Chapter 78
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Chapter 78
"What a lovely fragrance."
Rujeep returned with a refreshed expression, as though he'd successfully calmed his nerves before entering.
"What is that?"
I stared at the brilliant crimson flowers clutched in his hand with bewilderment. Rujeep then approached, displaying the bouquet to me.
"Aren't they beautiful? They were growing right in front of the Cabin, but since they only recently bloomed, I hadn't noticed them until now."
The vivid scarlet petals were broad and nearly wrinkle-free, resembling hard candies in appearance. They also bore a striking resemblance to poppies.
"I wished to present them to you, Young Lady."
Rujeep extended the bouquet toward me.
"This is my first time receiving flowers as a gift."
I accepted them with an awkward expression, then immediately furrowed my brow.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but what if these are poisonous...."
Wait—poisonous?
There was a similar passage in the original work. A toxic flower called "Tentationem" that had enchanted Yuanna and the male leads.
In the original story, Rujeep had plucked this very flower near the Cabin and gifted it to Yuanna, setting all the subsequent events in motion.
The explicit and scandalous incidents that followed had begun precisely because everyone fell under the flower's toxic influence.
The moment that realization struck me, I gasped in horror and dropped the flowers to the ground.
It was like searching for something in darkness when it was right beneath the lamp—this flower had been growing directly in front of the Cabin all along.
I'd thought that if I could just dispose of the Monster corpse, we could survive in the Cabin. Now it was abundantly clear the Cabin was no longer safe.
'Yes, things have felt ominous ever since that spider from the Second Floor began to evolve.'
It seemed I would need to prepare to leave the Cabin immediately once the others arrived.
As I contemplated this and looked down at the fallen flowers, then lifted my gaze, I saw Rujeep's wounded expression.
I panicked and quickly made excuses.
"My hand slipped—I'm sorry. But this flower seems to be poisonous..."
"It's quite alright. I understand your feelings well, Young Lady."
Rujeep furrowed his brow with a pained expression and washed his face with dry hands.
The problem was that yellow flower stamens were clinging to his hands.
I stared blankly at the vertical streaks of yellow pollen remaining on his face.
Damn it—according to the original story, Yuanna should have been the one to receive these flowers, so why me...! Of course, the plot has already diverged completely from the original, but still, why did it have to be me...!
"Young Lady, the meat appears to be burning."
Asdal, who seemed interested in nothing but food regardless of what we were doing, urged me to come check on the meat that was charring.
"I don't think that's the priority right now."
"How is it not important? The meat is burning."
Why is he so obsessed with the meat? I turned to him irritably.
"Would you mind removing the skewers from the fire yourself?"
"Why should I do that? You should come and...."
Asdal trailed off mid-sentence.
His eyes widened as he stared past my shoulder. His gaze was deeply ominous.
From behind me, I heard Rujeep's ragged breathing.
"Flone Young Lady. Haa...."
It was a peculiar voice—simultaneously tinged with anguish and intoxicated with exhilaration—yet unmistakably conveying profound distress.
I turned away in unease, only to find Rujeep with flushed cheeks, breathing in ragged, excited gasps.
Seated on the floor, he slowly unfastened the topmost button of his ecclesiastical vestments.
"Your Grace, please. No matter how hot it is, you mustn't undress."
At my words, he looked up at me with a pitiful expression, tears glistening in his eyes as he gazed at me pleadingly—a sight truly beyond description.
"My body is burning. I cannot endure it."
I hastily picked up the fallen flower and threw it outside through the Cabin door.
Then I dampened cloth with water and scrubbed the floor where the yellow pollen had scattered.
"The Bishop has finally lost his mind."
Asdal observed Rujeep with an incredulous expression. Rujeep had already unfastened half the buttons of his upper garment.
"That's not it. The flower His Grace brought appears to be a poisonous plant. The pollen seems to contain a substance that excites people."
"Wait, what did you just say...?"
Rujeep had now completely removed his upper garment.
Though not quite as sculpted as Kaiden or Enoch, his well-defined abdominal muscles were now exposed.
Seeing his pale, delicate skin and the firm, contoured musculature of his torso, I panicked and urgently tapped Asdal's shoulder.
"Your Highness, please try to stop His Grace quickly."
"The Cabin feels far too hot."
Rujeep knelt on the floor, tears streaming down his pristine face as he spoke.
Why was Rujeep a member of the Clergy?
Watching him in this state, the question arose in my mind. This was clearly a waste of human resources.
"Young Lady, could you help me?"
He was asking for my help specifically, even though Asdal was present.
No matter how I thought about it, this seemed to be that event that should have happened to Yuanna in the original story.
"Would you hold His Grace? I'll restrain him."
At my words, Asdal nodded with an irritated expression and pulled Rujeep back, holding him from behind.
I quickly retrieved the rope that Kaiden had prepared.
"Young Lady, my body is too hot. Not this kind of help. Something else, please something else..."
Rujeep shook his head pleadingly. I firmly shook my head and bound his hands.
"No. This is the kind of help you need."
"Young Lady..."
Tears like dewdrops rolled down Rujeep's flushed cheeks.
"It must be the Young Lady. Please..."
I couldn't understand what he was saying, but his tearful face was so pitiful and beautiful that I found myself wanting to grant whatever he desired.
Realizing such thoughts, I startled and shook my head vigorously.
Asdal was tightening the bindings around Rujeep's wrists when he flinched and turned to look at me. He gazed at me with an alarmed expression.
"Young Lady, are you alright?"
Asdal asked me. Whether the pollen from Rujeep had transferred to me, my body felt feverish. Damn it.
The moment I recognized the heat rising within me, my entire body suddenly felt as though it were engulfed in flames.
"Your Highness, please... bind me as well..."
Just as Rujeep had done, my legs gave way beneath me and I collapsed to the floor.
"Are you alright? Did the Young Lady get caught up in the excitement too?"
Even as Asdal posed the question to me, he methodically bound Rujeep to the wooden post.
"It's not excitement—it just hurts. Could you please acknowledge that...?"
I gripped the neckline of my dress and exhaled hot breath. If I were the original Yuanna, perhaps here....
I purged every obscene thought that surfaced.
I was losing my mind.
I couldn't succumb to mere poison like this.
I was strong. I had to endure.
Yet my body burned with an itch I could no longer bear. An intense desire to touch someone's body surged through me. Reason and instinct clashed sharply within my mind.
'Just for a moment—wouldn't that be alright? Rujeep looked like he was suffering too, so if I could help....'
Startled by the thought that suddenly flared up, I struck my own cheek hard. Asdal's expression shifted to one of shock.
"Please bind me."
"Bind you? How could I possibly do such a thing to a lady...."
Asdal wore an uncharacteristically flustered expression.
It was the first time I'd seen him so bewildered. But I had no time to concern myself with his feelings now.
"I feel utterly filthy. Hurry."
"This is... what in the world is happening...."
Listening to Asdal's bewildered murmur, I bent my waist awkwardly and pressed my head to the floor. My body burned and itched simultaneously. Unbearably.
"Please, bind me. Please."
I seized Asdal's sleeve as he stood helplessly before me and pleaded, much as Rujeep had done moments before. The anguish was so intense that tears streamed down my face.
"My body aches. If this continues, I don't know what strange things I might do."
"How could I possibly do such a thing to a lady."
He repeated his refrain about how he couldn't do such a thing to a lady.
Now, suddenly, he cared about propriety. And with that, memories flashed past like a lantern show, and curses spilled from my lips unbidden.
"Damn it, you made me do all the rough work of catching fish, and now you're suddenly concerned with being a lady? I cleaned all the game too, didn't I? Is that what consideration for a lady looks like? Damn it. Yes, life is just this damn unfair. My damn life!"
I only unleashed unfiltered curses like this in front of Kaiden.
I had never spoken raw profanities before Asdal, but now my mind was so hazy I could barely register what I was saying.
This was why one needed to cultivate proper language habits—to prevent such things from spilling out unconsciously.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
Asdal apologized with a genuinely troubled expression. But why did a man who had even been married act so dense?
I overlapped my wrists and extended them toward him, signaling for him to hurry and bind me.
"Quickly."
As Asdal continued to hesitate, my body grew even hotter than before. It felt as though my brain were melting and dripping away.
I seized Asdal's wrist.
"I told you—I don't know what I might do. Bind me now."
Finally, I grabbed his collar with my other hand.
In truth, I could barely comprehend what I was doing even now.
I simply wanted to stop this burning heat that ached so intensely.
Asdal's flushed face entered my vision. I couldn't understand why his face was so red. Had he also been infected by the Temptation poison?
Still gripping his collar, I slowly tilted my face toward his.
And then, at that moment,
"I'll tie it."
A familiar voice cut between Asdal and me.
Jet-black hair caught my eye first. Soon my face was reflected in golden eyes so mesmerizing they seemed to bewitch the soul.
Enoch had awakened.
"Margaret."
My name emerged from his deep, resonant voice that seemed to vibrate from the depths of his chest.
I opened my eyes hazily and gazed at his face. Of course, I was still in no state to think clearly.
"Move aside. I feel like I'm dying right now."
My tongue was twisted, and my body swayed as though I were thoroughly intoxicated. My strength drained away, and I released my grip on Asdal's collar.
Asdal's face, wearing an expression of reluctance, receded from view, and the hard wooden floor came into focus.
Just as my head was about to strike the ground, thick arms wrapped around my waist, and I was suddenly lifted up.
"...Huh?"
It seemed Enoch had caught me in his embrace.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org