I'm Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 164

The knights hesitantly backed away and disappeared out of the barracks. I watched Enoch’s back as he shooed the knights away and thought for a moment.

It seems Kayden didn’t tell Enoch about Jenas.

‘I don’t know why he didn’t, but I think he should share it with everyone before too much time passes.’

Maybe I should talk to Kayden about it.

Kayden told me I shouldn’t worry, that Jenas would be tethered to him forever and suffer. But I couldn’t help but worry about him.

Is he really okay?

When Enoch returned with all the knights gone, he apologized to me. “I apologize for what the knights did. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Still, for a crown prince, Enoch seems to be pretty good at apologizing. Or maybe it’s just for me. After studying my complexion, Enoch revealed his reason for visiting me.

“If you haven’t had dinner yet, would you like to dine with me? The Lord and the Crown Prince will be there. Oh, and the Archbishop.”

Everyone seems to have gathered except for Diego, who has gone to the western camp to see his brother.

“Arthdal says he’s found the peony.”

He’s already found the peony? I stared at Enoch, wide-eyed.

He was glaring at Yuanna, who was lying in my bed as if it were her own. Yuanna looked unconcerned, laid back on the bed, and greeted Enoch again. She didn’t seem to care about the fact that we weren’t on an island.

I turned to Enoch and asked, “Can we go now?”

After all, it’s better to hear about the peony when we’re all together, and I need to talk to Kayden privately after dinner.

Enoch nodded at my question and reached for my outerwear. I watched him zip the bomber jacket on me.

“I can do it myself.”

“I want to do it for you.”

Enoch looked up at me as if he would be hurt if I said no, so I meekly accepted to be helped into my jacket.

Yuanna was stunned by the sight, and whispered to me in a low voice, “We’re the only ones who know that the crown prince is the one who asked for that, right?”

“I hear you. How long do you think I’ll put up with your rudeness, Saintess?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll be careful in front of people.”

“Not in front of people, but in front of me. Be thankful Margaret is here.”

I thought she was enemies with Kayden, but now I realize she’s also enemies with Enoch. Then again, she’d also had a falling out with Arthdal, or maybe she just doesn’t get along with all men.

“Oh, Margaret, this letter from your family.”

Enoch pulled the envelope from his pocket. The envelope had already been opened and read.

“It was addressed to me, so I read it first,” he added quickly.

True to his word, the sender was my sister, Innis, and the recipient was Enoch.

The letter said, in short, that the commander-in-chief of the Langridge Empire was Rodvan, and that he was likely to use military force against us. It also said that he would deal with Enoch before returning home.

I looked up at Enoch in surprise. “The deposed crown prince, or rather, the prince, is now in command?”

Rodvan is Enoch’s half-brother and was originally the legitimate crown prince. A crown prince with a reputation for being an incompetent jerk. A man with nothing but the Empress backing him up and pure blood running through his veins. He once attempted to murder Enoch and was caught and exiled, but with Enoch’s disappearance, his position was reinstated.

“I heard so. He’s staying in a western camp. We had a meeting this morning to discuss the end of the war……”

Enoch paused, stroking his chin and looking thoughtful.

Yuanna glanced at us, curious about the contents of the letter, but it was too sensitive to mention, so we both remained silent.

“First, let’s go to the restaurant where the others are waiting.”

At my words, Enoch looked up from his thoughts. Enoch and Yuanna nodded at the same time.

***

Despite the truce, it’s still a war zone. Moreover, the barracks were in poor condition, hardly fit for nobility.

But for those of us living on a remote, monster-infested island, the barracks were a fantastic haven.

As I walked through the barracks’ cloth doors into the restaurant, Ruzef and Kayden were the first to sit down.

“Hey, Ddaggari. I heard all the paladins are on retreat, but you’re not going anywhere?”

“What are you doing not retreating to your god-forsaken army of wizards?”

The sight of them grabbing each other’s collars brought back old memories, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude that they had all made it out alive. I ran toward Ruzef.

“Archbishop, are you all right?”

Ruzef, who had only just spotted me, jumped back in horror. I stared at him, bewildered.

“What’s wrong?”

“Y- young lady, it’s been a long time.”

“Huh?”

To say it’s been a long time, it seems like it’s only been a week. It really hasn’t been that long since we opened the portal gate and entered the middle of a war. It was so short that we hadn’t even finished negotiating a truce with the enemy.

“We used to see each other every day, so if we haven’t seen each other in a week or so, it’s been a while.”

It felt like it hadn’t been that long since I had been sleeping for almost three days after arriving.

Moreover, unlike Yuanna, who came and went and said hello, Ruzef was so difficult to see that I wondered if he was avoiding me.

I asked him what I’d been dying to ask, “Are the spirits really gone?”

“Yes. They seem to have gotten what they wanted and left,” Ruzef replied, avoiding my gaze.

That’s strange. What’s wrong?

“Archbishop, why do you keep avoiding me?” I asked, standing in front of the table and looking directly at Ruzef so he couldn’t avoid me.

“What? When- when- when did I……?!”

“Haa…… that idiot.”

Looking at Ruzef, Kayden clicked his tongue, and then explained his condition to me on Ruzef’s behalf.

“He’s feeling guilty about you.”

“What?”

“You trusted me with the job of sealing the spirits, but because of me, you almost didn’t escape the island because you were kidnapped by that damn wizard……”

Ruzef bit his lower lip hard as he spoke, and hung his head in sorrow. Oh my.

“No, don’t feel bad for that…… You have nothing to be sorry for, and if you put it that way, we all have a hundred things to be sorry for with each other right now.”

At my words, Yuanna frowned and stopped eating the cookie on the table. She caught my eye and meekly set it down on the table.

“I see you’ve all gathered. After all, the main character appears last!”

Just then, Arthdal made his entrance. If anything, he looked more like a loudmouth than a prince.

As he strode briskly into the room, he spotted Ruzef standing there in a daze and gave him a puzzled look.

“Why are you standing there like a loser, Archbishop? And why are you standing there, Lord and Young Lady? Sit down, sit down. It’s not my place, but make yourselves comfortable.”

He put his arm around Ruzef’s shoulders, laughing merrily, and with a great deal of eloquence, invited us to take our seats, which we did, and sat down opposite Enoch.

At each end of the long table sat Enoch and Arthdal, with the rest of us finding our own seats.

“Oh, you can sit here, young lady.” Arthdal gestured to the seat next to him.

“……sorry? Why?”

My snarky response didn’t faze Arthdal, who looked at me with a smile on his face and pulled out a chair for me. What’s wrong with this man? Did he eat something wrong?

“It’s just that I want to get to know you.”

“With me? Why?”

“Because there’s a vacancy for a crown princess in the Kingdom of Hestia right now.”

“Cough cough.”

“What kind of gibberish are you talking about?”

Ruzef coughed in surprise. Kayden immediately kicked off his chair and jumped to his feet, running to me and tugging at my hand. Enoch stepped in front of us as well, pushing Arthdal back.

“Stay away.”

At Enoch’s threatening stance, Arthdal held up both hands and stepped back.

“This is a mess, a mess.” Yuanna clicked her tongue as she looked at the three men.

“Ouch. Just kidding, just kidding. Relax, guys, I’m just trying to be friendly with the young lady.”

Arthdal looked at me and winked playfully. Then he clapped his hands to lighten the mood.

“First, take a seat. We need to eat.”

Enoch and Arthdal sat at either end of the long table, Kayden and I in the center, and Ruzef and Yuanna across from us.

I wasn’t expecting much of a feast on the battlefield, but the meal was more than adequate.

According to Enoch and Arthdal, the barracks of the imperial family are a bit more luxurious, and they prepare for war by equipping themselves with the appropriate equipment to allow room for negotiation with the enemy.

Arthdal rang the bell and the meal began to be prepared. The entree was carpaccio. Everyone remained silent while the meal was set.

Only when the servants had left did Enoch speak.

“The current commander in chief of the Langridge Empire is Prince Rodvan. He had formerly been stripped of his crown prince title and sent into exile, but the Emperor has apparently reinstated his status.”

I remembered Innis’ letter. It said that Rodvan had planned to use military force and have Enoch finished before his return. To repeat the same mistakes of the past, that man seems incapable of learning.

Enoch continued, his face calm, “I’m sure they’ll be coming to this barracks any day now, and I’m sure they’re trying to get rid of me, but I ask for your understanding.”