I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 221

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story 6
Side Story 2. What Happened That Summer Night
So much had occurred.
I was kidnapped to Alea Island, escaped the island, captured and executed all members of the Peony Faction, Jenas died, and Kaiden entered an indefinite hibernation.
Thus the seasons changed, and summer came again.
Ding—
A sweltering beach, a deserted island devoid of people.
A menacing jungle, a grueling struggle for survival.
My memories of summer are nothing but passionate and intense.
“Without magic, the price of ice skyrocketed. Nowadays, it’s difficult to even find ice.”
In the Capital Beneton, on the third-floor terrace of the Flone Estate.
Rosemary, who sat beside me, drained her glass of ice water refreshingly. The glass, now containing only ice, clinked softly as it was set on the table. Finding that insufficient, she soon began fanning herself.
“How did you survive on that cursed island without ice in weather like this? You’re truly remarkable.”
“I suppose.”
Well, the presence or absence of ice hardly mattered when it came to surviving on that cursed island.
Who could possibly dare to imagine what happened on that island?
Waaaaah—!
Cheers from the crowds echoed from beyond the terrace.
From the Flone Family’s secondary residence situated in the heart of the capital, the Arden River flowing across the city came into clear view.
A yacht, elaborately decorated, had just emerged onto the Arden River.
Those aboard, dressed in matching polo uniforms, were cheering loudly. It appeared they had won the polo competition and come to enjoy a party on the water.
As I gazed blankly at the scene, a gust of hot wind suddenly swept across us, and both Rosemary and I came to our senses.
Embarrassed at having stared at the men so intently, Rosemary spoke first.
“Have you noticed how many sporting events have been held in the capital lately?”
“Nothing lifts people’s spirits quite like sports.”
“Everyone’s impressive to be doing this in such heat.”
With Enoch’s coronation ceremony—a momentous state affair—approaching, it was clear they were attempting to boost public morale temporarily through a sports boom.
When Jenas died and the dimensional rift was sealed, mana vanished from the world.
Naturally, magic could no longer be used, and the city, which had relied heavily on magic technology in many aspects, fell into temporary hardship.
Above all, the sudden unemployment of those in the magic industry had a significant impact on the economy.
While concerns grew that the economic downturn would persist, the one hopeful aspect was that mages were exceptionally talented individuals with sharp minds.
Moreover, magic was a logical and scientific discipline that studied methods of utilizing mana.
Thus, the Magic Towers began transforming into places of scientific research, and they would later come to be called the Towers of the Sage rather than Magic Towers.
The argument that society must advance based on science in place of the lost mana spread widely, and the new Imperial Family also lent its support, accelerating industrialization.
Though Enoch exerted himself in many ways, the economy continued to fluctuate—showing signs of recovery one moment, then stalling, rising the next, then falling again.
That was likely why the coronation was being hastened.
“Your future husband seems like he’ll be even busier. What will you do? Have you received a proposal?”
Rosemary, her cheeks flushed from the heat, asked me.
I quietly gazed down at the glass of ice in my hand. The ice was melting away helplessly under the scorching midday sun.
“Just wait a little longer until things settle down.”
“After that, I’ll propose to you formally.”
Enoch’s words, spoken just before Kaiden entered hibernation, suddenly came to mind.
“The proposal can wait. But does that really matter?”
I’d already made countless love confessions.
Of course, after Kaiden entered hibernation, it wasn’t easy to see Enoch’s face. He was far too busy with coronation preparations.
Yet I never worried or fretted that his love might have changed.
Because I love Enoch. That’s all that matters.
‘Come to think of it, the past me also loved Enoch, and even now, I still love him.’
Thinking this way, I recalled why the past Margaret had fallen for Enoch in the first place.
I’d been captivated at first sight by his handsome features, but it seemed his face wasn’t everything….
After pondering for a while, I shook my head.
‘I don’t know. Does it matter?’
Above all, I thought this love was quite relentless. Even after crossing dimensions and becoming someone named Lee Jin-ju, I returned and fell in love with Enoch all the same.
“He must be frazzled. Preparing for a coronation, no less. Still, after the coronation, there’ll be a wedding to arrange. Don’t you think he’ll propose soon?”
Rosemary said.
Truth be told, I was curious myself about when exactly Enoch would propose. But I decided to set aside Enoch’s concerns for now. There was nothing I could do about it at the moment anyway.
“Rosemary, I have a more pressing problem than Enoch’s proposal right now.”
“What is it?”
I calculated the dates. Then, with a rather serious expression, I told Rosemary.
“It’s been four days. Four days since Eun-ji left her room.”
Rosemary, who regarded Eun-ji as a younger sister of sorts, suddenly turned to me with an equally grave face.
“That’s definitely a more serious problem than a proposal.”
“Haven’t you noticed the atmosphere in the estate feels off?”
“You felt it too?”
Yes. Eun-ji aside, the atmosphere among the servants in the estate lately had been decidedly unsettling.
* * *
It was a rainy afternoon.
Whoooosh—
A sudden summer downpour began pouring outside the estate’s windows.
Maid A, who had begun working at the Flone Estate today, carried her heart full of excitement.
Wasn’t this the household of Margaret Rose Flone, whose name had recently been inscribed in the history books? All her friends back home envied her without exception.
Moreover, though the world had lost Divine Power, this estate still housed the divine beast Eun-ji, who truly existed. It was an opportunity to witness in person the divine beast of Miss Margaret, whom she’d only heard rumors about.
So she’d arrived brimming with anticipation….
‘The atmosphere feels rather strange.’
Maid A felt puzzled by the somewhat gloomy atmosphere of the estate.
The servants appeared as though their spirits had fled, and an air of disorder and disarray permeated everything.
It was an atmosphere one couldn’t believe belonged to a Duke’s household.
“These are the recently established work regulations for the Flone Estate. Study them carefully. We cannot be held responsible for problems that arise from failure to do so.”
The Head Maid delivered the estate’s work regulations to Maid A, who sat somewhat dumbfounded in the servants’ reception room.
Work Regulations for the Flone Estate.
The following content must never be disclosed to the outside world.
The Flone Family will not be held responsible
for any accidents resulting from the disregard of these rules.
The work regulations handed to Maid A by the Head Maid began with an ominous warning from the very first line.
Rumble— Crash!
A blinding white light flashed menacingly across the Head Maid’s face as she delivered the regulations. Beyond the manor’s windows, fierce rain and thunder were striking down relentlessly.
An eerie chill ran through Maid A, and she swallowed hard, her throat dry.
But she was not one to be easily intimidated. She was an experienced servant who had worked in numerous noble households.
Work regulations were much the same regardless of which manor one entered, and following them was hardly a difficult task for a servant.
With this thought, Maid A continued reading the next item and froze at point number one.
1. There are currently five direct members of the family residing in this manor.
Therefore, meals must always be prepared for five people as the standard.
However, if six people are seated at the dining table instead of five, you must absolutely never look at the seat at the far end.
The content made no sense whatsoever. She carefully examined the next regulation.
2. If a boy in a one-piece dress approaches and asks about the whereabouts of Miss Margaret Rose Flone, you must answer that you do not know under any circumstances.
There are no children in the Flone Estate.
Maid A rubbed her eyes. She must have misread the last sentence of point two.
But even after rubbing her eyes and reading again, the sentence remained the same.
There are no children in the Flone Estate.
As far as Maid A knew, the Duke and Duchess Flone had only three daughters: Innis, Margaret Rose Flone, and Rosemary.
3. Miss Margaret Rose Flone’s room is in the western section of the third floor, rooms 1-5.
If the young lady is found asleep in the garden in the middle of the night, quietly move her to her room.
4. Every morning at 8 o’clock, flowers are delivered to Miss Margaret Rose Flone. There is no sender listed.
Ten minutes later, flowers of a subtly different color are delivered.
These are also flowers delivered to Miss Margaret Rose Flone.
There is no sender listed.
Exactly five minutes later, a massive flower basket is delivered.
There is no sender listed.
These are likewise flowers delivered to Miss Margaret Rose Flone,
so please arrange all of them in her room.
The flowers you arrange must never last more than one day.
When Maid A questioned the Head Maid about these suspicious regulations,
“It’s better not to know,”
was all the unsatisfying answer she received.
Maid A, who had opened the doors of the Flone Estate dreaming of a rosy future, now foresaw a thorny path stretching before her.
Something was deeply wrong with this manor.
The servant regulations continued to tell her that she should escape from this place.
‘Well, let me start by organizing my luggage.’
After skimming through the remaining work regulations, Maid A left the reception room.
And as she walked down the empty corridor,
Thud.
Something caught beneath my foot.
An eerie chill ran down my spine. In the corridor of a prestigious duke’s manor, there was no conceivable reason for anything to be lying about where I might step on it.
I forced my rigid neck downward to look at the floor, and there it was—a pristine white snake slithering between my legs.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Maid A hurled the duty roster she had been holding and bolted from her spot. She had completely forgotten about the instructions regarding Margaret Rose Flone’s divine beast.
Rumble rumble rumble—Crash!
At that very moment, a deafening clap of thunder rang out, and lightning flashed brilliantly across the sky.
Then, someone spoke to her.
“Sister.”
Maid A felt the hair on the nape of her neck stand on end as she froze in place.
The voice had clearly come from behind her.
When she had left the reception room after receiving the duty roster, the corridor had been completely empty. The reception room was located at the eastern end, and at this hour, all the servants were busy elsewhere with no reason to come here.
Moreover, “sister”? Was there anyone among the Flone Estate’s servants young enough to be called sister by Maid A?
Her vision turned as she spun around like a broken clock, but there was no one there.
‘What is this?’
A chill swept through her entire body when someone tugged at the hem of her skirt.
When she looked down, there was a child.
Gasp.
Upon hearing her breath, the child slowly lifted his head.
He was an extraordinarily lovely and beautiful boy.
“Have you seen Margaret sister?”
In that instant, Maid A saw it—a dark reddish liquid smeared abundantly around the corners of the child’s mouth as he asked his innocent question.
‘C-could that be… blood…?’
Recalling the duty roster she had received from the head maid moments earlier, Maid A lost consciousness on the spot.
.
.
2. If a boy in one-piece dress approaches and asks about the whereabouts of Miss Margaret Rose Flone, you must absolutely answer that you do not know.
There is no child in the Flone Estate.

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