It has been three days since Kaya Ouchi has left Dolton and I for dead in this place.
I woke up early in hope that I could make a sundial to keep track of time. It proved to be unnecessary when I found a well preserved sundial made out of stone behind the cabin.
Dolton was finally able to move freely around. He was not at peak condition, but he was able to do things like a short walk or helping me gather some fruits.
"Are you alright to be moving around?" I asked Dolton as he picked up an axe.
"If I do not strain myself, I should be fine...Even if I do, I will still be fine."
"What does that mean?" I asked him.
"You will take care of me if I get hurt," he said with a smile.
My heart jumped slightly.
"I am not that free..."
I quickly turned around and took my basket of fruits.
The men around me are too different and difficult to understand. Prince Erik was somewhat of an angelic beautiful man with a hot and cold personality, Garett was a beautiful man with a lot of hidden sex appeal yet also someone very kind and loving, and Dolton is a bit of a wild handsome man with a lot of charisma. I was never able to properly interact with either of them in our previous life, and now I am living with one of them.
I sighed as I went back in the cabin.
Since I had spare time before Dolton would recover enough for us to explore our whereabouts, I took up a hobby of making my own tea. I was also able to make my own coffee with dandelions since I was so free. Maybe I should continue this hobby when I get back as well. I wonder if the dorm supervisors would let me borrow the kitchen from time to time.
"My Queen, I have brought back some firewood," Dolton said as he took off his backpack that I made from rope and some sticks lying around. "This is pretty handy for carrying a lot of things."
"I thought the rope might be useful, so I saved it," I said as I began making a fire in the fireplace. "If you could take off your shirt now?"
"...Yes," he said as he took off his shirt.
The wound was healing up very nicely. At this rate, there might not even be a scar. I am glad that I used scar preventing herbs awhile ago.
I took a look at the other cuts on Dolton's body as well while he was unclothed. They were healing well and fairly quickly.
For some reason, Dolton's back was straighter than usual.
"...Is something the matter?" I asked him. "Your back is straighter than usual."
"...It tickles where you touch me."
I suddenly felt a bit flushed when our gazes met at eye level for a moment.
I suppose it was a bit brazen for me to touch his body without any thought of it. He was indeed a man with his towering muscular figure and sharp jawline and I was a woman.
I quickly wrapped up his wound and sat a few feet apart from him.
"The wound looks good," I said.
Dolton suddenly held up my wrists.
"The rope marks are still here..."
"My skin is a little more sensitive than others. I am using ointment on them everyday, so the marks will eventually disappear. As they are now, it looks a bit hideous."
Dolton suddenly lifted one of my wrists to his face and lightly pressed his lips to my bruise.
"Beautiful..."
As soon as he released my wrists, I shifted my gaze towards the fireplace.
Was he talking about the fire?
I woke up early before the break of dawn of the next day. Similarly, Dolton was up right after as well.
"You are up early," I said towards Dolton.
"I was thinking of cutting up some firewood since I could not sleep any longer. Are you always up this early, My Queen?"
"I like sunrises and sunsets. I feel like the sky is the most beautiful around those times," I said.
"I cannot feel sentimental about such things..."
"Do you not like looking at the sky or is it the color orange that bothers you?"
His eyebrows furrowed deeply as he scratched his head.
I hit the nail on the head.
"I don't like the color..."
Even though his hair is bright orange?
"That's too bad...It is a color that makes me feel warm, so I like it. What is your favorite color of the sky?"
"...Pink," he answered.
Odd color choice.
"I like pink too."
Seeing the improvement of Dolton's injuries, it seems possible for the two of us to leave now.
"May I ask how you found me?" I asked Dolton.
"I saw you getting taken into the forest and followed after you across a suspension bridge. I lost you for a bit of time, and then I found this cabin."
"Are we far from civilization?" I asked.
"I don't think we are close, but I don't think we are far either. The biggest problem is that rift that is separating us from getting back to the Academy," Dolton said.
"Should we descend the mountain if we cannot find another path?"
"I doubt that the bridge was the only one made. There could be other bridges that were made too. Descending the mountain will take a lot of effort. I do not know if I could take a detour like that in my condition...My Queen, if you ever find me too burdensome, you can always leave me."
"I refuse to leave you...I will not have you speaking like that again."
I left the cabin after that and continued walking along the rift. There I had found another suspension bridge, but it was no good either. Another bridge was too brittle and showed signs of degrading wood planks.
In the distance, there was a bridge that seemed perfect for use, but I could tell there was too much tension in the rope. It would snap from the slightest pressure. It was left untouched for a reason...Kaya Ouchi wants us to take this bridge and fall to our deaths.
I grabbed a piece of my hair and cut it along with my old uniform and stuck it to the bridge.
Kaya Ouchi is a rather clever person for thinking of this. However, her mistake was not making sure I was dead before she left...
"There is no way across the rift...We have to descend," I explained to Dolton at the cabin.
So far, it has been four days. I cannot help but be worried about my friends. Kaya Ouchi also said that Prince Erik would be gone for three days. If this is the fourth day, there will be a search party for the next three days.
"We cannot wait too long here...After three days of searching, they will presume that the both of us either ran away or died together," I continued.
"I understand..."
The next day, we both began our trip down the mountain. We had to take in account of not aggravating Dolton's wound. It was wise to start the descent early. We found our way down to sea level after camping out one day in the forest.
"It is the sea..." I said as I marveled at the endless body of water.
"There should be a boat coming around the island at least once."
I quickly went to making a signal fire.
"To get a really good smoke going, we need to make the smoke a darker color. Something like paper birch bark or fatwood makes smoke turn black. Any leaves or anything else in nature will produce white smoke and are hard to see. It will only be a matter of time before we will be found," I said as I stared into the ocean.
"I have learned much from you during this experience, My Queen."
"...Dolton, I am not your Queen," I said coldly.
"I already..."
"Dolton, you have already made an oath towards someone...Do oaths stop after death? Your true master is His Highness. Even if you die and get reborn again, that fact will not change as long as he is alive. The only time you will get another master is when your master marries another woman. That person will still not be me even if I am able to thwart Kaya Ouchi's plans. I am not going to return to his side or become Queen anymore...I hope that you will continue to be by his side even if I am not there," I said as I turned towards him.
"...You will always be my Queen. I made an oath to protect you in our first lives, but my first and foremost master will always be His Highness," Dolton said with a pained smile.
"That is the way to go...Protect him well in my stead, Dolton," I said with a smile. "When we leave this spot, we will be nothing more than strangers."
We were quickly found by a passing fishing boat. I had asked them to keep quiet about my presence and to take Dolton to a nearby hospital.
The witch hunt will begin soon...