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Chapter 7
I tossed the two fish I'd caught directly onto the wet sand.
Then I gathered the smaller fish, crushed them with a stone, and scattered the pieces into the sea.
This time, I planned to throw the spear and catch something larger.
I ‌did a few arm stretches, gripped the spear, and held my breath.
When a ‌‌‌fish the size of my forearm shimmered and broke the surface, I swiftly drove the spear downward in that direction.
This time it worked...!
Brimming with anticipation, I rushed over to check.
And when I spotted ‌the fish impaled on the spear's tip, its tail still thrashing, I let out a cry of triumph.
"Incredible! I'm amazing!"
Elated, I turned around and locked eyes with Enoch, who was staring at me with a bewildered expression. It seemed he'd been watching me fish the entire ‌‌‌time.
His eyes held the look of someone who couldn't believe what ‌‌‌he was seeing.
I froze, spear still in hand, caught off guard.
I thought he'd be busy starting the fire. Where ‍‌had he been watching from the whole ‌‌‌time?
I glanced down at the spear in my hands. At its tip were two fish, each the size of a forearm.
"Um..."
Even I had to admit it wasn't exactly common for the Duke's Family's Young Lady to be throwing spears and catching fish.
"Well..."
I decided to simply brazen it out.
Enoch didn't press me for an explanation this time either, instead focusing intently on building the fire. We needed to finish eating before sunset.
The smell of roasting meat at night could attract wild animals—something best avoided.
I first made incisions near the gills and tail of the caught fish to drain the blood, then rinsed them in ‌‌‌seawater.
After catching fish, you had to drain the blood as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they'd spoil rapidly and develop an odor.
Once I'd set the fish aside, I found a flat stone and sat ‌‍‌down beside Enoch.
Just then, Enoch succeeded in starting the fire. He fed the gathered twigs to the flames and glanced at me sitting beside him.
"What are you doing?"
At that moment, I was placing the fish onto the stone slab.
"Preparing the fish."
I answered while using a sharp stick as a makeshift knife to ‌‌scrape the scales from the fish.
Watching me work, Enoch's expression suggested he had countless questions but couldn't decide ‌which to ask first.
I ignored his ‌‌gaze and continued, slitting ‌‌open the belly of the scaled fish to clean out the innards.
...Anyone who enjoyed fishing ‌‌‌‌could do this much, really.
"Could that fish possibly be poisonous...?"
At Enoch's words, I laughed while shaking my head as I ‌‌‌worked on the fish.
"There's no poison, so don't worry. If we cook it properly, any parasites will be eliminated, so it's fine."
Of course, I was also safe because ‌‌I could identify poisonous fish to a reasonable degree.
Given that magical beasts appeared on this Island, I understood Enoch's concern.
But from what I remembered, ‌the creatures in the novel—aside from wolf-type beasts and snakes or reptilian magical beasts—were all ordinary animals.
It seemed Enoch had even ‌‌‌caught fish for the female lead before...
'Wait... what was that just now?'
Doubt suddenly washed over me, and I stopped ‌‌‌‌cleaning the fish.
The Young Lady sat there demurely, simply accepting the fish Enoch brought her, while I was out here hunting and gutting fish like some survival show host, then presenting it all to Enoch?
Of course, I'd volunteered to hunt for fish in the first place, but still—it just felt off somehow!
It's not in my nature to sit idle anyway, but even so!
I found myself glancing sideways at Enoch with irritation.
He was threading the fish I'd cleaned onto thin branches when he looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"I'm not sure why you're looking at me like that."
"It's nothing."
"Are you certain it's truly nothing?"
Enoch's face drew closer. His eyes narrowed with suspicion as he studied my expression.
His black hair, caught by the breeze, fell softly across his forehead. For some reason, the tear mole beneath his eye seemed particularly alluring today.
Slowly, a smile bloomed across his lips like watercolor spreading on ‌‌‌‌‌canvas.
My heart skipped. This was unfair.
I'd never seen him smile before. Even in Margaret's memories, there was no image of Enoch smiling.
Since awakening on this Uninhabited Island, he'd only ever worn a frown or gazed at me with a fierce, menacing expression.
"Surprised? I was merely watching because it was entertaining. I'll handle it ‌‌from now on."
He spoke as though he knew exactly ‌what I'd been thinking.
The smile that had graced his lips moments before had completely vanished. He'd returned to his usual composed expression.
Flustered, I fumbled for a moment before doubt crept back in, and I resumed cleaning the fish.
'Why am I getting ‌‌‌flustered like this?'
I needed to keep my wits about me. If I let Enoch enchant me, I'd be completely lost.
"I think it's ready to eat now."
Enoch ‌‌handed me a fish he'd been carefully turning over the fire. It was the largest of the fish we'd caught with the spear—about the size of my forearm.
"This one is for you, Your Highness. I'll be satisfied with a smaller one."
I reached out to take the smaller fish skewer from Enoch's hand.
But he easily dodged my hand, took the smaller ‌‌‌fish, ‌‌and began eating it.
Why wouldn't he let me trade ‌‌‌‌it for the larger one?
"This isn't the Langrid Empire. We're in a situation where we're not even certain ‌‌‌‌we'll make it out alive. ‌So don't concern yourself with such courtesies—the ‌‌‌‌Young Lady should prioritize your own sustenance above all else."
At his continued words, I paused mid-bite of the ‌fish.
I never expected Enoch, of all people, to speak to me with such consideration. It sounded like genuine advice born from concern for me.
Did he not realize he was the one neglecting his own portion while looking after ‌‌‌‌me?
'In a situation where we're not even certain we'll survive.'
My mood ‌plummeted abruptly.
It felt like being ‌thrown into a survival game without weapons. The future seemed dark, and ‌‌thinking about it made my breath catch.
Could I really survive this?
"Is there something troubling you?"
Enoch studied my complexion carefully.
My face ‌‌was reflected entirely in ‌‌‌his golden eyes, beautiful as melted gold.
"Can we escape from here?"
Enoch looked at me with an unreadable expression.
"I can leave."
His resolute answer carried a firmness that radiated conviction and trust.
I ‌glanced at the half-eaten fish before turning to him with a question.
"Do you have a way?"
"I'll make sure you escape, Young Lady. Don't worry."
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
"What are you saying? How could I possibly escape and abandon the Crown Prince ‌‌‌‌of the Empire?"
A warm breeze swept across us at that moment. Strands of hair clung to my cheek, irritating me.
Enoch, who had been quietly observing my face, carefully extended his hand. His long, delicate fingers ‌‌soon brushed against my cheek.
I forgot ‌how to breathe, my ‌‌eyes fixed on him.
Enoch's gaze descended slowly, lingering on my face. He gently brushed away the strand of hair clinging to my cheek.
As he tidied my hair, he answered matter-of-factly.
"I'll send you first. ‌‌Then you can call for rescue."
Of course. My tension suddenly dissolved.
"Did you think I'd just let you go?"
Enoch's tone suggested I'd harbored some ‌‌foolish expectation.
I'd suspected ‌‌‌as much, but I'd let my guard down for a moment. Damn it.
Trapped in this extreme environment, even my judgment was becoming clouded.
I was ravenously hungry, yet my appetite had somehow vanished. It was an even greater shock than Enoch's smile from moments before.
Me, without an ‌‌‌‌‌appetite.
I had nothing to ‌‌‌say, so I remained silent, lost in these pointless thoughts.
He warned me again.
"I told you—Young Lady must stay by my side. You can only leave my side when I allow it. Remember that."
Anyone hearing this would think it was the obsessive male lead's declaration of love for the heroine. In reality, it was ‌‌‌a threat directed at a kidnapping suspect.
Though he still pretended to suspect ‌‌‌me, I could tell he'd somewhat ‌‌‌cleared me from his list of suspects.
'That's a relief. ‌‌‌His hostile gaze toward me seems to have softened compared to the beginning.'
After that, we ate the grilled fish in silence, satisfying our hunger.
Once we finished eating, the sun had completely set. I arranged our sleeping ‌‌‌‌area and then sat by the fire again.
Even then, we didn't ‌‌‌exchange a single word. An uncomfortable silence persisted.
"Aren't you cold?"
Enoch asked me then. I lifted my head, shivering as I reached my hands toward the fire.
Enoch suddenly stood up and ‌‌‌removed his jacket.
He casually offered it to me.
"Why are you..."
I took the jacket without understanding.
"Wrap yourself in it. I ‌‌‌run hot, so I'm warm enough."
"Thank y..."
"Don't thank me. I'm only giving it to you because I'm hot."
Yet he'd worn that jacket all day without shedding a ‌single drop of sweat.
But I had no intention of returning it. I gladly draped the jacket he'd given me across my shoulders.
Enoch glanced at ‌‌me, then quietly returned to his bedding and lay down. We spent the rest of the night in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.

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Brought to you ‌‌‌by ‌‌‌Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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