I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Side Story 27

Epilogue

It was the first night they were officially husband and wife. A pleasant breeze, signaling the transition from late summer to early autumn, drifted through the open window.

In the imperial bedroom of Langridge’s Imperial Palace, Enoch, dressed in his nightwear, sat on the sofa reading the newspaper. Soft candlelight flickered gently in the breeze, illuminating the room.

Margaret had disappeared with the maids for quite some time and hadn’t returned yet. Enoch quietly flipped through the newspaper.

The pages were filled with stories about the new imperial family, the new emperor, the new empress, and a new era. It was all about fresh beginnings.

As he scanned through the articles about him and Margaret, he found one about the resorts in Hestia. Spring and summer were famous for Langridge’s festivals, while autumn and winter were Hestia’s pride. A honeymoon in Hestia sounded appealing, though he was unsure if their schedules would allow it.

Click.

After about three to four hours, as the sun began to set, Margaret finally entered the bedroom. The air was suddenly filled with the scent of roses, a fragrance so pleasant it made one feel relaxed and at ease.

Enoch folded the newspaper he was reading. Margaret lingered awkwardly by the door, seemingly uneasy about the situation.

“Come here,” he beckoned, extending a hand. She approached eagerly, as if she had been waiting for the invitation, then hesitated before him.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, noting her flushed skin beneath the soft slip she wore, highlighted by the candlelight.

“I’m just nervous,” she admitted.

“All of a sudden?” he teased, pulling her gently into his lap.

“What are you doing?” she gasped, balancing herself against him, her body straddling his lap.

A large ribbon adorned the front of her slip. Enoch couldn’t help but chuckle softly, brushing his lips with his hand. It seemed she had a fondness for ribbons, as her dress on Alea Island had been similarly adorned. Gently, Enoch tugged at the ribbon’s ends.

“Enoch…?”

The ribbon slipped through his fingers and fell helplessly to the carpet. Her neckline exposed, revealing her pale, delicate skin and prominent collarbones.

His gaze traveled lower, but he quickly looked up to meet her eyes, which were wide and blue with embarrassment. Enoch stifled his laughter as he noticed her stiff posture and obvious tension.

He drew her closer, one hand on her waist, the other running up her back, causing her to sit even straighter.

“Relax,” he murmured.

“How can I relax in this situation…!” Margaret protested, her flustered state endearing to him. He wanted to savor the sight, knowing the night was long.

His low laughter resonated in the quiet room, unexpectedly easing her tension. She looked at him in bewilderment, but he didn’t mind. He slowly slipped her shoulder strap down and pressed his lips to her exposed skin, feeling her grip tighten on his shoulder.

Her fingers crushed the fabric of his nightwear, but neither cared about such trivialities.

Resting his cheek against her shoulder, Enoch relished the feel of her warm skin against his, the perfect fit of her body in his arms.

After indulging in the moment, he spoke in a hushed voice.

“It took 12 years.”

“…Huh?”

“To get here.”

Margaret tilted her head, puzzled by his words.

Twelve years ago, when she reached out to him as he wept alone in the palace garden, it became his destiny to love her.

Suddenly, Enoch lifted her into his arms and rose from the sofa.

“Kyaa!” Margaret cried out in surprise, wrapping her arms around Enoch’s shoulders. The scent of roses grew stronger.

Can someone get intoxicated by a scent? Enoch wondered. Amused by his own whimsical thoughts, he chuckled and kissed Margaret’s cheek. Margaret, blushing, snuggled deeper into his embrace, though only briefly—

Soon enough, she was lying sprawled on the bed, and Enoch loomed over her, pinning her down with his arms.

“Margaret, my wife,” he murmured, gently caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. He repeated the delightful word, ‘wife,’ savoring it.

“I can’t believe it,” Margaret said softly, reaching up to caress his cheek.

Enoch leaned into her palm and asked, “What can’t you believe?”

“That you’re my husband.”

Margaret’s golden hair fanned out against the white sheets, and her eyes, slightly unfocused, shone with a dreamy allure.

Margaret was beautiful. Objectively, she was stunning, but Enoch found no other woman as beautiful as her. Her eyes were like deep blue lakes, and looking into them made Enoch feel like the powerless boy he had been twelve years ago—helplessly and repeatedly saved by Margaret.

Margaret was both delicate and strong, rough yet gentle, and rude yet kind. Perhaps he had always wanted this dazzling woman to be his.

Life without Margaret held no meaning for him because she had made him who he was today.

“I can’t believe it either. That you’re mine forever now.”

They were finally married. Margaret was now eternally his woman, and he was her man. They were legally bound to each other for eternity, with no reason to fear or be anxious.

Now he could see Margaret’s face every morning and sleep beside her every night, night after night. Like a child eagerly counting down to a field trip, Enoch had stayed up anticipating this moment, eventually allowing himself to indulge in the contentment, which soon turned into happiness.

He leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

This love was hard-won. A happiness he never thought he’d find in his life had finally come to him.

The warm, damp air filled the room with each breath they shared, and their discarded slip and nightwear fell to the floor with a soft thud.

The bed creaked with their movements.

He had no intention of letting her go.

Even if she later regretted it and cried and begged, he would never let her go.

“Enoch… I’m… I’m exhausted,” Margaret finally surrendered, waving her pale hand like a white flag and tapping his arm as he continued his passionate embrace.

But Enoch buried his face into her neck, unconcerned.

“If you’re tired, sleep.”

Of course, she would be the only one sleeping. Margaret looked up at him, bewildered.

“How on earth did you hold back all this time?” she asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.

Enoch let out a low chuckle. “For this moment.”

The bed shook again. Margaret stifled her moans, and Enoch’s amused laughter echoed through the room.

And so, the night continued for a long while.

***

The emperor’s chief aide, James, shuffled nervously, his face etched with anxiety. He stood in front of the door, repeatedly lifting and lowering his hand to knock.

“Leave it be, not today either,” a passing maid observed, shaking her head. James’s expression turned to one of despair.

“I knew he had great stamina, but…” James sighed, rubbing his face with both hands before bursting out in frustration. “But staying in the room for four days without stepping out is too much, isn’t it?”

“Give it a week. They’re newlyweds who just got married. If you interrupt them now, you’ll be resented forever,” the maid advised, and James eventually resigned himself to the situation.

Yes, what could he do? It was a very good omen for the emperor and empress, the couple who would lead Langridge, to have such a harmonious relationship.

With tears in his eyes, James turned away from the couple’s chamber.

“Is he gone?”

“Seems you’ve got the mind to think about other things.”

Margaret had been concerned about James knocking at the door. Enoch, dissatisfied with her attention elsewhere, intensified his efforts to distract her.

“Ha. Enoch, aren’t you tired?”

“Well, I’ve never been tired. I’ve felt ecstatic, though.”

“For heaven’s sake, at least pretend to be tired sometimes. I’m beginning to wonder if I actually married a human,” Margaret pleaded, and Enoch burst into laughter, a hearty, refreshing laugh he hadn’t had in a long time.

“Then remember this,” he said, kissing her cheek tenderly, “I’m not quite human when I’m in bed.”

And so began another long, long night.

***

The hope that we could leave for our honeymoon right after the wedding was, in fact, a naive one. I had to come to terms with calling this enormous imperial palace—beyond comparison to the Floné mansion—my home. Day by day, I adapted to my new life, meeting people, fulfilling my duties as empress, and dealing with an avalanche of responsibilities.

The tasks were overwhelming, like unrelenting waves, but I endured them. I could handle it because, after work, I would return to our chamber and spend the night with Enoch. Falling asleep in his arms washed away the exhaustion of the day. Waking up to see him by my side brought immense happiness.

Whenever we had time, Enoch and I would stroll through the palace gardens. Eunji, who didn’t transform into his human form after moving to the palace, would accompany us. One day, unexpectedly, Eunji insisted on transforming.

After clearing the area of people, he transformed and immediately touched my belly.

“Margaret belongs to me now. Such contact is unwelcome,” Enoch jokingly warned, crossing his arms.

Eunji scoffed at him, saying, “I didn’t touch Margaret. I touched the baby.”

A silence fell over the garden.

I began counting how long it had been since my last period. Thanks to Eunji’s ability to read the flow of mana, he had realized there was a baby growing inside me.

Enoch was speechless for a moment, staring at me with an expression of shock I had never seen before.

“A baby…”

He cautiously gazed at my belly, his golden eyes swirling with emotion. He parted his lips repeatedly, unable to find words, before slowly extending his arms to pull me gently into an embrace.

Overwhelmed by emotions, his shoulders trembled slightly. With a voice heavy with emotion, he said, “Thank you.”

He buried his face in my shoulder. Enoch had never really had a family or experienced love. So while he wanted to have a child, he always talked about it as if it were a distant, vague future. Sometimes that made me feel a bit sad…

“Thank you. Thank you, Margaret.”

Seeing Enoch crying into my shoulder, all those unnecessary feelings were completely washed away. I hugged Enoch in return. Eunji, who was glancing at us from the side, gently wrapped his arms around our waists. As Enoch cried, I also started to cry. They were tears I could shed because I knew the years he had endured.

“I will love you. Both you and the child. And Eunji too.”

We held each other tightly and cried for a long time.

I have loved happy endings since I was young. I loved stories where people in love continue to love each other and live happily. So, now there’s truly nothing left in our story but happiness. May you, my beloved ones, be happy together with me forever.

<Side Story Complete>