Chapter 61
“Why are you so obsessed with taking the lead among us, Saintess?”
That point had been a constant question.
Whenever an agenda requiring a decision arose, we held meetings, and Yuanna's voice was by no means small.
The reason Yuanna got so much say wasn't so much that she was taking the lead, but rather because of the special information she possessed, the 'Key.'
And she herself seemed to know that taking the lead for a moment among these members, whose fate was uncertain from one day to the next, was not particularly meaningful, so I didn't understand why she was so obsessed.
“It’s fun. Sitting on top of the nobles.”
Such a direct answer. She didn't have to be so honest.
Yuanna had a smiling face, as always. Which made her even more inscrutable.
Finding it fun to sit on top of the nobles. Margaret was a noble, but as Lee Jin-joo, a modern person, I could understand that sentiment to some extent.
“That’s right. I’m from a commoner background, so I hate nobles.”
Noticing my subtle expression, Yuanna nodded and admitted it. Everyone was speechless and silent.
Kaiden, who had been yawning beside me for a while, hugged me.
“Margaret, stop it and let’s go wash together since we found the soap.”
“Don’t spout nonsense so naturally and get lost.”
As I pushed Kaiden's shoulder away, Bishop Ruzef and Enoch simultaneously grabbed Kaiden's arms and pulled him away from me.
Yuanna, who had been quietly watching the scene, made a suggestion to me.
“Lady Flone, then would you like to go take a bath with me?”
I pondered her words for a moment, resting my chin on my hand with a troubled expression, and glanced at Diego.
“Ah, but I’m a little worried. I wonder if some pervert will steal my dress again while I’m taking a bath…”
“Ah, I won’t steal it!”
Diego the woodcutter shouted in embarrassment, and Yuanna and I burst into laughter simultaneously.
Yuanna and I were too different in terms of disposition and inclinations to get along well, but at least the bond of being the same gender was strong.
I winked at Yuanna and pointed outside the cabin.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Yuanna nodded vigorously.
\ \ *
Washing my body with soap for the first time in a while felt incredibly refreshing and good.
It wasn't just my feeling, as everyone else seemed to be in better spirits, humming and so on.
Diego had left to gather firewood, and Bishop Ruzef decided to collect fruits and mushrooms.
Yuanna was in charge of tidying up the cabin and preparing the meal, and Kaiden decided to stay in the cabin to guard the luggage. Because Diego and Crown Prince Asdal couldn't be trusted.
So naturally, Enoch and I decided to take on the hunting and surrounding exploration together. Then Asdal looked at me as if he couldn't believe it.
“Lady Flone also hunts?”
Asdal pointed at me, seeing me with a Spear hanging from my waist.
“Why don’t you just stay put and not get in the way? It seems like you’re helping just by staying still.”
And he says that while doing nothing himself. At Asdal's words, the gazes of Enoch, Kaiden, and Bishop Ruzef all turned to him.
“…What does our great Crown Prince do?”
Kaiden asked in a tone that was hard to tell if it was honorific or not, and Ruzef answered as if he was troubled.
“I guess he’s just planning to eat the food that Margaret brings back. Just leave him alone.”
Enoch's final sneer reached its peak.
Asdal, with a fiercely distorted face, strode towards us until Yuanna grabbed him.
“Your Highness. Are you going to keep doing that? You said you’d help me.”
At Yuanna's annoyed grumbling, Asdal hesitated. Soon, he suppressed his anger and sighed.
“What did you ask me to help with, Saintess?”
He asked in a gentle voice, approaching Yuanna.
“Ah, why are those two men so desperate for me? They did something wrong. I think they’re trying to please me because they feel sorry.”
I had asked her why they were like that while taking a bath with Yuanna, but she didn't give me any further explanation.
Well, just like I had gone through life and death with Enoch and Kaiden, they probably had their own dark circumstances.
I put the Flares, fully loaded with bullets, in my dress pocket and held the Wooden Knife in my hand. It was to prepare fish on the spot.
I thought about taking a Bomb too, but since I had Flares, I decided to leave it. There were only a few Bombs left after using them to defeat the Anaconda. So I should save them as much as possible.
Leaving the cabin, we decided to start with exploring the surroundings. We needed to explore to find a suitable place to hunt.
Enoch was leading the way, cutting down the bushes blocking the path with his sword as he advanced.
I quietly opened my mouth first.
“Living with those people, it’s necessary because of the Key, but… will it be okay?”
Yuanna didn't seem to be plotting anything yet. Also, I might be able to make a judgment after going to the place where she picked up the Key and accurately grasping the circumstances of how Yuanna came to pick it up.
Enoch glanced back at me.
“Well. You do what you have to do. Don’t think too deeply.”
“I have to think. It’s a matter of survival.”
“…I always think this, but you really seem to have a very strong attachment to life.”
At Enoch's question, I was taken aback and avoided his gaze. Even I thought I had said the word 'survival' too much.
Enoch started walking ahead again.
“It’s not so much an attachment to life, but I just don’t want to die in a place like this. Isn’t that the same for Enoch?”
Enoch didn't answer my question. Perhaps he was pondering a suitable answer.
After a long silence, he suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at me. I stopped in place following him, widened my eyes, and looked up at him.
The beautiful black hair, as if containing the night sky, caught my eye. Then I saw the infinitely deep Golden Eyes looking at me.
The alluring lips, located below the sharp nose, twisted beautifully like a painting.
“…I have no regrets about life. But, because of you, my view of life has become problematic, which is troublesome.”
He slowly reached out his hand, close enough to touch my cheek, and brushed my hair back. Captivated by the gaze burning from deep within, I held my breath, unable to move.
“Margaret, you… have a way of driving people crazy.”
A languid voice pierced my ear.
'Me?'
I swallowed the question that came out momentarily.
Still not taking his eyes off me, Enoch asked me.
“As I said before, I can’t live without you, Margaret.”
Enoch slowly lowered his head towards me. He rested his forehead against my forehead. Then he let out a weary breath.
“I thought you felt the same way.”
His face, as perfect and beautiful as a sculpture, was right in front of me. The beautiful collarbone, visible between the firm and broad shoulders and the shirt collar, rose and fell slightly due to the tense breathing.
'I thought you felt the same way.' Now I understand why he was acting so affectionate.
Enoch still seems to think that I am 'Margaret, who is madly in love with him.'
“Did your feelings perhaps change?”
Golden eyes scanned me with a turbid gaze.
“Am I not enough for you?”
“It’s not that.”
“If it’s not that.”
He instantly took on a cold temperature and stared at me intently. I felt a chill run down my spine at his gaze, which had no warmth at all.
“Give me reassurance, Margaret. Huh? It’s a request.”
Overwhelmed for a moment by his face, which had lost all expression and was eerily devoid of emotion, I could only move my lips.
I didn't expect Enoch to say these words. Is he that insecure? Is he afraid that I might leave?
'What should I say…'
After a long deliberation, I answered in a calm voice.
“I didn’t think Enoch was lacking. If I could only accompany one person on this island, it would be Enoch.”
These words were true without a single lie. I trusted Enoch that much.
Hearing my words, Enoch made a suggestion to me as if he had been waiting for it.
“Then how about we just leave together like this? Like when we first woke up on this island.”
Like someone giving candy to lure a child, he was trying to win me over.
Enoch tilted his head and stared intently at my face. Our eye levels became similar.
