Mikoto: Omg I am so so so so so so sooooooooo sorry everyone! Things started getting hectic, assignments were all due and then exams started cramming in and agghhhhhh . So I'm really sorry for this late chapter! To BlueKnightX, yes, that flower meaning of the Rosemary (from chapter 19) is true! I absolutely love flower meanings, because I honestly think flower meanings are nicer than words themself.
Inoki: Yeah, what she said, we're both sorry xD Enjoy the chapter of…Summer romance!? Kidding~ And by the way, to SmilingCookie, yes, indeed I am an Otaku!
Oh yeah, and by the way, we've decided to start a new thing from now: BEST REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER! Basically, which ever review appeals to both Ino and I, will be presented here with their name :) So, the best review for chapter 20, was by…
xXCode AngelXx: This is so sweet and fluffy it the best story I could use to help me sleep at night! I always loved how your stories are alway sweet and having sweet stories give me a cute dream of them. I hope I get to see more stories from you two soon!
We hope to see new names for the best review of chapters :D
Chapter 21: Sleeping Beauty
The curtains were drawn as fast as the speed of light. "Guess what time it is~?"
"Summertime?" groaned the sleepy Raven.
"It's our vaca-I'm not going to break out into High School Musical." Ophelia put her hands on her hips. "Seriously, Raven, it's already 9, and we've let you sleep in enough!"
"9's too early…" he threw the blankets over him to block out the sunlight.
"Nonsense! You must have breakfast with Milady every morning at the assigned time; it's called MANNERS." The maid tugged at the blankets.
"Five more minutes…" he pulled onto the blankets.
"Don't be such a lazy man! Eve would never fall in love with such a-"
Raven immediately bolted upright from his bed. "I'm awake." He headed to his personal bathroom, and started to brush his hair.
Ophelia secretly giggled, and walked out of his room. Looks like someone has a little crush on Eve~❤
•
"You know, I still can't get over the fact that you live in a mansion like this." Raven yawned, as he pulled out a chair to sit on.
"Good morning, Raven." Eve greeted, and took a sip of her tea. "Did you have a good sleep?"
"I mean, it's been like a whole week now, and now that I think about it…" he took a look around. "You could do a play or something in here! Like…a stage!"
Oberon poured tea for Raven. "A play? Such as…?"
"Like…hmm….Cinderella? Beauty and the Beast? Or maybe…" he gasped. "I've got it! Sleeping Beauty!"
Eve slapped both Oberon and Raven. "First-Raven, it's rude to ignore someone, and second-Oberon, you shouldn't have gone along with his conversation, and instead advised him to at least say 'Good Morning'!"
"Good morning…" they both murmured.
"Back to the fairytale conversation…" Ophelia smiled, "I think we should do a play in this mansion-just to kill time!"
"How can you murder 'time'?" Eve tilted her head to the side.
Ophelia ignored the young girl, and put an arm around Raven's shoulder. "And of course, the prince in every single one of those stories should be you, Raven!"
"And who would the damsel in distress be?" Raven smirked, and raised his eyebrow-clearly knowing she was going to say 'Why, it's Eve, of course!'
Ophelia laughed, "Why, it's-"
Oberon pulled out a beautiful gown. "Me, of course!"
The happy atmosphere was gone, and they all stared at Oberon.
"On second thought, let's scrap that play idea…" Raven laughed nervously.
Ophelia grabbed Oberon's collar. "My, it seems we need to have a little chat, Oberon…" she dragged him to another room, and the door slammed shut.
Raven watched the two go. "So, er…what now, Eve?"
She elegantly sipped her tea. "Finish your food, and then we shall think of something to do for today."
He sighed. "Roger that, Little Miss Princess."
She kicked at his leg under the table, and he cringed. "My name is not 'Little Miss Princess'!"
He chuckled and replied, "Yes, yes, I'm sorry, haha!"
"I don't understand. Why do you laugh when I kicked you?" she frowned.
"Because I'm happy that we can talk like this every day!" He smiled at her, and started to eat his food. "Wow, this is good! Ophelia really needs to teach you how to cook!"
Eve could feel her heart beating faster; the image of his smile was stuck in her head. 'Because I'm happy that we can talk like this every day!'
"Eve? Did you hear me?" Raven blinked.
"…Together…" she whispered.
"Hm?" he leaned closer, and she nervously sat back in her chair.
"Today, t-together…would you like to…with me…" she whispered nervously.
"?" Is Eve…asking me out? Raven got some of his hopes up, and he sat back in his chair, resting his head in his palm. "You can tell me anything, Eve."
The rich girl felt reassured by this, "I…was thinking that you and I could-"
"And we're back!" Ophelia pushed the doors open. "Oberon, apologize for ruining the Prince and Princess moment!" The maid paused, then looked at the two. "I'm sorry, I just…ruined your moment together…" she smiled nervously.
"Looks like I'm not the only moment-ruiner." chuckled Oberon.
Ophelia grabbed his collar again, and dragged him back into the other room. "Deeply sorry for the interruption, continue as you were!"
The doors shut once again, and the room was silent.
Raven sighed, and faced Eve. "You were saying?"
"…Never mind." She stood up, and took her dishes to the kitchen. "I'll see you later."
The dark haired teenager was left in the dining room alone. "…Maybe I really should start waking up earlier."
•
Raven explored the mansion-he had been exploring the place every day since last week, discovering new places, and getting lost. He found a room he had never been to before, and he soon found out that it was a personal library. He zigzagged through the rows of books, and came to a halt when he saw the petite girl reaching for a book.
I forgot to ask Oberon for a stool, so I could reach tall shelves like these… Eve grimaced, as she stretched her arm to reach the red book. Just a little more…
A hand gripped the book, and offered it to her. "This one, right?"
She turned her head slightly, and saw Raven standing closely behind her. "Yes, thank you…"
He laughed, "You're welcome…but I probably should've left you for a little while longer."
"Eh?" she blinked.
"Because then I can watch you struggle more." He joked.
Eve glared at him, and snatched the book. She walked to a table, and sat on the fancy chair. Carefully, she opened the book, and started reading. Raven walked after her, and sat across her. "What book is that?"
"Read the title." She replied, deadpan.
He glanced at her book. "Hmm…'The story of Sleeping Beauty'?"
"That's correct, now if you'd excuse me, I'm reading." She replied, coldly.
He placed his elbows on the table, and leaned on his hands. "Are you reading that book because I mentioned the story this morning?"
"Well, I haven't read any fairytales since I was a child, so…" she trailed off, as she started to read a new sentence.
"What part are you up to now?"
"The princess will live a happy life with her beauty, pride, and kindness…loved by the people of her kingdom. But, on her 16th birthday, she will be pricked by a needle on a spinner, and she will die."
"Ah, that part." He continued to smile while watching her read with interest.
She flipped to the next page. "Isn't watching me read boring?"
"Not one bit." He replied, continued to observe.
"Why is that?"
"I don't know." He looked up at the ceiling. "For some reason…just being with you is comforting."
Eve felt her heart skip a beat. "W-Why don't you get a book, or something…?"
Raven looked back at the girl across him, but he couldn't see her face, as she was hiding behind the book. "Alright then…" he stood up, and walked through the personal library, searching for a book.
Moments later, he sat back down, and opened the blue book. Eve took a quick glimpse at the title. "You're reading 'Romeo & Juliet'…?"
"There's nothing wrong with a little romantic tragedy." He replied, reading the first paragraph.
"I thought you'd go for something a little more…you." She remarked.
"Ssh, I'm reading." He flipped to page 5.
Eve smiled a bit, and also went back to reading. After a few minutes of silence, Eve started to wonder what Raven's expression was. She slowly lowered the book a little, up to her eye height, so she could just peek over the cover. However, his face was behind the book, so she could not see. She held the book up again, and continued to read in slight disappointment.
Raven felt someone looking at him, and so he quietly lowered his book to check on Eve, but all he could see was her red book. He raised his eyebrow, and went back to reading. Well, actually, he wasn't reading at all, he was pretending to read-waiting for a good time to check on Eve.
This happened countless times; pretending to read, hiding behind the book, and secretly peeking over at each other. Until their eyes came into contact.
"!" Eve gasped, and quickly hid her embarrassed face with the book. How childish I must seem!
Raven sat back in his chair, and chuckled. "Why don't we stop this little game?"
"I…I don't know what you're talking about!" she murmured.
He confiscated her book. "I'm almost certain you do know what I'm talking about."
"No, I was clearly reading Sleeping Beauty, until you took my book."
"Okay then, what happens in Sleeping Beauty?" he asked, trying to catch her out, because he knew she was pretending to read.
"The Prince arrives at the castle, defeats the evil witch, and ascends the stairs to the Princess's room."
"No kiss?" he glanced at her.
"I was going to read that part, but then you took the book."
"That's funny, I thought you were a faster reader…wouldn't you be finished the book by now?"
Eve coughed, then changed the subject. "Tell me, what happens in Romeo & Juliet?"
"Err…" he racked his brain, trying to think of something. "Tybalt dies!"
"That was a ridiculous outburst." She replied. "If you're going to lie, do a better job of it."
"Haha, alright, alright, you got me." He stood up, and went to return the book to the shelves. "Besides, I've never really liked Romeo & Juliet in the first place…too cliché."
After about ten minutes, Raven finally decided on another book. He headed back to the table. "Eve, is this book goo-" he froze. Eve had fallen asleep on her book at the reading table.
She's asleep…no sh*t she's asleep. What do I do? What SHOULD I do? Wait, no, I shouldn't do anything! Taking advantage of her while she's sleeping would be…wrong. But how often do I actually get to see her sleeping face…? Raven shook his head. Just sit back down, and read your book-don't do anything perverted or it may affect our relationship! Raven trembled as he silently sat in his seat. I can't believe I'm panicking over such a small thing…man up!
Cautiously, he opened the book, and started to read. However, all of the words didn't look like words anymore. UGHH, THIS IS NO GOOD, I CAN'T CONCENTRATE! He threw the book onto the ground in frustration. Oh crap, did I wake her? He glanced at the doll, she had stirred a little, but nonetheless, still asleep.
For a small while, he sat there, staring at her.
"Mm…Raven…" she murmured.
He blushed, and covered his face with his two hands. I feel so ashamed at myself, for getting so nervous over something like this! Just…calm down. He tried to look away, but his eyes kept drawing back to her. He closed his eyes, leaned over the table, opened them, and then he looked at the page of the book she was on.
"Oh, what a beautiful princess!" admired the Prince. "I wonder why she's sleeping here…"
The first fairy appeared, "The only thing that can awaken the princess…"
"…Is a kiss from someone who truly loves the princess." finished the second fairy.
The third fairy gracefully whispered, "If you can truly love her, then a kiss…"
The noble prince nodded, and swung his cape to the side. He bent down, and caressed her rosy cheeks. His lips gently pressed onto hers, and the sleeping beauty's eyes fluttered open. The two stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity, and before they knew it, the rest of the kingdom was waking up. Afterwards, the two fell in love, and everyone lived happily ever after. ~The End~
Raven couldn't help but smile after reading the page she had fallen asleep on. He sat back into his chair, and watched Eve for a small while longer. His hand leisurely approached her, and he gently raised a lock of her long silky hair to his lips. The words left his mouth, "Wake up, my sleeping beauty…"
•
Meanwhile…
Ophelia had dragged Oberon into the personal library, knowing that Eve and Raven would be there. They hid behind some bookshelves, and watched the entertaining scene. "Oh my gosh, don't you think that's adorable, Oberon?!" Ophelia whispered, very excited.
"Peeking at each other over their books? I think they should be concentrating on the actual contents-"
Ophelia glared at him. "Just hush, and watch!"
He sighed, and they continued to watch. Ophelia couldn't help but keep pinching Oberon at every moment. "Aww, look at Raven, struggling to restrain himself! This is too cute!"
"Ophelia, we might get caught!" he hissed.
Raven's voice could be heard throughout the room. "Wake up, my sleeping beauty…"
"Kyaaa~! ❤" Ophelia was so hyped up about this, she accidentally shoved Oberon into the book shelf, causing many books to suddenly shower down on them.
BANG! BOOM! KA-POW!
Oberon and Ophelia looked at each other.
"Oh dear…"
"Oh my…"
The two moment-ruiners speedily ran out of the library before getting caught.
•
Raven released Eve's hair from his grasp, and stood up. "What was that…?"
Eve yawned, and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What…what time is it?"
The dark haired teenager glanced at her. "Ah, you're awake." He checked the old grandfather clock in the corner. "It's only around early noon."
"Was I asleep for long?" she questioned, stretching.
"No, not really." Actually, about half an hour…
"What was that loud noise?"
"I have no idea…" he muttered, then laughed at her. "Haha, you've got words on your face!"
"E-Eh?" Eve blushed and touched her cheeks. "Really? I must look unpleasant…" She started to search for a mirror.
Raven laughed harder. "Eve…I was joking! Ahaha!"
"…" Eve glared at him, furiously. "Raven…"
"Hm?" he delivered a prince-like smile to her.
"…!" Eve was taken aback by his smile. "I just remembered I had something to do, bye!" she quickly ran away.
"?" Raven tilted his head to the side. I was almost certain she was going to slap me…
•
The rich girl heard a familiar cellphone ring, and she quickly picked it up. "Hello, this is Eve."
"Eve, it's me, Aisha!" said the chirpy voice from the other end.
"Ah, Aisha…is there anything you need?"
"Well, not exactly need…I just wanted to chat, you know?"
"Alright, what shall we chat about?"
"Haha, no need to sound so formal! You see, I heard that Raven was staying at your place?" Aisha smirked.
"Indeed he is. What about it?"
"Anything interesting happen?" she tried.
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"So, what do you do with him every day?"
"The usual."
"The usual?"
"Wake up, eat, do own things, eat, sleep." She replied, blandly.
"Ehhh?! That's it?!" Aisha shouted.
"What were you expecting? He's only staying over."
"Oh, Eve…" Aisha sighed. "Never mind, I'll talk to you some other time, bye!"
-BEEP-
"Ah, she hung up on me…" Eve turned off her cellphone, and then took a glimpse at the calendar on her wall. "That's right, tonight I have to…"
•
It was 5 o'clock, and Raven was lying on his bed, checking his cellphone messages. He sighed. His inbox was either full of annoying texts from the guys, like Elsword and Lowe-or it was full of annoying fan girls, like Rena and other chicks. How did these people even get my phone number, anyways…?
HEY DUDE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY?! –from Lowe.
DID YOU EAT DINNER, RAVEN? I CAN ALWAYS COOK SOMETHING FOR YOU~ –said a fan.
RAVEN, DID YOU WANT TO GO OUT TOGETHER THIS SUNDAY? PLEASE REPLY! ❤ –from Rena.
H4H4, AND DEN I WAS LIEK LUL, AND WE WENT TO DA W8TER P4RK, AND… -from Elsword.
"Learn to god damn spell, moron." Raven replied to Elsword's text, then flipped his cellphone down with a 'smack'.
He stared at the ceiling. "Ah…this place sure is nice."
His door slammed open. "RAVEN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ophelia rushed in.
"Huh?" he blinked.
"COME WITH ME! OBERON, GRAB HIM!" Ophelia snatched his cellphone from his hand, and dashed out. Oberon linked arms with Raven roughly, and dragged him out of the room.
"Sorry Raven, no hard feelings."
"Wait, where are we going?!" he gasped.
"You'll find out soon enough!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he yelled. I'm being Raven-napped!
Ophelia opened the door to a fancy car outside of the house, and Oberon literally threw Raven into the back seat. Afterwards, the two went to the front of the car, and got inside
"Oberon, step on it." Ophelia glared at the poor butler.
"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Oberon stepped onto the pedal and started driving quite speedily.
Raven shouted from the back, "H-Hey, I don't even have my seatbelt on-"
They came to a sudden halt, and Ophelia turned around, and smirked at the teenager. "No worries, we're here."
"What…" Raven felt like something bad was going on. Oberon dragged Raven out of the car, and into a very tall fancy shop. He looked around, there were many different types of men's clothing being sold, and all with extremely high prices. "Er…Oberon…?"
"What is it, Raven?" Oberon looked at him.
"Aren't there a bit too many zeroes on those price tags?"
"Nonsense." He replied.
"Don't tell me I have to buy all of this…?" Maybe this is my price for staying in Eve's mansion?!
"Of course not, we'll pay for you."
"…Excuse me?" he stared at Oberon, wide-eyed.
Ophelia giggled, "Well, Oberon, I'll leave him in your hands! I must rush to meet Eve now, ta ta~!" she got into the car, and drove off.
Raven cringed, "What in Elrios…is going on?!"
•
"This one?" Oberon pulled out a suit. "No, green doesn't look good on you."
Raven sat on the golden chair, and glared at the many different suits. They're all so expensive…
"Ooh, I quite like this pink one…Raven?"
"Hell no." he shook his head.
"This? It's a little flashy, though."
"Red suits make me look like some type of player from a host club."
"Then you shall try on all of these!" Oberon pushed Raven into a changing room with piles of suits. "If none of them suit your fancy, we have another hundred to go through."
"ANOTHER HUNDRED?!" he was shocked. How rich are these people?!
"And do hurry, we must leave in half an hour."
"A hundred suits in half an hour…?" Why do I feel like dying? Raven retreated into the changing rooms, and started to look at himself in the mirror with all the many suits. After a while, he called for the butler, "Oberon, I have a question."
"Yes?"
"There are three suits that I like, but I don't know which one I should go with…"
"Come out, and I'll help."
Raven stepped out of the changing rooms, and those anime sparkles shone everywhere around him. Yep, he was dazzling.
"My…you look like a prince!" Oberon smiled, and looked at the three suits. "Let's see…black, dark grey, and dark blue…?" Hm…what is milady wearing? Ah, I know. Oberon picked up the black one. "This one."
"Alright, thank you. Should I change into it now?"
"Of course, we must hurry right away!"
Raven sighed, and changed again. Afterwards, Oberon brought him some shoes to wear, and Oberon passed his card to the store clerk.
"Ah…I can't possibly let you pay for all of this…" Raven grabbed his wallet.
Oberon laughed, "Have you seen the price? I don't think anything in that wallet of yours, could pay for this."
"Eh, really…?" Raven looked at the price on the cash register. "…This has got to be a joke, right?"
"Oberon paid, and smirked. "Don't worry, you don't have to pay us back."
"Wha-why?!" He gasped.
"Just you being there for Eve is enough."
"I don't understand what you're talking about…"
"You'll find out soon enough!" Oberon clapped his hands. "Ophelia should be here any minute now…"
Just as he said that, the maid drove the car into the park, and she looked at the two. "Oberon, job well done-Raven looks fabulous! All the girls would definitely fall in love with him!" she started spamming the photo button on her cellphone, taking pictures of him from almost every angle.
Raven did a hot pose. "Heh, well, I mean, who wouldn't want to fall in love with me?"
Oberon rolled his eyes, and dragged the two into the car. "It's time we get going."
•
Raven sat in the back seat, and stared outside the window. His eyes were focusing on the things that past them, but his mind was elsewhere. Many glowing lights of the city went by, and other cars. At times, he wondered where they were taking him, but he knew if he asked, the couple would ignore him.
After five more minutes, the car came to a small stop. "We've arrived." Oberon's voice said.
"Raven, please be on your best behavior." advised Ophelia. She turned and nodded her head in approval. "You look great, just like the perfect gentleman. Unfortunately the small scars on your face don't really match up to your suit, but they're not that obvious, so it should be fine."
"Fine? For what?" he puzzled.
Oberon stepped outside of the car, opened Raven's door, and bowed.
Raven blinked. This must be some sort of really formal event, if even Oberon's bowing to me…! Why would they bring a commoner like me here?! "Thank you…" He took a deep breath in, and cautiously got out of the car. As soon as he did, he found himself at an astonishing building. Marble pillars, a huge water fountain, a beautiful garden, spectacular lights, a huge mansion-even bigger than Eve's, and there were so many people gathered at this very place, who indeed, were very rich and famous. Raven couldn't believe his eyes. He turned around, and hastily tried to get back into the car, but Oberon stopped him. "Sorry Raven, no turning back now. Do your best."
"I feel really out of place here!" Raven hissed at him. What were they thinking?!
"No hard feelings." He laughed, and spoke to one of the valets, who then took the car away before Raven could jump in.
No…my only means of escape…! Raven cried on the inside.
"Milady, Raven is this way…" Ophelia escorted Eve to Raven.
The teenager paused, and held his breath. He could hear their steps coming closer, and for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to turn around.
The steps came to a stop, and Raven heard the familiar little voice. "Raven? I am glad you could make it."
"Y-Yeah…" Raven nervously turned to face the rich daughter of Nasod Corp, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Eve stood there, perfectly positioned. Her usual silver flowing hair was tied in a high up-do, perched on the side, like a petite ponytail. Her hair and bangs were slightly wavy; she had a thread of pure white pearls loosely around her neck, and a fitting dress with the colors of white and sky blue. Her sleeves were slightly puffy at the ends, and she had a dark blue ribbon around her waist. Her dress was the length of just covering her knees, and there was lace around the ends of the dress. Eve's shoes were flats, the same color as the ribbon, and in her hand was a small purse, matching the colors of her attire. She looked so beautiful and fragile, that even Raven felt like if he touched her, she would shatter like glass.
Eve took a step closer to him. "Raven?"
He finally snapped out of his trance. "Er-yes?"
Ophelia nudged him. "Aren't you going to compliment her?" she whispered in his ear.
"Ah-right, Eve…" he took another look at her, but he couldn't bear to look at her face, afraid he may go under a paralysis spell again. "You…you're…you don't look half bad."
Oberon and Ophelia face palmed. "After all the work we put into making her shine, that's all you say?"
"I-I mean, you look wonderful! Totally blew me away!" he stuttered. This has got to be one of the first times in my life where I've ever felt so weak before a female.
"Thank you, Raven." She softly smiled at him, and he felt his heart stop for a mere second.
"N…no problem…" he tried to cover his blushing face with his hand. Oh my god, stop acting like a child, Raven!
Oberon cleared his throat. "Raven, remember, manners."
Oh, right! Raven bent down on one knee, and held Eve's hand into his palm. He lightly placed his lips on her fair hand. "It's an honor to be here with you, Milady."
Now it was Eve's turn to feel flustered, she withdrew her hand, and tried to calm down. "Well then…care to escort me?" she tried to sound as formal as possible.
"With pleasure." He offered his arm, and she graciously accepted it.
•
"I don't know how you deal with this stuff, Eve…" Raven muttered under his breath. I hate to admit it, but at times like these, even Eve is stronger than me.
"It's fine, so don't make such a fuss." She replied, coldly.
"It's my first time at anything like this…so many people…" he tried to keep calm.
"The party itself is associated with my family's business. My father couldn't attend, so I'm here instead. It's basically my duty to greet everyone here, and create business relationships with other companies."
"You mean like networking and making connections around the world?"
"Exactly that."
"It seems like a tough job." He remarked, and whistled.
"It's only natural that the daughter of Nasod Corp takes over for her father whom is busy with other matters."
"Even if you say that…don't you have to remember everyone's faces and names?"
"Only the important ones."
"And if they're not important, and they approach you?"
"Why don't I demonstrate?"
"Huh? Demonstrate…?"
"2 o'clock, a man who I am not familiar with is ready to approach us." She whispered, without even looking in that direction.
Raven glanced, and saw she was correct. There was a man in a brown suit walking towards them.
"Ah, Eve, the daughter of Nasod Corp! It's good to see you again!" the man grinned.
"It's good to see you too. How are things?" she replied, politely.
"Great, actually! I've met so many people here, and thanks to that, I have a feeling my business will do really well from here on out." He laughed happily. "Of course, it's nothing compared to your business."
"You flatter me." She fake smiled. "I look forward to seeing your business prosper in the near future."
"And I do hope that when the time comes, Nasod Corp and my company can become strong business partners." He nodded in agreement, then bid his farewells.
"I'm impressed." murmured Raven. "You handled that so smoothly, and you didn't even know who he was." And I thought her people-skills weren't that good…
"That was no big deal." She replied, and started walking again.
"I have a question…"
"?"
"How come no one pays attention to me, when they approach you? We've bumped into a few people and they just ignore me-like I'm thin air."
"They're not ignoring you, they're aware of your existence. They just don't care about you if you're not an important business person, which clearly you're not, since no one has ever seen your face before."
"Ah…I see."
"Would you like to eat something?" she questioned.
"Sure, that would be grea-I mean, please, after you." He corrected himself.
Eve secretly laughed, "It's rare to see you so formal for once."
"Well, I have learnt some manners thanks to you…"
"Good, that means Stella can't yell at me anymore for not teaching you any manners."
They both exchanged smiles at each other, and then headed to the buffet of mouthwatering foods. The smell hovered around that area, and waiters could be seen, coming in and out of the kitchen to place new dishes in the buffet.
"My god…" breathed Raven.
"Impressive, isn't it?" she smirked. "Go ahead and dig in."
"Hold on-who's paying for me to be here?"
"The host, not us. We were simply invited to this gathering."
"Well, if that's the case…" Raven picked up a glass of cider. "Don't mind if I do." He was about to take a sip, until a cute girl with strawberry blonde hair accidentally crashed into him. Some of the liquid splashed onto Raven's new suit.
"Oh, I'm so very sorry!" the girl said, apologetically.
"Don't worry about it." Raven smiled politely.
"But I've ruined your suit…it must have been expensive!" cried the girl.
Raven looked around, then took a rose from a nearby vase. He slipped it into his breast pocket. "No one can see the stain mark now, see? So, please, don't worry about it." he smiled like a prince, and she blushed.
"Alright then, again, I'm very sorry…" she apologized once again, and walked off.
"You handled that surprisingly smoothly." Eve remarked, and continued to choose different foods to put onto her plate.
"Naturally, I had a good teacher."
"Hm? Who would that be?"
Raven chuckled, "A certain rich girl who is planning to eat salad and gourmet eggplant."
The silver haired girl looked around the buffet to see other girl's plates, but she couldn't see anyone with salad or gourmet eggplant. She then looked at her own plate, and finally realized what he meant. "Ah…" she laughed a bit.
"Exactly." He felt happy seeing her smile, and started to get his own food as well.
•
The two sat down opposite each other at a table, and happily ate their food.
"So…where's Oberon and Ophelia?" started Raven.
"They're not allowed in here, as they are my maid and butler."
"You mean they're just chilling out?"
"Either that, or something else which I do not know of. But nevertheless, if I call for them, they must come straight away, so they have to be somewhere close by."
"Oh, gotcha."
"Any other questions?" she finished her food, and the waiter took the plate away.
"Yes, actually…remind me why I'm here again?"
"You don't like being here?" she tilted her head to the side.
"It's not that I don't like being here, it's just…Oberon and Ophelia never really told me the reason." He put his knife and fork down, and his plate was taken away as well.
The fragile doll stood from her chair, and looked at his golden orbs, "I may look like I'm doing fine at handling all of these business matters, but I actually do need the support…from someone close."
…From someone close. Raven repeated the words in his head a few more times. "Is that so…?" he softly smiled, and stood up. "Then, I shall give you all the support you need."
•
It seemed like the night was long, as Eve had to keep chatting and greeting more high figures. Eve was about to walk to the next person, but then she noticed Raven touching his forehead. "Are you alright, Raven?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine…" he replied, slightly hesitant.
"You look a bit pale…do you need some air?"
"No, I'm alright, don't worry about it."
Eve observed him for a few seconds. After making up her mind, she held onto his arm, and stubbornly led him to a balcony outside. "You can stay out here for as long as you like, while I talk to some more guests."
"Huh? But Eve, I thought you needed my suppor-"
She interrupted him. "You've done enough for me tonight, I'm thankful at the fact that you're even here." Then, she headed back into the building, leaving him to gaze at the clear starry sky.
Raven leaned on the stone railing, and stared at the brightest star. "…She thinks too highly of me."
•
Eve continued to walk with perfect posture; however she was starting to get exhausted from all the fake smiling and talking. She had been to many gatherings like this, but she still never liked socializing so much. She let a sigh escape her lips. Sometimes I wish I was just a normal girl…
"Why the long face, Eve?" said a charming voice.
Eve immediately knew who it was. "Oh, it's you…Adam."
"So, ready to hand over Nasod Corp to me?" he lean in closer to the rich girl.
"My father is still well and alive, so unfortunately not." She replied coldly.
"But isn't it true that whoever marries you, takes over Nasod Corp?" the rich man smirked.
"I hate to admit it, but yes, it's true."
"Tell me, when's our engagement party?" he held a lock of her hair.
"There never was one planned." She glared at him. "Especially for the likes of you."
"Tch!" He let go of her hair. "After all the things I've done for you-do you even care?!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She folded her arms.
Adam raised his voice, "I've done everything you've asked me to, I've lived up to a man who's worthy of you, and all you do is push me aside, and find a different guy!"
The crowds fell silent, as they heard someone causing a scene. They all turned and stared at the events unfolding. Some whispered to each other, 'What is that guy thinking? Picking a fight with the heiress of Nasod Corp?'
"I've never asked you to do anything for me, allow me to correct you; you were the one who showered me with useless gifts I had no need for." She corrected him; every word that came from her mouth was full of bitterness.
"Why you little-!" He raised his hand.
SLAP!
Everyone gasped, and someone even dropped their glass, causing it to shatter to pieces.
Eve's eyes widened. "…!" She blinked twice. "Raven, are you-"
The ex-gang leader gripped Adam's wrist tightly, as if he were trying to crush his bones. "Hah…you call that a slap? That felt like nothing."
Adam grew furious. "Shut up! You better let go of me right now, or you're going to get into some major trouble!"
"What type of worthy man raises his hand against a girl?" Raven scoffed cockily. "And what can someone as weak as you…do to me? Tickle me to death?"
The raging man gaped. "Wha-do you know who you're talking to?! My name is Adam, of Apple Tree Company, and I will not tolerate-"
"I've never heard of you." Raven replied, bluntly.
"Rude! This man is utterly rude!" Adam glared at him. "You must be together with Eve, aren't you?! The whole Nasod Corp is full of rotten bastards!"
Eve touched Raven's hand, and that's when Raven finally understood why she needed so much support. She couldn't hand situations like these, her hand was trembling.
"You can badmouth me all you want, but you better take back what you said about Nasod Corps!" Raven grabbed his collar. "Take it back, now!"
"Haha, oh, I'm so scared. You threaten me, but really, you don't have the guts to hit me. After all, if you did, you'd probably-"
CRASH!
Raven punched him so hard, that he crashed into a nearby wall. "Me? Afraid to hit you?"
Adam struggled to get back up. "Ugh…you…who in Elrios are you?!"
"Heh…" he smirked, and used his foot to grind into Adam's shoulder painfully. "My name is Raven, and guess what? I don't give a damn about your reputation, Mr. Rich Pig. You can just screw your company, got it? Screw it!"
"Arrghhh, get your filthy foot off of me…!" the man screamed.
Raven pounded his foot harder. "Take back those words, and I'll let you off for tonight."
"I…I take them back!" Adam replied, clearly afraid.
He let go of him, and grabbed Eve's hand. "Don't ever come near her again, or you'll have to deal with me." He glanced at Eve, "Let's go."
Eve looked back at the scene he had caused, "But-"
The black crow continued to walk out of the building, and saw Oberon and Ophelia waiting by the car. They got in, and Oberon drove off.
"We saw what happened, Raven…" Ophelia said, with a grim tone in her voice.
"Sorry for going a bit hectic…I didn't mean to make you guys look bad." He looked to the side, ashamed.
"Raven, it's not your fault." Eve tried to cheer him up.
Ophelia burst out into laughter. "No, you were awesome, Raven! Thanks to what you did, Eve will stop getting those hopeless marriage proposals from snotty people like Adam!"
"What…you're not angry at me?" he blinked. Well, I suppose that's a good thing-after all, Eve is my sleeping beauty. He secretly smirked, but wiped it off his face quickly.
Oberon chipped in, "Even though it was a little violent, I thought you were brilliant! Don't worry about the Nasod Corp name, I'm sure everyone else in that building agrees that what you did was right-and entertaining."
"I don't know if you can be sure about that…" he laughed nervously.
"No, Oberon's right. I talked to most of the people there, so they should be on good terms with us, and not Adam's petty company." Eve nodded in agreement. "So, don't worry about it."
Raven smiled, and pressed onto Eve's hand. He whispered quietly to her, "I'm relieved that you're not trembling anymore."
She looked at him, and he could tell from her gaze, that she was telling him, "I'm relieved that you were there for me."
•
While the crowd was recovering from the scene they had just witnessed, there was a single man who started to clap as soon as Raven had left the building. That one applause caused others to applause with him.
"Raven, huh? Interesting…I like him." smirked the unknown stranger. "In fact, I like him so much; I want him to join my company."
-End Of Chapter 21-
Mikoto: Ooh, mysterious~ And yet, a little gay. Well, that last guy sounded a bit un-straight, but…yeaaahhhhh no excuses from me this time xD Err…I tried to make Raven sound badass yet again, but I think I sort of failed Q.Q Anyhow, I hope you guys liked that long chapter!
Inoki: *Claps* Good chapter and good job for uploading/updating this thing finally xD C'mon, everyone, a round of applause for Mikoto
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