spoke.

“Don’t you know how much I adore you? Weren’t we closer than with that fake? Why… even though I’m the real deal, my true feelings are only for you.”

“Alright, I get it. Just leave now, please, Rahi.”

“You have no idea how happy I was when you gave this to me. Discovering just how deeply you care—it made me overjoyed. Lara, you mustn’t send me away. The one you should be sending away is…”

“Take it and go!”

Lara forcefully slapped aside Karlahee’s hand reaching toward her. At the same moment, the mini-figurine in his palm tumbled onto the floor.

She had held her patience long enough. Whether he was a tyrant or a corpse collector, she might have overlooked it before out of old affection—but his behavior had become unbearably despicable.

“I never imagined Rahi could be like this. Were you just pretending to be nice all along? Acting so arrogantly—either apologize to my friend or just leave!”

With defiant eyes, Lara glared at a humbly bowing Karlahee. This time, if he dared produce that figurine again in front of her, she’d chuck it out the window. Then he’d have to run after it.

Contrary to her expectations, Karlahee knelt on one knee and picked up the figurine, cradling it in both hands. Late tears, resembling tiny droplets, fell from beneath his glasses, as Lara noticed.

He was actually crying. For a man known as a tyrant, clutching a tiny figurine so tenderly was heartbreakingly pitiful.

“Why… why are you crying? Is it broken…? I’m sorry, I’ll buy you another…”

“I’m sorry…”

“Huh? Now, hurry up and get up. People are watching.”

“If you thought I alone treasured it… I couldn’t help it—I love this figurine so much. I believed that by showing it to you, Lara, you’d understand my true feelings… and that’s why I did it.”

Karlahee looked down at the figurine with tear-filled eyes. Fortunately, the gift from our friend wasn’t even scratched. That brought him a brief moment of relief, his lips curling into a wry smile.

He thought to himself: here I am, already despised by our friend, and now what’s the point?

Before he could wallow in self-reproach, Lara’s gentle voice broke in—as warm as ever.

“Hehe, Rahi has always been like this. Crying over a figurine—you really live up to being a Legendary Otaku.”

“Ah…”

Karlahee looked up; the fake Lord Robes was nowhere in sight. All he could see was our friend reaching out to him.

“I’m truly… sorry for everything. So now, please wrap this up and leave, Rahi. I’ll come with you.”

“Alright… I love you. Friend, I love you so much.”

Barely finishing his sentence, Karlahee stifled his tears and smiled brightly from behind his slipping glasses, his sincerity bursting forth unabated.

At that moment, the two of them were in Karlahee’s secret mansion dedicated to his otaku hobbies—a place perfect for indulging his passions.

“I had to show you this limited-edition mug! I won’t use it, though. I couldn’t bear to use the other goodies you gifted me either. But look at this—how brilliantly it shines! Ahh.”

His warm breath fogged the transparent glass, then quickly vanished. While Lara admired the meticulously displayed collectibles in the glass cabinet, Karlahee chattered away beside her, bubbling with energy that belied his earlier gloom.

“Have you heard about the new Lord Robes merchandise dropping?”

“No? New Lord Robes merch coming out?”

“That’s right. Fresh off the press last night—a set designed to charm hearts. It includes a teapot, teacup, and teaspoon embossed with Lord Robes’ silhouette. Limited edition—the pre-orders start in 10 days.”

“Oh my gosh, thanks for the info! I’m definitely buying it!”

Karlahee looked at Lara with proud eyes as she got excited. He was glad she kept an eye on Lord Robes news even in the middle of all this chaos.

“And if there’s any Lord Robes merch you’re eyeing, just let me know. Consider this my apology for today’s mess… hehe.”

Running a hand through her hair, Lara gave a slight smile as she regarded Karlahee.

“Actually, Rahi, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yeah? What is it? Ask away.”

“It’s nothing too serious, but a bit embarrassing. Earlier, you told that handsome gentleman you were fake, right? And that the real one is you. What exactly…”

“Ah… th-that is…”

Karlahee shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting away—had he really said that? In his overexcited state, he had forgotten his own words. Unsure how to respond, he hesitated until a small hand reached out and removed his thick glasses.

“Don’t dodge my gaze. Are you hiding something from me?”

With his glasses gone and Lara filling his vision, Karlahee’s breath caught. An eerie silence fell, and only his pounding heartbeat filled his ears.

“…Isn’t that a bit too close?”

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize… just, give me some space.”

He silently thought, I wouldn’t be able to meet our friend’s eye if I kept this up.

As his face flushed, Karlahee averted his gaze. He tried to calm his racing heart by taking deep breaths, but nothing worked.

“I guess, as you suggested, I should take a break today, Lara. I promised to stay, but I’m sorry. The carriage…”

“Oh, I’ll catch it. I’m headed to a tea party this afternoon anyway, so it’s fine.”

“Alright then.”

Wanting to linger just a little longer, Karlahee forced a smile to mask his disappointment. As he walked to see her off, a sudden thought made him stop.

‘Right. Next week’s hunting contest—together…’

It was the perfect chance to show off his skills at the contest. Desperate to impress her, Karlahee hurriedly called after Lara as she stepped out the door.

“Lara!”

When Lara stopped and turned around, Karlahee felt his mind go blank again. Asking her to come watch the contest was too obvious—maybe even boring. It wasn’t like Suko or Only One, and in all honesty, it might feel too personal for her.