Chapter 108: A Chaotic Evening of Misadventures

“Hey! Hey! You heard me, so why ignore it?!”

A booming voice from behind drew all eyes to Lara. Only focused on escaping the theater, Lara quickly covered her face. She barely had time to think about her boyfriend.

Realizing belatedly that Karlahee wasn’t by her side, Lara turned around. Just as she felt relief seeing Karlahee emerging from the theater exit, she spotted an unkempt, scruffy man clinging to his side.

‘…Ugh. That bastard—why come out when he could be at home cooking some spaghetti?’

Lara bit her lip subtly. Still, there was no way she could just ditch her boyfriend on their first date. With a fierce glare, she stepped forward to brush away the unwanted presence clinging to him.

The moment she came face-to-face with the obnoxious guy, her voice lowered on its own.

“…Why?”

“Well, well, you really are Lara Schmord. Hey, why are you fleeing? Do you even feel ashamed?”

“Enough! What do you want from my boyfriend?”

“Hahaha! Boyfriend? Since when did you have a boyfriend? Hahaha! Get lost!”

Staring at the obnoxious man smirking with a thick drool pooling on his chin, Lara’s expression turned serious. The man had a face that made you seriously question if sharing the same womb was a mistake.

“…Get lost.”

“Hey, does a man who looks like the Emperor suit your tastes? Ugh, you little sycophant of His Highness. How much did you pay him? Honestly, if your parents found out, they’d be utterly mortified.”

“Damn it, my boyfriend is the Emperor. So what?”

“Hahahaha! Oh man, you’re insane! You know this is an insult to the royal family, right?”

“…Before I kill you, just scram.”

Just as Lara reached for her self-defense dagger hidden in her bosom, Karlahee, who had been quietly standing between the two men, stepped forward.

“Hmm, Lord Lawrence Schmord? Sorry for the late greeting. I’m Karlahee of the Empire. And by the way, I’m seriously dating your sister…”

“No need for roleplay right in front of me. Even though she’s my sister, I never expected her to act like such a pervert. Got a script or something?”

Frowning, Lawrence asked. Though he had to ask, he really didn’t want to know much about their world. With a slight bow of apology, Lawrence pressed his hand against the back of Lara’s head, forcing her to apologize to Karlahee.

“I’ll take my sister for a little lesson. I always knew she was a bit of a nerd, but—ugh… The neighborhood would be so embarrassed.”

“Hey, hey! Aren’t you letting go?! You piece of trash!”

“And don’t even get me started on you doing some lame dating gig. But seriously, you do resemble him. Ah, consider that a compliment.”

With that, Lawrence started dragging Lara away. In a rebellious gesture, Lara swung her self-defense dagger, but Lawrence nonchalantly flicked it out of her grasp like it was nothing.

“Don’t act like this—you think your parents bought you a self-defense dagger for nothing?”

“I’m gonna kill you! You bastard!! I will kill you, no matter what!!”

“Geez, you’re so ugly. Every time you get mad, you flare your nostrils like a preened pet orc,” Lawrence teased.

‘…Is he the one I should be taking on?’

Facing this ferocious sibling spat for the first time, Karlahee could only stand there, speechless.

Later that night, a light burned in the study of the Schmord Residence. At the sofa sat the Viscount couple, with their eldest son Lawrence looking solemnly ahead.

“Parents, I think Lara is feeling profoundly lonely. I won’t bore you with details, but before she reveals another man, we should find her a proper match—a husband, not a sacrifice,” Lawrence stated.

“I see. After all, Lara’s come of age. It’s time she tied the knot,” the Viscount mused.

The Viscount glanced at his wife, who nodded in agreement with a gentle smile.

“I’ll ask the other ladies if they know any decent Youngsiks. Don’t worry, Lawrence.”

“Please, Mother, arrange something as soon as possible.”

“Hoho, rest assured. This old lady will bring you a son-in-law so fine that even your brother will be proud.”

“No, Mother. A decent match is all I need. You must think of the man’s future as well,” Lawrence replied.

One couldn’t just hand over a promising child from another family to be his sister’s husband. The Viscount couple only smiled warmly at Lawrence’s heartfelt words.

The next day, regardless of Lara’s objections, a matchmaking meeting was set. Up to an hour before the appointment, Lara kept insisting that she had a boyfriend—an Emperor—but no one in the family believed her. They simply thought she was lost in some fantasy with a famous guy.

At the meeting, an unexpectedly handsome man was already waiting. Not expecting anything to actually work out, Lara engaged in polite conversation.

A 28-year-old bachelor, the eldest son from a wealthy family, he was known for his gentle demeanor and smooth conversational skills.

“Miss Lara, you have such a calm and kind nature. I believe you’d treat my mother well. In our large family, I’m looking for someone with a generous heart—not just for me, but for my entire family, grandparents, and all the elders,” he explained.

“The eldest son of a large family? Hoho, now I see why you’re still single,” she retorted.

The man, clearly displeased by Lara’s blunt remark, forced a strained smile and excused himself to use the restroom. Yet, he never returned for 50 minutes.

The next match was a 33-year-old divorcee with a child—a daughter.

“He divorced early because his kid never got the proper love from her mother. I’m looking for a warmhearted woman who can love my child as her own.”

“Hoho, let the father handle that,” Lara quipped.

The man furrowed his brow openly and left without so much as an excuse, heading straight for the door.

The following match was a 29-year-old bachelor who, as soon as he sat down, placed a striking “Golden Carriage Key” on the table. With a swagger, he rubbed his chin and began.

“I’m a very masculine, patriarchal type. I dislike when a woman takes the lead. If my wife were more dominant either socially or financially, it would bruise my pride. Haha, I prefer a compliant and domestic woman. Oh, and you know the drill about splitting the bill, right?”

“That doesn’t add up. Can you just pick one stance?”

Lara smiled politely and raised her middle finger in defiant jest.

Immediately, the swaggering man leapt up, launching into a tirade about his wealth and his carriage, warning that she’d regret her actions. Still, Lara maintained her defiant gesture as she walked away.

Next came a man supposedly in his early 30s, though his demeanor suggested he was closer to his late 40s. Within ten minutes, conversation turned to his desire for numerous children.

“I want so many kids I could start a soccer team…”

“Scram! Like you’d ever be the one to have any!”

Lara’s booming shout caused the man to jump up and dash outside. Taking a deep gulp of cold water, Lara tried to steady herself.

Was that it, or was there more? As she sat at the table with an air of grim determination, a man burst through the door.

“Rahi…?”

Startled, Lara sprang to her feet. Her sweat-drenched shirt clung to her, and her hair was disheveled from the rush. It was evident he had run a great distance. Noticing her, Karlahee quickly regained his composure and spoke without pausing for breath.

“I heard from the family that you were going on a date, so I rushed over to stop it…”

“I’m sorry. This was supposed to be my grand entrance, but now it’s all ruined.”

There was no clichéd explosion of boyfriend-jealousy amid the pleasant atmosphere with the other matches—not that she had expected it.

“I did mention having a boyfriend, but my parents wouldn’t believe me. I showed up out of courtesy because an appointment was set, but fortunately, none of those other men impressed me. Hoho.”

“You’re so adorable, yet they didn’t like you? Don’t lie to me.”

Karlahee looked around nervously, his eyes darting in warning. Always pretty, he looked even more radiant today. Uncertain, he hastily grabbed his girlfriend and rushed out. Lara, meanwhile, smiled quietly as she clutched at the hem of his garment.

“I must thank your parents for setting this up. It made me realize just how great you are, Rahi… or so I hope.”

“Lara, you’re a wonderful person to me too,” he whispered shyly as their eyes met. Realizing his disheveled state, he awkwardly turned away. In his rush, his shirt, soaked with sweat, stuck to his chest.

“Lara… I want to change my clothes. How about we go to my place first?”

“Sounds good,” she replied, nodding cheerfully.

Lara gladly climbed into the carriage driven by Karlahee. The carriage rolled into an aristocratic avenue and stopped in front of a mansion.

It was Karlahee’s private pad for his fandom—something they hadn’t visited since they started dating. Passing through the familiar lobby, Lara ascended to the second floor where his room was located. Opening the door, she was greeted by a cozy space filled with Lilica merchandise.

Lara stared bitterly at the Lilica merchandise. Though it seemed ample to the average eye, to her it clearly appeared fewer than usual.

“Lara, what would you like to drink…?”

Karlahee, noticing her lingering gaze, hurriedly began flipping through the displayed picture frames.

“Ah, sorry… I’ve tidied up the Imperial City bedroom, but this room still isn’t fully organized. There are just too many items.”

“It’s okay to geek out,” she said softly.

“…?”