Chapter 99: Masks, Misunderstandings, and Mayhem

“Eek! You’re Lord Robes, right? Mind if I sketch your portrait?”

“Count me in. Are you up for drawing a portrait?”

“I was wondering if I could get a portrait done over there instead.”

No sooner had Magical Girl Lilica’s booth area been reached than a swarm of female fans descended like an unruly mob. Despite their pleas for him to pose as their model, Lord Robes remained silent. Not willing to see him flounder, Lara Schmord stepped in to deliver a polite refusal.

“Sorry, but I’m with my crew right now. Besides, you never mentioned that you were sticking to a set concept.”

“I see. That’s such a pity. Oh, by the way, your outfit really suits you.”

“Hopefully next time there’ll be a chance—your look is top-notch!”

Once the group of female fans dispersed, the two were free to move about the booth. Mikhail scanned the unofficial merchandise visible beyond Lord Robes’ booth—mostly images of Lord Robes or Lilica. His eyes, wandering listlessly, finally landed on a picture of Tisha.

Not only that, but there were Tisha Cushions, Tisha Mugs, Tisha Keychains, and even a Tisha Fan Magazine lined up neatly.

‘Tisha sure is popular,’ he thought inwardly.

With a look of fond amusement, Mikhail studied the Tisha Cushion. Though the unofficial fan-made goods diverged slightly from the original art style, the chibi Tisha was still irresistibly cute—so much so that an impulsive urge nearly overtook him.

‘I probably won’t use it, but…I kind of want to buy it anyway.’

“Oh? You must be a Tisha fan,” Lara noted, startling Mikhail as he turned to look. From a short distance away, she was watching a fan purchase Tisha merchandise.

“I hardly see Tisha fans around me, so it’s quite fascinating. As you know, not many Lilica fans are fond of Tisha. I’m not exactly a big fan myself, either. It’s pitiful really—but I just can’t stand someone who’s naturally weaker and ends up envying Lilica.”

It was purely her personal opinion. With a shrug, Lara continued.

“In the end, you end up spiraling into anger, turning into a dark magical girl, and clashing with Lilica, don’t you? And trying to snatch Lord Robes away is just a bit much. Honestly, if Tisha hadn’t gone off the rails so much, she wouldn’t have drawn so much ire…”

“But that doesn’t give you a free pass to say all that. Tisha didn’t do anything terribly wrong to Lilica. Besides, if you think about it, her jealousy towards Lilica was just because she got upset that Lilica’s only true friend wasn’t around in the hospital often enough.”

Lara glanced at Lord Robes in disbelief. It was surprising to hear him speak for the first time, and his voice sounded all too familiar.

“Mikhail…? You’re Mikhail, right?”

At Lara’s cautious inquiry, a slight, knowing smirk curved the lips beneath Lord Robes’ robe. Retrieving his hand from within, he traced a magical circle in the air.

“There are too many eyes here, let’s move somewhere else to talk.”

“Wait a minute—I haven’t even bought that Lord Robes fan comic yet!”

His urgent outcry went unheard. When Lara next opened her eyes, she found herself in a familiar space. Memories of that brutal day—starving, pleading to be let out, her throat raw from screams—flooded back.

“…Have you been deceiving me all along? Speak up! No, better yet, why did you bring me back to the Diet Camp? How much more torment do you intend to inflict…?”

“Calm down.”

Mikhail gently pushed Lara aside. The soft bed dipped noticeably under her weight.

As Lara attempted to sit up again, Mikhail pinned her down and climbed atop her. His sky-blue eyes, still glowing faintly with unspent magical energy, held an odd mix of melancholy and intensity, reminiscent of a twilight sky stained with purple.

“Since when have you been lying to me…? Why on earth…?”

“It all started after you mentioned at the Emperor’s birthday ball that Lord Robes was your type. Sure, at first you only mimicked his look, but…”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“Literally. You began your cosplay without even reading the original work. Then, when your remarks stopped making sense, you picked up a comic and fell head over heels for Tisha. Believe me, I’m grateful—you made it possible for me to meet Tisha. At first I felt nothing, but the more I saw her, the more a pitiful affection grew inside me. I just couldn’t help but want to cuddle her like my own child…”

“Exactly, everyone falls that way. But what about before that…? And the White Rose?”

“White Rose?”

“…Ah, never mind.”

Lara lowered her eyes in confusion. If his cosplay had truly started at the birthday ball, judging by Mikhail’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like a lie. So, does that mean the Lord Robes who once gifted me a White Rose—and the one who tied Lady Elina III to His Highness’ bed—was not Mikhail?

“…Rather, I didn’t expect it to be Tisha’s doing. I’m sorry about my earlier comment.”

“I thought you’d understand, Lara. After all, you were the only one who accepted me when I had incontinence issues.”

“Incontinence is a medical condition; of course I understand. But Tisha just isn’t my type…”

Avoiding his gaze, Lara spoke firmly.

“Why is it that Lilica works for you, but Tisha just doesn’t?”

Mikhail’s wounded eyes trembled slightly. Gripping Lara’s shoulder tightly, he leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath as he whispered,

“Tastes can change.”

“My taste is like a pine tree.”

“Even if it’s a pine, I’d force you to sell Tisha if I had to.”

“…L-let go of me!”

As Lara struggled to break free, Mikhail pressed her down even harder and gathered dark magical energy in one hand.

“When you wake up again, your tastes will have changed.”

“Please… No! Enough with the taste experiments!”

Lara shut her eyes tightly beneath the slowly descending massive palm. Silent tears filled her eyes, dampening the sheets. Just then—a loud crash of shattering glass echoed.

In an instant, small shards flew toward his back, prompting Mikhail to cry out and leap off the bed. As he reached back, he felt several glass shards embedded in his robe. Thankfully, none of them pierced his skin.

“Who the heck…”

Turning to identify the intruder who had interrupted this critical moment, he spotted a man below the window, pulling glass shards from his arm.

“Ah… Argh… it stings.”

It was another Lord Robes. Judging by the way he shielded his head with his arm, it seemed he had broken in by smashing the window, and his arm was in bad shape. Judging by the slew of comics Mikhail had read, the intruder proceeded cautiously, fluttering the robe and carefully stepping around the broken glass.

“Feeding you is one thing, but forcing your tastes on me…”

A long, defined lip emerged from beneath the robe.

“I, as a fellow fan, cannot forgive someone who forces their own tastes on others.”

“I never expected His Highness to personally attend this event. And besides, shouldn’t I be treating the bleeding from my arm?”

“Highness? I don’t know any such person!”

Clearly caught off guard, Karlahee’s voice rose in alarm. Mikhail, with a look of disdain, scrutinized the intruding Lord Robes from head to toe.

“Your disguise was flawless. Since when did you notice I was an otaku, Pope? Were you deceiving me all along?”

“No, it wasn’t me—you Highness did, didn’t you? When you start babbling about who’s fake and who’s real, I couldn’t help but wonder. It seems you once disguised yourself as Lord Robes to win Lara’s favor as well.”

Only then did Karlahee notice Lara seated on the bed behind Mikhail, staring at herself in disbelief.

“I was the one who recently imitated Lord Robes, but the Lord Robes before that was you, Highness. In deceiving her, aren’t we both at fault?”

“Grabbing onto every little detail… The Pope of this country only knows how to resort to underhanded tactics.”

“You, who think a pair of round glasses can hide everything—if only you’d cut back on those comics!”

In response to Mikhail’s derisive remark, Karlahee stormed forward, grabbing Mikhail by the collar.

“And you! Have you been pretending to peddle Lilica just to win over Lara? Do you really think dressing up as Lord Robes is enough? Your obsession with all things otaku is pathetic.”

At that moment, a strong gust of wind swept in through the gap between windows. Lord Robes’ robe slipped back, revealing dark red hair that looked as though it could cut Mikhail to pieces. Lara’s eyes flew open in astonishment. Lord Robes was actually Rahi—it was almost impossible to believe.

Simultaneously, confronted by Karlahee’s severe expression—a look Lara had never seen before—she felt a strange thrill. With just a sword, she might have easily taken down Mikhail.

Amidst the escalating chaos, Lara quickly got off the bed and stepped between the two fighters. Normally she would never have interfered, but feeling partly responsible for this brawl, she had to step in.

“If you two are fighting over me, just stop already! What’s the point of all this chaos…?”

“I won’t let someone like you take her away. You’re not even worthy of Lilica! Don’t you dare mention her name in my presence again.”

As Karlahee grabbed Mikhail by the collar and roughly tossed him aside, a powerful punch landed squarely on Karlahee’s face. Staggering back, Karlahee barely had time to recover before Mikhail pounced again. The sound of heavy blows echoed through the room.

“With all due respect, Highness, I wouldn’t sell Lilica for anything.”

“What did you say…?”

“Leaving Tisha alone at the hospital—what friend does that make her? A magical girl who brings dreams and hope? Ha, it’s laughable.”

“Did you just say that Lilica isn’t even funny? Pope, how dare you ignore my warning and mention her name again—you’ve got some nerve.”