Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Isabel glared coldly at Leonhardt before parting her lips.

“Your Honor truly is a knight of great integrity.”

Her voice was low and icy.

“Throwing your weight around so shamelessly in front of a woman.”

“How dare you…”

At her unmistakable sarcasm, Leonhardt’s eyes hardened.

It was then that—

“Leonhardt.”

A low voice came from the cave entrance, drawing everyone’s gaze toward it.

Erich was standing there.

He had gone out to survey the surroundings, and no one knew when he had returned. His slightly damp silver hair was swept back as he looked at them.

Leonhardt flinched as though caught doing something he should never have been seen doing, then immediately bowed his head.

“Your Highness.”

Erich did not respond to his uneasy greeting.

He simply raised his eyes and took in Isabel, Leonhardt’s legs spread apart, and Celine, who had been grinding herbs in the corner before abruptly springing to her feet.

That was enough for him to understand what had happened.

Isabel looked at Erich with a cold gaze, as though thoroughly disgusted.

“Your Highness.”

Her calm voice slipped between her lips.

“When our very survival is uncertain, the most dangerous thing is…”

Erich’s gaze settled on her.

“Infighting. And… I seem likely to become the spark that sets it off.”

No one could refute her words.

With tensions running high, Isabel had been met with suspicion and contempt from the moment she had stumbled into this cave.

Even though she had told them all which herb could save Francis.

“Since I don’t think I can be of any further help, I’ll return to the shore now, for everyone’s sake.”

Silence fell over the cave.

At her announcement that she was leaving, Leonhardt and the Tulip Knights’ expressions grew somewhat tense.

Celine spoke up, looking startled.

“Countess, but how will you manage alone on this deserted island…?”

“Crush the herb leaves, wash them in water, and let them dry for half a day before applying them to the wound. If pus appears, squeeze it out.”

Celine was at a loss for words.

Francis, who had only just regained consciousness, struggled to sit up, but his complexion was still far from good.

Erich was watching Isabel.

An inscrutable light seemed to flicker across the surface of his violet eyes.

“I believe I’ve done more than enough to prove that I’m harmless, Your Highness.”

At the very least, she was not a woman who had followed them here willingly out of loneliness.

‘It seems what she was looking for wasn’t here.’

He had noticed that whenever she had a spare moment, her eyes would wander about as though searching for something.

Yet, rather than his lips parting, even his fingertips twitched.

Was it a hunter’s instinct, stirred by the prospect of prey trying to escape?

But he knew that this was enough.

After a long silence, Erich finally spoke.

“Do as you wish.”

His brief permission was followed by a strange, inexplicable sense of loss.

Isabel did not bow her head. She merely met his gaze directly before quietly turning away.

Even as she passed Leonhardt, she did not spare him a single glance.

As though his mockery just moments ago had meant absolutely nothing to her.

The salty breeze brushed against her face as she stepped outside the cave.

Isabel walked toward the shore.

She heard no footsteps following behind her.

The sound of the waves grew closer, while the light from the cave gradually faded into the distance.

By the time she passed through the forest and reached the sandy beach where her shelter stood, the sky had turned a dusky shade of violet.

The fire in her hearth had gone out, but clear water had collected in the distillation pot.

Isabel crouched down and lifted it.

She drank slowly.

The water was incomparably cleaner than what they had in the cave.

“Phew…”

A long breath escaped her.

And then Isabel smiled, ever so faintly.

“Just as I thought.”

Before long, her expression had grown much more peaceful as she gazed at the deserted shore and murmured,

“I’m better off alone.”

The situation earlier had been exactly what she intended.

She saw no reason to keep enduring the company of people who suspected her and openly treated her with contempt.

She had not found what she was looking for, and if there was no chance of a rescue ship arriving anytime soon, what reason was there to stay with them?

If things continued this way, those proud nobles, raised in comfort, would sooner drag her down with them and perish together than swallow their pride.

She did feel a little concerned about the pale-faced girl, but Isabel shook her head.

**

The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Isabel walked along the coastline, surveying the terrain.

Today, she intended to build a proper shelter.

The first thing to consider when building a dwelling was the ground.

A sleeping area needed to be higher than the water.

It should be above the high-tide line, somewhere water would not flow through even during a torrential downpour.

Ideally, it would offer some protection from the wind without trapping the air completely, allowing for proper ventilation.

She examined the shells and scraps of seaweed scattered across the sand.

They marked the previous night’s high-tide line.

About twenty paces farther inland, she found a suitable spot along the boundary between a low hill and the forest.

Thick trees stood behind it, shielding it from the wind, while the sea lay open before her, allowing her to see anyone approaching.

“This place will do.”

Isabel prodded the ground with her hatchet.

The surface was not excessively soft, and there were no signs of standing water.

The surrounding area was dotted with straight-growing coastal trees.

There were also plenty of broad-leaved plants behind the site, which would come in handy for making a roof.

“Now that I’ve found the spot, shall I see what materials I can use to build the house?”

For some reason, she found herself humming as she headed into the forest.

She stopped and began selecting trees to use for the frame.

Not just any tree would do for a shelter’s framework.

Rotten wood might be light, but it would snap easily, while anything too thick would be impossible for her to carry alone.

“This one should be just right.”

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

With a satisfied smile, she swung the hatchet in her hand, its blade sinking deep into the moderately damp bark.

Four support posts, along with several thinner pieces of wood to lean diagonally against them like ribs.

There was no need for a deserted-island shelter to be particularly spacious, so she would not need many pieces.

“Hoo…”

Sweat dripped down Isabel’s chin as she brought the hatchet down on the trees, while the logs she had cut piled up at her feet.

She hoisted the cut timber onto her shoulders and carried it back to the site.

After several trips, she had gathered enough wood to erect the shelter’s support posts.

By then, the sun was already high overhead.

The fruit skewers she had placed over the hearth first thing that morning were now thoroughly cooked.

Squatting beside the hearth, she picked one up, blew on it a few times, then carefully began biting into it from the end.

“Mmm!”

Perhaps because the fruit had been roasted over a low flame for so long, its rich flavor blossomed the moment it touched her tongue, melting softly in her mouth.

As she enjoyed her excellent meal while watching the waves crash against the shore, thoughts of the people she had left behind yesterday suddenly came to mind.

Was Celine taking good care of Francis?

She remembered the girl’s anxious expression as she had tried to stop her from leaving.

There was actually something else she had wanted to tell her, besides advising her to keep track of the days.

‘That cave isn’t suitable for living in.’

It had taken them three days to find that cave, but its entrance was narrow.

Caves with narrow entrances had poor air circulation.

And if something happened, the limited exit would make it difficult to escape.

Moreover, the moment she had stepped inside, she could feel the dampness against her entire body.

Such humidity could encourage mold growth or cause skin diseases, and their clothes would have trouble drying as well.

‘And above all… it faces west.’

A cave with a southeast-facing entrance would receive the morning sunlight, allowing its interior to dry quickly while avoiding the harsh direct sunlight of the afternoon.

A west-facing cave, on the other hand, would remain damp throughout the morning, only to be struck by the scorching afternoon sun, trapping both heat and moisture inside.

Judging by the knights’ haggard faces, they were clearly spending their nights tossing and turning in the heat.

Well, she could at least give them fifty points for not choosing a cave that might flood whenever a storm struck.

Still, if she had been the one choosing their shelter, she would never have picked that cave.

‘I noticed a hole in part of the ceiling. They might end up completely soaked the next time it rains.’

But if she told them to move caves or suggested anything of the sort…

“Your Highness! Don’t trust that assassin!”

“How are we supposed to trust you?”

The faces of the men, filled with suspicion and contempt, flashed through her mind.

‘It’s probably more trouble than it’s worth for both sides.’

Isabel shook her head.

“Hup!”

After filling her stomach with roasted fruit and stretching, Isabel resumed building her shelter.

She was going to make herself a home, a precious refuge that would keep her safe throughout her life on this deserted island.