I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Side Story 26

***

Preparing for my wedding was an endeavor supported wholeheartedly by Innis, Rosemary, and Yuanna. Naturally, my mother was exerting her influence in every possible way, so there’s no need to mention her specifically. It was, in essence, a gathering of women, and Yuanna seemed particularly delighted.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this,” Yuanna said excitedly.

We were sprawled out on Innis’s bed and sofa in our pajamas, with honey and egg whites smeared on our faces as masks.

“I never imagined I’d be doing this sort of thing in pajamas with the Saintess,” Rosemary remarked, still in disbelief. Her comment made us all burst into laughter.

“Shall we go shopping tomorrow? We can have brunch together. I heard there’s a new brunch café on the west side of the square,” I suggested.

“But Margaret, you know what happens if you go out now,” Innis pointed out.

“Let’s wear disguises. I learned a few tricks from Prince Arthdal,” I proposed.

All three of them clapped their hands in agreement. Since the dresses, accessories, and other essentials were custom-made, professional tailors and designers visited the mansion. This outing was purely for camaraderie among the women.

The next day, we really did go shopping together. Yuanna wore a black wizard’s outfit, Innis dressed like a modest neighborhood bakery clerk, and Rosemary donned a senior-class uniform from the Royal Academy. Each chose a role completely opposite to their usual selves. I opted for a simple bard costume.

“You stand out the most,” Innis, the bakery clerk, chided me.

“It’s impressive that you manage to look so striking that I, a black wizard, seem ordinary,” Yuanna added, leaving me unsure whether it was a compliment.

“The outfit suited Arthdal perfectly when he wore it.”

“Well, that’s because he’s handsome enough to pull it off. The problem was that he stood out too much, making the disguise pointless.”

I had no retort to Yuanna’s observation.

Ultimately, we gave up on shopping and tried to keep a low profile while visiting a brunch café. There, we encountered an unexpected individual.

“Lady Floné, I’ve wanted to meet you,” said a girl with brown hair braided into two pigtails, greeting me.

“I’m Lady Hynt.”

“Oh, nice to meet you, Lady Hynt.”

Upon hearing the name Hynt, Rosemary clapped her hands in recognition. “Oh? Lady Hynt? Weren’t you involved in the controversy last year about a noblewoman becoming a novelist? Oh, I’m sorry.”

Realizing her potential rudeness, Rosemary immediately apologized.

“It’s fine,” Lady Hynt replied with an awkward smile, but Innis, sensing her unease, invited her to join us.

“You seem to have a reason for being here. Why not sit and chat with us, if the Saintess doesn’t mind?”

Startled, Lady Hynt looked at Yuanna in her black wizard outfit. “Saintess…?”

“Shh,” Yuanna said, pressing a finger to her lips. Lady Hynt glanced around and nodded, realizing the café was sparsely populated due to the early hour. Most noblewomen who frequented brunch cafés came out later in the afternoon.

Lady Hynt sat across from us, eyes sparkling as she spoke to me. “I was planning to visit the Floné mansion soon, but I’m glad I ran into you like this.”

“What brings you here?” I asked.

“I’d like to adapt Lady Floné’s story into a novel, with your permission.”

“Oh my, Margaret as the protagonist of a novel by Lady Hynt?” Rosemary reacted enthusiastically, causing Lady Hynt to shrink back slightly.

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, you can refuse…”

“No, it’s an honor for Margaret!” Rosemary exclaimed, and as we all looked at her curiously, she elaborated on Lady Hynt’s work.

“Don’t you know why it was such a big deal when a noblewoman debuted as a writer last year? It was because her writing is so incredibly good!”

Lady Hynt blinked in surprise, wide-eyed at Rosemary’s praise.

“I like your writing, Lady Hynt. You debuted with Ants that Work in Summer Die Early, right? It was really interesting.”

The title gave no clue about its content.

Anyway, spurred by Rosemary’s enthusiasm, I ended up granting Lady Hynt permission to write a novel about my story, with the condition that she share the manuscript with us occasionally. This agreement might have had a hint of Rosemary’s personal interest, but since it didn’t harm me, I let it slide.

And later on, when Lady Hynt skillfully penned the novel as a romantic thriller, it became an unprecedented hit. The success of the novel led many skeptical women in society to start supporting me, which spoke volumes.

In an era of great change, I was finally starting to feel like I was truly becoming a fitting partner for Enoch, which was quite reassuring.

As we enjoyed our time together, the wedding day drew nearer without us realizing it.

***

A week after Enoch’s coronation, the wedding ceremony took place. On the morning of the wedding, Ruzef visited the magic tower, where Kayden lay asleep.

The statue of Jenas’s eagle that used to occupy the lobby was gone, having been removed. The tower was empty, yet it held a warmth within its walls. Margaret had been tending to the tower regularly, and others occasionally visited, filling the space with love for someone no longer present.

Ascending the tower’s stairs, Ruzef reached the door of the sealed chamber where Kayden was bound. A couch, where Margaret sometimes sat, was placed there. He sat down, facing the firmly closed door, and began to speak softly.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Had Kayden heard him, he would have laughed at Ruzef’s audacity for worrying about others.

“You’d probably scoff at me, but I’m doing well. Being in the church, I’ll be with God for life,” he murmured, intertwining his fingers and glancing down at his hands before continuing.

“So, I’ll visit often. You won’t be lonely. Though you might find my presence annoying.”

He didn’t find his actions pitiable. He was, after all, a priest destined to be alone. Until recently, he had accepted this without question, but his perspective shifted after visiting the tower with Arthdal.

Here was someone who needed his continued presence.

“When you wake from the seal, you’ll say I was useful.”

Though Kayden once retracted that statement, Ruzef often used it as a jest.

“So please, wake up. I’ll be here as long as I live.”

Margaret once suggested writing letters to Kayden each season. Should they all perish long before Kayden awoke from his seal, their shared time would be left for him to discover, making it as though he had shared in their lives.

Ruzef worried it might be crueler this way, fearing it would only intensify his longing for those lost. But they could not predict how Kayden would feel about it. Thus, they agreed to leave letters.

“You are loved by all,” Ruzef said, his voice catching as he paused to steady himself. When he spoke again, his voice was resolute.

“So, please return while we’re all still alive.”

Twenty years? Thirty? Ideally, within ten years, if he dared to be hopeful.

He left the tower with this wish in his heart. Now it was time to join Enoch and Margaret, who awaited him. Ruzef, the pope, was to officiate their wedding.

The ceremony was neither ostentatious nor modest, but just right. The fireworks festival had been a grand event for the empire’s people, but the wedding was a personal affair, celebrated with appropriate decorum. Even the newspapers praised this as befitting of leaders in a new era, much to Ruzef’s exasperation.

Beyond the bygone dark times, more trials awaited. Amidst the current chaos, the two beloved figures stood below the altar, holding hands. Ruzef, who had shared in some of their trials, knew how much pain and hardship they had endured to receive this love.

He wished to protect their smiles. Surely, their comrades felt the same. Fortunately, their story concluded with happiness, and knowing he had a part in their joy filled him with immense satisfaction.

“Do you both promise to cherish and love each other forever?”

Enoch and Margaret exchanged smiles full of trust, affection, and love.

“Yes.”

Their simultaneous reply was firm and assured. Ruzef had a premonition that their love would only grow stronger, more resilient, and happier.

Thus, he proclaimed,

“You are now officially husband and wife. May the blessing of God always be with this happy couple.”

Ruzef himself would always pray for their happiness and for their friends, hoping for joy for all.

May they all be happy.