Chapter 77
“I’m hungry.”
Asdal kept wandering near the kitchen, repeating the same words.
“I’m not rushing you.”
He denied it when our eyes met as he looked at me with his hands behind his back. Anyone could tell that he was rushing me, though. I swallowed the sharp words rising to my throat and just smiled.
“Then please wait quietly. You’re distracting me, so step out of my sight.”
“Di-distracting…?”
“Yes. Step aside. Right now.”
Asdal hesitated, his mouth opening slightly, and when I picked up the sharpened dagger, he quietly stepped out of my line of sight.
He sat by the fireplace, patiently waiting for the meal to be ready.
“Please, do not upset Lady Flone’s temper. What if she leaves because of it?”
Ruzeph, who was nearby, kept scolding him.
“We can’t survive on this island without Lady Flone.”
He’s turning into a Margaret devotee… I glared at Ruzeph’s side as I paused while preparing the rabbit.
“I’m not omnipotent, Bishop. Don’t assume I can do everything…”
“Really?”
Ruzeph looked at me with a curious expression.
“You can do everything, though,” he said.
“No, that’s not true! That’s a misunderstanding. Someone is seriously mistaken here.”
I cut the carotid of the rabbit and the long-tailed bird to drain the blood, hanging them upside down on the wooden rack.
“Wait a moment. Let’s talk after I do this.”
I carried the wooden rack outside, placed it upright, and put a wooden basket underneath to collect the blood. I had to check frequently because I needed to skin them right after draining the blood.
Returning to the cabin, rubbing my tired shoulders, I heard Ruzeph speak.
“Look, even someone who claims to have little experience with preparing game is making an effort, isn’t she? She has tremendous responsibility.”
Asdal sat cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand, staring at me.
“Well, that’s true. She seems more diligent than I thought,” he said to Ruzeph, as if hypnotized.
‘Yes, I’ve gone through this many times before.’
Enoch, Kaiden, Ruzeph—all of them had initially doubted and been wary of me.
And of course, it was unavoidable since I wasn’t Yuanna but possessed Margaret.
“Try praising her a bit more sincerely. Lady Flone seems uncomfortable,” Ruzeph nudged Asdal. No, Bishop, I don’t need Asdal’s praise.
Asdal looked at me with a mischievous grin.
“I understand her importance. Appeasing her? Well, that’s not impossible.”
“That’s a good attitude. If necessary, one must do that. She is our hope.”
“But it bothers me that you command me like that. Only Margaret can give me orders.”
“Wait, both of you are speaking strangely. I haven’t commanded you, Asdal. And Bishop, why am I the ‘hope’? Don’t attach such weird words to me.”
But Ruzeph was firm.
“No, I believe in you, Lady Flone.”
Why is he like this…? I eventually gave up trying to persuade Ruzeph.
Sighing, I looked around to check on Enoch by the fireplace.
He was resting with a calm expression, eyes closed. I gently placed my hand on his forehead—his fever seemed to have broken.
“Bishop, how has Enoch been lately?”
“His fever has completely subsided. His breathing is steady; he seems to have regained his composure. He even briefly regained awareness while the two of you were out hunting.”
“Really?”
I looked surprised as I glanced at Enoch, sleeping peacefully.
“Honestly, Your Highness, you haven’t had proper rest until now. You must have been extremely fatigued.”
Ruzeph’s words made me tilt my head in curiosity.
“Proper rest? What do you mean?”
He glanced at me with a puzzled expression.
“Were you unaware? You’ve been waking constantly to keep watch while everyone else sleeps. Even before coming to the cabin.”
Ruzeph shook his head as he watched Enoch, as if noting something uncontrollable.
“Apparently, it happened every day. I’m a light sleeper, so I often wake up during the night, but Your Highness was always awake.”
I knew Enoch was like that. He was a sensitive person—a war-hardened commander, now the crown prince. He felt a constant responsibility to lead and protect those around him.
But to have been constantly alert every single day…
‘No wonder his body could break down.’
I gazed at his sleeping face with a heavy heart.
“A day or two more of rest should allow him to recover.”
Ruzeph tried to reassure me. Asdal, who had been quietly watching, suddenly asked me:
“When you return to the Empire, Lady Flone, do you intend to marry?”
I looked at him, puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. You are of marriageable age. None of the men here on the island are perfect groom candidates. Once you leave, you might want to marry someone else.”
He smirked, crinkling the bridge of his nose when our eyes met. Did he just include himself as a potential groom candidate?
I didn’t dwell on his intent for long.
“I’ll think about that once I leave. Worrying about it now is a luxury.”
“That’s right. Here, that would be a luxury,” he agreed after a long pause. Ruzeph looked at him with a somewhat odd expression.
I suddenly remembered the game I had left outside. The blood must have drained by now, so I went out to check.
As expected, the game was ready. I carried it into the kitchen, skinned it, and began proper preparation.
“Lady Flone, I hope the Crown Prince’s words haven’t upset you.”
“Ah, thanks for your concern. I take what His Highness says with one ear and out the other. No need to worry,” I replied with a smile as I continued processing the game.
At that moment, Ruzeph glanced at the game I was handling, eyes widening in surprise. Then, as if seeing something he shouldn’t, he covered his mouth.
“Ah, sorry… I have a weak stomach,” he muttered, leaving the cabin.
‘What… going off by himself…’
I shook my head and returned to cooking. I skewered the rabbit for roasting, placed the bird in bamboo for steaming, and prepared a thin stew for Enoch.
“You would have been good even as a hunter, Lady Flone.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“It is.”
Asdal leaned on the kitchen table, grinning cheekily.
I scowled. I really didn’t want to hear anything about being a hunter… Then Asdal teased me further.
“Making that face makes you look ugly.”
“I know I’m pretty,” I shot back.
Asdal fell silent, probably realizing he couldn’t argue with the truth—Margaret really was beautiful.
“Even so, that treatment is unacceptable. I was raised properly, you know. Do you know the Pope himself performed my infant baptism? Anyone who knows would understand.”
It was extremely rare for the Pope to personally perform an infant baptism. The Flone Duke and Duchess were overly meticulous with their daughters.
Margaret, the second of three sisters, had been equally doted on, so she had no lack of affection.
In fact, she had been raised so carefully that it caused other problems. Margaret had a ‘divinely unique’ personality, comparable to Asdal’s arrogance.
Kaiden and Yuanna were probably similar. Maybe this island gathered only people who thrived on their own pride.
“I know that story too. The Duke was a doting husband, especially spoiled his daughters.”
“You know well, don’t you? Once I leave the island, I’ll tell my father that Crown Prince Hestia told me to become a hunter.”
“No, wait. Lady Flone, why are you twisting it so much?”
I had just been teasing him back as he had teased me. I laughed heartily at his flustered expression.
Asdal finally realized it was a joke, sighed, and apologized.
“I apologize for the hunter remark. I acted rudely, unlike myself.”
He pressed his brows together while speaking, as he often did with Margaret.
“If you’re sorry, could you help me cook the meat?”
“Again, I’m sorry, but that’s difficult. You do it better than me, so I’ll just cheer you on. Ah, that meat looks like it’s burning—keep an eye on it.”
That bastard… Asdal really knows how to make someone work for him. If it were Enoch, he’d probably push me aside and do it himself.
‘Sobs… I want to see Enoch awake.’
I wiped the moisture from my eyes and continued grilling the meat.
As sweat gathered on my forehead from the heat, Asdal delicately wiped it with the edge of his sleeve.
I really had no idea what this man was thinking.
