I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Side Story 6

2. What Happened That Summer Night

A lot had happened. I was kidnapped to Alea Island, escaped the island, captured and executed the Peony Blossom faction, watched Jenas die, and saw Kayden enter an indefinite hibernation. Seasons changed, and summer arrived once again.

On a scorching beach, on a remote island. A threatening jungle, a struggle for survival. My memories of summer are nothing but passionate and intense.

“Without magic, the price of ice has skyrocketed. These days, it’s hard to get any ice,” said Rosemary, sitting with me on the third-floor terrace of the Floné mansion in the capital, Burneton.

She finished her glass of iced water with a refreshing gulp. The clinking glass, now holding only ice, was placed back on the table. Feeling that wasn’t enough, she soon began fanning herself.

“How did you survive on that damn island without ice in this kind of weather, sis? You’re amazing.”

“Indeed,” I replied.

Well, whether there was ice or not was the least of my worries on that damn island. Who could possibly fathom what happened there?

Cheers erupted from outside the terrace. From the Floné family’s second house, located in the heart of the capital, one could overlook the Arden River that flowed through the city. A rather extravagantly decorated yacht had just appeared on the Arden River. People in matching polo uniforms were cheering on the yacht. It seemed they had won a polo match and were now enjoying a party on board.

As we watched the scene blankly, a hot breeze snapped Rosemary and me back to reality. Feeling embarrassed for having stared at the men, Rosemary spoke first.

“Do you know there have been more sports events in the capital lately?”

“There’s nothing better than sports to boost people’s spirits.”

“Everyone’s doing great in this heat.”

With the grand imperial coronation of Enoch approaching, it was clear they were trying to boost the economy temporarily by capitalizing on sports.

When Jenas died and the dimensional rift was sealed, magic disappeared. Naturally, we could no longer use magic, and cities that heavily relied on magical technology temporarily fell into ruin. The sudden unemployment of those in the magic industry significantly impacted the economy.

Amidst concerns about prolonged economic stagnation, the hopeful aspect was that magicians were extraordinarily bright and talented individuals. Moreover, magic was a logical and scientific study of the use of mana.

Thus, the Magic Towers began transforming into places for alchemical research and were eventually called the Towers of the Sages. The widespread belief was that society must now develop based on science instead of the lost mana, and the new imperial family supported this notion, accelerating industrialization.

Despite Enoch’s efforts in various fields, the economy was repeatedly showing signs of recovery only to slump back down and then rise again. This was likely why the coronation was being hurried along.

“Your future husband seems like he’s going to get busier. What are you going to do? Have you received a proposal yet?” Rosemary asked, her cheeks flushed from the heat.

I looked down at the glass of ice water in my hand. The ice was melting helplessly under the blazing midday sun.

“Just wait a little longer until things settle down.”

“After that, I will formally propose to you.”

Enoch’s words from right before Kayden went into hibernation suddenly resurfaced in my mind.

“No proposal yet. But that’s not important.”

He had already confessed his love countless times. Of course, it hadn’t been easy to see Enoch’s face after Kayden went into hibernation, as he had been incredibly busy preparing for the coronation.

But I don’t worry or fear that Enoch’s love for me will change. Because I love Enoch. That’s enough.

‘Come to think of it, I loved Enoch in the past too, and I still love him now.’

Reflecting on this, I tried to recall why Margaret from the past had fallen for Enoch. I had fallen for his handsome appearance at first sight, but it wasn’t just his looks…

After pondering for a long while, I shook my head.

‘I don’t know. What does it matter?’

More than anything, I thought this love was quite intense. Even after crossing dimensions and becoming Lee Jinju, I still ended up loving Enoch.

“Of course, he must be preoccupied. He’s preparing for the coronation, after all. But he’ll probably propose soon after the coronation, right?” Rosemary said.

Honestly, I was also curious about when Enoch would propose. However, I decided to forget about Enoch’s issue for the time being. After all, there was nothing I could do about it right now.

“Rosemary, there’s something more important to me than Enoch’s proposal right now.”

“And what is that?”

I calculated the days and spoke to Rosemary with a serious expression, “It’s been four days. Eunji hasn’t come out of his room for four days.”

Rosemary, who considered Eunji like the youngest sister, also looked at me with a suddenly serious face.

“That is indeed more serious than a proposal.”

“Doesn’t the atmosphere in the mansion seem a bit unsettling too?”

“You noticed it too?”

Yes, it wasn’t just Eunji. Lately, the atmosphere among the servants in the mansion had been quite unsettling.

***

It was a rainy afternoon.

Swoosh—

A sudden summer shower began to pour outside the windows of the mansion. Maid A, who had just started working at the Floné mansion today, was filled with anticipation.

After all, wasn’t this the family of Margaret Rose Floné, whose name had recently been etched into the history books? All her friends back home envied her without exception.

Most importantly, despite the world losing its divine power, this mansion still housed the divine beast ‘Eunji.’ It was an opportunity to witness in person the divine beast of the famous Lady Margaret, which she had only heard about in rumors.

She had been full of high expectations, but…

‘Something feels off.’

Maid A felt puzzled by the somewhat gloomy atmosphere of the mansion. The servants looked like they were out of their minds, and the place had an air of disarray. It was an atmosphere hard to believe belonged to a duke’s mansion.

“These are the new rules for working at the Floné mansion. Make sure you understand them well. We cannot be held responsible for any problems that arise from not adhering to them,” said the head maid, handing over the rules to Maid A, who sat idly in the servants’ lounge.

Rules for Working at the Floné Mansion

The following information must not be disclosed to outsiders under any circumstances. The Floné family will not be responsible for any accidents resulting from ignoring these rules.

A chilling warning was written at the top of the rules handed over by the head maid.

Boom! Crack!

A stark white light flashed across the head maid’s face as she delivered the rules. Thunder and lightning were crashing down outside the mansion’s windows, accompanied by a torrential downpour.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Maid A gulped dryly. But she wasn’t one to be easily intimidated. She was an experienced maid who had worked in numerous noble households.

Rules were not drastically different from one mansion to another, and following them was not a difficult task for a servant.

Thinking this, Maid A began reading through the rules. She paused at the first one.

1. There are currently five direct members of the family staying in the mansion. Thus, meals should always be prepared for five people. However, if there are six people seated at the dining table, under no circumstances should you look at the person sitting at the end.

The content was utterly incomprehensible. She carefully read the next rule.

2. If a boy in a dress approaches you and asks about Lady Margaret’s whereabouts, you must always answer that you do not know. There are no children in the Floné mansion.

Maid A rubbed her eyes. Had she read the last sentence of rule 2 wrong?

But even after rubbing her eyes and reading it again, the sentence remained the same.

There are no children in the Floné mansion.

As far as Maid A knows, the Floné ducal couple has three daughters: Innis, Margaret, and Rosemary.

3. Lady Margaret’s room is located in the west wing on the third floor, rooms 1-5. If Lady Margaret is found sleeping in the garden in the middle of the night, quietly move her back to her room.
4. Every morning at 8:00 AM, flowers are delivered for Lady Margaret. The sender is not indicated. Ten minutes later, another set of flowers, slightly different in color, is delivered. Again, the sender is not indicated. Five minutes after that, a large flower basket is delivered. The sender is not indicated. All these flowers are to be placed in Lady Margaret’s room. The flowers must not be kept for more than a day.

When Maid A asked the head maid about these suspicious rules, all she got was a curt response:

“It’s better not to know.”

Maid A, who had entered the Floné mansion with dreams of a rosy future, foresaw a thorny path ahead. Something was not right with this mansion. The rules for the servants were constantly telling her that she should escape from here.

‘I should at least unpack my things first.’

With that thought, Maid A skimmed through the rest of the rules and left the lounge. As she walked down the empty corridor,

Thud.

Something caught her foot.

A chilling sensation ran through her. It was impossible that something would be lying around to trip over in the corridor of such a prestigious duke’s mansion.

Forcing her reluctant head down to look at the floor, she saw a white snake slithering between her legs.

“Kyah!”

Maid A screamed, dropping the work guidelines she had been holding and jumping back in fright. The thought of Lady Margaret’s divine beast, which she had been so eager to see, was completely forgotten.

Boom! Crack!

Just then, a loud clap of thunder rumbled, and a flash of lightning struck.

Then, someone spoke to her.

“Unnie.”

Maid A felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she froze in place. The voice had come from right behind her. When she had left the lounge after receiving the work guidelines, the corridor had been completely empty. The lounge was located at the eastern end of the mansion, and at this time, the servants were all too busy to come up to the lounge.

Moreover, “unnie”? There was no one among the Floné mansion’s staff who would call her unnie.

Her vision, creaking like a broken clock, slowly turned around, but no one was there.

‘What is this?’

A shiver ran down her spine, and then someone tugged at her skirt.

When she looked down, there was a child.

Gasp.

The child slowly raised his head, having heard her gasp.

He was an incredibly adorable and beautiful boy.

“Have you seen Margaret Unnie?”

At that moment, Maid A saw it. The dark red liquid smeared around the boy’s innocent mouth as he asked his question.

‘No, it can’t be… blood?’

Recalling the work guidelines she had received from the head maid moments ago, Maid A fainted on the spot.

.

.

2. If a boy in a dress approaches you and asks about Lady Margaret’s whereabouts, you must always answer that you do not know. There are no children in the Floné mansion.