The Obsessive Male Leads Want to Eat Me Alive - Chapter 98

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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 98
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“If the only way to be with you forever was death….”
“Then death would be my only dream.”
Heinrich, when did your heart grow so large?
I descended from that enchanted hill in a daze, my mind still reeling.
“I’m not asking for an answer now, sister.”
“…I understand.”
“But I do hope you’ll answer before too long.”
Heinrich cradled my flustered face in his hands, his gaze meeting mine. His beautiful eyes narrowed softly as he spoke with tenderness.
“From now on, I want to call you not ‘sister,’ but ‘wife.'”
“…!!!”
‘Insane.’
Wife, Heinrich?
I covered my mouth and entered the Party Venue with a rather shocked expression.
The Party Venue was relatively quiet.
Nearly everyone had drunk themselves to sleep (thanks to a certain brilliant Mage who granted my request, keeping the Party Venue warm despite the late hour), and several others had apparently already left for home.
Those who departed early had left thank-you letters in the host’s mailbox.
Judging by the considerable stack, it seemed the party had nearly concluded for everyone except a few die-hard drinkers.
The moment I entered the Bakery, I poured myself a glass of cool water.
“…In the end, I’ve accepted the ring.”
An engagement ring.
I opened the ring case and gazed at the softly gleaming band, lost in thought.
I’d never given marriage to Heinrich as much consideration as I had with Kyle.
But if I were to imagine it now―
I found myself covering my mouth and whispering.
“…My husband is far too attractive, isn’t he?”
That was how the original story had characterized him.
He possessed a beauty that captivated both men and women alike.
When I thought of him as my ‘brother,’ it was effortless, but if he became my husband, it would be taxing on my heart day and night.
I imagined married life with Heinrich.
“My lady, what are you doing up so late?”
“Ah… I was reading a book.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
For some reason, in my imagination, Heinrich appeared in a suggestive silk robe (I had no idea why my mind conjured such an image), approaching from behind me and whispering.
“I’m a bit peckish since it’s late, dear. Shall we have a midnight snack together?”
To me, eyes gleaming with anticipation, Heinrich (my dear) spoke gently.
“I’ll bring something suitable for us to enjoy.”
A moment later.
As Heinrich set the tray down in the Bedroom, he whispered to me.
“Would you like to start with scones? Or perhaps milk tea first? …Or.”
Suddenly, Heinrich wrapped his strong arm around my waist and pulled me close, gazing down at me.
His sensual eyes narrowed to slits—
As if he’d spent the entire night slowly licking and deliberately savoring every bite, he whispered against my ear in a voice that had grown dangerously suggestive.
“Shall I feed myself to you first, my lady?”
Pfft.
Water sprayed from my mouth before I could stop it.
‘Insane. What am I even imagining…!’
It seems some impure demon has taken residence in my brain.
Oh heavens, forgive me! Absolve me of my sins.
I’ve harbored such wicked thoughts about my own brother.
“Sigh.”
After enduring nearly a week of what could only be described as relentless flirtation(?), I’m beginning to lose my mind as well.
…How did things come to this?
Just a short while ago, I was nothing more than a peaceful baker running the Little Bakery.
Everything changed the moment I met three absolute madmen.
“If only I could resolve all three of them cleanly.”
Then this shackle on my wrist and both proposal rings would all be neatly settled.
I muttered to myself as I picked up Heinrich’s ring case and grabbed the one Kyle had given me, then climbed the stairs to my room on the second floor.
Then I opened the drawer beside the nightstand.
Click, snap.
It was a double drawer—a drawer within a drawer.
It was where I kept my most important belongings.
Just as I was about to place the ring cases inside and close it.
Glimmer!
“…?”
Light seeped out from inside a worn cloth pouch.
As if it contained fireflies, something was emitting its own glow.
‘What was this again?’
Curious, I opened the pouch and found something very old.
It was something I hadn’t seen in over ten years.
―An empty locket necklace.
The only thing my parents left me, placed in my cradle when they abandoned me.
That locket pendant without a single photograph inside.
“…!”
The moment I took out the necklace, the light emanating from the locket faded away.
‘How strange.’
“There’s nothing here that should be glowing.”
The locket was made of wood, and the necklace cord was leather that had rotted so much it was on the verge of falling apart.
I shook out the pouch wondering if perhaps a firefly had been trapped inside, but there was nothing.
There was no way I could have gone that far in the first place.
“….”
I was about to put it back thoughtlessly when I took off the necklace and hung it somewhere clearly visible instead.
―Let me observe it for a few days.
‘Something feels off about this.’
Who knows?
…Maybe I really do have a ‘family’ somewhere.
Perhaps my mother or father are desperately searching for me right now.
“It’s absurd, I know.”
A bitter smile leaked out.
From my previous life, I’d never had a shred of parental fortune or family luck.
So I know this is an impossible dream, but there’s nothing wrong with holding onto hope for a wooden rocket, right? It could shine once more.
“If it’s just an ordinary wooden rocket, it would be difficult to find the owner without any photographs.”
But if this is a special rocket.
“If it’s something uncommon, I might be able to find its owner.”
I lay down on the bed, clutching this small hope.
“Sigh.”
One way or another, today was incredibly long….
I’d only held one party, yet so many extraordinary things happened throughout the entire day.
While listening to the faint sounds of the party still continuing outside, I fell asleep first.
―While I slept.
Unaware of what was unfolding.
* * *
Acrid smoke scattered through the air.
“Do you believe what he said?”
Avilos displayed a somewhat agitated reaction toward Gerard, who was smoking a cigarette.
“Absolutely not. There’s no reason for him to reveal Anette’s location first.”
“….”
Last night.
The person Gerard had met deep within the Forest was utterly unexpected.
Contrary to expectations, he was not a commoner but a nobleman. Therefore, naturally he was not a street thug either, and he hadn’t even demanded payment from Gerard.
The boy who had delivered the letter was merely evidence that this man was skilled at ‘disguise’—the cheap paper quality used by commoners proved nothing more.
A man who shattered all expectations and appeared with ease.
He simply said this.
“I want nothing. I’ve merely come to inform you of her location.”
Despite searching like a dog for over ten years, he couldn’t find her location, yet this high-grade information was revealed so easily?
―And without any price whatsoever.
“She is currently on Bayonere Island of the fallen Fris Empire.”
“…!”
Yet it was the truth. The man simply told him that and left.
Of course, I still couldn’t know for certain whether Anette was truly there or not.
But Gerard felt an intense intuition.
That man’s words were the truth.
A tremor ran through my fingertips, and my lips grew parched.
“So that woman was hiding on the island… She planned her escape to a very distant place. How cunning.”
“It’s clear that she’s trying to use the Crown Prince, sir.”
“I know that already.”
Gerard drew a cigarette to his lips with his leather-gloved hand and inhaled roughly.
With the bright red glow flaring at the tip, his eyes suddenly blazed with intensity.
“She must be seeking some advantage through me.”
The fact that she expected no compensation in return meant she stood to gain from the very act of revealing her location.
What could that advantage be?
No matter how much I pondered it, I couldn’t fathom it.
All I knew was that Anette—that reckless woman.
The woman who had driven me to the brink of madness for over a decade.
My sole hope lay on Bayonere Island.
Avilos spoke to his master.
“Your Highness, then before we find that woman, perhaps we should take some time and carefully plan—”
“No.”
My patience has long since expired.
“If she means to use me, then let her try.”
In the end, we would both move for our own gain.
“That woman will ultimately fall into my hands.”
If a storm descended, one need only rush toward its center and seize what one desired.
Whether the other party schemed to use me or harbored hidden intentions mattered little—my objective was absolute.
Gerard’s crimson eyes blazed with madness.
“Bring that woman from Bayonere. Now.”
Reading his master’s unwavering resolve, Avilos swiftly yielded and bowed his head.
“Shall I send an official summons document, or would you prefer to unleash the hounds?”
In desperate times, choice was a luxury. A rabbit was best caught when driven from multiple directions.
He issued a terse command.
“Do everything you can.”
* * *
Meanwhile, in Anette’s bedroom.
Before the bed where Anette slept soundly, the empty locket hanging from its chain began to move.
“….”
It gleamed as if it were a lie or an impossible hope, yet beautiful nonetheless—
Glimmering softly, it spun with serene grace.

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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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