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Chapter 04
“It didn’t look like a normal wolf—neither its pitch-black blood nor its appearance.”
I agreed with Enoch’s assessment.
It was almost certainly a monster that appeared in the novel, but I couldn’t pretend to recognize it.
“And my sword aura didn’t activate.”
I also heard him mutter softly, something along the lines of If I’d used my sword properly, I wouldn’t have needed to rely on brute force.
Only then did it dawn on me.
That’s right. Magic and divine power don’t work on this island.
Swordsmanship, magic, divine power—none of it functioned here. Survival depended entirely on one’s physical body.
That said, as befitting a male protagonist, Enoch possessed outstanding physical abilities and hunting skills, so food didn’t seem to be an immediate concern.
Considering the merciless strength he had displayed when defeating the monster earlier, his inability to use sword aura hardly seemed like a problem.
“…I don’t know what Young-ae knows, or why I’m even telling you all this.”
Enoch ended his comment curtly.
I was praising him, and this is what I get?
Endure it. Endure it.
They say if you endure something three times, you can avoid committing murder.
“I don’t know who abandoned us here, or why. And why it had to be Young-ae and me of all people… that’s suspicious too.”
His words trailed off. He was doubting me again.
“If I intended to kidnap Your Majesty, I would’ve locked you up in some secluded mansion—not abandoned you in a dangerous wilderness like this.”
I was trying to sound harmless, but somehow it came out as if I’d genuinely planned a kidnapping.
Enoch remained silent for a long time. Uncomfortable with the silence, I hurriedly added,
“Of course, I’ve never thought of anything like that. And I certainly never intended to act on it.”
The excuses only grew longer. Even I thought they sounded ridiculous. I wasn’t sure whether Enoch believed me.
When I turned my head after getting no response, I saw Enoch lying on his back, staring up at the sky with a contemplative expression.
Even from the side, he was breathtakingly handsome.
The world really is unfair.
I gathered my chest-length hair in my hands.
That dazzling, shimmering platinum-blond hair…
In truth, Margaret was also considered the most beautiful woman in the empire—at least based purely on appearance.
Unfortunately, her eccentric personality overshadowed that beauty.
After fiddling with my hair and drifting into thought, I asked Enoch,
“There really doesn’t seem to be anyone else here, does there?”
“I don’t know yet. But I believe there is. Unless this is an island.”
It sounded like he was trying to convince himself that it wasn’t.
But according to what I knew from the novel, this was an island. And an uninhabited one at that.
I couldn’t tell him, so I simply let out a deep sigh.
“No matter how I think about it, this is strange.”
I sat up and turned to face him.
“It doesn’t feel like a kidnapping. If someone had a purpose, they wouldn’t abandon us on the beach like this.”
Enoch rose slowly as well. His expression remained pensive, and he said nothing.
Is he thinking about the deposed prince of Lord Ban?
Enoch seemed to suspect this was the work of someone trying to harm him.
But I knew that the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Hestia, the Captain of the Imperial Guard, the Great Saintess, the Archbishop, and even the Great Mage were all on this island.
All the empire’s key figures are gathered here.
It didn’t seem like Enoch was the sole target. What was strangest of all was that Margaret—a mere noblewoman—had been dragged into it.
Crossing my arms, I asked him seriously,
“Do you have any idea? What were you doing before you came here, Your Majesty?”
Enoch frowned, clearly at a loss. After hesitating, he shook his head uncomfortably.
“I was working.”
“Where?”
“In the palace office.”
“Before that?”
“I was working the whole time.”
“No, I mean before you started working. You must’ve eaten. Met people.”
He looked at me with genuine confusion. It was the first time I’d seen such an expression from him.
“I didn’t eat. There was too much paperwork. I just had some fruit in my office.”
“So you woke up, skipped meals, worked nonstop, and then suddenly opened your eyes here?”
He didn’t answer. His silence was confirmation.
He turned his gaze away, perhaps embarrassed.
“Then what about the day before?”
“I woke up, ate briefly in my office, attended a cabinet meeting, then continued working.”
He was an extreme workaholic—possibly worse than overworked Koreans.
Lee Jin-ju, former office worker, reflected: Maybe that’s how you become Crown Prince.
“Did you go anywhere? Meet anyone outside? Anyone suspicious?”
Only then did Enoch frown, displeased by the barrage of questions.
“This feels like an interrogation.”
“Yes. It is.”
He crossed his arms with visible displeasure, tilted his head, and glared at me.
“Then it’s Young-ae’s turn to be interrogated.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
Nice try dodging.
When I refused to back down, he sighed and answered calmly.
“I haven’t met anyone suspicious. For the past month, it’s been the year-end accounting season. I don’t recall leaving the palace.”
His expression was complicated.
I once thought my life was unbearably dull—but looking back, it wasn’t exactly fulfilling either. Office workers all live the same way.
“What about you, Young-ae?”
“I…”
I searched Margaret’s memories, then fell silent.
I couldn’t admit I’d been alone in my mansion, obsessing over his portrait that I’d gone through great lengths to obtain. I wasn’t eager to earn his disgust.
“I was enjoying tea time in the salon of the Florene mansion. As you can see from my clothes, I stayed indoors the entire time.”
Indeed, I was wearing flats meant for indoor use.
The neckline of my dress flared into a lavish fishtail design, with lace adorning the sleeves and hem. Large jeweled decorations glittered extravagantly at the collar.
This was absolutely not clothing suited for the wilderness.
“Among the people I’ve met recently… anyone suspicious? I don’t know. I’m quite sociable, so I meet many people. It’s hard to tell.”
In reality, it was the power of the Duke of Flonet’s family—not sociability.
Margaret wasn’t likable. She was difficult.
Enoch seemed to think the same but didn’t bother pointing it out.
After that, silence fell once more.
Only the rhythmic crash of waves broke it.
At some point, the sun had completely set. Darkness enveloped the shore, and the moon shining over the black sea was eerily bright.
“It’s too early to draw conclusions.”
That’s right. Tomorrow, I needed to climb somewhere high and get my bearings.
“For now, we should rest. Tomorrow, we figure out where we are.”
Enoch nodded in agreement.
Soon, we lay down with our backs to each other.
For a fleeting moment, I considered running away while he slept—but the memory of the monster quickly erased the idea.
Tomorrow, I’d climb the mountain with Enoch, assess the situation, and then make a proper escape plan.
And who knows? Maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll be back in my own bed. Just a long dream.
With that hopeful thought, I drifted off to sleep.
I pushed the ominous unease to the corner of my heart.
And so, the first night on that unknown shore came to an end.
* * *
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a dream.
I woke up on the same beach where I had fallen asleep.
The temperature difference between day and night was so severe I thought I might freeze to death. There had been no fire.
Surviving one night was luck—but this couldn’t continue.
I didn’t have a lighter, but I had to find some way.
As I sat up, shivering, something slipped from my shoulder and fell with a dull thud.
It was a jacket, decorated with ornate shoulder buckles.
“I see you’re awake.”
I turned my head.
Enoch stood there with his arms crossed, looking down at me—
as if he had been watching all night.
