I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Side Story 16

“…Well, don’t get too close. I’m going to get married, you know. Let’s not create any situations that might lead to misunderstandings. This is just for survival, for survival.”

“What?” Kayden looked at her as if he was having a seizure, his red eyes flashing ominously. Startled, she clutched her chest and grumbled.

“Why are you so surprised? You know I’m making a love potion, don’t you?”

“Oh, right. Your mind is still stuck in that time.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. In the end, it’s me who’s with you now.”

He kept saying things like that, but there was something significantly different about him compared to the Archwizard Kayden she knew.

He was definitely the man who despised and loathed Margaret. But now, his eyes were filled with affection and repressed desire for her.

It was a baffling reaction, to say the least.

“Your hand is frozen,” Kayden said, taking her left hand. As he said, she had no feeling in her hand. Then his hand cradled her cheek, and Margaret felt like she was melting.

His hand was as warm as a heater.

She let out a contented sigh, leaning her cheek into his hand and closing her eyes. It was like having a heater pressed against her.

It feels like I’m alive.

That was when she heard Kayden’s low, alluring voice in her ear.

“Margaret, should I warm you up even more?”

She opened her eyes wide. Kayden’s face was right in front of her.

Even for me, this is a bit overwhelming.

It was strange. Until now, she’d considered every other man besides Prince Enoch as insignificant as a sparrow. No one but Enoch appeared as a man to her.

So why did Kayden seem like just another man, like a charming person?

Moreover, they were in an extreme environment, battling intense cold that could chill them to the bone. Perhaps that’s why she felt an inexplicable urge not to pull away from the man radiating warmth in front of her.

As if she were addicted to that warmth, as if letting go would be like dying.

Slowly swallowing her dry saliva, she asked, almost entranced, “Warmer? How?”

“Like this.”

He pressed his lips to hers. The soft touch mingled with the exchange of saliva.

She should refuse.

This is strange. Kayden’s body is so warm… and it feels good.

Their breaths continued to mingle, and the more they did, the more she felt her body warming up. As if she were holding on to a lifeline, she couldn’t let go of his breath.

It felt like her mind was filled with a foggy haze. Even she wasn’t her usual self. She couldn’t think or act as she normally would. Even though she was doing something she couldn’t imagine in her usual state, she couldn’t easily realize it.

“What exactly are you?”

So when their lips parted, that was the first thing she managed to say.

What was he that he could bewitch her like this? Could he be using an illusion spell?

Kayden didn’t answer her question. Instead, he leaned closer to her again and asked, “Why, do you dislike it?”

His lips, from their recent encounter, were swollen. His cheeks were slightly flushed with heat, and his alluring eyes were glazed over.

Margaret realized then. It wasn’t an illusion spell. This guy himself was excessively captivating. It was incredible that he could enchant her, someone who only saw Enoch as a man.

“The crown prince doesn’t like you, Margaret. Do you really think he’ll marry you?”

“……”

Hearing such words should make her feel bad. Yet, unlike usual, sorrow welled up instead of anger.

She’d always heard people say that. Enoch didn’t just dislike her; he despised her. She knew that too. But why did it pierce her heart even more when Kayden said it?

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a fierce snowstorm began to howl outside the cave. With the tremendous gusts came an even more intense chill. Once again, her hands and feet were freezing.

“Sigh. We’d better go deeper inside,” Kayden said as he picked up Margaret. She rested calmly in his arms before a question arose.

“Lord, what exactly are you?”

“What?”

“It doesn’t feel strange when you touch me, Lord. In fact, it feels familiar.”

Kayden laughed as he set her down inside the cave, as if he knew something. “It’s because we’re fated.”

“What do you mean by fate?”

“Are you responding well? Your body must be frozen stiff right now.”

Just as Kayden said, she could barely move. It was so cold. The chill seemed to seep into her bones, freezing her mind.

“Shall I loosen you up?”

“How? Are you going to warm me up again?”

“You know me well.” He took her hand.

Haah. She let out a contented sigh. The hand that held hers melted in warmth.

“Shall I not? But if this continues, you’ll die. Here in my subconscious.”

“That’s why you should think of a way to get us out of here quickly. You’re the only one who can do that.”

“You need to satisfy the real me that’s asleep.”

The “real me” he mentioned seemed to refer to the real Archwizard Kayden, not the subconscious self in front of her.

“…How?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper as the cold gripped her.

“Pretending you don’t know when you do. Cute.” He kissed her forehead. Then he kissed her cheek.

The spots where he kissed felt as if they were burning. Her body slowly thawed.

Once again, their breaths intertwined.

“Where would you like to be warmed? Here?” he murmured, tilting his head lower to rest his face against her neck. Then, he moved further down.

Unconsciously, she grabbed his hair and swallowed the moan that threatened to escape. His soft silver hair slipped smoothly through her fingers.

“I’m a bit rough, Margaret,” Kayden said, lifting his head. His lips were flushed red as he licked them and smiled.

“If it’s hard, you can hit or scratch me. I like that,” he added with a chuckle.

This crazy bastard.

Kayden buried his face in her palm, murmuring like a sigh, “Ha. I should have met you first.”

This time, he pressed his lips to her palm.

Margaret couldn’t push him away. She closed her eyes, feeling his warm touch on her skin. It felt so good.

Hearing her reaction, Kayden chuckled softly.

As she slowly opened her eyes, he gently laid her on the ground.

Dazed, she moved as he guided her.

Was that why he brought me to a flat surface? She didn’t have time to think more as Kayden quickly positioned himself over her.

“I really like you, Margaret,” he confessed, intertwining his fingers in her hair as he leaned down. This time, their breaths mingled deeply.

The kisses continued. Relentlessly.

Just when she thought she might faint from lack of air, he pulled away.

Heat coursed through her body. The cold was retreating.

Kayden’s weight on top of her was substantial.

This is my first kiss.

Margaret had always believed her first kiss would be with Enoch.

‘But then again, the crown prince and I aren’t anything yet…’

Enoch had recently rejected her proposal, saying he didn’t like her.

You never know what might happen in life.

While she pondered this, Kayden kissed her cheek and whispered, “In the next life, come to me first. I’ll be waiting.”

What?

Such a passionate confession made her look at Kayden again. He wore an expression as sorrowful as hers.

‘Why does this man talk like he knows me so well?’ Margaret wondered. Then, a thought occurred to her. What if I’ve lost my memory? What if I’ve actually been here with Kayden for quite a while, but I’ve forgotten it all?

As she stared blankly at his face, Margaret placed her hand on Kayden’s cheek and slowly caressed it. Even though Enoch wasn’t here, she couldn’t say she’d given up on him—not even as a joke. She just couldn’t. Deep down, she had this inexplicable, unwavering belief that Enoch would come to her eventually, even if he didn’t see it now. Her love for him wasn’t that light.

“Hello, Prince Enoch. You’re very beautiful.”

“Beautiful, you say… Is that directed at me?”

“Do the ladies judge people by their appearance? No matter how handsome I may be, they never paid attention because my background was lacking.”

“They keep glancing your way, Your Highness. They’re just too intimidated by your looks to approach.”

“Do you have the courage, then?”

“Of course. I’m a rascal. Different from other ladies. That’s my charm.”

“A rascal is charming? Did the future version of you from your dreams influence that?”

“Oh? How did you know? The future me was so cool. She’s my role model now. But how did you know? Have we met before?”

“There’s no way we’ve met.”

“Most people laugh at me or call me arrogant, but you’re not laughing.”

“Why would I laugh? I’d say you’re admirable.”

“…What did you just say?”

“If I said I admire that about you, would you laugh at me instead?”

What had she said then?

“You’ll regret those words.”

“Well, they just became sincere.”

Yes, that was it. Just a single sentence. That one line had made her fall in love. Enoch was the only one who recognized her true worth when no one else did. So, no matter how much the current Enoch pushed her away or claimed to dislike her, she could never let go of his hand, standing alone and lonely in the palace.

Margaret looked back up at Kayden. This man, whom she was seeing for the second time today, gazed at her as if she were his entire world. She didn’t even know where to start asking if she had lost her memory, his expression was so sorrowful.

It was as if she saw a reflection of herself in him. Maybe that’s why she didn’t mind his actions. Instead, she felt the urge to take care of him.

“Lord, even in the next life, I won’t be able to recognize you or the Crown Prince. The person I am in that life won’t be the same as now,” she said softly.

“That’s okay. I’ll recognize you as you.”

Margaret paused to consider his words. The thought of reaching out to someone other than Enoch was unimaginable for her. She didn’t know what was going on, or why this man acted so wistfully, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Even someone like her could sense that this wasn’t the right mood.

After a while, she finally spoke again. “Then you come find me first.”

“What?” he asked, taken aback.

“If you recognize me first, then you come to me. Don’t wait for me to choose; you choose.”

A tear suddenly fell from Kayden’s crimson eye. He seemed at a loss for words for a moment before responding. “I never thought of that.”

“…Is that enough?” she asked gently.

“Yes, that’s enough.”

Tears continued to stream down his cheeks, each one seeming to weigh down on her chest painfully.

“That’s enough, Margaret. Just that is enough for me to live on forever.”