I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 189
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 189
* * *
The Empress and Pope Benatrie had not yet arrived at the Banquet Hall. Of course, no one found it strange that they were late compared to the party’s guests of honor.
Archbishop Linnehaon stood quietly in a corner of the Banquet Hall, careful not to draw the attention of others.
‘Damn it, I need to execute the plan.’
Only ten people remained who possessed Magic Stones. One of them belonged to Linnehaon. When he slipped his hand into his pocket, he felt the bumpy texture of the Magic Stone.
Holding this peculiar Magic Stone, strange voices churned inside his mind.
-You can do anything.
-With just this Magic Stone.
Merely grasping it made him feel as though he could accomplish anything, as if he could possess the entire world. And he was seized by the overwhelming sensation that he must never allow the Magic Stone to be taken from him.
Click.
Linnehaon withdrew his hand from his pocket and, biting his nails, fixed his gaze upon Yuanna Lucy and Archbishop Luzef.
Archbishop Victor had vanished. And it happened right after the explosion accident at the Langrid Empire Survivor Homecoming Party.
He was supposed to have been with the other priests, yet how could Victor alone disappear so completely? Moreover, Archbishop Victor had been one of those carrying a Magic Stone.
Two Archbishops possessing Magic Stones had gone missing from the Papal Court as well. He’d heard that Aberdeen, who was in the Hestia Kingdom, had lost all contact.
It was certain that the survivors were searching for the Magic Stones. Otherwise, there was no way so many related individuals would disappear all at once.
‘But even so, they won’t be able to destroy the Magic Stones.’
These Magic Stones had endured for a thousand years without breaking. Only Jenas, who had ordered the development of the Magic Stones, would know how to destroy them.
The Mages from the Rohade Family who had developed the Magic Stones had all died long ago.
‘No, wait. It’s not that the Magic Stones can’t be destroyed….’
None of them had ever even considered the possibility of destroying the Magic Stones.
Then Linnehaon felt a moment of doubt.
‘Why haven’t I thought about such a thing? It’s something worth considering at least once.’
As he pondered this while gripping the Magic Stone, Linnehaon stared blankly into midair for a moment. His mind grew dizzy as if shrouded in fog.
After some time passed, the dizziness faded and another thought emerged.
‘What pointless thinking on my part….’
That wasn’t what mattered now.
Linnehaon turned his attention once more to Yuanna Lucy and Archbishop Luzef, and further away, to Prince Hestia surrounded by crowds of people and the Magic Tower Master, who was angrily driving people away.
At that moment, Archbishop Luzef, whose eyes met Linnehaon’s, moved his lips. Linnehaon narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the shape of his lips to discern what he was saying.
‘What are you staring at.’
Linnehaon twisted his lips irritably. That unlucky bastard had never been compatible with him, even back in their monastery days.
A priest with a fastidious and filthy disposition, yet the one who received the most grace from God.
Unlike Linnehaon, who couldn’t properly wield Divine Power until he received formal baptism, Archbishop Luzef had always been noted for his exceptional abilities and was even mentioned as a candidate for the next Pope.
That’s why Linnehaon had pushed him into the Alea Experiment, constantly whispering to Pope Benatrie that Archbishop Luzef was the one threatening his position.
Yet he never expected the man to return alive like this.
‘But why is that bastard holding flowers….’
Archbishop Luzef was holding a large Flower Bouquet in his arms. Those watching him seemed to assume it was a gift for Yuanna Lucy, but Linnehaon saw otherwise.
Archbishop Luzef was clearly waiting for someone.
“My goodness. It’s no wonder she’s called the most beautiful in the Langrid Empire.”
At the whispers of people beside him, Linnehaon finally turned his head. Margaret Rose Flone entered his field of vision. She was beautiful enough to warrant such gossip, but his interest was not in Margaret Rose Flone.
Once the Pope and Empress arrived, I would need to execute the plan. He held his breath, waiting for the moment.
* * *
As I surveyed the Banquet Hall, Vanessa entered my field of vision. She bustled about the hall, yet her eyes constantly darted around, gauging the attention of those nearby—as though searching for someone specific.
“Margaret, did something happen between you and Lord Kaiden?”
Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid’s voice reached my ear. He had escorted me into the Banquet Hall and, while engaging with the other guests on my behalf, kept his full attention trained on me. I lifted my head and gazed up at him with a troubled expression.
Actually, there was nothing troubling about it. Kaiden hadn’t explicitly told me he would distance himself from me.
He had simply declared that he would no longer speak of his affection for me. Since then, he had been subtly avoiding me.
I glanced around the Banquet Hall, but Kaiden was nowhere to be seen. It appeared he had stepped away for a moment.
As I struggled to find an answer, my lips moving soundlessly, a crack appeared in Enoch’s composure. His face, armored with meticulous composure, twisted ever so slightly.
I lowered my voice and whispered so only he could hear.
“I’m not entirely sure myself. It seems Kaiden is avoiding me because of Jenas. Jenas keeps coming to find me at night.”
“…What?”
Enoch brought his wine glass to his lips, then paused and looked at me. His sharp brows furrowed sharply.
Now that I thought about it, I had told Kaiden, but I hadn’t given Enoch a detailed explanation about Jenas visiting me every night.
He stepped closer to me. I glanced around nervously, aware that most of the people in the Banquet Hall were watching us intently.
‘I should have talked about this outside.’
“Margaret, why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Well…”
“Margaret!”
Just then, Yuanna Lucy approached and suddenly embraced me.
“I’ve missed you, Meg!”
Enoch’s lips moved as though he had much to say, but he soon exhaled a sigh and stepped back. Eun-ji, who had been clinging to his shoulder, startled and crawled down into my pocket.
Yuanna Lucy held me close, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder like a cat, expressing her affection. The murmuring among the surrounding guests grew louder at the sight.
“My, Margaret, you’ve become even more beautiful. My friend truly shines no matter what she does.”
She examined me from every angle with a delighted expression, showering me with compliments. I felt a bit embarrassed and laughed awkwardly.
Then a Flower Bouquet suddenly appeared before me. I opened my eyes wide in surprise and looked at it, when I heard an awkward cough. The one presenting the Flower Bouquet to me was none other than Archbishop Luzef.
“A gift for you.”
“Why the Flower Bouquet?”
“Aren’t they beautiful?”
At my question, Archbishop Luzef asked in return with a slightly disappointed expression. It seemed this wasn’t the reaction he had hoped for. I quickly shook my head.
“No, they’re absolutely beautiful! Thank you.”
“You mentioned you had never received flowers before. Since your first flowers happened to be… that, I wanted to give the Young Lady proper flowers as a gift.”
Only then did I recall the memory of Archbishop Luzef giving me a Tentationem Flower on Alea Island. I believe he had said at the time that it was his first time giving flowers as a gift too.
Both he and I were giving and receiving flowers for the first time, and of all things, it had been a Tentationem Flower.
“Margaret, you’ve never received flowers before?”
Yuanna Lucy, who stood beside me with her arm linked through mine, asked with a puzzled expression. At that, Enoch also looked at me. Wondering why such a thing would matter, I nodded somewhat reluctantly.
“No. I’ve never been in a romantic relationship.”
I had no friends either. My family didn’t exchange flowers among themselves, and I was hardly known as anything but a Scoundrel within my family. There was no reason I would have received flowers. Besides, the Margaret of the past hadn’t placed much significance on such things.
Yet for some reason, a brief silence fell among the three people looking at me.
Then suddenly, someone snatched the Flower Bouquet from my hands. Startled, I confirmed the identity of the person, and a dazzling silver hair caught my eye.
“Kaiden?”
Kaiden, who had been avoiding me as though maintaining distance, stood right before me. I wasn’t sure where he’d come from, but he was breathing heavily as though he’d rushed over.
He looked at me with resentful eyes, then pointed to Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid, who stood beside me with a composed expression and arms crossed.
“Margaret, you chose the Crown Prince as your partner, didn’t you?”
“Huh…?”
Kaiden appeared to have much he wanted to say about this situation. But after his lips moved soundlessly a few times, he ultimately said nothing and clamped his mouth shut.
Then Archbishop Luzef glared at him with an irritated expression.
“That flower belongs to the Young Lady. Return it at once.”
“It doesn’t suit Margaret.”
At Kaiden’s firm retort, I felt a small sting of hurt.
“You’re right. I’m not the kind of person who suits flowers.”
Feeling a bit deflated, I muttered this to myself, and Kaiden looked at me in alarm.
“Wait, Margaret, that’s not what I meant…”
“In any case, those filthy mages lack aesthetic sense entirely. How could someone with such crude taste as you possibly understand the Young Lady’s heart? Hand over the flower and step back.”
“Hey, lackey. What I meant was—who are you to give Margaret a flower gift? Especially when Margaret has never received a flower gift before.”
“And what of it?”
At Archbishop Luzef’s rebuttal, Kaiden looked at me.
“Margaret. I’ll give you the flower gift. I know better what suits you.”
At those words, I furrowed my brow. Hadn’t he decided to keep his distance from me?
“Hey, didn’t you say you wouldn’t tell me you like me anymore?”
I started to speak but then caught myself, glancing around nervously before closing my mouth. Surely no one had heard what I just said?
As Yuanna, Archbishop Luzef, and Kaiden all drew near, everyone else had begun quietly distancing themselves from us. In this noisy party, I doubted our conversation carried far.
Yuanna and Archbishop Luzef exchanged glances between me and Kaiden with rather peculiar expressions. Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid stood with an unreadable expression, though his mood didn’t seem particularly good.
‘I can’t tell you I like you anymore.’
Kaiden, apparently recalling what he’d said not long ago, looked at me with a pained expression before making an excuse.
“Giving a flower gift and liking someone are different things.”
Damn it. He cursed under his breath, barely audible, and ran his hand through his hair.
“The Lord still speaks nonsense quite often, it seems.”
At that moment, the Prince of Asdal appeared and laughed, draping an arm around Kaiden’s shoulder.
“What was it last time? That you don’t like the Young Lady, but you want to see her, you feel good when she smiles, and you wish she would only look at you? In any case, the Lord is quite severe.”
Hearing this, Yuanna groaned and distanced herself from Kaiden. Kaiden merely shrugged as if to say what of it.
“That statement and what I’m saying now are different. There are circumstances. If you don’t understand, keep quiet.”
He was equally blunt with the Prince of Asdal as he had been with Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid.
Though I hadn’t expected him to come rushing over like this after deciding to keep his distance from me, I understood Kaiden.
Or rather, could I truly say I understood him? The pain he carried, harboring Jenas, must be beyond anything I could fully comprehend.
“How is that different? You don’t like the Young Lady, yet you want to be her first? Lord, I didn’t realize you were such an unscrupulous man.”
At the Prince of Asdal’s rebuttal, Kaiden had nothing to say and clamped his mouth shut. The Prince of Asdal shook his head and spoke to me.
“Young Lady, I’ll give you the flower gift.”
“I’ll do it, so you needn’t concern yourself.”
Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid stepped in, blocking the Prince of Asdal’s approach toward me. I pressed my forehead and sighed.
“I don’t need flowers. Archbishop Luzef, thank you for the gift.”
I snatched the flower bouquet from Kaiden’s hand, and Archbishop Luzef’s face finally brightened with a radiant smile.
At that moment, Innis approached me. Without a hint of embarrassment, she calmly observed our children bickering—a sight that would shame anyone—before turning to address me.
“Margaret. Did you notice? A reporter from the Benneton Newspaper has infiltrated us.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————