I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Side Story 17

***

Margaret woke up in Kayden’s arms.

She desperately wished that all of this would be just a dream upon waking, but it was not. As she blinked with a dazed expression, she heard Kayden’s voice.

“Margaret, are you awake?”

“Did you not sleep?” she asked.

“I didn’t want to waste time.”

“What time?”

“Aren’t you cold? Come here.”

He answered her question with another question, gently holding her chin and lowering her head. Their lips met. It was only then that Margaret realized the skin not touching him was freezing.

There was no sense of rejection, which was very strange.

And suddenly, she remembered what Kaden had said.

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

That wasn’t like her. Why was she worried about such nonsense?

‘You were always confident, Margaret. Don’t be intimidated, and get a grip.’

Yet, aside from that, she found herself curious about this man named Kayden.

“Why are you here, Lord Kayden? Even creating a space within the subconscious?”

“To handle the power I couldn’t manage. I need to realign my body to match that power.”

“It’s the first time I’ve heard that Archwizard Kayden became a transcendent.”

“When you leave here, you’ll know too.”

When she leaves here, will she wake from this dream? More than anything, she felt too cold and too tired. All she wanted was to return home quickly. It was a slight problem that the man beside her seemed to have no intention of doing so.

“Let’s stay like this a little longer. It’s cold.”

Kayden pulled her close from behind, rubbing his face against her shoulder. As his warm breath touched her skin, a comforting warmth spread through her.

As his body pressed against hers with no gaps, she immediately noticed a change from the usual.

“Lord, right now…”

And just as she began to speak, her vision suddenly shifted. Kayden kissed her lips again, speaking softly, “Pretend you don’t know, unless you’re going to help.”

So she decided to pretend not to know.

***

“Wait, Lord. Is that true? That we might never find a way back? You said we just had to satisfy the real you! Aren’t you a con artist?” Margaret asked, her voice echoing in the cave.

Kayden, looking crestfallen, retreated to a corner of the cave.

“Where did you learn to act all pitiful like that? Get back over here!” she scolded.

“Pope Ruzef.”

“Pope Ruzef…? Isn’t he Archbishop Ruzef?”

“Oh, right. Your memory stops there. I keep forgetting.”

“Stop saying things I don’t understand. If you don’t know the way back, come here and start a fire. I’m freezing to death.”

Margaret gathered the frozen branches scattered at the entrance of the cave and tried to light a fire. But, for some reason, she couldn’t remember how to do it.

‘Have I ever known such a primitive skill?’ she wondered, puzzled by her actions, as if lighting a fire were something she had done countless times.

“Is there really a need to start a fire? You could just hold me,” Kayden suggested.

“…Don’t we need to eat? Unless you want to see how cranky I can get when I’m hungry, stop talking and go get something to eat.”

Kayden’s expression turned curious as he watched her. “You don’t know how to start a fire? Or hunt?”

“I’m a lady of House Floné.”

Not just any lady but one from a prestigious duchy. How could she light a fire in the wild? More frustrating was not having found a way out of this place.

‘There should at least be a hint. It’s all too frustrating.’

Moreover, although she hadn’t mentioned it to Kayden, she was gradually losing even the memories she had. She was beginning to forget who her family was and how she had lived.

“Margaret who can’t start a fire—it’s so unfamiliar.”

“Oh. But there is something I can do,” she replied.

Kayden’s eyes sparkled with interest, clearly eager to hear her answer. Margaret extended her arm from beneath her cloak, miming tying something with her hands.

“I’m good at tying up unconscious men with rope. I’ve even studied knots that can’t be undone.”

She had once subdued and tied up a man under the  Lanverson Bridge during the Fireworks Festival.

‘But why did I capture that man back then?’

Even that memory was fading. While Margaret tried to recall, Kayden spoke up.

“Why in the world… You couldn’t possibly…”

He stretched out his arms, shielding his chest. How ridiculous!

“I studied it for self-defense!” she exclaimed.

“It’s fine. Tie me up, Margaret. I’ll let you do it quietly. You can do whatever you want. I’ll endure anything.”

“You perverted wizard, get a grip!” She shook his shoulders in exasperation.

Kayden laughed and shook his head. “I know how to hunt. I can light a fire, too.”

Finally, he rose from his spot and stood at the entrance of the cave, looking back at Margaret. He added, “I learned it from you.”

“From me?”

Margaret’s question only reinforced her previous assumption. As unbelievable as it was, she realized, “…I must have lost my memory.”

Being drawn into a space within the subconscious was unbelievable enough, but losing her memories, too? And now even those few remaining memories were disappearing?

“I really disliked you back then.”

“Yes. I still remember when you stormed into our estate, demanding we stop funding research on love potions.”

“That’s right. We got off on the wrong foot from the start.”

He muttered with a self-deprecating smile before suddenly looking at her again. The darkness on his face gradually gave way to a smile. His ruby-red eyes sparkled beautifully.

“That’s why I look forward to the next life, Margaret.”

As if just the thought of it made him happy, he smiled like that.

***

Haa. Haa.

Panting heavily, Enoch could hear nothing but his own labored breathing.

Drip. Drip.

Dark crimson blood was splattered across the pure white snowfield. The corpses of wolf-like monsters were piled up like a mountain, yet there were still dozens of creatures surrounding Enoch.

The path to Margaret was anything but easy. As soon as he realized that Kayden was controlling the wolf-like monsters, he knew she would be safe. His hands felt numb from the cold, but he didn’t stop. He cut a sharp spear from a branch and wielded it, ready to fight once more.

At that moment, five wolves charged at him, leaping high into the air.

Roar!

Enoch thrust his spear upwards, piercing the head of one from below, and with incredible strength, swung the impaled wolf to knock away two others.

Wham!

Two wolves lunged at him from his unguarded left side, sinking their teeth into his shoulder and arm. His left arm was completely torn off.

Thud.

His severed arm tumbled to the ground, and without hesitation, Enoch withdrew his spear and impaled the heads of the two wolves that were holding his arm in their jaws.

Yelp!

More wolves rushed at him relentlessly. Enoch’s left arm was slowly regenerating, but as ten wolf-like beasts attacked him simultaneously, they overwhelmed him, cutting off his breath.

But moments later,

his breath returned, and amid the wolves encircling his lifeless body, a sharp wolf howl pierced the air.

Thwack!

His thick spear cleaved through the wolves, splattering blood in its arc.

Snap!

Yelp!

Ten wolves were torn apart and sent flying. Amidst the chaos, Enoch rose steadily to his feet, calmly surveying his surroundings. The jungle, blanketed in pristine snow, was both beautiful and eerie.

“Is this an illusion created by Lord?”

It didn’t seem as though the spell sealing Kayden in the tower had been broken. However, the mana emanating from the island was too faint to suggest that the transcendent’s full power had been unleashed.

‘If that’s the case, it’s possible that only Margaret and my souls have been drawn into his space.’

Enoch’s body seemed to revive after dying, indicating that his physical form was not actually present here.

Cough.

He spat blood onto the ground. His shredded organs seemed to be slowly finding their place and regenerating.

“But the pain is the same.”

Without a physical body, he shouldn’t have been able to feel pain, yet Enoch was experiencing it acutely. Perhaps it was one of Kayden’s twisted amusements. Since arriving here, Enoch had died and come back to life dozens of times, confronting the creatures with tenacity and determination. The more he fought them, the more it would impact Kayden, who had created them. Observing the situation, it seemed that they would only be able to leave this place if Kayden decided to release them.

Step by step, Enoch walked with a steady, deliberate pace. His sturdy boots crushed the white snow beneath them without hesitation.

In his line of sight, a two-story cabin came into view.

The cabin was empty when he checked it. Margaret was still nowhere to be seen.

Standing in front of the cabin, Enoch paused to think.

Where might Kayden have hidden with Margaret?

***

I had completely lost my memory. I couldn’t remember who I was, why I was in this place, or what kind of life I had lived. I couldn’t even recall my own name.

The man in front of me told me that my name was “Margaret Rose Floné.”

I asked the man, “Is your name Kayden?”

For some reason, the man who introduced himself as Kayden seemed quite happy with my question.

“That’s right, Kayden.”

He was incredibly handsome. I was amazed that such a beautiful man could exist in the world. As I admired him, I glanced around.

It’s so cold. Is it winter?

We were sitting in a cave with a fire burning in front of us, surrounded by a field of pure white snow.

“Who are you? Why are we here? What was our relationship?”

At my questions, he paused for a moment as if considering his answer, then glanced at me. Finally, he responded with a look of determination.

“We’ve been living here for a long time.”

In a place like this?

It seemed odd, but if he said so, it must be true. After all, we were the only two people here. However, his next words left me speechless.

“And we’re married.”