I'm Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 192

The Empress studied my face carefully. It was as if she wanted to see me stumped and confused.

But as time passed and I remained silent, a look of bewilderment crossed her face. It’s like she’s been caught off guard.

I tilted my head at an angle toward her and said, “I know Vanessa very well. Do you think I’d be fooled twice?”

Vanessa wasn’t bribed by them; she was only pretending to be bribed because they had caught her weakness.

At my answer, the Empress’s face slowly twisted. Very fierce and murderous. I watched it, relaxed and unhurried.

“You’re done.”

Just then, the Empress’s necklace began to glow faintly. That was the magic stone after all.

“That necklace……!”

I stumbled for a moment, trying to say something to the Empress. The floor suddenly began to vibrate violently. Shit.

-thump thump!

And then a series of loud bangs.

“Aaah!”

A scream rang out from somewhere, and people scrambled to get to their feet, causing the ballroom to erupt into chaos. It was the demonic monsters that surrounded the castle.

As the monsters continued to gather around the castle, the barrier around the castle was revealed. The bluish glow of the barrier showed off its majesty with sparks flying.

The monsters were blocked by the barrier, unable to enter and struggling to break it.

But the number of monsters grew larger and larger, far more than I had expected. With that many monsters, not only the Floné Castle, but also the entire territory would be in danger.

‘Is this the kind of ripple effect that ten magic stones can have when they’re gathered in one place?’

Well, even with just one magic stone, Prince Rodvan had summoned quite a few monsters. The barrier is still working, though.

In addition to that, the sky was also very strange, and the ground was trembling and showing signs of an earthquake. The sky seemed to have cracks in it as lightning struck one after another.

I rubbed my forehead as my head suddenly started to throb. It was as if the chaotic conditions in the sky were affecting me.

‘Isn’t it just summoning monsters? Why is my body reacting?’

[If I ever encounter a living being from beyond the dimension, I will surely not miss it, for it will play a very important role in fulfilling my purpose.]

……I don’t know why the words from Jenas’s experimental journal came to mind at this moment.

Could it be that the use of the magic stones affects the dimensional rift?

Maybe…….

I’ve traveled beyond the dimension and it affects me……?

“Margaret. I told you, I want you to survive. No, you have to.”

I suddenly realized something, remembering what Jenas had been telling me over and over again.

Could it be that living so long in another dimension taints my soul?

If so, then my continued presence in Langridge would prevent the dimensional rift from closing.

We hadn’t closed the dimensional rift yet. We hadn’t found a way. I thought perhaps there might be a way, in the journals on dimensional rifts that Yuanna had found in the Holy See.

What if the dimensional rift, which could have been closed at any time, could never be closed because of my continued presence in this world?

If that hypothesis is true, then I must play an important role in Jenas’s purpose. It would also explain why Jenas is so obsessed with me.

I was supposed to talk to Kayden again about Jenas’ journals, but he disappeared, leaving me with no one to discuss it with.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on the matter much longer. The Empress had fled in the short time I’d been looking away.

***

“Look, Archbishop. What is going on? The survivors are unharmed! And tell me what the heck is going on with the sky. Surely it was meant to summon monsters, but at this rate, the castle will collapse and crush us all to death!”

Count Pedersen and the Empress rushed to Rinnehaon.

Rinnehaon nervously bit his lower lip.

He’d obviously bribed Margaret Rose Floné’s exclusive maid, and he’d even had two priests watch over her, just in case.

He couldn’t understand what was wrong with the sky. He’d heard of the overheating of the magic stones of the Jenas when they were used together, but he hadn’t expected anything like this. The bizarre and eerie lightning strike made him think that something had gone wrong in the sky.

There was no time to ponder the matter, however, for as the three of them huddled together, the magic stones began to glow visibly.

“I think we should get out of here first. The magic stone is very noticeable. I expected there would be a barrier, but it looks like it will take longer to break than I thought. Until His Holiness can finish the job, I think we’d best hide out and see what’s going on.”

Rinnehaon and Count Pedersen nodded at the Empress’s instructions.

And then,

“Someone is using black magic! Capture the man with the magic stone immediately!”

The private soldiers of the Duchy of Floné stormed into the ballroom.

They moved faster than expected. Rinnehaon calmly looked around. He needed a way out.

Then his vision caught sight of Vanessa, Margaret’s exclusive maid.

‘That damned wench.’

***

The Duke’s men had arrived in the chaos of the ballroom. All went as expected. The Empress may have escaped, but we’ll catch her soon enough. This is our home turf.

Thanks to Vanessa’s help in switching the wine, I avoided being kidnapped this time.

When I was first taken to Alea Island, I realized that Vanessa had spiked my drink with powdered Tentathionem, but I wasn’t too shocked.

Someone must have spiked my drink with powdered Tentathionem, and I was in the Floné Castle at the time, which meant that there must be a traitor in the family, so I didn’t let go of my suspicions.

Furthermore, Margaret was not a very trustworthy master to the workers.

But contrary to my expectations, Vanessa’s betrayal was not intentional.

To this day, she doesn’t even realize that she’s spiked my tea with powdered Tentathionem.

“Kill me, miss.”

Vanessa cried and begged me for forgiveness when she first found out. In the past, she said, the Peony Blossom faction had approached her family and delivered powdered Tentathionem. They must have tricked her into thinking it was a fine tea leaf.

There was a fad at the time for tea leaves that were said to be good for beauty, but it was an illegal product distributed by wizards, and Margaret had secretly instructed Vanessa to procure it for her.

“If you really want me to forgive you, you’ll show me by your actions that you’re remorseful.”

I deliberately put Vanessa in contact with the Peony Blossom faction after news of the birthday party broke, and on the day of the party, I left the back door to the kitchen open so that the Peony Blossom faction would have no doubt that Vanessa was cooperating with me.

As expected, the Peony Blossom faction contacted Vanessa and instructed her to mix the powdered Tentathionem in the wine and feed it to us on their signal.

“Miss, this is the note Vanessa gave me when I was carrying the wine earlier.”

At that moment, Rosemary’s exclusive maid, Mia, came to me and handed me a note.

[Right before getting into the ballroom, I’ll switch the wine for a new one and deliver it.]

I patted Mia’s head as she looked confused.

“Good job.”

It’s not good to increase the number of people who know the secret and perform it. So I apologized, but I had only told her that this might happen, not exactly what I was going to do.

I soothed Mia and instructed her to stay away, then went in search of Enoch.

Jenas’s plan to collapse the dimensional rift hadn’t really been finished yet. My head swam with the thought that maybe it would never end, not as long as I lived.

But I have to keep my wits about me. I have work to do now.

I quickly approached Enoch, who was talking to Arthdal and Ruzef.

“I need you to get the Peony Blossom faction arrested. I’ll go find out where Kayden is, I think he’s with the Pope.”

-kuung!

The floor shook once again. Enoch grabbed my arm to support me.

It was enough to shake the barrier. It was clear that more monsters had gathered than before. At this rate, we’d need to strengthen the barrier.

“I’ll come with you,” Enoch said firmly.

Arthdal, watching him carefully, tapped Enoch on the shoulder.

“Leave this one to us, then.”

Just then, Innis rushed over to check on me.

“Margaret, are you all right? I’ll take control of the ballroom with father, and you can go find the Pope.”

“Let’s go together. I’ll look for the old man, and you, Margaret, better look for Lord.”

As if on cue, Yuanna joined our conversation. Innis, Arthdal, and Ruzef nodded in understanding.

So I slipped out of the ballroom with Yuanna and Enoch. Eunji, who had been hiding in the pocket of my dress and keeping a watchful eye, slithered out and onto my shoulder.

My heart sank as I realized that Kayden might be in danger. My mind turned white with the anxiety of losing someone I cared about.

“What if they’ve realized that Kayden has Jenas inside of him?” I asked, my hands shaking with anxiety.

Enoch, who had been scanning the ballroom with me, nodded.

“Maybe the Pope really did go looking for Lord, and maybe that was his purpose all along.”

All because of Jenas.

I shook off the black and sinister thoughts that swirled in my head. It would only make me more anxious.

Just then, Yuanna pointed toward the garden and shouted, “Margaret, over there!”

True to her word, we saw a bright light shining from the garden.

We ran straight in the direction of the light.

***

The Pope knows.

That I have Jenas in me.

‘What the fuxk is this? You tell me.’

Kayden called out to Jenas, but he didn’t respond.

‘Hey, you fucking old man. Answer me!’

[……I didn’t do anything out of contract, and I didn’t lead them to find out about this.]

Jenas’s languid voice echoed in Kayden’s head. As if he had foreseen all of this, even if it wasn’t his intention.

[As you know, my soul is bound to you, and will remain so unless you die.]

Which means that if Kayden were to die, Jenas could take over his body at any time.

Kayden balled his fists.

He was confident. So confident that he could destroy Jenas. Because they had a soul-binding contract.

But what did he do when he made that contract? A contract that he only made with the help of the mother of monsters.

Kayden couldn’t completely subdue Jenas with his power.

No matter how much of a genius he was, he was no match for Jenas.