The Obsessive Male Leads Want to Eat Me Alive - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 52
* * *
“Anette, are you ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
On the day of her adoption, Anette looked radiant.
Dressed in a serene sky-blue gown adorned with ribbons and a scarf, her golden hair braided down her back, the girl cut an intelligent and endearing figure.
One could hardly blame an unmarried prince for becoming utterly smitten and adopting her on the spot.
Mimosa and Julius stood at the entrance to bid her farewell.
Anette turned back and spoke.
“Mimosa, please be sure to give the children my letters and gifts when they wake up!”
The children of the Forest still wandered in the realm of dreams.
In the Forest, we always ensured the children slept deeply in the mornings so they could grow strong and healthy.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already placed your letters and gifts at their bedsides while they slept.”
“…Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, ma’am.”
Knowing they’d already been delivered put my mind at ease.
Then Julius, standing with his usual stern expression, spoke.
“It’s a shame to see you leave like this, Anette.”
His expression showed no hint of regret whatsoever.
You’re not much of an actor, are you, sir?
“Becoming part of the Imperial Family, you are now a model for all the children of the Forest, and rightfully our pride.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“But before you leave like this… surely you have a gift for me?”
After his uncharacteristic praise, Julius revealed his true intentions, subtly extending his hand.
While staring intently at the Pluto Ring.
‘Ah, you’re shameless, sir.’
Does he have no conscience at all?
Anette, oblivious to the scheme, smiled brightly like a cheerful hamster, her plump cheeks rising.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t prepare anything for you!”
“…!”
Then she grasped Julius’s hand firmly and shook it with vigor.
“Don’t be too disappointed. We’ll see each other often!”
“…!!!”
At the words “we’ll see each other often,” Julius’s PTSD from being summoned while wearing childish underwear struck hard, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
I could feel Anette’s unwavering determination to drain him dry and use him to the very end.
Anette laughed radiantly.
“Shall we go then?”
We can’t keep the prince waiting, can we? He looks like he has a terrible personality anyway.
Anette turned her body, exhaled slowly, and took stock of herself.
‘The treasures are all accounted for, at least.’
The luggage she carried lightly in her hands was entirely treasure, save for the clothing on top.
‘The magical artifact is complete.’
The thumbnail-sized magical artifact that the Phantom Boy had given me had a loop, so I’d disguised it as a pendant on a necklace and hung it around my neck.
Thanks to that, it was hidden perfectly beneath my dress.
Now the real preparations were finished.
All that remained was to depart.
Anette spoke with gleaming eyes.
“Mimosa, please activate it!”
“…Very well.”
At Anette’s words, Mimosa quietly signaled to Julius with her eyes.
Immediately, Julius chanted the activation word tersely.
Ziiiiing― Boom!
Then a massive shield materialized right beside the door.
“…?”
Julius opened the door with a bewildered expression.
Even the very person who’d cast the magical shield seemed unaware that it would activate in the adjacent room.
As the door opened, the reason became apparent.
A boy with violet eyes, utterly panicked and trapped within the shield, appeared.
“Heinrich…?”
Anette called out to the boy, startled as well.
“…Sister?”
The boy who’d been monitoring the situation from the adjacent room and was about to board the carriage with Anette was now trapped in the shield like a mouse caught in a snare.
At that moment, Heinrich’s gaze fell upon the luggage bag Anette was holding.
The appearance of someone clearly about to depart.
“…!”
The instant Heinrich’s eyes widened, he pressed himself against the shield and cried out urgently.
“S-Sister, what is this? …Open it, tell them to remove this!!!”
Crunch—strength flooded into Anette’s hands.
‘I’m sorry, Heinrich.’
* * *
The dawn before.
I sought out Mimosa and proposed something.
“You want me to cast a shield?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It was a request for her to cast a shield around where Heinrich and Sisrain were located, timed to coincide with my departure.
Mimosa asked, seeming puzzled.
“Why would you need to do that?”
“The children might act impulsively.”
“…Have you told them that you’re leaving?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“But Sisrain and Heinrich’s behavior has been a bit suspicious lately―”
In other words,
“Something’s off.”
When I made that deal with Avilos, Sisrain watching from the shadows was no coincidence.
He must have sensed something and secretly followed me.
If he’d merely been passing near the Incinerator by chance, there would have been no reason to hide.
‘If Sisrain noticed… then Heinrich certainly did too.’
And hadn’t I asked Heinrich a suspicious question as well?
A question about adoption.
I’d never asked him anything like that before.
Heinrich, who was particularly sensitive about me, wouldn’t simply let that slide.
And if he decided to act, that child would cause real trouble.
The same Heinrich who said he’d tear apart bad adoptive parents like pastry might very well try to tear Gerard apart.
‘Still only eleven years old… no matter how powerful his magic, it’s impossible against Gerard.’
Young Heinrich couldn’t possibly predict how formidable the protection of an only imperial prince would be.
Especially a man who’d even made a contract with a sorcerer’s soul.
I had no idea what abilities he might possess.
And Gerard was not the type to simply let someone who attacked him live.
So I had to prevent Heinrich from falling into danger beforehand.
‘Since I’ll escape midway… I really just need to keep the children calm until I leave The Forest.’
Once I disappeared, there would be no reason for the children and Gerard to become entangled.
So the shield I’d requested was essentially a temporary safety measure to protect the children from Gerard.
But explaining all this in detail would be less effective than giving Mimosa a different reason.
“We need to leave a good impression on the imperial prince without any mistakes, don’t we, madam?”
I smiled and continued speaking.
“And if there’s any commotion in the morning, The Forest’s reputation in High Society will suffer greatly.”
“….”
“The imperial prince’s procession always draws quite a few eyes and ears, after all.”
If the imperial prince himself had come and commotion broke out in The Forest, the entourage that came with him would spread gossip enthusiastically throughout High Society.
Fortunately, the madam understood immediately.
And she agreed at once.
“You’re right. I’ll have the shield prepared.”
“Thank you so much, madam!”
* * *
…But I hadn’t anticipated this situation.
I hadn’t foreseen that Heinrich would be hiding in the room right next door.
That I’d encounter him like this.
“Sister, you’re lying, right? …Why did you prepare something like this!!! Are you really trying to abandon me and leave?!”
Bang, bang.
Frustrated, Heinrich struck the shield roughly with his fists.
Anette couldn’t bear it any longer and took a step forward.
“Heinrich… don’t! You’ll hurt your hand.”
“You said you’d be with me on my birthday. You said you’d stay with me.”
Those violet eyes, always so arrogant, were now brimming with tears that fell one by one.
“Liar.”
‘Heinrich, I’m sorry.’
Anette tried her best to calm her heart.
Her chest ached, but she knew the truth.
This was the only way to save Heinrich and survive herself.
If she didn’t do this, the two of them—still so young—would be bent to Gerard’s will and broken entirely.
‘For us.’
And for you.
Like the happily-ever-after fairy tale she’d once read to the boy at his bedside… this decision was made with nothing but the hope that Heinrich would always live in happiness.
But Heinrich, unaware of her true intentions, was consumed with anguish.
“Sister, something feels wrong. I have this feeling… like we won’t see each other for a very long time.”
“….”
Even in this moment of parting, his intuition about Anette was cruelly accurate.
“Sister, please… please!!!”
Heinrich’s cheeks were drenched with tears.
The boy trembled and pleaded as if standing alone in a winter field.
“Don’t go.”
“….”
Anette looked at the boy with wavering eyes, then turned her head away.
And she spoke quietly and gently.
“Goodbye, Heinrich.”
“…!”
Goodbye—just a simple farewell.
Yet those words extinguished the light in Heinrich’s eyes.
The boy collapsed helplessly, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Thud.
At that moment, Mimosa closed the door. Her expression cold, she spoke.
“The Imperial Prince is waiting. Let’s go.”
“….”
Anette’s throat tightened as she barely managed a nod. Then she moved forward slowly.
* * *
I steadied my breathing.
I would meet Gerard soon, and I had no time to drown in sorrow.
‘Now that it’s come to this, I must succeed.’
I had made Heinrich sad—I owed him that much in return.
I reaffirmed my resolve and stepped toward the entrance.
“…!”
The sunlight outside was so intense it stung the eyes. The moment I shielded my face with my hand, a low voice cut through the air with chilling clarity.
“What a pleasant morning, Anette.”
―It was Gerard.
‘Hmm, the glare is keeping me from seeing his expression.’
I slowly looked up at the towering figure before me.
Black polished shoes, long slender legs taut with muscle, and a broad chest draped in cascading silver-grey hair of ethereal beauty.
Past the sharp angle of his jaw… a crimson smile twisted at an unsettling slant.
“…!”
Our eyes met, and I froze.
‘His eyes are completely unhinged.’
Those crimson irises fixed upon me gleamed with an eerie, almost manic delight.
Why such an expression?
Has he stopped pretending altogether?
The thought flickered past, but I soon understood the reason.
“I haven’t slept a wink all night. I was far too thrilled knowing you’ve finally become mine.”
―He wasn’t even attempting to conceal his emotions anymore. Anticipation consumed him entirely.
I instinctively flinched and stepped backward, but gloved black fingers seized my chin with predatory grace.
“Mmph.”
“Thank you for coming into your father’s embrace, Anette.”
Chills cascaded down my spine.
“Let me hold you.”
“N-no, please….”
Ignoring my refusal, Gerard knelt on one knee and pulled me into his arms.
Contrary to my expectations, aside from the faint scent of cigarettes, he carried a pleasant fragrance that only intensified my dread.
He whispered against my ear.
“From now on, you’ll live with me in the Imperial Palace. Flourish with your talents, and become a beautiful daughter who proves useful to me.”
“…!”
“I’ll care for you devotedly, day and night, Anette.”
His voice dripped with yearning and obsession.
I stood there numbly in his embrace, my mind racing.
‘If I try to escape, he’ll lose his mind.’
Truly―
‘This is absolutely maddening.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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