I Caught the Male Lead on a Deserted Island

OVERWHELMED and burdened by summoning his strength and recalling unpleasant memories, Radkiel felt his breath quicken. Feeling a chilling cold rise up his spine, he wrapped the fabric he held around his body.

His mind was intensely confused. While part of him thought it didn’t matter if he died, another part wanted to believe that a miracle had come to him. However, the woman’s words made no sense from beginning to end.

Caught on a fishing line, she had said. He had collapsed in his palace, and this place definitely wasn’t the palace. The attire of the woman, who was wearing pants, made it difficult to perceive her as a maid or a noblewoman.

He needed to ask where she had caught him, but regardless, it meant he was taken out of the palace. Was it due to the empress consort1Used to be head of concubines? No, that couldn’t be. If she genuinely wanted to kill him, she wouldn’t have handled him so carelessly.

The woman with black hair had a simple and innocent appearance, however, due to Radkiel’s experience, he found it hard to easily trust the innocent appearance of others. Moreover, now he couldn’t even trust his own eyes, which his mother had called a ‘blessing from the gods.’

It was even more difficult to trust her. Thoughts swirled in his complex mind, tangled and chaotic. Soon, he formed a hypothesis.

Perhaps this woman harbored impure intentions to attack him? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken off all his clothes.

Radkiel was a young man who seemed to embody only the most beautiful aspects inherited from his parents. Despite not being the direct heir, he was a prince with the right to the throne, and despite his status, he was kind, gentle, and polite to everyone who approached him, which made suitors come forward quite often.

Of course, he had no intention of marrying. Since the day his mother was murdered, revenge had been the sole meaning of Radkiel’s life.

Ironically, the one who became his shield was the empress consort he despised. She found Radkiel endearing because he acted in a docile way. Though her fondness was nothing more than an interest in animals like dogs or cats.

To her, who adorned herself splendidly and smiled gracefully, only seeing and hearing good things, the palace was a battlefield, and everything that opposed her was an eyesore. To her, who loved beauty and rarity, Radkiel was just a spoil. Believing that it was the right of the victor to decide how to use their spoils, Radkiel found himself able to live a ‘royal’ life under her protection.

The problem was that she acted like his own mother and excessively interfered even in his personal affairs. Just like the other princes and princesses. That was why, when he learned that she knew he had been acting all along, she must have thought of making him suffer rather than killing him. It was unacceptable that something as trivial as spoils had deceived her.

Radkiel suddenly thought about the overlapping the image of the black-haired girl mentioned by the empress consort with the woman who claimed to have caught him. She often compared the maid’s black hair to black pearls and expressed a strong desire for it.

If this woman happened to be the maid with the black pearl hair, Radkiel thought he could manipulate her under the empress consort’s orders and make him appear helpless, then pretend to die and escape… a cunning strategy.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed plausible.

Even the strange magic he had witnessed was manipulation. His own eyes had been affected by some sinister influence. The evidence supporting this was the golden cloth he held in his hand. The scenery inside the room was terribly shabby, yet it looked so rare that it would be difficult to find even in the imperial treasury. Only the empress consort could possess something like this.

His sense of caution reached its limit, and his breathing became erratic. He couldn’t play along with her intentions. He would rather die than live a miserable life.

How much time had passed? A subtle scent wafted through the partially closed door. Shortly after, the woman awkwardly entered the room.

Unconsciously, Radkiel glared at her. The woman hesitated under his sharp gaze, sat down on a chair, and asked quietly, “Um, can you… eat by yourself?”

The dish she brought also shimmered. This must be another clever trick. Completely closing off his heart, he was convinced that there must be some strange potion inside.

When he didn’t respond, the woman smiled awkwardly and added, “It must be difficult… but it’s okay. Maybe I can help you?”

Then, she scooped a spoonful of the thick porridge from the bowl and brought it to his lips with a gentle smile. Porridge? The savory aroma made Radkiel press his lips even tighter.

However, the woman didn’t waver in the face of his resolute refusal and continued to hold the spoon. Moreover, she subtly pressed her lips together. Unable to resist her overwhelming strength, he eventually had to open his mouth.

Naturally, he intended to spit it out immediately. How could he eat something so suspicious? However, contrary to his expectations, the lukewarm porridge was unexpectedly delicious.

As the lump of well-cooked mixture entered his mouth along with finely chopped vegetables, he unknowingly swallowed it. It didn’t taste bland like porridge. It wasn’t poison either.

After trying it once, it became easier. Like a baby bird eagerly accepting food, he obediently ate spoonful after spoonful, and as he looked at the woman’s smiling face and regained his composure.

“Stop…”

“Oh… this is… medicine. Just drink it like water, it will… help you.”

Unlike her earlier attempt to force-feed him, the woman placed the bottle down so casually… Actually, he was planning to act like he couldn’t overcome her and drink it.

However, after the meal, giving him medicine right away was unsettling. Inside a transparent glass bottle that looked quite luxurious, there was a sparkling purple liquid.

Could it be poison? Anyone would think so, given the dazzling and extravagant color. Radkiel furrowed his brow.

The effects of poison varied greatly. Some could inflict immediate fatal damage to the body with even the slightest touch on the tip of the tongue, while others simply caused paralysis, weaker in comparison.

Through extensive training, Radkiel could detect even the slightest trace of poison. Since there was no poison in the meal he had just eaten, he found the woman’s intentions suspicious in offering the medicine like this.

But when the woman extended the bottle, he had no choice but to accept it in the end.

If it was a deadly poison threatening his life, it wouldn’t matter, but considering the circumstances, it was obvious that she intended to restrain his body. He could pretend to drink it and spill it when she wasn’t looking.

Maintaining a stoic expression, he exerted force to open the lid. However, it didn’t budge. Normally, he just needed to pull out the stopper, but it wouldn’t come out.

Even if he had little strength left, this was absurd. Why was it so tightly sealed? Could a person open it?

As Radkiel was lost in his thoughts, struggling with the bottle, the woman who had been watching him quietly took the bottle back. Then, she effortlessly opened it and handed it back to him. He doubted his own eyes. It was unbelievable. Could it really be that easy?

Was his condition more severe than he thought, or was the woman the one who was strange? Seeing Radkiel’s shocked expression, she hurriedly spoke.

“I… I caught you yesterday afternoon! You haven’t regained all senses yet, not even a day has passed, so it’s natural that you don’t have any strength. If you eat well and rest well, you will recover soon, so please don’t worry too much.”

“…I think you mentioned earlier that I was ‘caught on a fishing line’.”

“Ah, yes! Um, I was fishing to have sashimi for dinner, but the sea was really rough yesterday, so I couldn’t catch any fish. Then, the float suddenly moved. I thought I caught something big, but instead of a fish, it was… you.”

As her words continued in a disorganized manner, Radkiel became perplexed once again. The sea, she said. The nearest port city from the capital required several days of travel by carriage. Although rapid transportation was possible through warp gates, unconscious people couldn’t use them. It was a measure to prevent slave trafficking and kidnappings.

Setting aside whether to believe her or not, when he was about to ask another question about the unavoidable circumstances, something strange caught his eye once again.

‘???’ thought to herself, what if I’m making myself more suspicious by speaking in such a disorganized manner? I wanted to become closer to someone I met after such a long time… but….

It was the same magic as before. When he finally raised his head, the woman was observing him with a perplexed expression.

Could this be showing her thoughts? If this wasn’t a lie, then the woman reflected in his eyes was truly a kind-hearted person.

However, Radkiel still couldn’t completely dispel his suspicions. The purple liquid, the unidentified substance she gave him and called medicine, was poison. It had to be poison. The color could only be produced if it was poison, given his conscience.

As the incomprehensible situation continued to confuse him, the words he saw before changed.

‘???’ thought to herself, I don’t want to go this far, but should I just pretend that it was all a dream after I knock him unconscious?

At the same time, it seemed like the woman’s hand, suspended in the air, clenched into a fist and then relaxed. Radkiel calmly drank the medicine. Indeed, the dangerous nature of the woman was evident.

However, the liquid that passed his throat was unexpectedly sweet and refreshing. Could it not be poison? Moreover, he felt a slight clarity in his mind.

He met the gaze of the woman who was staring at him intently.

Her eye, the same color as her hair, was so vividly filled with concern for him. If that was an act, then she was truly a frightening woman. But if it was genuine, he might have misunderstood something.

Where was this place? Why did he wake up in such a strange location? Everything was filled with uncertainty, seeming visible only to his eyes. However, the crucial fact remained that this woman had helped him.