“Are you feeling a little better?”

Kyle asked Annette, offering her the bouquet of flowers.

He knew firsthand what it was like to send one’s mother off.

So he was worried about her, who was going through the funeral.

Annette readily accepted the bouquet with a smile. It was a warm smile, like a good season for flowers to bloom.

“Of course. It was a funeral that I had already prepared my heart for. I’m okay.”

Fortunately, she looked much calmer and better-looking than she was then.

She was always a better woman than she had seemed.

He had felt it in every moment of interaction with her. It was very, truly exhilarating.

Annette led Kyle to the table and the two sat down. On the table there was hot tea, fragrant.

“Annette, <Little Bakery> will be run by one of my subordinates for the time being. He said a boy named Noah would help.”

“Noah..! That’s great. I heard that the bakery is doing very well too?”

Rocky Ballinell (the name of Number 19 which finally appeared) was quite good at baking, and his proprietary patent for saying ‘It’s out of stock’ in a rich accent was increasing the popularity of the bakery day by day.

(TL/C: you guys know I don’t usually do this, but.. yasssss, you finally got a name!!! And you’re popular to boot!!!?hope you’ll get married before your master?Here’s to a safer and yummier life at the bakery!!! Larva who?)

“Rocky often comes to me and talks about the operation. I think there will be a branch soon.”

“I can’t believe I’m running a bakery even after becoming a duchess—”

Kyle put his fist to his lips and chuckled.

“It’s irresistible to this bread lover.”

“Oh,?you’re?the bread lover who bought bread every day!”

“I didn’t go because I liked bread. I went because I liked the pretty owner who always welcomes me at that bakery.”

Kyle said with a fresh smile.

“....!”

Annette looked apologetic in an instant.

Now, she could no longer repay the chocolates and flowers given by the pure stag, who walked in and out of the bakery every day.

As she couldn’t reciprocate this guy’s wedding ring.

Kyle, having always considered Annette’s inner thoughts thoughtfully, recognized her pretty heart right away.

He smiled and lowered hand with gentle eyes.

“Annette, you always do your best with what you like.”

“.....”

“Running a bakery, helping someone, and loving someone.. I really loved the way you looked doing so. That’s why..”

Annette looked at Kyle. She gazed into the warm eyes under the hair as soft as a field of wheat.

“That’s why, Annette..”

“.....”

“Don’t feel sorry for me.”

Annette trembled a little. In order not to cause her trouble, this man was taking care of her until the very end.

He was a really nice guy.

“Kyle, how can I not be sorry?”

“.....”

“You have done so many things for me. You always protected and helped me. At Bayonaire, and even now.”

“You’re the one who helped me first.”

A boy who was afraid of people, but also lonely. She found him hiding all the time and willingly gave a mask.

A person who made the boy who was as insignificant as a grain of sand as beautiful as a castle.

That unconditional warmth was the beginning.

Her desire to help was just the beginning.

He was only trying to repay her for her considerate heart and the kindness he had received from her then.

“Annette.”

“.....”

“Don’t worry. I did not protect you to be loved by you.”

There was no such condition in his favor.

“I just wanted to repay the favor. And I just wanted to be like Annette, out of respect for your wonderful and kind heart.”

‘That handful of favors I received as a child made me a warm person, Annette.’

‘If it weren’t for you, I might have become a heartless man to everyone by now.’

Annette’s eyes lowered as she whispered.

“Thank you so much for saying that, Kyle.”

“I am leaving for the north tomorrow. I’m going to fulfill the mission of the <Beast Subjugation Team>.”

“....! Will it take a very long time?”

“It won’t take that long.”

“How long will it take?”

“Two seasons will suffice. I will be back when autumn comes.”

“Please take care of yourself.”

“Yes.”

He smiled sweetly. Then he shifted slightly.

“Oh, can I ask for one last favor?”

Annette nodded.

‘Is there any favor I can’t listen to?’

‘If it was Kyle’s request, I really wanted to do anything.’

“Absolutely. Say it, Kyle.”

Kyle took Annette’s hand and slowly lowered his head. The fragrant aroma of the fresh blooms lingered between them.

“Be happy, Annette. All this time, I’ve been truly happy thanks to you.”

“.....”

Annette bit her lips before pulling it into a grin.

“Yes!”

‘I will, Kyle.’

“I will be happy.”

━━━━???━━━━

In the dark prison.

Gerard, who was sentenced to death today, was imprisoned; he had a completely stunned face.

A few rats next to him were gnawing at the moldy slices of bread. They scattered at the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Death row prisoner Gerard, this is the last serving.”

Rattle—

It was a very poor meal. Hard bread and almost watery yellowish soup.

Gerard’s eyes looked down at the plate, then he frowned and said,

“You’re giving me garbage to eat.”

“.....”

The guard’s expression changed.

Bang!

The guard kicked him and shouted,

“It’s a waste to give food to a vicious bastard like you! Think of the millions of people who died because of you!”

After bitterly criticizing Gerard, the guard spat and went away.

“....?!”

Gerard felt a slight cognitive dissonance.

Wasn’t he the one who was always respected by everyone?

Although he was born lowly, was he not a man who would rise to the highest place?

Even on the day of the launch of the Acra, he held the position of a prince who was respected by everyone.

Such cognitive dissonance only slightly diluted when he was on the death row the next day.

Everyone who came to see the public execution resented him. Some wept as they screamed that they lost their families in the riot.

It was then that Gerard realized.

That his own life was a complete failure from start to finish.

Dun, dun, dun, dun.

His red eyes were empty as he walked to the execution site.

In the glowing light from high above, the criminal could not even open his eyes properly. A smile came out upon that glare. In the end, was that basement the right place for him?

‘..Ultimately, the end he faced was the most humble and lowly. No better than a worm.’

It was a miserable death that was the exact opposite of the goal he had longed for.

Like this, the life of a man who did evil for himself came to an end.

No one mourned Gerard’s death.

Death, which brought little comfort to the hearts of the victims, was the most valuable thing he had done in his life as a human being.

━━━━???━━━━

“Are you going to the river again today?”

“Yes, Victoria.”

Victoria hesitated like she wanted to say something.

She looked worried.

I know what Victoria wanted to say, so I smiled and reassured her.

“I just want to get some fresh air and go for a walk.”

“..Please come before dawn, Duchess. The night air is cold.”

“I will, Victoria.”

After Victoria left, I grabbed a pen and finished writing a letter.

It was a letter to Sislin.

「Sislin,

It’s been ten days since you left.

As I calculated, in the Crevasse.. It’s the amount of time for a person’s life to pass.」

The tip of the pen trembled.

The time of a man’s life.

The time for someone to be born and die again.

「It’s ten days for me, but a lifetime for you.

Because my time flows differently from where you are.

So my day goes by like 10 years. Every minute and second without you is so dark and slow.

During that time, I worry about you, but I also have selfish concerns.

Maybe you forgot me?

For a lifetime..

..is too long to wait for someone.」

It’s said that if one experienced the pain of the Crevasse, one would go crazy.

‘Will you remember me in that excruciating pain?’

Even Sislin had never been in the Crevasse for so long.

Maybe he has already forgotten me.

「It’s okay though.

Because I remember all of us.」

The slight shake of the tip of the pen suddenly disappeared, and the writing became calm and clear.

「It’s okay if I love you alone this time.

Just like you did all this time.

So please..

Come back, please.」

The end of the letter was eventually stained with tears.

━━━━???━━━━

The sky was clear today.

The sun shimmered like diamond powder sprinkled on the riverbank.

I looked at the river next to the hawthorn tree.

“..It’s so pretty today.”

Actually, before coming here, Heinrich asked.

“Sister, why do you always wait by the river?”

“Ugh, just..!”

Contrary to the answer, there was actually a reason.

―This was the closest river to the crack where the Crevasse had formed.

I heard that when people who have experienced the Crevasse return, they often appear ‘near water’.

So, it was just a glimmer of hope.

‘If you come back..’

If Sislin came back after a long, long time in it..

‘I want to welcome you even one step closer.’

I wanted to be the first person to greet him.

The wind along the river was strong today, making my hair flutter and my fingers cold.

Breathing into my hand, I looked at the little bird by the hawthorn tree.

‘Cute.’

It was a yellow bird with black eyes and a tiny beak. It was just as adorable as a chick.

Right then, the wind blew and the bird flew away and sat on another branch.

“....?”

As I pushed the branch with my hand, a large but familiar silhouette appeared.

Black hair if it had absorbed all the light and swallowed it, and beneath it, sharp red eyes.

Shoulders so wide that it felt like a solid castle.

My lips trembled.

I barely let out my voice.

“..Sislin?”

It felt like my heart was dropping down to the floor. My heart leapt painfully.

It was good, but it was terrifying. Was this a dream?

In the meantime, I have had many dreams of the return of Sislin.

Dun, dun—

Soon, the man approached. He had a familiar body scent and face, but something was different.

‘His eyes.’

―Yes, his eyes had deepened a lot.

As much as the weight of the time he went through alone.

“.....”

Sislin was just staring at me with that unfamiliar gaze, so I asked, touching my chest with trembling hands.

“Do you remember me?”

He smirked at my cautious question.

Instead of answering, he hugged me tightly in his arms and kissed me.

It was a familiar and exciting kiss.

Tears flowed from the unchanging warmth of his arms and the hands that caressed my back.

The lips that fell sadly answered. In a low, friendly voice.

“That’s a stupid question.”

He would rather forget himself.

“How can I forget you, Annette.”

“..But, a lot of time has passed. Almost as much as a person’s life.”

He said as he wiped his lover’s tears with his fingertips.

“Yes. I’ve been in Crevasse for a whole lifetime and I’ve been wanting you.”

Even though he spent decades in pain, he always loved her as if it was yesterday.

Love bound in his heart, thirst in his soul.

‘Annette.’

‘I will always long for, want, and love you by your side.’

Just as Annette lived here by Sislin’s standards, Sislin lived Annette’s time in the Crevasse.

He then said, as if answering the confession he heard ten days ago.

“Let’s get married, Annette.”

“....!”

My chest swelled. Tears of happiness fell nonstop from my eyes.

Hugging Sislin’s neck tightly, I answered.

“Yes.”

And again.

“Sislin, yes..!”

‘We’ll be a family now.’

Like the single puzzle piece that was lacking in each other’s lives, we would make each other’s lives happier and more beautiful.

With that..

—I’m truly happy.

【The Obsessive Male Leads Want To Eat Me Alive,?END?of Volume 2/Main Story.】

—

This is the end.. BUT!!! We have EVERY reason to believe there’ll be side stories, just look at this kkp announcement— “..Episode 149 is scheduled to be completed today, and the side story will be announced later when it is decided. Please look forward to the future stories of Annette and the obsessive men.”?I wrote this on 7th November 2022 and it’s April 2023 now with still no side stories in sight, we can only keep hoping?boohoo

While waiting..?please do rate and review in NU?*laughs* And below are the lovenotes from the team.

Translator Ame:

【I vividly remember the day I saw the promo and legit screeched in the staff chats if anyone can get me the raws <(￣︶￣)> I have absolutely no regrets!!!! Every ? of the novel feels like a different genre in a good way, we went from childrearing to chaos to angst+drama, hopefully those side stories will grant us “what if(s)” and happy ending~

My sweet Annette! Our spunky girl became a qualified duchess! You legit ran away from the novel but the plot dragged you back? (￣ω￣) Totally not your fault, and you did amazing, sweetie! I’ll be looking forward to your grand plans to open the imperial bakery!?Annette never said that, but I can dream, can’t I? I love bread too

Dear, dear Sislin! As lucky as Annette is to have you, you’re very lucky that she chose you (〃＾▽＾〃) your time in the Crevasse has made you stiff, please show us some of that volume 1 cuteness mixed with volume 2 sexiness soon hehe

Heinrich, my boy! I dare say you’ve grown the most out of the 4 main characters. I can understand why you’re Annette’s favorite character. You might not have gotten the girl, but you’ll certainly leave your mark in history as the best?and craziest?archwizard!? (??? )

And MY LOVE, KYLE!!!!!! You’re the best thing that’s ever happened in this novel, if not for you and Larva at keeping the plot going, we’ll be onto chapter 200 without the end in sight (o?ω?o) and.. if I remain single for life, it’s all your fault! ???

Okay, umm.. closing statements. It’s been an absolute joy to translate this, and I hope it showed in my translations. Shoutout to Vara, Kushi and Tassie, who indulged me in my addiction by providing raws and proofreading (>??) And seriously, please support the original author in kkp (link in the toc), she’s truly amazing!! As are all of you, for reading this far *:???

SEE Y’ALL AGAIN!?I really hope so】

Proofreader Tassie:

【I literally cannot believe that we are at the end!! I still remember when Ame sent the promo and how we became immediately obsessed XD (PUN INTENDED)

This has been one wild ride but id just like to take a moment to appreciate Ame who translated this novel so beautifully that sometimes I just read the novel while forgetting to pr it XD Ame is literally one of the most amazing people I know and I better see you all appreciate her!! I love you Ame!!!

I’m definitely going to miss our lovely Annette, Sislin, Kyle and Heinrich. Although the amount of times Annette’s actions made me pound my head against a wall saying “DON’T MAKE PROMISES YOU CAN’T KEEP!!” and Ame just having to go “resolve comment, resolve comment..” Also the amount of thirsty comments Ame had to remove.. SORRY NOT SORRY HAHAHAHA?MY TOXIC TRAIT IS THINKING I COULD FIX GERARD?XDDD

Although this novel had its flaws, I still think the author did a wonderful job with her story telling. Definitely go give your support however you can!

SIDE STORIES WHEN PLZ I NEED TO SEE KYLE AND HEINRI MARRIED OFF AND HAPPY AND I. NEED. BABIES!!!!

See ya around~! 】