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Chapter 78
“It smells nice.”
Ruzef returned with a refreshed expression, as if he’d settled his stomach before coming back, and spoke.
“What’s that?”
I looked at the bright red flowers in his hand with a puzzled expression. Ruzef walked over, holding up the bouquet for me to see.
“Ah, aren’t they pretty? They were right in front of the cabin, but it seems they only bloomed recently, so we hadn’t noticed before.”
The vivid red petals were broad and almost wrinkle-free, making them look a bit like hard candy. They also reminded me somewhat of poppies.
“I picked them as a gift for you, my lady.”
Ruzef held the bouquet out to me.
“I’ve never received flowers before.”
I took them with a dazed expression, then soon frowned.
“I appreciate the thought, but what if they’re poisonous…?”
Poisonous?
Something from the original story flashed through my mind. There had been a similar plant—a poisonous herb called Tentationem that had enchanted Yuanna and the male leads.
In the original, Ruzef had picked this very flower near the cabin and given it to Yuanna, and that was how everything began.
All those explicit, questionable events had started when they were intoxicated by this flower’s poison.
The moment that realization hit me, I gasped and dropped the flowers onto the floor.
They say it’s darkest under the lamp—who would’ve thought this flower was growing right in front of the cabin?
I’d thought we could hold out here as long as we dealt with the monster corpses, but now it was clear the cabin wasn’t safe anymore.
‘Right, it was ominous from the moment that spider from the second floor started evolving.’
Once the others arrived, we’d need to prepare to leave immediately.
As I stared at the fallen flowers, lost in thought, I looked up—and saw Ruzef’s wounded expression.
Panicking, I hurriedly made an excuse.
“My hand slipped, I’m sorry. But I think this flower might be poisonous—”
“It’s all right. I understand how you feel, my lady.”
Ruzef furrowed his brow painfully and rubbed his face with a dry hand.
The problem was that yellow pollen had stuck to his hand.
I stared blankly at the yellow streaks of pollen left across his face.
Damn it. In the original, Yuanna was supposed to receive this flower—so why me…? Sure, the story had already gone off the rails, but still, why did it have to be me?
“My lady, the meat seems to be burning.”
Asdal, who seemed uninterested in anything but food no matter what was happening, urged me to come take a look.
“I don’t think that’s the most important thing right now.”
“How is it not important? The meat’s burning.”
Why was he so obsessed with the meat? Irritated, I turned toward him.
“Then could you take the skewers off the fire yourself, Your Highness?”
“Why should I do that? You should come and—”
Asdal couldn’t finish his sentence.
His eyes widened as he stared over my shoulder, his gaze ominous beyond measure.
Behind me, I heard Ruzef let out a strained groan.
“Lady Flone… haah…”
It was a strange voice—sounding both pained and blissful, but in any case, deeply distressed.
Uneasy, I turned around. Ruzef was seated on the floor, his face flushed red, breathing hotly.
Slowly, he undid the top button of his clerical robe.
“B-Bishop. No matter how hot it is, please don’t take your clothes off.”
At my words, he looked up at me with a pitiful expression. Tears welled in his eyes as he gazed at me as if begging—an indescribable sight.
“My body is too hot. I can’t endure it.”
I hurriedly picked up the fallen flowers, opened the cabin door, and threw them outside.
Then I soaked a cloth with water and scrubbed the floor hard where the yellow pollen had fallen.
“It seems the bishop has finally gone mad.”
Asdal observed Ruzef with a dumbfounded look. By now, Ruzef had undone about half the buttons on his shirt.
“That’s not it. I think the flower the bishop brought is poisonous. The pollen seems to contain something that excites people.”
“Wait—what did you just say…?”
Ruzef fully removed his upper garment.
Though not quite like Kaiden or Enoch, his smoothly sculpted abs were revealed.
Seeing his pale, beautiful skin and well-defined upper body, I panicked and hurriedly patted Asdal’s shoulder.
“Y-Your Highness. Please restrain the bishop for now.”
“The cabin feels far too hot.”
Ruzef knelt on the floor, tears streaming down his delicate face as he spoke.
Why is Ruzef a clergyman?
Watching him, the thought crossed my mind. This was a blatant waste of talent.
“My lady, could you help me?”
Asdal was right there, yet he specifically asked me for help.
No matter how I thought about it, this was clearly the event that was supposed to happen to Yuanna in the original.
“Your Highness, could you hold the bishop? I’ll tie him up.”
At my words, Asdal nodded with an annoyed expression and pulled Ruzef back from behind, restraining him.
I quickly brought the rope Kaiden had made.
“My lady, my body is burning. Not this kind of help—something else, please, something else…”
Ruzef shook his head, pleading. I firmly shook mine and bound his hands.
“No. This is the kind of help you need.”
“My lady…”
Tears like dew rolled down Ruzef’s flushed cheeks.
“It has to be you. Please…”
I didn’t even know what he was saying, but his crying face was so pitiful and beautiful that I felt an urge to give him whatever he wanted.
Startled by that thought, I shook my head hard.
Asdal flinched while tightening the bindings on Ruzef’s wrists and turned to look at me, alarmed.
“My lady, are you all right?”
Asdal asked. Perhaps the pollen had transferred from Ruzef—I felt heat rising through my body. Damn it.
Once I realized I was heating up, it felt as though a blazing fire had latched onto me.
“Asdal… p-please tie me up too…”
Just like Ruzef, my legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor.
“Are you all right? Have you been excited too, my lady?”
Even as he spoke, Asdal diligently tied Ruzef to a wooden pillar.
“It’s not excitement—could you just say I’m sick…?”
Clutching the neckline of my dress, I exhaled hot breaths. If this were the original Yuanna, this would be the point where…
I forcibly erased the lewd thoughts rising in my mind.
This is insane.
I can’t succumb to something like a poisonous herb.
I’m strong. I have to endure.
But my body was unbearably itchy, to the point I couldn’t stand it. A fierce desire to touch someone’s body churned inside me. Reason and instinct clashed violently in my head.
‘Would it be okay just for a moment? Ruzef looks like he’s suffering too—maybe I could help—’
Shocked by the thought, I slapped my cheek hard. Asdal looked startled.
“Please tie me up.”
“Tie you up? How could I do such a thing to a lady…?”
Asdal wore an uncharacteristically flustered expression.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him that distressed. But I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about his feelings right now.
“I feel filthy. Hurry.”
“Hah… what kind of situation is this…?”
Hearing Asdal mutter in confusion, I bent forward and pressed my head against the floor. My body was hot and itchy at the same time—unbearably so.
“Please tie me up. Please.”
I grabbed Asdal’s sleeve in front of me and begged, just like Ruzef had earlier. Tears streamed down my face from the agony.
“I think I’m sick. If this continues, I don’t know what I might do.”
“How could I do that to a lady?”
He repeated again how he couldn’t do such a thing to a lady.
Only now did he suddenly care about propriety. As memories flashed through my mind, curses spilled out of me on their own.
“XX, you made me do all the rough work catching fish, and now you’re talking about ‘a lady’? I even dressed the game myself! Is that your idea of consideration for a lady? XX. Yeah, life’s always this XX unfair. My X-like life!”
The only time I ever spewed uncensored curses was in front of Kaiden.
I’d never done it in front of Asdal before, but my mind was so foggy now that I couldn’t even properly register what I was saying.
This is why you should mind your language—it keeps it from slipping out unconsciously.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Asdal apologized, looking genuinely troubled. Why was a man who’d even been married acting so clueless?
I held out both wrists together, urging him to hurry.
“Quickly.”
Asdal hesitated, and the heat in my body intensified even more. It felt like my brain was melting and dripping away.
I grabbed Asdal’s wrist.
“I told you—I don’t know what I might do. Tie me up.”
I even grabbed his collar with my other hand.
At this point, I couldn’t even properly recognize what I was doing.
I just wanted this painfully burning heat to stop, somehow.
Asdal’s flushed face filled my vision. I didn’t know why his face was so red. Had he been infected by Tentationem too?
Still clutching his collar, I slowly leaned my face toward him.
And then—
“I’ll do it.”
Another familiar voice cut in between Asdal and me.
Black hair was the first thing I saw. Then, golden eyes so beautiful they were almost intoxicating reflected my face.
Enoch had woken up.
“Margaret.”
My name was spoken in a low, deep voice that vibrated in his throat.
Dazed, I opened my eyes and looked at his face—though I still wasn’t capable of normal thought.
“Move. I feel like I’m going to die.”
My tongue was twisted, and I could barely hold myself upright, like I was completely drunk. The strength left my body, and I released my grip on Asdal’s collar.
Asdal’s face, which oddly looked disappointed, receded from view, and the hard wooden floor filled my vision.
I nearly slammed my head into it—but thick arms wrapped around my waist, and then I was lifted up.
“…Huh?”
It seemed Enoch had picked me up in his arms.
