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Chapter 109
Fortunately, the magic circle was completed just before my legs gave out, and the finished magic seeped into Enoch’s shoulder area.
I sank to the ground, watching the torn and gaping wounds gradually heal.
“Margaret!”
Both men grabbed me at the same time.
“I’m okay. I’m just a little tired. I’ll be fine if I rest.”
I leaned against a wooden pillar, sitting on the floor with a sigh.
Meeting Enoch and Kaiden had released the tension I’d been holding onto, and all the accumulated fatigue hit me at once. On top of that, I had even used magic, so the aftereffects were apparently worse.
I sat there with a tired expression and glanced down at my smooth stomach once the wounds had completely healed. The ribs that I thought had cracked before didn’t hurt anymore.
“This island seems strangely fast at recovery.”
I covered my mouth and yawned as I said it. Sleepiness was somehow creeping in.
Enoch glanced at me as he slipped on his ragged shirt, and Kaiden, sitting beside me again, nodded.
“Well, hair doesn’t grow, and neither do beards. You can’t even use magic, so I guess it really is another dimension entirely.”
It’s true—I am in another dimension.
‘I feel a little dizzy.’
A sudden wave of dizziness hit, and I pressed my hand to my forehead.
Enoch and Kaiden looked at me simultaneously, as if they had been watching my every move closely.
“You okay?”
Kaiden asked. Did he really mean it? I blankly looked up at him.
Come to think of it, how long have I been on this island?
It feels like at least four months have passed. When will I be able to escape?
Kaiden had been carrying the bag with the wooden plank I used to track the days… did I lose it?
Sigh.
I felt heat building up in my body.
Well, ever since I came to this island, I’d gone through all kinds of hardships alone, and except for the time Diego stole my dress, I hadn’t really been seriously ill.
‘That was the strange part, wasn’t it.’
“Margaret.”
Enoch’s large hand gently lifted my chin. His golden eyes came into view.
“You’re not in good condition.”
Enoch scanned my face carefully, checking my complexion. Kaiden placed the back of his hand on my forehead and said:
“Feels like your temperature’s rising? Your forehead’s like fire. Pretty serious.”
If he says it’s serious, then I really must be in bad shape. I slowly blinked and leaned against the wooden pillar, feeling languid.
“I’ll be fine. Just need some sleep.”
“Are you hurt anywhere else? Poisoned, maybe?”
Kaiden fussed over me while inspecting my body. I felt exhausted, slowly blinking and shaking my head.
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’ll be fine.”
Enoch might be blaming himself, thinking I needed healing again. But it really just felt like exhaustion.
My eyelids felt heavy, like weights had been attached to them. I couldn’t muster any strength.
“I’m okay… it’s just… like a body ache…”
“Margaret?!”
With Kaiden’s urgent call, I finally lost consciousness.
I vaguely regained consciousness.
My body shivered with cold, and a chill ran through me that I could barely endure. It felt like I’d been thrown naked into the snow in the middle of winter.
No matter how extreme the temperature difference, no one could feel this kind of cold in a tropical climate.
“Margaret, awake? You okay?”
“Damn, my body’s still cold. Can’t use magic anymore, huh?”
“If you use magic here, Margaret, you might be in real danger.”
Kaiden and Enoch’s urgent voices overlapped as I tried to process them. I felt thick arms wrapping around my shoulders and waist, front and back.
I forced my trembling eyelids open, gradually seeing Enoch’s face in my line of sight.
My lips trembled from the cold. My body shivered along with them, making the arms around my waist hold me even tighter.
“Margaret, still cold?”
Kaiden’s worried voice came from behind me.
“Are you coming to your senses?”
Enoch asked anxiously from the front.
‘What’s happening?’
Even with my eyes open, I couldn’t fully grasp the situation.
Enoch’s bare arms were around my shoulders, and it felt like Kaiden was hugging my waist from behind. I could even feel skin against my back.
But my puzzlement lasted only a moment. My head was spinning, and the cold was unbearable.
“Cold…”
My lips were frozen; I could barely speak, only shivering.
As I curled into myself, the two men pressed closer. Every inch of exposed skin was in contact.
They were both shirtless, holding me from front and back, keeping my body warm.
“Eunji, need to stoke the fire more?”
I barely lifted my head at Kaiden’s voice, noticing Eunji vigorously tending the fire next to us.
Eunji, momentarily distracted by Kaiden’s comment, stomped around like a horned child in mock irritation, then returned to stoking the wood when our eyes met.
“Margaret’s body feels colder. At this rate…”
“Stop with the ominous talk.”
“Damn it.”
Kaiden muttered a curse under his breath.
I rested my cheek against Enoch’s warm chest. Kaiden, holding me from behind, pressed his face into my shoulder, lips brushing mine.
The warmth of his breath was comforting, but I couldn’t focus on the unwanted sensation of his lips.
Fortunately, both men had naturally warm bodies, so I felt less cold than before.
‘But… this is such an embarrassing position.’
I wanted a hole to hide in. Yet it was undeniably effective for raising my body temperature.
I could guess who had suggested this method, though I was slightly surprised Enoch had agreed to it.
I forced my mind to focus. I had to say something. Clenching my trembling lips, I tried to speak.
“What is… hmph…”
I opened my mouth, but a ridiculously hoarse voice came out, so I closed it again to clear my throat. How humiliating in this situation.
“Margaret? You okay?”
“How’s your body feeling?”
Kaiden and Enoch both sat up and checked my face. The moment they moved away, a cold wave hit me.
“Margaret.”
Enoch called my name gently again. I shivered and grabbed his arm. He looked down at me, confused.
‘What do I do? Should I say it or not?’
After dozens of moments of hesitation, the wind brought a bone-chilling cold that made me let out a silent scream.
I hastily draped Enoch’s jacket and Kaiden’s robe over myself, but it wasn’t enough.
“C-can you… do what you did before?”
“What?”
Enoch and Kaiden looked at me puzzled.
I curled into myself, shivering from the cold, frowning. Ugh, why can’t they understand?
“I’m cold, so… hug me.”
This time, I spoke more clearly.
A moment of silence followed.
‘If there were a death by embarrassment, I’d be dead now.’
The silence weighed heavily on me.
‘I shouldn’t have said anything, damn it.’
Then Kaiden broke the silence with an exclamation, turning my body to lie down.
“Wow, Margaret. Couldn’t you just say it to me directly?”
“…Seems I heard correctly.”
Enoch’s sigh followed shortly after.
They seemed unable to shake off the surprise of what I said, but I didn’t have the energy to care. I swallowed my tears and shouted:
“Ah! Just hug me! I’m cold!”
The two men looked shocked at my frustrated outburst. Kaiden burst into laughter.
My view was already a sensory overload of bare skin, and now he was taking his time to react.
I turned my face away, still speaking, and gradually felt more alert. The cold remained, but I could think more clearly.
We were still inside the barrier. We lay on the dirt floor with large leaves as a makeshift blanket. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable bed.
Enoch lay down in front of me again, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and patting the back of my head. I rested my cheek on his bare chest, trying to calm my embarrassment. Somehow, I felt warmth in a different sense.
Kaiden hugged me from behind, pressing his face to my shoulder like a cat and laughing.
“Ah, this is great. Margaret actually asked to be hugged.”
“Make sure she’s not uncomfortable. Don’t overdo it.”
Enoch immediately intervened. His words sounded unusually sharp, as if his suppressed anger had briefly surfaced.
From behind, Kaiden muttered, complaining that Enoch was restraining him.
I guessed they’d been bickering like this while I was unconscious. Maybe that’s why they were both hugging me, sharing body heat.
Enoch ignored it, gently patting my hair.
‘What is this power struggle about?’
Anyway, warmth was all that mattered. Thanks to it, I survived today too.
