Chapter 58
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Chapter 58
If this were a Kingdom or the Langrid Empire, I could never permit myself such words and actions.
But here on this Uninhabited Island, where a Monster could appear at any moment and spell instant death, the rules were different.
I picked up a spare harpoon from the ground and forced it into his hands, then adjusted his grip properly as I spoke.
"You're not helping the group at all right now. Stop being such a useless burden and learn how to catch fish, at least."
Truth be told, I was mostly trying to provoke him, though I did have some intention of teaching him fishing.
Testing his survival instincts wasn't a lie either.
Asdal wasn't someone who contributed much to our overall strength, so I figured I needed to cultivate at least one useful skill in him.
He rested his chin on his hand and stared at me without moving for a long while. His expression was impossible to read.
"That would be rather difficult."
A blunt refusal. Asdal lifted his chin arrogantly and looked down at me, then suddenly broke into an intriguing smile.
"If I became useful, you wouldn't think to call me aside like this and have a conversation with me, would you?"
What was he talking about? Why did the conversation suddenly veer in that direction?
"You said the Young Lady catches fish well. Since you have her, I don't see why I need to learn how to catch fish."
"Excuse me?"
This man had clearly manipulated his subordinates before.
"How can you be so shameless? What will you do if our group isn't here?"
I challenged him in exasperation, but Asdal remained unmoved. Instead, he tilted his head as if confused by my question.
"There's no need to worry. As long as the Young Lady stays by my side from now on, it will be fine."
'...?'
What was he saying? That he wanted me to be his fishing slave?
"Why me? Are you insane? I don't want to be near you!"
I was about to let loose a string of curses before catching myself. Whether Asdal sensed my fury or not, he remained utterly shameless.
I was a fool for offering to teach this man how to fish.
"Young Lady, a true royal must know how to use people according to their purpose. Not by stepping in directly."
Asdal spoke in a firm tone, and it was clear he had no intention of learning to fish. Damn it.
"Yes, yes, and on this Island, you'll die doing that. You'll be the first among us to depart from this world."
"From what I've observed, the Young Lady would never allow anyone to die before her eyes."
"...That's what any person with normal reasoning would do."
"Then it's fine."
What was fine about any of this? All the male leads in this story had bizarre speech patterns.
"So you're planning to remain useless like this?"
"Using people according to their purpose is also a form of usefulness——"
"Stop. You're all talk. Don't say another word."
"Young Lady. What I'm saying now——"
"Either help me catch fish or shut your mouth."
"...."
Only then did Asdal fall silent.
Though he continued trying to speak to me afterward, I ignored him and quietly went about catching fish.
My grand ambition to teach him how to fish was quickly abandoned.
What's the point in teaching someone with such a mindset? That's just a complete waste of time.
I decided to ignore the irritating Asdal and focus on catching fish first. I had to eat to survive, after all.
I gripped the spear firmly and continued hunting. I went about my fishing quietly while Asdal sat on a rock, doing nothing but complaining.
"There's a fish passing by there, Young Lady. There. Yes, right there. Now! Catch it!"
Damn it, am I some kind of Pokémon?
I hurled the spear and caught the fish Asdal had pointed out, but a wave of frustration washed over me.
I swore to myself I would never go hunting with Asdal again. I'd stepped on my own feet.
"Oh, Young Lady! There's one here too!"
"If you're not going to help, don't say anything. Unless you're trying to test my patience, shut up."
When I threw down the spear in anger while catching fish, Asdal shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
Ugh, seriously. Just bear with it a little longer. It's not like I'll be with him forever anyway.
'Just find the Bunker. I'll get rid of him right away.'
People don't avoid filth because they're afraid of it. They avoid it because it's disgusting.
I pondered this seriously for a moment, then sighed. I gathered up the wooden basket full of fish and stood up.
Looking up at the sky, I noticed that quite a bit of time had passed—the sunset was already beginning to paint the horizon.
Trapped on this Island, dealing with Monsters and trying to survive while scavenging for food—I was clearly half-mad myself.
Asdal descended from the rock with a satisfied expression on his face.
"A rewarding hunt indeed. Young Lady, you possess far greater hunting skills than I initially thought. I must revise my earlier assessment of you. You are a true wilderness dweller."
A rewarding hunt, he says.
"As I mentioned, I have no desire to become someone useful to you."
He took the basket of fish from my hands and walked ahead.
"At first, I thought you were presumptuous."
Then he suddenly stopped and turned to look at me.
"Have I mentioned this before? You're the first person to speak to me in such a manner. I rather like it."
"...What?"
Asdal smiled at me as if he genuinely meant it, then turned and continued walking ahead.
I stood there bewildered for a moment before hurrying after him.
"Does that mean I'm supposed to like you now? Is this one of those 'you're the first woman who hit me' kind of things? I don't need that kind of attention."
Asdal, who had been walking ahead, turned to look at me.
"I've never hit anyone. What do you take me for? I'm a refined person who would never commit such an uncouth act. And I didn't ask you to like me, so don't worry. I'm simply saying that I like you."
"Yes, I understand."
Asdal talked too much. And he was annoying. I nodded and closed my mouth.
Asdal was a landmine to me from now on. I should call him "Landmine Asdal" instead. I'd have to avoid him at all costs.
"It's bothersome that the fish are all the same species, but you worked hard nonetheless."
Just as the Cabin came into view, Asdal offered me what could barely be called praise.
There's no need to get angry. I'm Margaret, after all. I'm the Young Lady of the Duke's Family, no less. I should let it pass with noble grace.
I'm a noble Duke's Young Lady, after all...
A noble Duke's Young Lady catching fish...
* * *
"Flone Young Lady, would you come over here for a moment?"
"This is something the Young Lady does well. Help me out."
"Flone Young Lady."
"Young Lady?"
That entire evening after we returned from hunting together, I was relentlessly tormented by Asdal.
'That bastard, just like some department head.'
The problem was that he kept seeking me out at all hours asking for help, until I was absolutely sick of hearing the words "Flone Young Lady."
"Why does the usually difficult Crown Prince keep calling for the Young Lady like that?" Yuanna asked me with a curious expression.
Yuanna tilted her head at me with a puzzled face.
"I have no idea either, Saint. Could you please tell him to stop looking for me? At this rate, my name will wear out. Seriously. My name is actually wearing out."
I can't even hit him because he's the Crown Prince. Seriously. I can't beat him until dust flies on a rainy day. Though Asdal would probably keep his mouth moving even while being hit.
I swallowed the rest of my words, grabbed Yuanna's hand, and made a sincere request for help.
Of all times, Kaiden had gone out to gather firewood, so I had no excuse to avoid Asdal.
"Flone Young Lady! What on earth are you doing?"
Asdal, who had been calling for me for a while, finally came down the stairs from the second floor and found me.
"What's going on? Why is the Crown Prince looking for Margaret?"
And then, miraculously, Enoch appeared. He had apparently just returned to the Cabin after conducting reconnaissance far afield.
Like a daughter being scolded by her mother welcoming her father's return home, I rushed out in my bare feet to greet Enoch.
"Why are you so late?"
Enoch looked at me with a puzzled expression, then very naturally patted my head.
'...Huh? What's this?'
I hadn't asked for my head to be patted.
Feeling awkward, I smoothed down the hair he had patted before turning my back at Asdal's call.
"Young Lady."
Asdal, who had approached right in front of me without my noticing, looked back and forth between me and Enoch with a tilted head.
As he drew near, I suddenly became aware of his face.
Asdal had been the second most influential male lead after Enoch, so it went without saying that he was handsome.
If I had to make a comparison, his appearance itself was refined like DiCaprio in his heyday—the very embodiment of a fairy tale prince.
But still, being handsome was utterly useless for survival.
I couldn't quite hide my annoyance as I asked Asdal.
"What did you call me for?"
"A suspicious bug appeared in my room. I thought the Young Lady would be good at catching bugs too. Ah, please save this frail Crown Prince just this once."
Asdal spoke of himself as a frail Crown Prince without batting an eye. At his words, I was so taken aback that I lost my voice entirely.
'And what do you mean by a suspicious bug anyway? How does a bug even become suspicious in the first place?'
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org