It had been over 30 minutes since she entered, but she hadn’t moved a single step from her spot. Lara, who was looking at the couples with envious eyes, seemed like a club rookie who had just entered the club and was just scanning her surroundings.

“Are you alone?”

That was when Lara’s heart skipped a beat at the low, nasal voice that sounded like fate. It was the first time since she became an adult that a strange man had spoken to her. Lara took a deep breath. Her mother wasn’t there, and she didn’t have an older brother to bother her. What kind of man could he be? She slowly turned her head, pretending not to be flustered, and there was a human trash with his nose pinched, smiling brightly.

“Didn’t you tell me to boil spaghetti?”

I was surprised for a moment by the voice changer, but I wanted to applaud his persistence and tenacity. He was a crazy guy who couldn’t be dealt with, even wearing a tuxedo and chasing me to boil spaghetti.

“I’m hungry. Don’t make me say it twice.”

“If you want to eat, boil it yourself and eat it! Get out, please! Don’t interfere with my life!” Lara firmly pushed away the hand of the human trash that was trying to grab her arm. Instead of getting hurt, she glared at the human trash and ran into the crowd.

However, the daughter of a prestigious family who had to always maintain strict etiquette and dignity could not show herself in a hurry under any circumstances. Her small feet silently extended in a round parabolic arc under the hem of her voluminous dress that covered her ankles.

Among the countless people passing by in the hallway, Lara was walking alone at 2.5x speed as if she was going against time. What was surprising was that it didn’t look like that at all on the outside, and she was just standing there with her hands behind her back, motionless.

The author of 『Secrets of Women That Men Don’t Know – Even More Beautiful Because They’re Secrets』, Margaret Klishger, came up with this gait after seeing a swan gracefully gliding through the water on a lake. It was characterised by not losing elegance even in situations where one had to move quickly.

How long had she been using the Lady’s method? A pillar appeared at the end of the banquet hall. Lara was catching her breath as she leaned against the cold pillar. She felt a presence behind her.

“Hey, are you alone?” “You should boil it and eat it!” “Oh, I’m alone too.”

He was a stranger. And he was a handsome man. Lara pressed her front teeth against her lower lip and rolled them inward. She wanted to die from embarrassment. However, at times like this, the social skills she had learned so far in society really shined. Lara put both hands together and looked back naturally. The light pouring down was so dazzling that it made her dizzy for a moment, but she gradually became accustomed to it.

At the same time, eyes that sparkled as bright red as rubies came into view.

“I’m sorry, hoho. I made a slip of the tongue to someone I don’t know… … . I guess I was too nervous because it was my first time.”

A polite voice with a slight bow came out of Lara’s lips.

“No, it’s okay.”

The handsome man with long black hair hanging down below his waist gave a neat smile. However, to Lara, he looked untidy. Perhaps because of his red eyes, even though he only squinted slightly, he exuded a decadent atmosphere.

He belatedly held out one hand wrapped in a velvet glove. Lara, shaking off her hazy feeling as if she was possessed, reached out to meet him.

“I’m Lara Schmord. I’m the countess.”

“I’m late in introducing myself. My name is Pereus Shuran Exios.” “Are you a foreigner?”

“Yes, as you can see, I’m from the Demon World.”

Lara smiled elegantly, pretending it was nothing, but the corners of her mouth kept awkwardly lowering.

“Until recently, I was the Demon Lord. I’m currently on a short trip.” “Hoho… … . I see.”

Lara let out a laugh and looked away. She clearly showed that she didn’t want to talk to him, but he kept talking to her without any sense, as if he had considered himself the Demon Lord and lived in the basement his entire life.

“I feel awkward and nervous because I’ve only been in the human world for a short time. Maybe it’s because it’s above ground, but it’s a little chilly, so my skin seems to have become dry. Excuse me, do you have any hand cream?”

‘Why don’t you go somewhere else? Do I look easy!?’

Lara knew that she had to be strong in times like this. It was something she had learned after being tormented by human trash for a week.

“Excuse me.”

“Please call me Pereus.”

“I don’t believe in that kind of thing.” “Huh… …?”

“I’m not interested in black magic or cults.”

“Oh, I think you misunderstood, I’m not one of those demons who spreads those things. Haha, I’m not a cult.”

“So you’re saying you’re the real Demon King?”

“Yes, if you don’t believe me, should I show you my portfolio? I made this while I was the Demon King for a thousand years… ….”

“Haha! No, I’m not interested.”

“Yes… … . I apologise if I bothered you.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Pereus left with a sullen face. Lara stood in front of the pillar with her arms folded proudly. She was thinking that when she came back, she would ignore him coldly this time.

As expected, the sound of neat footsteps could be heard from somewhere. The man stopped walking right next to her.

“I’m not interested!”

“You’ll know if I’m interested or not if you talk to me.”

It was a husky yet sweet low voice. When Lara shyly turned her head, another handsome man was looking down at her from three steps away.

“I’m looking for a bathroom, do you know where it is?”

“… Hoho, sorry for yelling. I mistook you for someone else. Excuse me, who are you?”

“Do you really not know? Or are you pretending not to know?”

A strange curiosity grew over the well-proportioned, well-built body and thick, yet beautifully lined face. Lara had never seen such a graceful face in her entire life.

His dark purple hair with a gentle sheen and his clothes with ornate gold decorations were not out of place at all. She could tell that he was of noble status. The man curled his lips in amusement at the prolonged silence.

“It hasn’t been long since I ascended the throne, so a daughter of a lowly family might not recognize my face. This is the emperor of this country, Karla Kingger Iolne Pertirio.” “Hoho… … . I see.”

Lara revealed her tired eyes and curled her lips as elegantly as possible. ‘It’s not some romance novel, but I met the Demon King and the Emperor like the uncle next door who runs into me every time I go out to throw away food waste!’

If I had at least been holding a food bag, he wouldn’t have come near me.

I felt like I had to get out of here. It was the moment when the soles of my shoes lightly touched the smooth golden floor. Suddenly, my head rang with a ding. As the objects around me started spinning wildly, Lara had no choice but to stop walking.

My small feet couldn’t move forward and hesitated. Soon after, my body swayed greatly, but since there was nothing to support me, I had no choice but to sit down.

Because of the dress skirt that tried to maintain its shape, I couldn’t sit with my buttocks together, and I was helplessly kneeling among the people.

Flash. Lara’s head rose. At the same time, a dizzyingly brilliant light poured down before my eyes.

It wasn’t the light coming from the chandelier on the ceiling. The holy light that pierced my vision might have been something only my eyes could see. It seemed as if a sweet hymn would ring out at any moment, and angel feathers would flutter. That was when.

<Lara… Schmord… … .>

A mysterious voice rang out like a misty fog. It was a clear voice, as if telling me that the tinnitus I had been hearing earlier was not just a hallucination.

<… Girl who hears the voice of God… … . You are the chosen one… … .>

I felt like all the thoughts in my head were being kicked out, and only that voice filled my head. A groan of “Ugh,” came out of my mouth.

<I command you… to shoulder the mission… that is… … .> “Augh, the voice… … !”

<… Ah, beep— microphone test. One, two.> “It’s… so… loud… … .”

It felt like I had plugged the earphones directly into my brain at the maximum volume.

The pain of accidentally holding down the volume button and hearing the friendly warning message, “Listening to music at a loud volume for a long time can damage your hearing. Should I turn the volume up higher than the safe range?” Lara was enduring the terrible pain that 21st century modern people experience all by herself.

“Ah… … .”

But it was too much and too terrible a pain for a woman to handle alone. Lara’s body soon collapsed like a flower petal that had fallen to the ground. “Hey! Young-ae, come to your senses!”

She felt someone’s arms holding her, but Lara couldn’t open her eyes. Her head was so noisy. At that moment, a faint voice like a thread could be heard piercing through the countless noises. The owner of the voice calling her desperately was.

“Hey, Lara! You’re not dead, are you? Who is going to boil spaghetti from now on!”

‘Oh, God. If you exist, strangle that kid with spaghetti noodles and let him go.’

To Lara’s prayer, surprisingly, God answered.

* * *

She had a dream. A very distant and nostalgic dream. It took her a while to realise that it was a childhood memory with her brother.

“Lara, does it hurt a lot?”

“Ughhhh.”

“I’m sorry. I should have run over and caught you right away… … .”

It must have been the day I tripped on the last step of the stairs and cried.

Blood was seeping out of my cut knee. My brother knelt down in front of me and blinked back tears. As if he was in more pain. Then he brought his rounded lips to the wound and started blowing air, saying, “Huhu.”

“But it’s okay. Because you did it for me.”

Her short coral hair shook as she hugged my brother’s shoulders. Lara liked his embrace. He was always warm, affectionate, and gentle.

“Hey, make some spaghetti.”