Raising my Fiancè with Money - Chapter 68

The Hidden Love Master

Lilia walked down the hallway of the building and entered the theater. The theater was a bit dark, but Lilia was able to find the seat she reserved because it was close to the stage and had a great view.

Sitting side by side with Karhan, Lilia stared at the stage with anticipation. Because she was continuously busy, it was the first time in a long time she was watching a  play.

“It’s the most popular play these days.”

Lilia whispered as she looked at Karhan. His face also looked quite excited. Soon after, a leading actor appeared, and the play began.

Lilia focused on the stage. But not long after, she kept tossing and turning. The content of the play was weaker than she thought, and it was too far from her taste. It was a melodramatic play that showed how it would unfold even in the early stages.

‘I should’ve looked into the plot in advance.’

Lilia regretted it inside. Thanks to her father, who likes art, Lilia has seen many plays in her life, and her taste has also risen. Even considering that, this play was a little too much.

It had common content that has been brewed for the past decade or so. At least, the actors’ shining appearance filled the lacking content, but even when she saw a handsome male actor, she was not impressed. It was because a more handsome man than the male actor sat next to her.

“My love, please don’t go.”

“…… I don’t know when I’ll be back, so think of me as someone who doesn’t exist.”

Lilia, who was looking at the scene of the protagonist’s breakup expressionlessly, felt sorry for Karhan. She had never seen such a boring play in her life. She wondered if there was any backlash against the play.

Lilia, unable to focus on the stage, turned her head and looked at Karhan. Karhan was still watching the stage. His calm face was slightly distorted, unlike usual.

‘As expected, was Karhan annoyed by the poorly written play?’

Then Lilia saw his eyes reflected in the gray light. The blue eyes were twinkling more than usual. It was like water slightly reflected on a rainy day. Karhan put his hand on his bosom. Then he pulled out his neatly folded handkerchief and held it in his hand.

Lilia, who watched him, barely swallowed her laughter. It was very impressive to see him tear up with a cold face. As expected, it was more fun to watch Karhan than the play.

Lilia didn’t want to disturb Karhan, so she turned her head back towards the stage. Again she tried to immerse herself, but she only yawned at the sagging content. As she was in a warm, dark space, her sleepiness began to creep in little by little.

‘Oh, I shouldn’t sleep…….’

However, the actors’ voices only sounded like a lullaby and not a noise. Lilia’s eyelids gradually went down. And she fell asleep completely shortly after.

The play ran toward the second half. The two main characters, who had repeatedly parted and met due to misunderstandings, finally realized each other’s feelings and shared a fierce kiss.

Karhan flinched involuntarily at the wild kiss. Watching them, he felt embarrassed and shy for nothing. He wondered if it was just him, so Karhan glanced at Lilia. Lilia’s head was lowered as she had fallen asleep.

Her neck will hurt when she wakes up.

Karhan, who was agonizing, reached out and straightened Lilia’s head. Having no strength to support it, her head tilted forward again.

As Karhan pondered what to do, he gave her his shoulder. It was a little high, but Lilia leaned stably and stayed asleep.

Since then, Karhan was unable to concentrate on the play. The interesting contents no longer entered into his mind. Her shallow breath fell on the back of his neck. The randomly flowing golden hair tickled his wrist.

Karhan, who was sitting stiffly in tension for no reason, turned his head again and looked down at Lilia. It was the first time seeing Lilia’s face so closely. Lilia’s golden eyelashes, who was still asleep and  leaning on his shoulder, were the first to catch his eyes.

The small nose and white cheeks that followed……. The flow of her gentle breathe, and this large space felt like a vast ocean. As if he was on a deserted island, he felt as if only his surroundings were far away. Obviously, the actor was saying something on the stage, but he couldn’t hear anything.

Karhan’s gaze headed to her slightly open lips. Her plump lips that gave out a slow breath stood out.

Slowly a shadow fell on Lilia’s face. When her breath finally touched his cheek.

“……!”

Karhan tilted his head back in shock as if he was on fire. As the shock shook his shoulders, Lilia tossed and moved her head. Fortunately, she didn’t wake up. At the same time of relief, Karhan’s cheeks and neck quickly turned red.

He covered his face with his palm. The cheeks touching the palm of his hand were as hot as a fireball.

What did I do…….

Karhan was shocked and couldn’t do anything. It was because he belatedly realized what he almost did.

If he had completely lost his mind, he would have kissed the sleeping person. Along with confusion, hatred for himself came. Karhan, who held his breath as much as possible, grabbed only his handkerchief until his fingers turned white.

***

Karhan left the Duke’s residence early in the morning and arrived at Bloden’s mansion. He looked around him like a habit. He was afraid he might run into Heinley.

He had previously ran into Heinley once and had the house turned over. Karhan was scared of Heinley, so he would wait for him to leave for his work every day and then enter the mansion.

Arriving at the annex, Karhan briefly greeted Lilia, who came out to meet him. It would have been nice if it was usual, but it was hard to see Lilia’s face now. It was because his heart ached with guilt because of what happened two days ago.

Karhan, who entered the study room, waited for the professor. He took out a book and a pen to review what he had learnt, but he couldn’t get his head into it. Karhan sighed again like it was a habit.

After watching the play, Karhan returned home on the pretext of something urgent. And he spent time stuck in the Duke’s house throughout the holiday. Karhan couldn’t do anything because his head was full of what happened in the theater.

Why did I do that?

He asked countless questions.

Is it because I was swept away by the atmosphere after seeing the actors kissing, or was I possessed for a while because her lips were pretty….

However, the usual Karhan didn’t like the atmosphere (of actors kissing) at all. Even when everyone else was excited, he was just still. Then it’s not because of the atmosphere…….

No matter how much he agonized, he couldn’t reach a clear conclusion. As a result, Karhan was thinking about Lilia all day long.

“Haa…..”

Without realizing it, he let out another sigh.

Lilia was his benefactor. She first reached out to him, who had been like a puppet in his family. Even after learning that he was only a temporary successor, Lilia did not change her attitude. Rather, she persuaded him to be the real successor

Karhan wanted to be what Lilia said. Since she trusted him, he wanted to do his best to repay her.

Karhan’s feelings for Lilia varied. He was always grateful, and sometimes he was happy as if he had received a gift, and the time they spent together was fun.

Emotions that could be simply defined became more complex over time. When he saw Lilia with Richard before, his heart was stuffy, and when he heard that he was with her, Karhan was upset.

These were definitely feelings that he had never felt before. So it was difficult for Karhan to define what he felt for Lilia.

What is my relationship with Lilia…. Now that transactions and alliances have disappeared, is it just a one-sided relationship?

“What do I want to be for Lilia….”

Mumbling to himself, Karhan took a book out of his bag to empty his head. It was a love guide that he had already read over and over again. Karhan struggled to concentrate on the book.

“Mr. Evantheon.”

Karhan looked up at someone’s call. Already coming inside, Professor Mezra Genius was standing in front of him.

“I knocked, but there was no answer, so I came in.”

Karhan looked at him with a puzzled face. He seemed to have been so focused that he couldn’t hear any knocks.

“You were reading a book.”

Mezra paused before he could praise him for his sincerity with a happy smile. It was because he saw a familiar sentence in the book.

“Is that book…”

Mezra asked with a face, wondering if this could be true. After making a brief ‘ah’ sound, Karhan closed the book and showed the cover.

[Love Beginner, Become a Master! Volume 2]

An earthquake occurred in Mezra’s eyes as he read the title. The reason Mezra was embarrassed was not because Karhan was reading the love guide with a serious face. It was because the author of that book was Mezra.

Mezra, the youngest professor at the academy and called a genius, has published all kinds of books. Not only law and politics, but also fairy tales and had covered most fields.

One day, he wrote while being immersed in early morning emotions. It was filled with essays and advice from the days when he was dating his now wife.

After pretending to be a love master, he forgot about it and later persuaded his wife to find and publish the manuscript. After much consideration, he changed his pseudonym to Mezz, and published it.… And that book was a big hit.

Mezra has been hiding that he is the author of the book. It was because there was a reputation for him to maintain. But now, when he saw Karhan reading that book right in front of him, he couldn’t control his facial expression.

Mezra managed to fix his expression and looked at Karhan. Unlike him, he had a very calm face. Most men read these books secretly because they were hurt or ashamed of their pride, but Karhan looked confident. Mezra, who was thinking about what to say, opened his mouth,

“That……Are you struggling with dating problems?”