Raise Me, So That I Can Eat You Up - Chapter 17

A sudden invitation was the root of the problem.

Well, if it had been an ordinary invitation, there wouldn’t have been any issue.

‘What on earth is this…’

I stared at the invitation with a bewildered face.

A clear seal embossed on a golden envelope. It was definitely an invitation from the Imperial family.

<Miss Ariella Hayworth, you are invited.

-Henry Grant>

To be precise, this line written in the corner of the invitation was the bigger problem.

‘After everything’s over. What’s the issue?’

To sum it up, this was an invitation to the ‘Imperial Ball’ sent by Ariella’s ex-fiancé, Henry.

‘Moreover, the Imperial Ball is mandatory attendance, isn’t it?’

That’s because not just anyone, even among nobles, could attend the Imperial Ball. Only a select few invited by the host could attend.

Usually, the host is a member of the Imperial family, and since it’s such a difficult invitation to receive, it’s hard to decline without a special reason.

‘From today, I’m sick. No, should I say I’ve caught an infectious disease?’

I kept having silly thoughts because of how gloomy I felt.

I thought I had cleanly rejected him. The tabloids that had been burning for a while had quieted down, so I thought everything was fine.

Above all, I thought a playboy like Henry wouldn’t be much affected. It was obvious he’d have a new lover soon after.

[System: Mission! ‘Night of Reunion’

Meet ‘Henry Grant (Status: Ex-fiancé)’ at the Imperial Ball and feel ‘psychological superiority’.

Failure: Death due to shame]

Oh no, the system even set it as a mission so I couldn’t avoid it.

I felt a headache coming on.

‘That aside. What’s psychological superiority, and what’s death by shame?’

Do I really die?

I can’t experiment with my life to see if I really would die. For now, it seems I have no choice but to attend.

Thinking there would be an uproar if the two men knew, I first invited experts in this field.

“Oh my, oh my, what a bombshell!”

“Miss! I’m so excited!”

Although they were a bit chatty and burdensome, there were no better consultants than Jenny and Laura right now.

It was rare to find people as sincere about matters of the heart as they were.

“Is this some kind of declaration of war?”

When I cautiously asked, they burst into laughter.

“Declaration of war? Miss, are you planning to go to war with your ex-lover?”

“This girl. It is a war, isn’t it? Right, Miss?”

I was already feeling troubled enough.

They were clapping their hands and making a fuss, seemingly delighted about something.

“So what I want to know is the reason. Why do you think His Highness is doing this?”

I sighed deeply and asked for the reason. Hoping for a plausible answer.

“Why? Do you not know? Miss, really. I don’t know if you’re unaware, or just pretending not to know.”

“Of course, he can’t forget you. He contacted you because he misses you!”

Their confident tone made me even more confused.

“He can’t forget me?”

“Of course! Since you don’t come to other parties, he deliberately sent an invitation to the Imperial party!”

“Why?”

“Because he desperately wants to see you! Because he misses you so terribly! To the point where he can’t sleep thinking about you and you appear in his dreams! He’s lovesick!”

Laura clasped her hands together and sent a burning gaze.

“I’m already troubled, could you not emphasize it?”

While I’m burning up inside. I rubbed my nape hard with a stiff face.

So, in modern terms, is this like an ex-boyfriend’s “…you up?” message?

This bastard, he’s not taking the regret route, is he?

I’m not pregnant, and I didn’t run away. Surely not.

‘…Just thinking about it is thrilling and delicious.’

The problem was my perverted trash-like preferences.

My heart, which had become pure and soft because of Oscar, was fluttering wildly.

…No, I must be crazy.

I really must have lost my mind.

I had such a lewd imagination in front of the ‘sacred duty of raising a dragon’.

I looked at Oscar, who was taking a nap on my bed, breathing softly.

‘Right, I shouldn’t forget my primary duty.’

Surviving right now was more important than a romance with a predetermined dead end.

‘Henry, you, what’s the problem when there are so many other women.’

It’s as if he knew my inner thoughts and was shaking them.

What should I do at times like this? My worries only deepened.

“How do you want to handle this? Revenge? Reunion?”

Jenny grabbed my hand firmly and asked with excited eyes.

“Well, I don’t know. I just find it bothersome. I don’t want to meet him.”

“Bothersome! This is a matter of your honor, Miss!”

“Ho-honor…?”

I didn’t care about honor. Isn’t life more important than honor?

‘Above all, I feel like I might weaken if I meet him.’

How could I coldly turn away from that beautiful face?

From my experience, the ‘male lead buff’ was terribly strong.

“Miss, have you forgotten that for nobles, honor is more precious than life?”

“Your honor is also our life, Miss! We must protect it with our lives!”

The maids’ eyes were burning with intense desire as they looked at me.

‘What should I do? I shouldn’t have said anything.’

It seems I’ve touched some inner passion of theirs.

But I had nowhere else to confide in. And knowing the intention would make it easier to deal with. I had no choice.

Even if I refuse Henry’s invitation this time, what if he invites me again?

It would be difficult to keep refusing invitations coming in the name of the Imperial family.

“Miss, you might not know what you want yourself because your heart is complicated.”

“That’s right. A reunion with an ex-lover is a love-hate relationship. You like them but hate them, miss them but get angry. You know what I mean, right?”

That can’t be.

Contrary to their expectations, I had no such lingering feelings for Henry.

I was just someone who had been possessed someone while enjoying the game for vicarious satisfaction.

Of course, Henry was handsome, pitiful, and cute. I wanted to embrace that wandering young soul.

When I saw his face messed up with tears, I wanted to give him some cocoa and pat his bottom…

‘Absolutely not.’

I shook my head vigorously.

Pretty is pretty. I just wanted to live.

No, is that all I feel?

It’s still an otome game, after all.

‘If I could, I’d like to have a last night with an ex-lover too.’

Dangerous thoughts kept coming to mind.

Well, fantasizing isn’t a crime, right?

‘And then I’ll run away quickly before dawn!’

‘And then I’ll run away before dawn!’

I want to torment him desperately. I want to make him cry until that fair face is a mess with tears!

I comforted myself saying I wasn’t curious anymore since I’d seen enough, but delicious things never get boring no matter how much you eat.

When my thoughts reached that point, I felt intense self-loathing.

With this appearance! This youth!

Even possessed into a reverse harem game!

To think I can’t even have a passionate romance with young and rich men crying and clinging to me.

In reality, I was in a situation where I couldn’t move an inch because of a habitually rampaging, threatening baby dragon.

‘No. How long am I going to flounder in this victim mentality?’

One well-raised dragon is worth ten romances.

This is a kind of long-term investment. For a peaceful life, there’s nothing I can’t endure.

I steeled my resolve once again.

‘Right. Dragons grow quickly anyway. Let’s not give in to temptation until it grows up properly.’

Whether I was lost in anguish or not, they were professionals. They were devising ways to make me look as beautiful as possible that day.

I looked at Oscar again, and he was already awake.

‘I’m trash.’

Meeting those clear eyes, I felt an unbearable sense of guilt.

‘Oh no. Did we wake him up?’

Well, we were a bit noisy.

“Oscar. When did you wake up?”

“……”

“Come here.”

Oscar didn’t answer.

He just sat still with a blank face.

‘Oh, I should let him sleep more.’

I got into bed and hugged Oscar.

“Girls. Let’s talk about this later. For now, I need to put Lord Oscar back to sleep, so please leave.”

Disappointment spread across the maids’ faces. When I raised my eyebrows, they started bustling among themselves as if nothing had happened.

“Don’t worry, Miss! We’ll prepare everything and get ready for battle!”

“We should choose a dress first, and buy some cosmetics too, right? We’ll start full care for you from today, so just wait!”

I quietly made a circle with my thumb and index finger, then dismissed the maids.

After they left, only Oscar and I remained in the room.

“Oscar. It was a bit noisy, wasn’t it? Do you want to sleep more?”

I patted Oscar gently while breathing slowly. He usually fell asleep easily after a few minutes of this.

“Adi. Where you going?”

His pronunciation was poor due to being half-asleep. He seemed anxious that I might disappear again while he was sleeping.

I should explain properly this time.

“Not now, but soon. They say I have to go to an Imperial ball.”

“Ball?”

Oscar’s red eyes sparkled.

“Yes, this time I’ll make sure to tell you beforehand and come back on time.”

“Can Oscar go too?”

“You want to come along, Oscar?”

“Yeah!”

It seems he wants to follow me. Of course, I wanted to take him along because he’s cute.

It would be adorable to dress up as a couple and take him with me.

But it’s rare to bring young children, and Oscar is a dragon, so it wouldn’t be good to draw attention.

I decided to try and persuade Oscar.

“It’s at the Imperial Palace and at night, so babies aren’t allowed in.”

“Tch. Ari alone is dangerous.”

“I’ll go with the pink jerk. So don’t worry.”

“Oscar is stronger. Oscar’s sword is good too.”

He does have superhuman strength, but who is he going to stab with that toothpick-like sword? I found Oscar’s boasting secretly cute.

“That’s true, but. Just this once, please let the pink jerk take care of it. He’ll be pitiful if he has nothing to do.”

“Tch.”

“I’m sorry. But I’ll come back as soon as possible. If you wait well, I’ll give you a present. How about that?”

“Present?”

“Yes. Is there anything you want?”

Oscar seemed to ponder for a moment, then answered cheerfully.

“Adi. Come early. Play together.”

“Is that really all you want?”

“Yeah. Don’t need anything else.”

How modest. I wanted to bite Oscar because he was so cute.

“Alright. You know how to read a clock, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be back by the time it strikes twelve. But if you get sleepy, you should go to bed first.”

“I know. Promise.”

‘He’s using what he learned well, huh?’

Oscar held out his pinky finger with his eyes almost closed from sleepiness.

“Yes, promise.”

I smiled broadly and held out my finger to Oscar.

Am I getting pretty good at handling the black dragon now?

Only after firmly sealing the promise did Oscar fall back asleep.