I'm Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 172

Rodvan stared at Enoch, his mouth agape in bewilderment.

“Are you saying that Her Majesty the Empress has the same magic stone?”

“H- how would I know?!”

“Then where did you get this magic stone from?”

“That’s……”

“If you’re honest with me, I might be able to forgive your sins. You’ve been taken advantage of, so tell me. Who gave you this magic stone?”

But even at Enoch’s words, Rodvan didn’t answer, his face pale blue and his body shaking.

I don’t know what he was thinking, but despite Enoch’s coaxing, he never told him who gave him the magic stone.

In fact, it was obvious who he had gotten it from. But Rodvan was more afraid of the Empress than of Enoch.

We can’t torture Rodvan right here and now, so it’s a waste of time to question him further.

Enoch gestured to the knight beside him, and the knight once again gagged Rodvan’s mouth.

Enoch looked back at us and said, “If we make it to the capital, he won’t end up in exile like last time. Perhaps that’s why he did this: to endanger the entire army, to create chaos, to distract my attention.”

Given Rodvan’s position, it seemed possible that he would have used such an obvious and desperate tactic.

Now Rodvan is outnumbered. If he managed to make it all the way to Langridge Empire while being held by Enoch, he would have no more excuse or room to reclaim his position. It’s not just his status that’s at stake, it’s his life.

“Regardless of finding evidence, we must destroy all the magic stones.”

I nodded at Enoch’s words and glanced at Eunji, who had slithered up my forearm.

“I learned a lot thanks to His Majesty Rodvan’s thoughtlessness. Now, let’s make plans again.”

Enoch sighed at my words, and Kayden laughed at Rodvan’s expense.

With that, the monster attack incident came to an end.

And…… in hindsight, I learned,

That a rumor was spreading among the armies of the Langridge Empire that I was the hero who had descended from the heavens on a divine beast and ended the hellish war.

***

Rosemary had a busy morning. She had heard that the military unit with Margaret was entering the capital city of Burneton this afternoon.

Her father and Innis were to meet her, so Rosemary helped her mother prepare to greet her.

Rosemary practiced dozens of times in her mind how to greet Margaret when she returned.

First, thank her for being alive, then ask her what happened.

“It’s like a dream, my dear, to have my filly back.”

Rosemary’s mother, the Duchess of Floné, dabbed at the tears that kept flowing with her handkerchief.

Rosemary checked Margaret’s room, checked the dining menu, and then looked around the castle’s foyer before looking back at her sobbing mother with a somewhat bored expression.

“Honey, why are you crying?”

Just then, a middle-aged man with curly long hair tied back into a ponytail came down the lobby stairs. It was the Duke of Floné.

Duke Floné was surprised to see the Duchess in tears. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before, honey.”

“How can I be so calm when our filly is coming back alive?”

“Still, you should smile and greet her. Our sweet filly will be so surprised.”

Then the Duchess burst into a fit of rage. “Is that what you’re going to say, you who’ve been lying in bed crying all this time without even bothering to look hard for our little silly!”

Not a silly, a filly……

Rosemary resisted the urge to correct her mother. Actually, the nickname suited her too.

“Oh, no, it’s not that, how could you belittle my grief over the loss of my daughter…… It tore my heart to shreds. Even though I was breathing, I wasn’t living.

“She’s not dead! Come on, she’s back safely! What a great child she is! She’s just a cute filly, but she didn’t give up! I knew she would come back alive.”

Rosemary backed away, fed up with the Duke and Duchess’s increasingly verbose conversation.

The ‘cute filly’ nickname was bizarre, and it was hard to tell if she really cared about Margaret or was criticizing her.

Rosemary shook her head.

“More than that, shouldn’t Father go to the Imperial Palace? Innis has already left, and what is he doing here?”

Rosemary sighed and went back to organizing Margaret’s welcome home party without a care in the world for the bickering Duke and Duchess.

***

We have finally entered the Langridge Empire.

As we passed through the gates of the capital city of Burneton, the people of the capital came out to welcome us.

We hadn’t even won a victory.

There were banners along the way that read, “Long live the Crown Prince, who has brought peace to the continent!” and it was clear that they were happy that the negotiations had ended peacefully.

We headed straight to the imperial palace, where the hospitality continued. I leaned out of the carriage window in disbelief.

“Excited?” Kayden smiled at me.

Embarrassed, I pulled my head away from the window and sat up straight.

At the end of the path of hospitality was the gorgeous Imperial Palace. I looked up as I stepped out of the carriage, escorted by Enoch.

The Emperor and Empress greeted us at the entrance to the palace. Eunji slithered down my dress pocket.

The Emperor had a blunt, almost intimidating look on his face. The Empress, ten years younger than him, was gentler than Margaret remembered.

However, if Rodvan is part of the Peony Blossoms, the Empress is most likely behind him. That’s why the Empress’s gentle smile was somewhat unnerving.

She must have heard of Rodvan’s news, but to put on such a doting motherly face as if she didn’t know what was going on, that’s not a normal person would do.

As soon as the Empress saw us, she came down the steps of the entrance and took Enoch’s hands in hers.

“You’re safe.”

The Empress patted the back of Enoch’s hand, then looked back at me and Kayden.

“I’m glad to hear that the Lord of the Magic Tower and Lady Floné are safe as well.”

For a moment, just a moment, but I saw it.

I saw a flash of hatred in the Empress’s eyes as they swept from Kayden to me.

She may not have shown it outwardly, but I suspect she didn’t like me even before I was kidnapped to Alea Island.

Originally, my mother, Duchess Floné, and the Empress were quite close. To be precise, the Empress unilaterally sought to make friends with my mother, while my mother simply smiled and tried to keep her distance. This was because the Empress wanted to put the ladies of House Floné in touch with Rodvan.

Meanwhile, Margaret had been following Enoch around, trying to help him in any way she could. Perhaps that’s why she hated me. Of course, Enoch hated me, too, for doing whatever it took.

It occurred to me that if the Empress is part of the Peony Blossoms with Rodvan, she might have been the one who sent me to Alea Island, since she’s been seeing me as a hindrance the whole time.

While I was deep in thought, Enoch dropped to one knee.

As he bowed, Kayden and I followed suit, followed by all the knights.

“Enoch Aster Klaus Langridge. I report my safe return. To the glory of Langridge.”

“To the glory of Langridge!”

The knights shouted in unison as Enoch finished speaking.

This time, the Emperor approached and patted Enoch on the shoulder.

“You have done well. I need to hear about what happened. We have much talk about.”

I glanced behind the Emperor and Empress. Behind them stood the heads of all the influential families in the Empire.

Their curious gazes were fixed on me and Kayden. All but Enoch were knights, so Kayden and I stood out.

“I am very glad to hear that the Lord of the Magic Tower and Lady Floné have returned safely.”

The Emperor’s gaze fell on me and Kayden this time.

If I were alone, I would have been overwhelmed by the attention. I don’t think even Margaret had ever been this close to the Emperor in the past.

But now I am not alone, and my ‘comrades-in-arms’ were all socially prominent figures, so no matter what, I’d just have to take it in stride.

I swallowed nervously and bowed my head in response. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration and hospitality.”

Fortunately, unlike the Empress, the Emperor didn’t pay much attention to me.

He smiled and nodded. “I have received the letter. It says that the reason you’ve been missing is because you were ‘kidnapped’ by a mysterious force.”

-murmur.

As the murmurs of those who had heard the rumor grew louder, the Emperor raised a hand, and the murmurs stopped.

The Emperor leaned a little closer to us, then turned slowly toward Enoch and whispered in a voice so low that only we could hear it.

“You’ve sent a reconnaissance party to find a place called Aela Island? Good. We must find it before anyone else. We cannot stand idly by while others stalk the southern coast of Langridge.”

“We will find it first, do not worry, Your Majesty.” Enoch bowed his head and replied calmly.

The Emperor, who had been staring down at him, tapped him on the shoulder. “I have also received news of Prince Rodvan, but he will have to wait for his disposition.”

He slowly stepped back and scanned the crowd. I looked up at the Emperor, feeling rather odd.

Is he on Enoch’s side or Rodvan’s side, or does he not want to be on anyone’s side?

The Empress, who stood behind the Emperor, was equally impassive, her face unreadable.

The Emperor spoke again, his voice loud and clear. “First and foremost, I am very happy that the missing ones have returned safely, and a party for their return is prepared. It will be held in four days, so make sure you are well-rested before attending.”

Only four days of rest? Who the hell is this welcome home party for?

I barely held back the sigh that was already bubbling up.