Raise Me, So That I Can Eat You Up - Chapter 25

“Yes. How’s your work coming along, author?”

Work? My mind went blank at the sudden topic, but then I recalled the excuse I had made that day.

‘Ah! I had pretended I was writing a dragon novel back then.’

I stuttered as I answered.

“Ah, I haven’t written it yet! Be, because of the, the research.”

“Seeing how thoroughly you’re preparing, it must be a promising work.”

“Yes, yes.”

Will he give me an extension?

The atmosphere isn’t as bad as I thought?

[System: 1 minute remaining for the abnormal status duration.]

The debuff time is almost over. It seemed I could soon breathe a sigh of relief.

‘Sigh, I really don’t want to say it.’

But with this one statement, the atmosphere would likely turn cold as if doused with water.

‘It’s probably better to speak calmly rather than trembling while talking.’

I decided to stall on purpose until the abnormal status ended.

In my mind, I was busily formulating a plan.

Now, what should I do?

1.Kneel down and beg without hesitation.

2.Say I’ll take responsibility and compensate for the book.

3.Shed tears like Henry to evoke sympathy.

No, should I just do all three?

[System: You are now released from the abnormal status.]

Well, there’s no choice but to face it head-on.

The first thing I needed to do was inform him about the condition of the book.

I took a shallow breath and looked at him straight on.

“Before that, I have something to confess.”

“A confession?”

“Yes. Due to my carelessness, the book was damaged. You must have lent it to me in good faith. I’m truly sorry.”

I stood up from my seat and bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.

If he told me to kneel, that was totally possible too, but for now, I had to save it in case he got angry.

“……”

Benedict didn’t say anything. He just stared at me as if observing.

“I’ll definitely compensate! Since I damaged it, I can buy it from you, Grand Magician.”

“How much will you pay?”

“Pardon?”

“You said you’d compensate. How much are you going to pay?”

I hadn’t thought about the amount. I looked at Benedict’s face with a dumbfounded expression.

“How much is that book worth?”

“Well, I’ve never put a price on it.”

Of course. The ‘Dragon Encyclopedia’ was a rare book with only a few copies in the empire.

There’s no way it could be priced.

“……”

I was at a loss for words, even if I had ten mouths.

It might not be a simple matter that could be resolved with compensation. Realizing this, I felt like dying from the overwhelming situation.

“How much can you offer?”

I couldn’t read his expression just by looking at his eyes.

‘Did I bring up compensation unnecessarily? What if it’s an amount I can’t possibly pay?’

What can I do? The water has already been spilled. Even if it’s vague, I have to wipe it up.

“Well, I’m not sure either. It took a lot of courage for me to say this to you.”

“So you want me to go easy on you because you had the courage?”

“Ah, no! Even if it takes a lifetime, I’ll pay it back. Please, don’t be angry and think of a reasonable compensation amount.”

Preferably a generous one. Unable to look at him due to embarrassment, I just fidgeted with my fingers.

“A lifetime?”

Benedict chuckled as if amused.

‘Hey, I’m dying here with my blood running dry. Is it funny?’

I wanted to retort, but as the guilty party, what could I say? I could only keep my mouth shut and wait for his decision.

“It looks fine on the outside. Let’s examine its condition first.”

“Here it is.”

I obediently handed the Dragon Encyclopedia to him.

He opened the book and examined the inside.

Why is he looking at those scribbles so intently?

As if appreciating Oscar’s profound artistic world, he was concentrating with his brow slightly furrowed.

“…Did you do this, my lady?”

“Pardon?”

“This. I’m asking if you did this.”

For a moment, I was conflicted.

Should I say I did it? Would that make me seem psychotic?

I was a normal adult. I wasn’t crazy or bold enough to scribble on such a precious ancient book.

Above all, I was afraid that if I said I did it on purpose, I might be charged with contempt.

“Actually, there’s a baby at home.”

“A baby?”

“…Yes. Lately, the baby likes drawing. It seems there was a bit of an accident.”

I decided to be honest. There was no point in making up a clumsy lie that would be found out anyway. It’s better to be straightforward.

Benedict looked as if there was still an unresolved question.

I decided to apologize once more to drive the point home.

“Anyway, it’s my fault for mismanaging something I borrowed from someone else, so I’ll compensate and apologize. I’m truly sorry.”

“Is it your baby, my lady?”

“Pardon?”

“I just thought it unlikely that a mere employee’s child would enter your room and do such a mischievous thing.”

It was a sharp observation. My mind went blank, and I didn’t know how to respond.

“Well, that…”

“Ah, if that was too personal a question, I apologize. I tend to have trouble restraining my curiosity. That was rude of me.”

“It’s, it’s my child.”

“What?”

Oh, whatever. This seemed more natural.

I closed my eyes tightly and told a bombshell of a lie.

“……”

For a moment, there was a deathly silence.

“……”

“……”

Is, is this not right? Was it too much of a stretch?

I couldn’t predict what he was thinking just by looking at Benedict’s eyes, which made it even more frightening.

After the moment of silence passed, he was the first to break it.

“Can I meet that child for a moment?”

“The child?”

I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

“Yes. As part of the compensation.”

A faint smile spread across Benedict’s face.

What should I do? ‘Showing Oscar to a stranger’ wasn’t in the plan.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time, but the reactions hadn’t been good each time.

“Get out. This is Ari’s room. We don’t need them.”

This was Oscar’s reaction when he first saw the maids.

“Oscar can tear that apart with one hand.”

This was his reaction when shown to that ruffian who came to propose for the tenth time.

‘What if he shows hostility to Benedict too?’

Although Oscar had become much more docile, it’s not like he had good social skills.

Well, Benedict also seemed cold, so they probably wouldn’t get along.

‘But it’s not a situation where I can refuse either.’

It’s not a difficult task to show his face if it’s part of the compensation. It was an awkward situation to refuse.

‘I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I’ll be there. It should be fine.’

Right. It seemed better to see with my own eyes what he was thinking.

“Of course.”

I answered cheerfully, smiling with my eyes.

“But have you eaten, Mr. Magician?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

Benedict seemed a bit flustered at the sudden question.

Although he had urgent business, it was impolite to visit without notice late in the evening.

Having already been rude once, he seemed embarrassed to receive a meal as well.

“That’s not it, it’s the baby who’s not okay.”

“Pardon?”

“I accidentally fell asleep and haven’t fed the baby yet. If you don’t mind, would you like to have dinner together?”

Benedict’s purple eyes wavered a little. Probably because it was an unexpected situation.

“Please don’t refuse, as it’s also meant as an apology.”

After showing a bit of hesitation, he nodded, seemingly having no particular reason to refuse.

“Then I won’t decline.”

“I’ll bring the baby then. Could you wait a moment while the meal is prepared?”

I asked for Benedict’s understanding and left the drawing room.

***

Oscar was more mature than expected.

Perhaps thanks to my earnest pleading, he bowed politely to Benedict as soon as he met him and quietly took his seat.

And as if he was very hungry, he started to devour the food as soon as the meal was served.

Benedict observed this with curious eyes. Leon was wary of him, and I was anxious about that too.

The dining room was filled with an uncomfortable atmosphere in many ways.

I tried to dilute this heavy air by forcibly putting food in my mouth. Even as I chewed forcibly and racked my brain, no bright ideas came to mind.

‘It feels like I’m chewing sand.’

I felt like I was going to choke after just a few spoonfuls.

‘I wish Oscar would eat a little slower.’

He had already far exceeded the normal meal portion for a child.

Of course, the maids seemed accustomed to it and kept bringing out plates endlessly, but it was undoubtedly an unusual sight for anyone to see a young child eating this much.

‘I can’t stop a child who’s been sick from eating.’

It must have been a big effort for Oscar to even eat with a stranger, so I couldn’t expect everything to be perfect.

“Lady Hayworth.”

Benedict, who had been deeply observing, called out to me.

“Yes?”

“Could we ask the others to leave for a moment?”

“The others?”

“Yes. I have something urgent to discuss with you.”

As Benedict requested a private audience, a murderous intent flashed in Leon’s eyes.

“Who exactly do you mean by others? Does that include me?”

“That would be even better.”

“We’re still in the middle of our meal.”

“It doesn’t seem like you have much of an appetite either, Sir.”

“No, I’m eating.”

I had already explained ‘Oscar’s misdeed’ to Leon when we left the drawing room earlier.

He probably couldn’t leave his seat not knowing how Benedict might act.

“Why is this meat so tough.”

Leon cut into his steak so forcefully that the plate clattered.

“Would it be alright to at least dismiss the employees?”

Benedict asked me as if Leon wasn’t even worth considering.

“Alright. Girls, could you step out for a moment?”

At my command, the maids scurried out.

Benedict suddenly opened the ‘Dragon Encyclopedia’ and smirked.

“Delusion, novel, trash.”

“Pardon?”

“Humans are pathetic.”

I opened my eyes wide at the strange words coming out of his mouth without hesitation.

“I read what you wrote down.”

“What do you mean.”

“It was written in the dragon language.”

Dragon language?

I froze at this unimaginable revelation.

“I think you need to explain, little one?”

Oscar stared back at his question with empty eyes.