Chapter 63
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Chapter 63
First of all, it made no sense that the egg was moving on its own.
Yet it was equally inexplicable that the egg I'd left in the Forest had somehow relocated to the Cliff.
'I'll just pretend I didn't see it.'
I deliberately averted my gaze and turned away.
I gathered an adequate amount of bamboo and branches for kindling, then returned to where Kaiden lay. After settling into position and starting a fire, I checked on Kaiden's condition repeatedly.
Fortunately, it didn't seem serious—his fever subsided quickly. Watching his face relax, I tended to the embers regularly to keep the campfire burning.
That was when it happened.
Rustle.
At the sound of undergrowth shifting, I reflexively gripped my dagger and lurched to my feet. I glanced back at Kaiden in alarm, but he showed no signs of waking.
Even if he did wake, I couldn't ask an injured man to fight. I bit my lower lip and steeled myself.
'I'm not confident in my strength—this is bad.'
I wiped the cold sweat beading on my forehead with the back of my hand and moved cautiously.
I positioned myself to strike with the dagger at a moment's notice, then walked slowly toward the direction of the sound.
Very gradually, I shifted my weight forward and tilted my upper body. I needed to see what lay beyond the undergrowth.
Glimmer.
"Good heavens, you startled me!"
Something gleamed brilliantly in the moonlight, nearly blinding me.
Well, "nearly blinding" was perhaps an exaggeration, but my eyes certainly stung.
As I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and looked again, I recognized the silver egg I'd encountered in the Forest earlier.
Was this where I'd gathered branches before? I deliberately exaggerated my movements, turning my head about to suppress my fear.
But no matter how I looked at it, this wasn't the place where I'd collected branches.
Back then, I'd ventured much deeper into the Forest, but this was right in front of where Kaiden slept.
"...This is genuinely unsettling."
I picked up the egg, carried it deep into the Forest, set it on the ground, and covered it with leaves. If some beast found it and ate it, that would be troublesome for the creature too.
"But what if it really is a Monster egg?"
Still, I had a fragile intuition that, as Kaiden had said, this creature wouldn't be aggressive toward me. It was a feeling I couldn't put into words.
The strongest evidence was that while it had rejected Kaiden's touch, it had accepted mine.
As I entertained these thoughts, the egg seemed to actually writhe—but that must have been my imagination.
"Don't you follow me."
I held up my index finger and spoke to the egg in an artificially stern tone, then simply laughed at the overwhelming sense of futility.
"I've finally lost my mind."
I tilted my head and double-checked that the egg was properly concealed beneath the leaves, then returned to my spot.
Fortunately, the first hints of dawn were appearing. Morning was finally coming.
"Sigh... What a miserable night."
I'd burned through the night, and now I slumped exhausted against a massive tree trunk.
Not long after, the sun rose. Only then did I relax and extinguish the campfire. It would surely grow warm soon.
'I'm so tired I could collapse.'
I watched Kaiden, still unconscious, and my eyes grew heavy with drowsiness.
My vision, flickering intermittently, finally faded to complete darkness.
* * *
My body swayed as it moved. I slowly opened my eyes. I was being carried on a broad back.
I lifted my head slightly and caught sight of brilliant silver hair. It was Kaiden.
"You're awake?"
Kaiden noticed immediately that I had come to, perhaps sensing the shift in my weight.
From my perch on his back, I surveyed our surroundings. We had ventured deep into the Forest, far from the River.
"Put me down."
I had nursed him diligently for fear he might die, yet that did not mean I harbored no resentment toward him.
To my resolute demand, Kaiden offered a quiet rebuttal.
"Just stay as you are. Your body isn't in condition to walk right now."
"You give the poison and then the cure? You're the one who made me this way."
Kaiden had nothing to say and remained silent.
It had been manageable while he slept, but seeing him awake ignited a fury that burned from within. All the emotions I had suppressed and hidden away seemed to burst forth at once.
It was heartbreaking. The people here misunderstood and distrusted me for things I had never done.
I had forced myself to appear composed, telling myself it was justified, but truthfully, bearing all that had befallen me was becoming unbearable and exhausting.
'Justified, you say... Then what about me? Am I truly meant to endure this?'
My eyes grew hot with tears.
"I'm sorry."
And then Kaiden offered me an apology.
"All of it. So don't cry."
I was fine.
Surely, I thought I was fine.
But at his following words, my composure shattered and tears spilled forth.
I buried my face quietly against his shoulder. All the sorrow I had carried came crashing down at once. His clothes grew damp beneath my tears, but what did it matter?
It was the first time in my life. The first time I had ever cried in front of another person.
Kaiden stopped walking and stood there uncertainly, shifting his weight. Regardless of his discomfort, I continued to shed silent tears for a long while.
Sniffle.
"Have you cried it all out?"
When I sniffled, Kaiden finally asked. I didn't answer, instead composing myself and stepping down from his back.
Kaiden turned to face me.
"I'm sorry."
He apologized once more. I said nothing. He bent at the waist to meet my eye level.
His face drew closer.
"I'm sorry, Margaret. Yes?"
Tears were still flowing, it seemed. He reached out and brushed away the tears streaming down my cheek with his thumb.
Sniffle.
I still didn't answer his question, only sniffling quietly.
'Damn it, I'm like some tragic heroine.'
"You cry so sorrowfully."
Kaiden continued to caress my cheek while keeping his head bowed, speaking softly.
I kept my gaze lowered before slowly lifting my eyes to meet his. My face was swollen and flushed from crying so hard that I must have looked absolutely wretched, but what did that matter?
"I'm sorry for doubting you."
Kaiden extended both hands and gently cradled my cheeks. I stared up at him through eyes hazed by tears.
"That was never the important thing to begin with."
Kaiden's crimson eyes deepened as he gazed at me quietly.
"Margaret."
He tilted his head slightly. His sharp jawline caught my attention, and my gaze lingered on his lips—as red as his eyes.
"I want you to live. Even if it means I die saving you."
I stared at him as though entranced, but suddenly I came to my senses. I furrowed my brow and questioned him back.
"Why are you saying it like that? Is that a confession?"
"A confession?"
Kaiden blinked his eyes wide, as though he didn't understand, and repeated the word back to me.
I exhaled a sigh. Of course.
"Never mind. Don't you dare die saving me. Are you trying to make me live the rest of my life drowning in guilt? Have you decided to torment me in a different way now?"
"That's not it...."
Kaiden's flustered expression trailed off. I shook my head as I watched him struggle to finish his words.
"You doubted me, yes. I understand that. But nearly dying because of it..., I don't know."
Having barely escaped death, my own mind was hardly sound. Rational judgment eluded me, and emotional words kept spilling out.
'Then again, if someone could maintain sanity on this Island...wouldn't that be even stranger?'
Kaiden, watching me, answered with a troubled expression.
"I know. I'll earn your forgiveness through actions, not words. So don't say anything right now."
Kaiden's voice dropped lower.
It was utterly unlike him—startlingly calm. His words and expression were more sincere than any moment since I'd met him.
He, who had always hidden his true intentions beneath exaggerated gestures, was now speaking his heart without pretense for the first time.
His warmth flowed abundantly and slowly pooled within me. The negative emotions that had been churning deep in my chest gradually subsided.
"I'm sorry for doubting you."
"That was never the important thing to begin with."
"I want you to live. Even if it means I die saving you."
I gently touched my swollen eyelids, still puffy from the tears I'd shed moments before. Perhaps I had already decided not to resent him.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org