I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 186

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 186
* * *
As I moved toward the Reception Room with the Prince of Asdal, the weight of countless gazes pressed down upon me. Could a scandal be brewing? An ominous premonition settled in my chest.
I glanced at the Prince of Asdal, thinking I would need to explain the situation carefully so that Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid and Kaiden wouldn’t misunderstand.
We sat facing each other in the Reception Room, but unlike me, the Prince of Asdal appeared to be in excellent spirits.
“I’ve missed you, Young Lady.”
At those words, I crushed the cookie I was holding with a sharp crack. The Prince of Asdal, startled, brought a handkerchief and brushed away the cookie crumbs that had fallen onto my dress.
“The Young Lady is quite clumsy. Don’t you have a handkerchief?”
“I don’t. I forgot. I’m still not accustomed to such things.”
“That’s quite a serious problem, isn’t it?”
“It’s not that serious.”
Just then, Eun-ji, who had been nibbling cookies on the table, lifted his head. His mouth was covered with cookie crumbs.
Though his primary sustenance was Mana, Eun-ji ate virtually anything else. I quietly brushed away the cookie crumbs from around his mouth. Did pets truly resemble their masters in such ways?
The Prince of Asdal knelt on one knee before me and objected.
“No, this is a very serious matter. A noblewoman not carrying a handkerchief?”
He lectured me as though scolding a younger sibling. I was already beginning to feel exhausted.
As I regarded him with an irritated expression, the Reception Room door opened.
“Oh my goodness!”
The maid, who had entered carrying a tray with a tea set, froze in shock at the doorway. She had witnessed the Prince of Asdal kneeling before me, adjusting my dress.
I moved my chair away from the Prince of Asdal with an embarrassed expression.
“Thank you for the handkerchief.”
The Prince of Asdal looked at me with bewilderment before rising to his feet with a resigned sigh. He then addressed the stunned maid.
“What are you doing? Where’s the tea?”
At the Prince of Asdal’s words, the maid startled and hastily set down teacups on our table.
“We have confidential matters to discuss, so you needn’t wait. You may leave.”
“Y-yes?”
“Are all the servants in the Young Lady’s household as scatterbrained as she is? That sort of demeanor is endearing only in the Young Lady’s case. I should ensure her household staff receive better training.”
“Then it seems all people from the Hestia Kingdom are as shameless as Your Highness. I apologize on behalf of the servant’s rudeness.”
“I-I’m terribly sorry. Terribly sorry.”
The maid, who had been listening to our exchange, finally dropped to her knees. I sighed and gestured for her to leave.
Apparently surprised that no punishment was forthcoming, the maid looked at me with deep gratitude, offered repeated thanks to us both, and departed from the Reception Room.
“Hmm. This tea tastes quite excellent.”
“You haven’t changed. That habit of evaluating everything.”
“My position demands it. I must pass judgment on all things. Despite appearances, I’m quite perceptive. Otherwise, I’d be consumed in the Royal Family.”
I found myself momentarily speechless, my mouth closing. It seemed the legitimate Crown Prince hadn’t lived as carefree a life as I’d assumed.
Of course, the life of one standing at the apex of a nation couldn’t be anything but arduous. Yet I had thought the Prince of Asdal lived without considering such things at all.
“Was your reason for visiting so early truly to escape your duties?”
“Hmm. That certainly accounts for a significant portion of it.”
Given his vague response, there was clearly another reason behind his visit.
“First, I must convey this to you.”
Prince of Asdal pulled something from the inner pocket of his jacket. It was a box sealed with Magic. I accepted it quietly, feeling its substantial weight.
“Magic Stones.”
Prince of Asdal nodded.
“After returning to the Royal Family after so long, everything was an absolute mess. They’d plundered the national treasury extensively, so I had to work hard to overhaul it all. I happened to locate the Magic Stones in the process.”
I’d heard stories of a bloodbath sweeping through the Hestia Kingdom, and it seemed he was referring to those events.
“I arrested those bearing the Peony Flower mark and sent them to prison. I’ll need to think more about their disposition. They’re not worth much…. Sigh….”
Prince of Asdal pressed the space between his eyebrows in irritation and exhaled a weary breath. It seemed his problems had resolved easily as well, with only minor issues remaining.
“I felt uneasy simply carrying those Magic Stones, so I sealed them in a box with Magic as the Young Lady advised.”
I wasn’t sure if Yuanna Lucy was fine because she’s a Saint, but what about Prince of Asdal?
So I’d sent him an urgent letter suggesting it would be best to seal and store the Magic Stones with him. It seemed Prince of Asdal received the letter and faithfully followed my instructions.
“You’ve worked hard.”
I carefully opened the box to confirm the Magic Stones and replied. Then Prince of Asdal boasted that it was nothing, barely worth mentioning. Anyway.
Watching him, I laughed and then pulled a box from my dress pocket, opening its lid.
Inside were also 2 Magic Stones that Yuanna Lucy had given me. I placed all 3 Magic Stones into the box Prince of Asdal had given me at once.
Prince of Asdal, who had been watching me with his chin resting on his hand, asked.
“You’re keeping them without destroying them immediately? According to the letter the Half-Emperor sent, the Young Lady’s pet snake can destroy them.”
“It’s just that Eun-ji seems to be overexerting herself lately. And what if this becomes a burden for Eun-ji?”
I stared at the Magic Stones in the box with a complicated expression, my mind full of concerns. After eating the medicinal herbs Rosemary had procured, Eun-ji had become more energetic, but I still didn’t know for certain. Since Eun-ji couldn’t speak, I had to observe her more carefully.
“Didn’t you say she already consumed two? They were fine then, weren’t they? Is the Young Lady’s pet snake refusing to eat them?”
“No. It’s not that she refuses to eat them….”
Eun-ji, knowing I was talking about her, lifted her head and looked back and forth between me and Prince of Asdal. Then she peeked in front of the box I was holding.
Eun-ji wanted to eat the Magic Stones. Perhaps it was because they were Magic crystals condensed from Mana. Yes. I was the only one worrying.
“Caution is admirable. But excessive deliberation can invite disaster. You may also miss the opportune moment.”
Prince of Asdal delivered words that struck at the bone.
Just then, Eun-ji bumped my hand with her head. In that instant, I dropped the box I was holding onto the table. Three Magic Stones tumbled out of the box and rolled across the surface.
Eun-ji opened her mouth wide and swallowed all 3 Magic Stones in an instant.
“Eun-ji!”
Startled, I grabbed her and patted her back, but she licked her tongue with a pleased expression before letting out a loud burp.
“Won’t you listen to your sister? Your sister is worried, worried about you!”
But whether or not Eun-ji understood my heart, she pouted like a sullen adolescent and drummed her tail on the table in protest.
“Hahahaha! Hahahaha!”
Prince of Asdal found it so amusing that tears streamed down his face as he laughed.
“Just like your master. Spirited.”
Whoosh. Eun-ji responded to Prince of Asdal’s words by releasing a small flame from her mouth. Then she circled around the table with a pleased expression.
“See? She’s fine.”
“Well, it does look that way for now….”
I tapped Eun-ji’s chin gently. Then she closed her eyes contentedly, her tongue hanging out.
She’d already consumed 5 Magic Stones, yet she remained perfectly fine. At this point, a question arose in my mind.
What exactly was Eun-ji’s true identity?
“Ah, you know I possess Magic Sight. With these eyes, I can see the flow of Mana.”
The Prince of Asdal pointed to the eye not covered by the eye patch, his gaze bright with crystalline blue irises.
Perhaps because I’d heard about Magic Sight, but his eye color truly appeared beautiful.
“It’s weakened since I only have one, but I can still perceive Mana Flow. From what I can see, this creature’s Mana Flow is stable, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Only then did I release a breath of relief. If the Prince of Asdal said so, it must be true. His Magic Sight was trustworthy after all.
“I suspect the creature imprinted itself on the Young Lady, which is why it emanates an aura different from ordinary Magical Beasts.”
“Does Imprinting on humans always result in this?”
“No, more precisely, it imprinted on the Young Lady. Your soul is a mixture of both worlds, is it not? That’s why your Mana Flow is somewhat unique. It’s the same reason you alone could use Magic on the Island.”
Right. I truly am a sort of bug in this world. I thought it was only on the Island, but even after escaping, I remain a buglike existence.
However, my trip to Korea is already done and cannot be undone. I must accept it. Besides, thanks to that, Eun-ji became who she is now, didn’t she?
I stroked Eun-ji’s head as she devoured not only her own cookies but mine and the Prince of Asdal’s as well. Lost in thought, the Prince of Asdal pointed at my finger.
“You’re still wearing the Ring, I see.”
Only then did I look down at the Ring on my right hand.
“Ah. It’s been incredibly helpful. I’m truly grateful you gave me that Ring as a gift.”
“Helpful, you say? Thank goodness. If it hadn’t been useful, the Young Lady might never have wanted to see me again. It was a blessing I gave it to you beforehand. Phew.”
The Prince of Asdal playfully brushed his chest in relief.
“Me?”
“You don’t dislike me, do you?”
“You know that already.”
“Even so, it does wound me when you say it so bluntly.”
“Your Highness deserves to be wounded a little.”
“Truly heartless.”
“So what did you want to say?”
At my question, the Prince of Asdal shrugged his shoulders with an untroubled expression.
“I don’t trust people. I’m suspicious by nature.”
“I know.”
“It wasn’t always this way. My former wife, whom I trusted, nearly poisoned me to death. Perhaps that’s when it began—my distrust of humanity.”
Cough. I was drinking tea when I hastily set down my cup and covered my mouth with the handkerchief he’d given me, then continued coughing dryly.
The Prince of Asdal watched me with an amused expression, shaking his head.
“I apologize to the Young Lady. Ah, this is troublesome. If I keep apologizing like this, sincerity loses its weight. But having survived death, it seems I’ve become rather sentimental! Haha!”
He laughed naturally enough, but somehow his laughter lacked vitality this time.
I regarded him with a complex and pitying heart. I never thought the day would come when I’d look at the Prince of Asdal this way.
It must not have been easy for him, who had always occupied the apex of the food chain, to apologize to someone.
“I’ll accept Your Highness’s apology, so let’s stop with the apologies now.”
I repaid the Prince of Asdal with words Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid had once given me.
We’ve all changed so much.
We’ve come to understand each other better and comprehend each other’s circumstances.
Of course, there’s still much we lack and more we must grow, but isn’t this progress?
“Oh? Then may I treat the Young Lady more comfortably now?”
“…You speak as though you haven’t been treating me comfortably all along.”
“What are you saying? You’ve always been uncomfortable around me.”
Prince of Asdal made a meaningful sound and grinned smugly. If he found it uncomfortable, I couldn’t fathom why he wore such an expression.
I deliberately averted my gaze, unwilling to ask unnecessary questions.
* * *
Prince of Asdal and I had left the Reception Room and were strolling through the Garden of Duke Flone’s Castle. He had been insufferably insistent about wanting to see the garden.
Though I made my annoyance abundantly clear, I was still explaining the garden to him, searching through my memories for details.
“Young Lady!”
Vanessa hurried out to the garden to find me. What could this be about?
“Your Highness Crown Prince has arrived.”
I was somewhat startled by her words. Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid should have arrived tomorrow, yet here he was so soon?
“There you are.”
The moment I had that thought, Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid appeared, dressed in a Crown Prince Uniform as resplendent as Prince of Asdal’s own.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————