Chapter 69
Enoch clicked his tongue, put his arm around my shoulder, and pulled me closer to him.
Thanks to that, I got a little further away from Asdal. Somehow, I felt protected by Enoch.
"Does he think Margaret is your maid? For a crown prince to act like that, I'm seriously worried about the future of Hestia Kingdom."
"What? Hey, Banhwang. Watch your mouth."
Asdal retorted to Enoch's words in an angry tone. And he even dared to call Enoch 'Banhwang', a derogatory term.
Enoch looked at Asdal with a calm face, then burst into laughter.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I have an allergy to not being polite to people who aren't gentlemen."
"Pfft."
Yuanna, who was watching the conversation between the two from a distance with great interest, burst into laughter.
Asdal's eyebrows twitched. When he turned around, Yuanna quickly turned her head away and pretended not to notice.
Asdal, with a face that said, 'Something's seriously twisted,' apologized to me first.
"Alright. I wasn't being a gentleman. I have a reputation as royalty to uphold. I apologize, Lady Flone."
Hmm, he's like a bossy, old-fashioned superior, but he does apologize, so he's not completely devoid of common sense.
"But catch the bug for me. Please. You can do it, Lady Flone."
Scratch that about him being relatively sensible.
"You can't even catch a bug? Then you'd faint if a Monster showed up."
"That's different from a bug. And that thing is a bit strange to be called a simple bug."
"It seems like Your Highness thinks I'm omnipotent, but I also hate bugs, you know? Especially the ones with many legs or no legs at all... Ugh..."
Just imagining it makes me sick. As I shuddered, Enoch's hand on my shoulder tightened slightly. He looked very uncomfortable.
"Prince Asdal."
Yuanna, who had been watching the situation, approached and called Asdal.
"Stop bothering Lady Flone and come here. You said you'd help grill the fish."
"I...?"
Asdal shrugged his shoulders with a bewildered expression and asked back.
Yuanna was quick-witted. She smiled sweetly when she met my eyes, and somehow, I even felt a halo behind her.
I felt captivated by her smile. No wonder all the male leads fell for her.
"The bug will probably leave if we leave the window open."
At Yuanna's words, Asdal eventually gave up catching the bug and approached her.
"Margaret."
As I was watching them move away towards the kitchen, Enoch pulled me closer again.
I looked up at him, almost hugging him. My eyes met his deep Golden Eyes.
"I hope you don't go hunting alone with the crown prince in the future. I'm worried."
"Ah... Don't worry. I don't think that will ever happen again."
Hunting with Asdal left me with the nickname 'Landmine-dal'.
'It was terrible.'
I shouldn't offer to teach someone how to hunt so carelessly in the future.
I don't want to end up experiencing life lessons when I was trying to give someone else a life experience.
As I was shuddering at the thought of Landmine-dal, I heard Enoch's low voice in my ear.
"Promise me."
His still, calm eyes seemed to hold turbulent emotions.
'Like a burning flame.'
Enoch placed his hand on my cheek and slowly lowered his head. Soon, his forehead touched my forehead.
"Margaret, promise me. I'm anxious."
His voice, exhaled like a sigh, was somehow so hot that I held my breath for a moment.
I was often embarrassed when Enoch said things like this. To be exact, I was a little surprised by Enoch's interest in me.
'I've never felt such passionate emotions before.'
In fact, I've never received or given attention and affection. So I don't really know what it looks like.
Enoch seemed cold like a dry branch, like a winter blizzard, but in reality, he was always a warm person.
At least, that's how it seemed to me.
Perhaps Enoch and I have opposite personalities. In reality, I was the one who was like a dry branch.
"I promise."
I said, looking straight into his eyes.
"I don't really want to do things that Enoch dislikes."
There's no need to do that. There's no need to do things he dislikes.
While Enoch and I were forehead to forehead, the cabin door opened, and Kaiden, who was carrying an armful of firewood, made eye contact with me.
"Margaret...!"
Just as he was about to run towards me like an excited puppy, a huge roar echoed inside the cabin.
Bang!
To be exact, it was a sound from the second floor.
"What...?"
Kaiden was surprised and took out his dagger. Enoch immediately grabbed my arm, pushed me behind him, and drew his sword.
"Ugh, Aaaagh!"
Luzef's piercing scream was heard from the second floor.
When we all went up to the second floor, we saw a huge leg coming out of Asdal's door. It seemed to be the bug Asdal was talking about.
But that bug...
'Damn it, that's not just a bug, teacher.'
Luzef, who was startled by the leg in the second-floor hallway and collapsed, rushed towards us.
"It seems to be a Monster that Diego said he had seen before."
At Enoch's murmur, I thought of the tarantula-type Monster that Yuanna and her group had encountered.
"It was definitely a small spider... But somehow, it gave off a very suspicious aura."
Asdal, who was standing behind us, said in a dumbfounded tone.
It was also amazing that he noticed a suspicious aura from a small spider. It seems he has a good sense.
-Apparently,
They seem to be evolving.-
I recalled Yuanna's monologue in the original novel. I got goosebumps.
Fortunately, the spider died by Enoch's sword without much resistance, probably because it had just evolved.
We barely managed to move the huge spider's corpse out of the cabin, but Asdal's bedroom could no longer be used. Because of the terrible stench.
"How awful. It reminds me of a nightmare..."
Yuanna sat in front of the fireplace with a pale face and muttered.
It seems she was reminded of what had happened before. Diego, who was sitting next to her, silently patted her shoulder.
It was impossible to sleep on the second floor where the Monster had appeared. In the end, we all spread out our bedding in front of the fireplace.
Enoch and Kaiden were still on either side of me, and Asdal and Diego were next to Enoch, with Yuanna in the middle.
I must be imagining that Luzef, who was lying down near the door, looked somehow lonely, right?
"This confirms that Monsters evolve."
Kaiden murmured, leaning his head back on his clasped hands.
"We have to get out of this island."
At my murmur, Enoch, who was lying next to me, replied with a sigh.
"Then we need to go to the place where the Key was found as soon as possible."
Yes, we have to go.
"I don't think this cabin is safe either."
Everyone who was lying down quietly turned to look at me at my words. I was flustered by the piercing gaze and hurriedly got up.
"Why, why?"
At my question, Enoch rubbed the back of his neck and got up from his seat.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Me too. I don't know how long this cabin will last."
Kaiden agreed, following Enoch's answer.
But Yuanna sat up and turned to look at me. She raised an objection as she turned around.
"We don't know what will happen if we go to the place where the Key fell, so losing a great base camp is a risk."
At Yuanna's words, those who were looking at me turned their heads to look at her. Yuanna scanned the crowd and continued calmly.
"It's because the spider evolved, but the Monsters themselves still can't get into the cabin, right?"
"That's true."
Yuanna smiled brightly as Enoch nodded in agreement with her words, and then spoke to me in a tone that sought my agreement.
"Let's go to the place where the Key fell as soon as possible, and then clean up the cabin. We have to leave to scout the entire island anyway. What do you think, Lady Flone?"
At Yuanna's question, the gazes that had been directed at her now returned to me. I'm going to get whiplash.
Worrying about unnecessary things, I nodded.
"I agree with The Saintess."
With that, we agreed to find out the secret of the Key as soon as possible and then leave the cabin, and then went back into sleep mode.
Somehow, I felt relieved because a plan was made.
As I was lying down quietly looking at the ceiling of the cabin, Kaiden turned to me and stared at me.
Curious, I also turned my head towards him. His red eyes, staring at me, were shining eerily.
"Why?"
At my question, he grinned. It was a very attractive smile that didn't fit the situation.
"Because you're pretty."
He whispered sweet words in a quiet voice that only I could hear. It was so sweet and tender that I was momentarily fluttered.
"Because you're pretty, I keep wanting to have you. Unbelievably."
It's not that unbelievable. I dismissed it as Kaiden talking nonsense as usual and just laughed it off.
I didn't know at the time that it wasn't nonsense.
