Translator: Nox

Chapter 2

1. Life is Like Shitty Timing

Enoch belatedly realized that he had grabbed my ankle and hurriedly let go. I grumbled and shook the sand off my ankle.

“Lady Flone.”

His voice was filled with suppressed anger. He rose to his feet with a fierce expression.

“What on earth is going on?”

He clearly misunderstood that I had kidnapped him.

Only then did I follow him and sit up.

Jet-black hair, golden eyes, and even the beauty mark under his left eye—the perfect man was glaring at me fiercely.

“Well…”

I was a little embarrassed and watched him carefully. Enoch had a murderous look in his eyes, as if he would tear me to pieces if I didn’t answer.

I should have run away as soon as I opened my eyes, without trying to figure out the situation.

“Explain? I don’t really know what’s going on either… Oh? What’s that?”

I stopped talking and pointed to the sky with a surprised expression. Enoch looked up at the sky, following my finger.

Of course, there was nothing in the sky.

I jumped up from my spot, taking advantage of the moment. But as soon as I took a step, Enoch’s hand grabbed me again.

In the end, I tumbled on the beach with him once more.

Damn it!

Enoch pinned me down and trapped me within his arms.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I didn’t have time to think about this strange position. He pressed me for an answer again in a fierce tone.

“I told you to tell me what’s going on.”

He grabbed my wrist as I showed signs of moving.

“How would I know? I’m more confused than you are.”

I grumbled, not hiding my frustration. Of course, Enoch didn’t even blink an eye.

“Didn’t you just try to run away? And you expect me to believe that?”

“You threatened me out of nowhere. How am I supposed to have a conversation when I’m scared?”

I asked with a dumbfounded expression, and Enoch finally shut his mouth as if he had been caught off guard. But soon, his eyebrows arched sharply again.

Even in this situation, his appearance was so captivating that it was admirable. His flawlessly handsome face was pleasing to the eye, but that face wasn’t going to save me, was it?

“Lady Flone. Do you think this is a joke?”

His firm tone was intimidating, and his gaze was as fiery as burning lava.

“You think this face looks like it’s joking? Maybe your eyesight isn’t so good.”

I rubbed my temples, which were throbbing with a slight headache, and replied.

“Think about what you’ve done in the past. I think my suspicion is justified.”

At Enoch’s words, I finally recalled Margaret’s past actions.

In fact, it was understandable that he was overreacting.

In the past, Margaret was notorious for relentlessly chasing after Enoch.

It was common for her to stalk him and bother him, and if there was a lady who had a conversation with him, she would grab her by the hair and cause a commotion without any grace.

There was even a time when he almost died because of an allergy medicine that she had bought, mistaking it for a Love potion.

The incident was covered up well thanks to the power of the Flone dukedom, but from then on, Enoch began to hate Margaret in earnest.

In addition to that, she had committed countless impolite acts that could be punished at any time if her crimes were discussed, but she was safe.

It was all thanks to the great power of the Flone dukedom. Of course, the fact that Enoch was a crown prince without any backing also played a part.

‘I have nothing to say. Nothing to say.’

But I answered in as calm a tone as possible.

“The Flone dukedom may be powerful, but not to the extent of recklessly kidnapping the crown prince of the empire.”

I sighed and swept my hair back. My hair was already greasy, probably because of the humid weather. So much for trying to act elegant.

“That’s… true.”

Enoch calmed down faster than I expected and began to assess the situation properly. The energy that had been threatening me disappeared in an instant.

“Is it the work of Lordbahn’s forces?”

He muttered with a thoughtful expression.

Lordbahn was clearly referring to the disgraced former crown prince who had been deprived of his position by Enoch and exiled to the north.

Yes, as Enoch said, there might be a political reason.

But first, it wasn’t too late to think about that problem after I survived.

“Then, are you done here? I’ll be going now.”

I gave him a sly greeting and turned around. Just as I was about to enter the forest, he grabbed my wrist urgently.

“Where are you going?”

Damn it. I tried to escape naturally, but I failed again this time.

‘I think I’ll feel more at ease if I quickly take refuge in a safe place.’

Finding the cabin where the protagonists had stayed might be helpful for survival.

There was also an underground bunker that was suitable for hiding.

I think the heroine, Yuanna, discovered the bunker at the end of the first volume, so it was almost right before the escape…

I was going to find that cabin and the bunker.

Even if I didn’t have combat skills, I was more confident than anyone else in survival, so all I had to do was find a place to hide.

Of course, Enoch wasn’t part of that plan.

“Let go of me.”

I warned him, pointing to my wrist that Enoch was holding, but the warning didn’t work.

His gaze, which was glaring at me, became rough again. It was like adding fuel to a dying fire.

He grabbed my wrist tightly and slowly lowered his head.

“If I let go, you’ll try to run away again? That won’t do. What reason do I have to trust you, Lady?”

His terribly low voice echoed in my ear.

I cringed and protested because my wrist hurt.

“It hurts.”

He scoffed at my words.

But unlike his obnoxious reaction, the hand that was gripping mine tightly loosened. Of course, that didn’t mean he completely let go of my wrist.

The Enoch in the novel that I knew was a reasonable and gentlemanly man, but it seemed that the adjective ‘gentlemanly’ didn’t apply to Margaret.

‘Why did you live like that, past Margaret?’

Of course, there was no use in lamenting. I was Margaret now.

“First, we need to figure out where this is.”

Enoch said, looking around the beach.

I swallowed my annoyance and racked my brain to find a way to overcome this situation. How should I ditch Enoch?

Even if I ran away now, I would surely be caught again soon. So, I had to aim for the moment when he was off guard.

Anyway, Enoch would soon meet the heroine, so should I aim for that time?

Enoch was still thinking normally. So, I had the belief that he, who tended to follow social norms rigidly, wouldn’t kill Margaret even if he hated her.

“Are you going into the forest?”

At my question, Enoch looked at the somewhat dark forest.

“If necessary.”

This island was dangerous after sunset. It was an enchanted island, so it was teeming with Monsters that were only active at night. No matter what we did, we had to move quickly before sunset.

‘Come to think of it, there seemed to be modern items on the island too…’

I recalled the contents of the original story again.

The world of the novel <What’s More Important Than Survival> was very unique.

It wasn’t just a deserted island survival story, but it felt like a Western-era romance fantasy with a spoonful of modern elements mixed in.

So, there were useful modern items hidden on this remote island, such as first aid kits and lighters. All of them were equipment that would be very helpful for survival.

‘That was a bit strange. The protagonists are all from different worlds, so why were there modern items?’

I didn’t know what the author of the novel intended with such a useless device.

In fact, in the original story, the protagonists didn’t know how to use the items, even though they were necessary for survival, and they carelessly threw them away.

‘Collecting modern items is also important. The protagonists may not know, but I can use those items effectively.’

I was diligently making plans in my head.

“You shouldn’t think about running away again.”

And as if he had noticed such a sign, Enoch turned to me and emphasized again.

‘He’s quick to catch on.’

I looked at my wrist, which he was holding, and sighed.

“Yes, yes.”

In the end, I moved along with Enoch.

I failed to shake off Enoch at the beginning, but the plan to avoid encountering the other male leads as much as possible was still valid.

‘By the way, what are the other male leads doing right now?’

My favorite was male lead 5, the archmage Kaiden, who appeared last in the story.

The reason why Kaiden appeared last was because he had a strong individualistic and independent personality.

Because he didn’t like group activities, he only roamed around the heroine until right before the escape, and I remember that he didn’t live with the group. He was like a wild animal.

Anyway, I liked him because he was a character, but I didn’t want to meet such a crazy person in real life.

I was lost in thought when Enoch moved without warning. I almost fell because of it, so I protested to him.

“If you’re going to hold me anyway, can’t you just hold my hand instead of my wrist? This is uncomfortable.”

At my words, Enoch’s sharp gaze fell on my face. His eyes were so fierce that I quickly turned my head away.

It’s better to deal with one man who despises me the most than to deal with a majority of men who hate me…

…

Is it really better…?