Chapter 18
Fortunately, I had a good sense of direction and easily found the cave where I had spent two nights with Enoch.
But unlike what I had expected, Enoch wasn't in the cave.
I stood in front of the cave, holding the first aid kit, feeling lost.
I couldn't imagine that he would have left.
Could he have gone to Yuanna? Maybe he met Yuanna while I was away. Yeah, if he met her, he would abandon someone like me without a second thought.
A wave of disappointment washed over me. Perhaps it was because I had been longing for him so much while my life was being threatened just a little while ago.
I guess I've grown attached to him after spending a few days together.
Is his wound all healed? It seemed to be much better.
It was hard to leave, but if Enoch wasn't here, there was no reason for me to stay. I should find the underground bunker alone, as originally planned. Anyway, I have to survive on my own.
'Yeah. That's what I was going to do anyway.'
I hardened my resolve and left the cave.
And then, I ran into a man standing in front of the cave.
Jet-black hair, golden eyes, and a faint beauty mark under his left eye.
His fancy uniform was torn in places, but he still looked neat, and he stood there with a surprised look on his face as he looked at me.
It was Enoch.
He was wearing a jacket, so I couldn't see the wound on his arm, but his complexion had returned, so it seemed like his wound was okay.
"Ah... I thought you had left. It looks like you're feeling better. I'm glad."
I said to Enoch, holding the first aid kit. Then, I smiled awkwardly and held up the kit in my arms.
"You said you were going to find herbs. I found them. Well, it's not herbs, it's a first aid kit. I totally hit the jackpot."
Only after rambling did I realize that he wouldn't know the word 'jackpot.'
Enoch's gaze slowly lowered and fixed on the first aid kit in my arms.
After staring at the first aid kit for a long time, he suddenly strode towards me. Then, he gritted his teeth and glared at me fiercely.
His intensity was so fierce that I couldn't help but step back. But he came even closer to me as I moved away.
"Are you... alright?"
Enoch asked me in a voice that seemed to be suppressing his anger. I nodded with a bewildered expression.
"...Your Highness?"
I called out to him, puzzled, but he looked at me with a cold expression that I couldn't understand at all and opened his mouth.
"Enoch."
"Yes?"
"Call me Enoch."
"Yes...? Why would I?"
Enoch frowned, suppressing his anger at my bewildered question. Then, he bit his lower lip and glared at me with a look of resentment.
In that moment, I felt my heart sink.
'Wow...'
That kind of face is cheating.
I guess people change when they're in extreme environments. Is that why? Or is it because relationships become romanticized over time?
But he's been angry from the first time we met until now.
"Don't get hurt, and don't do anything dangerous to find herbs like that."
Enoch grabbed my shoulders. Then, he lightly leaned his forehead against mine. The tips of our noses touched, which was a little ticklish.
And that's when I realized. His hands, which were holding my shoulders, were trembling slightly.
"I was worried."
I held my breath for a moment at the extremely low voice that I heard from right in front of me.
For a moment, I was almost captivated by him.
Ah, that was really dangerous. What's with him all of a sudden?
\ \ \
Enoch regained consciousness.
He didn't know how much time had passed. The cool air of the late afternoon lingered at the tip of his nose.
He blinked his eyes a few times as he lay there, looking around. Then, he carefully sat up, and a sharp pain ran through his arm.
He frowned and looked down at his left arm. A pure white cloth was wrapped around his arm, which was clearly a piece of Margaret's dress.
'Come to think of it, where is Margaret?'
He was lying in the familiar cave, and outside the cave, he could see the sky with a red sunset.
The sun was setting. That meant it was dangerous to be outside at this time. That was the pattern he had observed while spending time with Margaret.
The Monsters that attacked him and Margaret didn't appear during the day, but they always showed up around the time it started to get dark.
Enoch carefully looked around again. There was no sign of anyone in the cave. It seemed that Margaret had gone out of the cave.
'I'll go get some herbs. I'll be back soon, so wait for me.'
Come to think of it, Margaret seemed to have said something like that while he was unconscious.
"Damn it."
Enoch hurriedly got up. He grabbed the wooden stick that was leaning against the cave wall. It was something he had made as a substitute for a weapon.
If he had known that he would be in this situation, he should have had a dagger with him. But he had been working in the imperial palace until just before he opened his eyes on this strange island. So there was no way he would have a weapon.
First, he checked the wooden stick and then looked outside the cave. There was still no sign of anyone.
Awoo!
The sound of a wolf howling echoed through the bushes. Enoch gripped the wooden stick tightly and quickly scanned his surroundings with a tense posture.
"Where the hell did this woman go?"
He tried to suppress the curse that was coming out of his mouth and searched around the cave. But there was no trace of Margaret anywhere.
She had no stamina and was weak. There was no way she could survive this night with Monsters roaming around with that body.
As Enoch wandered through the forest, gritting his teeth, the sun set and a dark night came.
Nevertheless, he didn't give up on finding Margaret.
Why was that? If it had been him in the past, he wouldn't have even thought about risking his life to find her. But now, he couldn't leave her alone.
"People change when they're forced into extreme environments."
What was clear was that she wasn't the Margaret he knew. That was for sure.
"I guess your love for me has faded. You bad son of a btch. How can love change?"
And there was something strange about her. It was a strange feeling that couldn't be explained by saying that people had changed.
Could she really have turned over a new leaf? As she used to say, because she was forced into an extreme environment?
He roughly wiped the sweat that was running down his temples with the back of his hand. And he scanned his surroundings with his nerves on edge.
Margaret might be trembling with fear somewhere in this forest, waiting for help.
Suddenly, Enoch realized that he had been too harsh on the woman who had loved him so much, and his heart grew heavy.
He couldn't even protect her, who only looked at him.
When he thought that far, he couldn't stand the stuffiness in his chest.
He had always prided himself on being a polite and gentlemanly person...
As Margaret said, people seem to change when they are faced with extreme environments. Or maybe his nature was rotten from the start.
"This is a coconut that grows on a palm tree, you know? The sap inside this coconut is good for replenishing moisture."
"There's bound to be a cave under that cliff. It might be dangerous to get there, but there's no place like it to live."
Since waking up on this island, Margaret had been constantly trying to help him. Most of the amazing knowledge she had was something even he didn't know.
Could he have survived until now without her?
He was still alive thanks to her.
Enoch lamented anew. Margaret would do anything for him without hesitation, but why was he so pathetic?
She must have been scared to wake up in a strange place too. There were only two of them on the island with no one to rely on.
"You know that the Young Lady is still a suspect. When we return to the Empire, you will be properly questioned about this situation, so you must not die without my permission."
He only drove her away with harsh words to her, who had no one to rely on.
He couldn't survive alone on this strange island without her, Enoch thought. He realized that now.
"Damn it..."
He muttered a curse and prayed.
Please let her be alive.
Please, let her be safe.
In the end, Enoch searched through the forest until sunrise, looking for Margaret.
It was really lucky that he didn't encounter any Monsters all night, but he didn't have much luck finding Margaret.
If she was hiding from the Monsters, she might come back when the sun rose.
He returned to the cave with the last bit of hope.
It was when he arrived at the cave with vague expectations.
A woman with a familiar face was walking out of the cave.
The woman's platinum blonde hair sparkled even more dazzlingly in the sunlight, and she looked as beautiful as an angel from heaven.
'Ah. Yeah. I have to admit that I've finally gone crazy.'
In fact, it wasn't wrong. He had been searching for her all night in a dangerous forest where Monsters might come out in groups.
She looked surprised to see him. She was holding a pure white box of unknown use in her arms.
"Ah... I thought you had left. It looks like you're feeling better. I'm glad."
She said, showing the pure white box in her arms.
"You said you were going to find herbs. I found them. Well, it's not herbs, it's a first aid kit. I totally hit the jackpot."
She must have spent the night in the forest to find herbs to treat his wounds.
Enoch gritted his teeth.
Margaret was indeed a woman who would do anything for him. It was hard enough for her to take care of herself, but she was trying so hard to save him with that small body...
Why did she like him so much that she would risk her life like this? Enoch suddenly wondered.
"Enoch."
"Yes?"
"Call me Enoch."
Maybe that's why. He said those words impulsively.
