Chapter 56
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Chapter 56 After a considerable time, Diego arrived with a wooden basin—one Kaiden had fashioned as a makeshift bowl—brimming with cleaned duck and water. He then suspended a clay pot, crafted from hardened mud, over the roaring flames on a wooden frame. As the water began to boil, a savory aroma permeated the entire Cabin. Only then did Asdal, who had vanished into the upstairs room, descend. 'How irritating. Should I refuse to serve him?' I seriously considered it, but lacking any alternative, I let it pass. This wasn't a matter to joke about. Regardless of anything else, food demanded sincerity. Besides, Asdal's prejudice against me showed no signs of changing anytime soon. Once I uncovered the key's purpose, I would leave. Until then, I simply had to endure. I settled myself quietly and accepted the duck stew Diego distributed into a coconut bowl. The dining table in the kitchen was designed for one person and was used primarily during cooking—if one could even call our efforts that—so we all sat on the spacious floor instead. Even Asdal found it awkward to sit alone at that table while Enoch was present, so he joined us on the ground. The stew didn't contain much meat. With two ducklings to feed seven people, there was no helping it. I didn't mind, but it was certainly an uncomfortable situation for the men around me. 'Still, it's been so long since I've had meat. I'm genuinely happy.' I tilted the coconut bowl and slurped the broth. 'I wish we had kimchi.' Entertaining such thoughts, I continued emptying the stew with enthusiasm. Had Kaiden, sitting across from me, not been resting his chin on his hand and staring intently at me, I could have continued eating without interruption. I eventually set down the coconut bowl and met his gaze. At that, Kaiden smiled as if he'd been waiting for exactly this moment—a broad, radiant smile. He truly was beautiful.
"You really like duck, don't you, Margaret? I like you."
Cough. It wasn't I who choked—it was Rujeep. As he coughed violently, as though gasping for breath, Diego quietly brought water. Once Rujeep had calmed somewhat, I responded to Kaiden.
"I know that's not true. Just pluck the wings."
Despite the rebuke, Kaiden continued smiling pleasantly. I truly couldn't fathom what he was thinking. That's precisely why I couldn't simply accept his kindness at face value. I regarded Kaiden with an uneasy expression, then exhaled a sigh. If this is some immutable law of the original story, will I end up dying in some other manner? I couldn't be sure. 'Regardless of the original story or anything else, I just need to escape and survive.' That's what I resolved. I would survive, no matter what. In the midst of this determination, I heard Enoch and Asdal arguing.
"Stop being troublesome and eat. You're making Margaret uncomfortable."
"What? Can't I speak? I'm allowed to complain about the taste, aren't I? You've always been inflexible, even now."
"That's right. I'm so inflexible that I don't repeat myself twice. While your teeth are still firmly attached to your mouth, eat quietly."
That sounded very much like a threat to extract all of Asdal's teeth if he continued complaining. It probably was. At Enoch's menacing murmur, Asdal's face went pale, and he covered his mouth. He glanced nervously at Enoch, then quietly closed his lips and resumed eating his stew. I couldn't tell who lacked flexibility. Watching Asdal tap the coconut bowl against his lips with his mouth firmly shut, Enoch spoke with irritation.
"Eat properly."
"Sigh. I thought you'd picked up some new form of torture. I figured you were ostracizing me because I'm the only one from Hestia here."
I didn't think Asdal was the one doing all the ostracizing. From what I could see, Asdal didn't seem close to Yuanna or Diego either. Those two seemed friendly with each other.
"Creating a new torture method from now on might be interesting too."
"Prolonged conversation violates dining etiquette, so I'll finish my stew."
Asdal smiled smoothly and finally began drinking his stew properly. Diego and Yuanna were too busy eating their stew to pay attention, while on the other side, Rujeep was shaking Kaiden by the collar in anger. It was quite chaotic. With the group growing larger, there were more things to manage, and more irritating and bothersome aspects emerged. This bustling lifestyle was something I was experiencing for the first time in my life. I stared blankly at the scene and thought. I want to go home. 13. Distrust and Falling Behind The sun had risen, but Kaiden was still in dreamland since he'd taken the last watch. I moved as quietly as possible so as not to wake him. Diego, who woke early, was out on patrol around the Cabin, and Rujeep was in the process of purifying water. I threaded thin wooden twine through the bone needle I'd made before and mended the torn hem of my dress. Since I'd sewn it with thin wooden twine instead of thread, the repair looked patchy, but it was better than nothing. I brushed off the dress and stood up. Then I moved to sit in front of the fireplace and prepared to make a bamboo steaming apparatus.
"What's that?"
Enoch looked back at me with a puzzled expression while tending the fire. Asdal, who was sitting at the kitchen table, also seemed curious and was watching me. I shrugged and spoke.
"I'm going to try steaming fish this time. Grilled food gets boring, doesn't it? Steamed dishes preserve all the nutrients, so they're better for your health too."
I drilled holes with a knife between the bamboo segments so air could escape, then filled the lowest segment of the bamboo with water. Then I made a lid from bamboo and placed the cleaned fish on top.
"I caught these at dawn, but the amount is small so I'll get hungry quickly. I'll need to hunt more."
I tied the bamboo together with cord and placed it over the fireplace. Now the water in the lowest bamboo segment would turn to steam and cook the fish in the upper segment.
"Ho. The Young Lady has already become quite the savage."
I turned my head after checking that the bamboo wouldn't burn in the fire. Asdal, sitting elegantly with his legs crossed at the kitchen table while drinking water, was watching me.
"Where did the Young Lady learn such things? Was it a hobby? If so, you have quite a unique hobby. I've never seen a woman like the Young Lady before."
A hobby? And then that comment about never seeing a woman like me before. I wanted to say something, but Asdal's expression of admiration was so genuine that I lost the will to curse him out. And it was Enoch who bristled first at those words. He turned from where he sat in front of the fireplace to look at Asdal and warned him.
"Don't overdo it. Margaret doesn't like it."
"Half-Emperor, are you speaking to me right now?"
"Did your ears stop working too?"
Asdal looked at Enoch with an incredulous expression and countered. In truth, I couldn't entirely blame him for his consistent reaction. Hestia was a kingdom with tremendous financial power, and Asdal was the crown prince among the crown princes. So he believed that he and Enoch were of different "innate rank."
Tired of Asdal's arrogance, I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
"Listen here, Crown Prince."
"Speak, Your Highness."
Enoch maintained a relatively composed and unhurried demeanor as he regarded Asdal. Neither man rose from their position, their gazes locked in confrontation, yet despite Enoch sitting on the ground with a lower eye level, I couldn't shake the feeling that he held the upper hand. 'Is it the overwhelming presence of a war hero, after all?' It felt like a black panther and an eagle engaged in a battle of wills. A clash between beast and raptor...
"I have no intention of respecting anyone who treats Margaret carelessly."
Enoch responded with unwavering resolve, his tone matter-of-fact.
"You're acting as though Flone Young Lady were your fiancée."
Asdal leaned his cheek against the back of his hand, his elbow propped casually against his knee, and smiled as he looked at Enoch. In the novel "More Important Than Survival," Asdal was the second-strongest male lead candidate after Enoch. He was sharp with others, but kind only to Yuanna. Perhaps the author intended to portray a male lead who showed warmth exclusively to his woman. 'That's not my taste. I prefer a man who is tenderly certain.' And I prefer someone consistent. Someone like Enoch who maintains basic courtesy with everyone, or someone like Kaiden who is fundamentally crude to everyone alike.
"Setting aside how Flone Young Lady has changed from what I knew, your attitude is truly remarkable, Half-Emperor. The fact that Crown Prince Enoch dislikes Flone Young Lady is something even an eight-year-old child passing through the Hestia Kingdom knows."
Why spell it out so specifically?
"Do you realize how absurd it looks for you, of all people, to shield the Young Lady?"
No. There's nothing absurd about it. His words made me feel oddly wronged. I knew Enoch disliked me, but people can change! What's wrong with him defending me? Fortunately, Enoch didn't even blink as he nodded.
"How you perceive me is irrelevant. What matters is how Margaret perceives me."
"Enoch, I'm fine, so please don't worry about it."
"What I'm curious about is why you call the Crown Prince by his name."
"Because I told him to, and I'd appreciate it if you'd keep quiet about it."
"Oh... your relationship has certainly become interesting. Young Lady, how about you call me Asdal as well?"
"Pardon? Why would I?"
"Well, the temperature difference between how you address the Half-Emperor and how you address me is quite stark."
"Then show me a bit more kindness. And stop being so suspicious."
"Hmm. Suspicion is unavoidable, so let's skip that. If you become kinder here, will you call me by my name?"
"No."
"Haha. You're an amusing person, Young Lady."
You're the strange one. There's only one way to silence Asdal's incessant suspicions and pestering. In times like these, I must personally teach him life's bitter lessons. I rose from my seat and approached Asdal. Then I spoke to him.
"Your Highness, we agreed to have one person from our side and one from yours go hunting, didn't we?"
"And?"
Asdal looked up at me with an uneasy expression.
"Let's make today's afternoon hunt just the two of us."
He'd never hunted fish before, so I'd have to give him a proper lesson.
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