I'm Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 160
The knights stared at me in disbelief, their barracks in shambles. They were the men I had saved earlier.
Kayden was oblivious to all of this, continuing to examine my body for wounds. Heisen had clearly lied when he said Kayden was in bad shape.
“What’s going on?”
A heavy, bass voice rang out from among the armed knights pointing their swords at me, and in unison, they sheathed their swords and made way.
Like a miracle of Moses, a man with black hair and an aristocratic military uniform walked slowly towards me.
He walked with a steady pace, his face impassive as he scanned the crowd. There was a breathless silence. The man in front of me, who instantly overwhelmed the armed knights in an instant and made them nervous, was somewhat unfamiliar.
“Lower your swords.”
At the man’s deadly voice, the knights stomped their feet and lowered their swords in a respectful gesture.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
At my call, he turned to look at me. The knights standing behind Enoch’s back turned to look at me as well, their faces white and grim.
Most of them, I suspect, were expecting a quick reaction and rebuke from Enoch. My thoughts were not much different from theirs.
In the past, Enoch would have hated me, Margaret, for even calling him, so the knights’ reaction was understandable.
But Enoch stood before me, bowed at the waist, raised his hand, cupped my cheek, and examined my face.
“Call me Enoch, as usual. Are you hurt?”
I stared at him, my eyes wide. Enoch’s words were actually hard to focus on, as I felt the intense stares of the knights behind him.
I broke out in a cold sweat.
“Don’t worry about Margaret, I’ll take care of her.” Kayden pulled me away from Enoch and stepped in front of me.
Kayden glared at Enoch. “You really should do something about the Imperial military. They have no military discipline, relying on help from a civilian passing by.”
Kayden clicked his tongue and gestured to the knights whose lives had been saved by me.
I wondered if I, riding an anaconda and shooting flares, was the kind of person who would be pushed around by knights, but let’s put that aside for now.
Enoch’s gaze slowly shifted to the knights who stood watching in the corner.
Among them were Noel and Heisen.
“I want an explanation.”
I could see the knights stuttering in confusion at Enoch’s questioning.
Noel, the one in front of them, stammered, almost sobbing. “I- it’s not that……”
Heisen, whose appearance was more disheveled, answered, “While we were resting, a group of sea crocodiles attacked, and that’s when Young Lady Floné appeared and killed them.”
Noel nodded vigorously in agreement. “Yes, that’s right! I think there were about a dozen of them, and the young lady shot them all to death with her magic tool along with her divine beast.”
No sooner had Noel finished speaking than murmurs rang out. The knights who stood behind Enoch’s back could not hide their bewilderment.
“All of them?”
“There was also the Lord of the Magic Tower. Does that make sense?”
“Considering the power of that magic tool the young lady used earlier, isn’t it possible?”
“The divine beast even ate some crocodiles, so it’s not completely impossible.”
The murmurs were getting louder and louder. I remained silent, not knowing where to look or how to respond.
For one thing, my attention wasn’t on the dozens of knights in front of me, but on the ones who were gossiping about me. When I made eye contact with them, Noel and Heisen flinched and averted their gaze.
For some reason, I felt hot inside. Unable to resist the urge to be sarcastic, I said, “You really need to intensify your training. Gossiping about a noble lady and then getting help from her, that’s not what knights are supposed to do.”
My words drew everyone’s attention to them. The five gossiping knights, including Noel and Heisen, cowered, their faces white as death.
As I said this, I felt the questioning eyes turn to me this time, and I glanced to my left and explained, “Ah, these knights were sitting together, gossiping about a certain noble lady.”
The knights who had been gossiping about me just stood there, stunned. Horrified, they rushed to my side and dropped to one knee.
“I apologize, young lady. Please forgive our rudeness.”
“It was unchivalrous behavior, and we deserve to be punished. And thank you for saving our lives.”
They were quicker to recognize the situation than I thought. All of the knights who had gossiped about me fell to their knees and apologized.
“If you knew it was rude, you shouldn’t have said it. You mess with Margaret, eh? I’ll rip you to shreds, so watch your mouths.” Kayden stood straight and threatened the kneeling knights, growling like a dog.
Meanwhile, someone stepped out from between the knights. The first thing I noticed was the bright pink hair, and then the black eyepatch covering his right eye.
“Cheekydal…… I mean, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince! How’s your eye?”
Arthdal stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes. He scanned his surroundings, leaned his head toward me, and whispered, “Look, young lady, it’s very awkward to hear you call me by an honorific. I prefer the ‘cheeky’ one.”
“……sorry? Oh, I’ll call you Cheeky Prince if you want.”
“No, I’m not saying I want that, I’m saying……. ha, never mind.”
Arthdal scratched the back of his head, lost for words. His somewhat fiery personality was now mild. It was almost like a hot pot. Anyway, it was a nice change.
“Banhwang…… ahem, the Crown Prince suddenly walked away while we were talking, so I followed him.”
Arthdal corrected himself as he glanced over at the murderous-looking Langridge knights.
But the knights seemed more shocked by something else.
“I thought I heard a rumor that Crown Prince Hestia hates Young Lady Floné.”
“It must have been a false rumor.”
I don’t know who said it, but they were pretty bold. I’m sure Enoch and Arthdal heard that, too.
I want to get away from here.
As if sensing my discomfort, Arthdal changed the subject. “Why don’t we let them have their own word? I need to talk to you.”
He gestured at me and Kayden. Kayden nodded, his face expressionless. For some strange reason, I kept feeling a sense of déjà vu about him.
“Wait for your disposition.”
Enoch turned to the knights who had been gossiping about me with a fierce look on his face. The knights shuddered in fear at Enoch’s words.
Noel and Heisen couldn’t even look me in the eye, their faces guilty.
When the other knights gossiped about me, the two of them were on my side, I know that. But now that I was there, it was hard to take their side.
So I turned my back on them and followed Enoch and Arthdal. It wasn’t until we were far enough away that I saw the standing knights disperse in unison.
Their movements were almost robotic, as if to refute Kayden’s sarcasm when he said they lacked military discipline.
In a way, Kayden seems to be a very influential figure indeed.
We entered Enoch’s barracks.
Enoch’s barracks had a circular conference table. Enoch took off his jacket, pulled up a chair, and offered us a seat.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
Enoch had the kindness to pull out a chair for me in particular, but Kayden, who had been watching, sat down in the chair Enoch had pulled out with a shameless grin on his face.
Enoch looked at him in disbelief, but Kayden just rubbed his ear, unconcerned.
Arthdal clapped his hands together, seemingly unconcerned with the two men’s war of nerves.
“Well, I’m glad you’re all safe,” he said.
I sat down next to Kayden and looked at Arthdal standing across from me.
The black eyepatch covering his right eye was very stylish, but it was a pity that it could not be cured even with divine powers.
“Are you sure your eye is okay?”
“Why? Are you worried? It’s kind of cool, isn’t it? I’m quite pleased. An eyepatch for a crown prince. It has a story, and it’s nice, and it’s just the right amount of intimidating. Hahaha!”
Arthdal burst into laughter. It’s really like him.
I couldn’t have been more annoyed by his natural behavior on the island, but now that I accept him as a complete ally, I feel sorry for him again.
“I’m so honored to get wounded saving the Crown Prince of the Empire! I feel more sorry for Banhwang than I do for myself. Will you look me in the eye and feel guilty for the rest of your life? Hmm, that’s a bit much, just feel guilty in moderation.”
Arthdal put his arm around Enoch’s shoulders and whispered. Of course, it was very loud for a whisper, so we heard it.
I heard that Yuanna and Ruzef had gone to meet people from the Holy See, so it seemed like we were the only ones here now.
As I sat there watching Arthdal’s fussing, Kayden, who was sitting next to me, said, “Margaret, don’t mind what they say.”
“Huh?”
I glanced at his face, surprised by his words, and then at Enoch and Arthdal’s faces.
“Kayden, you can’t talk about the crown princes like that……”
“No, I mean the guys from earlier.”
Kayden replied with a chuckle, and I realized he was referring to the knights who had been gossiping about me.
“Oh…… How can I not care? That’s my reputation, but don’t worry, I’m not intimidated by it.”
Even Enoch and Arthdal, who had been bickering, turned to look at me. Suddenly there was a heavy silence and the atmosphere became strange.
“No, really, I’m fine. More than that, Kayden, how are you feeling? I was just on my way to see you.” I asked, looking back at Kayden.
Losing his body to Jenas was a situation where he consumed a lot of mana and suffered a considerable mental shock.
Kayden stared at me with an unreadable calm. Then he turned fully toward me, sitting up and leaning forward.
“If I’m not okay, what are you going to do?”
“Huh?”
I stared blankly at Kayden’s face, not knowing what he meant.
Then he lifted my hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. The back of my hand burned where his lips touched it, as if I’d been stamped.
“If I tell you I’m not okay, will you come to my barracks and take care of me?”
Without removing his lips from the back of my hand, Kayden looked up at me with demanding eyes.
This is normal Kayden. This is the usual Kayden, yes.
“Enough.”
Unexpectedly, it was Arthdal, not Enoch, who stopped Kayden. He pushed Kayden away from me.