Chapter 0

Where did it go wrong?

Who am I possessed in a novel?

I don’t know.

Anyway, the important thing is that I am stuck on a remote island with the male leads in the novel.

Yeah, life is made up of damn timing.

***

When I opened my eyes, what I found was a calm and clear sky.

Then I heard the sound of waves.

When I came to my senses and stood up, the moist air slammed into my face. Suppressing the soaring displeasure index, I carefully looked around.

I could see the waves crashing under my feet. The place I was lying on was on the sandy beach.

“Where is this……?”

The sandy beach was surrounded by palm trees. It is a strange sight. At least it didn’t look like Korea.

Gradually the ominousness came over. I rubbed my temples and turned my head to the other side.

“What else is this?”

An unknown man was lying next to me.

Lying on the wet sandy beach, he was dressed in a colorful uniform. And he had beautiful black hair resembling the night sky.

The moment I turned the man’s shoulder and checked his face,

Beep beep beep-

I had tinnitus in my head.

“Ugh.”

Feeling dizzy, I lowered my head.

The life of a woman named ‘Margaret Rose Floné’ ran through my mind. Memories mingled as if I was the original Margaret.

I accepted them without any hesitation.

After such a long time passed and the tinnitus subsided, I realized.

Prince Enoch, Langridge Empire, Duke of Floné. The names in Margaret’s memory are not unfamiliar.

This was the beginning of the case.

As I was walking while reading someone’s novel I picked up on the street, I was hit in the head by a fallen sign and died.

To make it worse, after dying, I woke up in the novel I was reading.

Becoming a villainess in 《Things More Important Than Survival》 which is an R-19 Romantic Fantasy Novel.

The novel begins with the female lead, a great Saintess, and five male leads with high statuses, such as the Crown Prince of the Empire, the Arch Wizard, and the Archbishop, waking up on an enchanted island one day.

The author vividly described their year-long survival on an uninhabited island as a disaster.

Also, the title of the novel is 《Things More Important than Survival》, but what could be more important than survival in an R-19 novel? The explanation will end here.

Besides, they were not the only ones on the island. The villainess Margaret also existed. That was me.

What should be noted here is that Margaret, whom I possessed, is murdered by the male leads around the middle of the novel.

Because she was jealous of the great Saintess Yuanna Lucy, who monopolized the love of the men.

Margaret persistently harasses Yuanna until she finally tries to kill her by pushing her off a cliff.

Stuck on a remote island and going crazy, the male leads find out about it and lose their reason. Then they kill Margaret, who is a threat to Yuanna.

The problem is……

I just woke up on that crazy island. Right now, at the beginning of the novel.

***

“What the hell……”

I looked back at the man lying next to me. Now I know the identity of this man.

‘Enoch Aster Klaus Langridge.’

He was the Crown Prince of the Langridge Empire, Enoch.

He was also the male lead in the novel 《Things More Important Than Survival》.

All the male leads in the novel hated Margaret, and the one who despised her the most was Prince Enoch.

Damn it, why do I have to be with this man……

“Ugh.”

Then came a faint moan from Enoch’s mouth.

As he showed signs of waking up, my heart raced.

If this is real and I have possessed Margaret, I had to hide from this man. He will kill me soon.

I needed a safe place to hide before the ‘gate’ to escape out of the island was opened a year later.

I quickly scanned my outfit.

How lucky I am to be wearing an indoor dress instead of a nightgown.

Margaret’s taste is quite glamorous, so I’m fortunate that it wasn’t more of a lavish outdoor outfit. The shoes I was wearing were also flat shoes.

After checking the dress once, I glared at the thick forest about 20 steps in front of me.

Of course, it would be very dangerous to go into the forest.

But, wouldn’t it be better than living trembling next to a man who despises me, not knowing when I will die?

After making a quick decision, I set out.

That’s exactly what I was trying to do.

If the large hand hadn’t grabbed my ankle, I would have been able to move forward. As soon as I put my foot down, I immediately crashed into the sand.

“Margaret?”

Enoch grabbed my ankle and raised his head, frowning.

Damn, my plans failed.

Didn’t I tell you? Life is basically made up of damn timing.

Life Is Made up of Damn Timing

Enoch realized later that it was my ankle that he was holding on to, and hurriedly let go of my ankle. Then I cleaned the sand off my ankles.

“Young Lady Floné.”

It was a voice filled with anger. He got up with a ferocious face.

“How the hell did this happen?”

He must have misunderstood that I had kidnapped him.

Then I sat down with him.

The golden eyes and even the tear dot under his left eye were staring at me fiercely.

“That is……”

I was a little perplexed and looked into his eyes. Enoch had bloody eyes that seemed to tear me to pieces if I didn’t answer.

I should have run away as soon as I opened my eyes.

“That…… actually I don’t know either…… eh? What’s that?”

I didn’t continue but pointed at the sky with a surprised face. Enoch followed my finger and looked up at the sky.

Of course, there was nothing in the sky.

I jumped up from my seat taking advantage of that opportunity. However, as soon as I took my feet, I was quickly caught by Enoch’s hand.

Eventually, I rolled the sand with him again.

Damn it!

Enoch locked me in his arms.

“Where are you going to run away?”

There was no time to think about this strange posture. Because he asked me in a bloody tone again.

“You have to tell me how this happened.”

As I showed signs of moving, he grabbed my wrist.

“Oh, how do I know? I think I’m going to die of confusion right now.”

I grumbled without hiding my resentment. Of course, Enoch didn’t blink an eye.

“You just tried to run away, do you think I would believe that?”

“You threatened me, so what should I do when I’m scared?”

When I asked with an absurd face, Enoch bit his mouth to see if he had been stabbed in the right direction. But soon, his eyebrows rose sharply again.

Even in the midst of this, it’s an alluring look that makes people admire it. A handsome face with no gaps was nice to see, but that face doesn’t save me, right?

“Young Lady Floné. I know it’s like a joke seeing how you look.”

There was a sense of intimidation in his harsh tone, and his eyes as he looked at me blazed like blazing lava.

“You must have poor eyesight.”

With a slight headache, I answered by rubbing my temple.

“Thinking about what Lady has done in the past, I think my suspicions are justified.”

At his words, I remembered Margaret’s past deeds.

Margaret was famous for chasing Enoch viciously.

It was not uncommon to follow him around like a stalker and annoy him, and if there was a young lady who even talked to him, she would hold her hair without noble’s-dignity and make a fuss.

There was a time when she nearly killed him because of a love potion she had bought by tricking him into thinking it was a drinkable medicine.

The case was well managed by the power of the Duke of Floné, but from then on Enoch began to hate Margaret in earnest.

She had done so many rude things that she could be punished at any time for her sins, but she survived.

It was thanks to the great power of the Duke of Floné. Of course, the fact that Prince Enoch was a prince without backers also played a part.

‘I have nothing to say.’

But I answered in the calmest tone possible.

“The Floné’s family is strong, but it’s not enough to recklessly kidnap the Crown Prince of the Empire.”

I sighed and ruffled my hair back. Maybe it was because of the humid weather, I already had a headache. It’s too late to pretend to be dignified.

“…… that’s right.”

Enoch calmed down his anger faster than expected and began to make a proper judgment of the situation. The energy that had threatened me disappeared in an instant.

“Was it the work of the Rodven faction?”

He muttered with a thoughtful look on his face.

If it was Rodven, it was clear that he was referring to the wretched and abandoned prince who had been deprived of the crown prince’s seat by Enoch and was imprisoned in the north.

Yes, as Enoch said, there may be political reasons.

However, it is not too late to think about the problem after I escape.

“Then, are you done with your business?”

I turned around quietly. I was about to go straight into the forest but he hurriedly grabbed my arm.

“Where are you going?”

Damn, I tried to run away naturally, but this time I failed again.

‘I think it will be easier for me to take refuge in a safe place.’

Finding the hut the main characters lived in might help me survive.

Besides the hut, there was also an underground bunker suitable for hiding.

It seems that the female lead, Yuanna, finds the bunker at the end of the first volume. It was before she escapes from the island through the ‘gate’.

I was thinking of finding the hut and bunker.

Even if I don’t have combat power, I’m more confident than anyone in survival, so all I need to do is find a place to hide.

Of course, Enoch was not in the plan.

“Let me go.”

I warned Enoch by pointing at my captured wrist, but that warning didn’t work.

His eyes glaring at me became harsh again. It was like igniting burning embers.

He clasped my wrist tightly as he lowered his head gently.

“If I let you go, you’ll run away again. I still don’t trust you, Lady.”

A terribly low voice rang in my ears.

My wrist hurt, so I shrugged and protested.

“It hurts.”

He smirked at my words.

However, contrary to his reaction, the strength in my tightly gripped wrist was released. But that didn’t mean he completely let go of it.

In the novel, Enoch is a gentleman, but the ‘gentleman’ does not seem to apply to Margaret.

‘Why did you live like that, Margaret of the past?’

There is no point in lamenting. Now I am the present Margaret.

Enoch looked around the beach and said, “First of all, we need to figure out where this place is.”

I hide my annoyance and shook my head hard to find a way out of this situation. How should I escape from Enoch?

Even if I ran away now, it was clear that I would be caught again. So, I have to do it when he wasn’t vigilant.

After all, Enoch is going to meet the female lead soon, should I run away at that time?

“Are you going into the forest?”

At my question, Enoch looked at the forest, which seemed rather dark.

“If necessary.”

The island was dangerous when the sun went down. Because it is an enchanted island, it is crowded with monsters that are active only at night. Whatever you do, you have to move quickly before the sun goes down.

‘Come to think of it, it seems that there were also modern items on the island……’

I remembered the original content again.

The worldview of the novel 《Things More Important Than Survival》 was very unique.

It’s not just the survival on an uninhabited island, it’s as if a spoonful of modern stuff was mixed with a western period romance fantasy.

Therefore, useful items used in modern times such as first aid kits and lighters were hidden on this remote island. All of them were very helpful equipment for survival.

‘That was a bit odd. The main characters are all from another world, so why do the modern stuff exist?’

I don’t know what the author intended to create such a setting.

Even in the original story, the main characters used to throw away relentlessly because they didn’t know how to use it even though it was necessary for survival.

‘It would be important to find and collect modern items. Even if the main characters don’t know, I will be able to use them well.’

I worked hard on a plan in my head.

“You’d better not think about running away again.”

And perhaps Enoch noticed such a sense, he looked back at me and threatened me again.

‘He was quick.’

I sighed as I looked at my wrist held by him.

“Yes Yes.”

I finally moved along with Enoch.

The plan to escape from Enoch had failed, but at least I had to avoid meeting other male leads.

‘By the way, what are the other male leads doing now?’

My favorite was Kayden the Arch Wizard, the 5th male lead who appeared at the end of the story.

The reason why Kayden appeared last is because he has strong individualistic and independent tendencies.

He didn’t like group life, so he only wandered around the female lead before she escaped. And he’s not even a ‘wild animal’.

I like him because he’s the most straight and rational among the male leads, and I don’t want to meet those crazy people.

On the other hand, Enoch moved without notice. Thanks to him, I almost fell, so I protested against him again.

“If you’re going to hold me, can’t you just hold my hand instead of my wrist? It’s uncomfortable.”

At my words, Enoch’s sharp eyes fell on my face. Those eyes were so bloody that I quickly turned my head.

It’s better to deal with one man who despises me the most than to deal with many men who also hate me……

It would be really better, right?

Stuck on a Remote Island

“I think we should go up the mountain first. It would be better to check the topography from a high place. If it’s inland, you can’t see the horizon. If it’s an island……”

If it was an island, you could see the horizon.

Enoch muttered his words as if he did not want to even think about the last possibility.

I walked along the beach with my wrist held by him and looked up at the sky. The sun was very low.

Climbing the mountain at this time is not a good idea. It’s easy to get isolated when the sun goes down after climbing a mountain. Above all, monsters appear at night, which was also a problem.

Enoch, who had acted like he was going to kill me a while ago, lowered his guard. He started to realize that there wasn’t much I could do here.

I said, “It would be better to climb the mountain tomorrow. You can’t go up, and down when the sun goes down.”

Fortunately, Enoch understood my words at once.

“I didn’t know Young Lady could have such a rational thought.”

I narrowed my brow at Enoch’s words. Is that a compliment or an insult?

“As Young Lady said, we’ll have to climb the mountain tomorrow. Then I’d like to look around a bit more first.”

As a person familiar with the battlefield, he was very quick to grasp the situation. After all, even though Enoch was a prince born from a maid, a commoner, he was a man who became a prince solely by his abilities. He made numerous contributions on the battlefield, beating all his other brothers and claiming the throne.

He was a very strong human being.

But when he came to a remote island, he went crazy with obsession and madness toward the female lead.

……is it really okay for me to be alone with this man? It’s still before he went crazy with the female lead like in the novel, so it’ll be fine……?

Anyway, he finally let my wrist go. I breathed a sigh of relief as I touched my wrist.

And we walked on the beach again.

After walking on the beach for a while, I stopped. Enoch, who was going ahead, felt puzzled and looked back at me.

I looked out at the mangrove trees through the palm trees. Mangroves mainly grow in rivers leading to the sea or lakes.

‘If there are mangrove trees, it means that water flows. Would it be better to go into the forest?’

Then Enoch held his chin and opened his mouth, “I think the beach ends here. Now we really have to make a decision.”

A huge cliff was blocking the end of the sandy beach. The road cuts off here.

Perhaps Enoch also thought the same, and followed me without saying a word and looked into the dark forest.

“We should find a place to sleep before the sun goes down.”

I nodded in agreement at Enoch’s words.

So we decided to look for a place to take shelter for the night. Actually, when I first woke up, I decided to prepare a place to sleep on the beach.

In fact, in this case, it would have been faster to move separately, but Enoch did not let me go.

What if I can’t find a place to sleep before the sun goes down? The thought made my lips dry. I have to hurry.

After some time, it was when I was searching through the forest near the beach.

owooooo!

A wolf howl came from somewhere. For a moment, I felt goosebumps from head to toe.

‘Maybe, a monster……? Or not?’

My heart was beating fast. It’s ridiculous. The novel said that monsters only appear at night.

It felt like my blood was drying out from the rising fear.

“Is that a wolf……”

It was the moment I turned to Enoch to ask if it was a wolf howl.

In the forest, where there is no sign of human life, the sound of something rushing over the bushes could be heard. The sound that had been heard in the distance got closer in an instant. My hands were sweating from the tension.

duk dududuk duk!

The sound of footsteps approaching was frighteningly fast. It was such a fleeting moment that I didn’t even have time to understand the situation.

The moment I thought I saw a light lashing through the tall bushes,

duk!

Something huge jumped by drawing a large semicircle in the sky. And it fell exactly toward me and opened its mouth wide.

It was a wolf monster. The tongue, which came out long through the sharp and dense teeth, fluctuated flexibly like a snake’s body.

Overwhelmed by the bizarre appearance, I could not even scream.

At that time, Enoch quickly pulled and hugged me.

He used the force that pulled me to recoil and spun around half a turn, gently avoiding the monster’s attack.

That creature that landed lightly on the floor and growled towards us was definitely one of the monsters depicted in the novel.

I put my face on Enoch’s chest and took a deep breath.

Enoch gave strength to the hand holding me and broke a thick branch nearby. At that moment, the wolf monster who didn’t miss the gap rushed toward us.

Fortunately, Enoch’s agility and strength were beyond imagination. He gripped the branch with one hand, pierced the monster’s back with it, and ****** it down.

Blood dripped down Enoch’s strong forearm, which was holding the branch.

The wolf monster made a terrible noise and fell to the floor. Black blood soaked the soil floor.

Enoch took a rough breath and raised his bowed upper body.

I gasped in surprise as I was still in his arms. Enoch’s forearm, lined with blood.

He killed a monster with one hand, even with only a branch…… With normal physical strength, it would have been impossible.

Come to think of it, Enoch in the original had a trauma related to blood, is he okay now? I remember it was the aftermath of the war.

‘What exactly were the symptoms?’

I looked back on my memory, but nothing came to mind, perhaps because I was surprised by the monster.

Eventually, I gave up thinking and looked up at the sky.

In the original, it was said that monsters appear only at night. However, this monster that attacked us appeared even though the sun had not yet gone down.

‘Why?’

Through the thick bushes, the red sunset sky comes into my eyes. Looking around, only the place where we were was darkened because of huge trees.

‘The keyword might be darkness, not night.’

Monsters can move as long as it’s dark, and the longest time the darkness stays is at night, so they’re probably most active during that time.

‘Then, it explains why the monster appeared at this time.’

Then Enoch pushed me away as if he was cleaning out the filth. He glanced at my face after seeing the dead monster.

“I don’t know what is that. Is Young Lady okay?”

“……yes?”

I was so surprised that I grasped his question a beat late. Then he approached me with a straight face.

Enoch who stood in front of me tilted his head and looked at my face calmly. Then his hand touched my cheek.

As warm body temperature touched my cheek, I took a deep breath.

This is a completely different reaction from a while ago when he pushed me away as if to remove a dirty thing.

He asked me with a serious expression on his face as if he were looking at a wounded comrade.

“I’m asking because you have a face that looks like you’re about to die. Are you okay?”

Maybe he really thought of his comrade.

“Ah……yes, I’m fine. Thank you for saving me.”

My voice trembled because of the fear that didn’t go away. My face burned with embarrassment.

He looked at me quietly and wrinkled his face as if annoyed. Then he reached out to me.

I did not understand his behavior and just looked at the hand. Then he waved his hand.

This time, he didn’t forcefully pull my wrist, but offered his hand.

“You should know that you’re still a suspect. When I return to the Empire, I will investigate the situation properly, so you must not die without my permission.”

‘Investigation? What did I do wrong?’

As I hesitated, Enoch looked at me quietly to see what else he did not like. Then he added, “Hurry up. It’s dangerous.”

It was a very nervous tone.

What is this? This tsundere-like treatment is reassuring even though it’s annoying.