Stranded on a Deserted Island

When Chester opened his eyes, he felt the scorching sand beneath him and forced his heavy body up. "Ugh!"

The first thing that caught his eye as he sat up was a sea of such clear, transparent blue that he could see the coral reefs below and the fish dancing among them.

Turning his head in the exact opposite direction, he saw a dense forest stretching out, its vibrant green canopy basking in the sunlight and radiating a fresh, lively energy.

"Tsk!" Chester grabbed a handful of hair belonging to the villainess lying beside him, who was still fast asleep under the lingering effects of a sleeping drug.

"Urgh?! Ow?!" Dragging her by her hair, Chester half-crawled, half-ran across the sandy beach until he reached the shade of the forest trees.

"Aaaah!" The moment they hit the shade, Chester practically threw the villainess aside. Panting heavily from the heat and the sudden exertion, he began stripping off his butler uniform.

"At least they didn't strip me of my clothes."

"Ow! That hurts! I said it hurts! Who on earth dared to inflict pain upon a noble body such as mine?!"

Chester looked down at the villainess, who was still screaming, utterly oblivious to her new reality.

This was Monia, the eldest daughter of the kingdom's sole Duke family—the very woman he used to serve. But since she had been disowned by her family, she was no longer entitled to her prestigious titles or the family name. She was just Monia.

"Wasting your energy like that in a place like this isn't a very smart move."

"What?! You... you dare speak to me so informally?! Have you lost your mind, or do you simply not value your life?!"

"I used formal speech because I valued my life, and I worked hard and showed loyalty because I was paid. But you don't have power, money, or influence anymore, do you? How does it feel to become the very beggar you used to look down on? Or do you lack the brains to even process that yet?"

"Y-you... how dare...!"

Monia's face flushed crimson at the sheer insult, a kind of disrespect she had never once experienced in her entire life.

"You! I will have you executed! Is anyone there?! Anyone?!"

"Take a look around, my lady. What do you think could possibly be out here?"

At Chester's words, Monia finally forced her pain-constricted vision to widen and take in her surroundings. And then, the memories from before she was drugged came rushing back, and she realized exactly what had happened to them.

"Ah..." Monia's face drained of color as reality set in.

"T-this can't be. It makes no sense. My... my father would never abandon me. He wouldn't..."

She muttered denials repeatedly, her trembling eyes scanning the landscape. But nothing changed. She had been abandoned by her family, cast away onto the Floating Island.

The stinging sand burning her fair, delicate skin and the sticky, salty sea breeze clinging to her body made the harsh reality impossible to ignore.

"It can't be..."

Chester watched Monia as she teetered on the verge of a breakdown, then turned his attention to their surroundings. I'm thirsty. How long were we lying out on that beach?

Spotting coconuts hanging from a nearby palm tree, Chester immediately began scaling the trunk.

"Huh? Where are you going?!"

"Nowhere," Chester replied. Reaching the top of the palm tree with practiced ease, he twisted a coconut free, noting how surprisingly well his body was responding.

How long has it been since I last climbed a tree? I used to play in the branches every single day when I was a kid.

After harvesting three coconuts, Chester climbed back down. He examined one to find its softest spot, then slammed it against a sharp edge of a nearby rock.

"Eek!" Monia flinched and shrank back at the loud crack of the coconut striking the stone.

After a few more strikes, the coconut finally split open. Chester eagerly drank the sweet water spilling out, quenching his burning thirst.

"Phew. That's better."

Having quenched his thirst, Chester hurled the empty shell toward the horizon in the direction of the kingdom, a small act of spite against the nation that had exiled him. The coconut splashed into the sea, only for the waves to wash it right back onto the shore.

"..."

"Well, that's depressing."

Chester sighed and picked up another coconut. Still, I can't rely on coconuts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forever.

The Floating Island was brutally hot. Just standing still would cause him to lose liters of sweat, and replacing that fluid was crucial. However, drinking too much coconut water was dangerous.

Stomach aches, diarrhea... what else was there? Either way, I can't rely solely on coconuts for hydration.

But Chester wasn't overly worried. For a forest of this size to thrive, there has to be a freshwater source. Hopefully, it's not too far from the beach.

Chester planned to base his survival efforts around this beach. Staying near the shore meant they would have a chance of spotting a passing ship and being rescued.

We need shelter, too. A roof to block the sun will help conserve our body water, and we'll need protection from the cold ground at night so we don't lose body heat.

Suddenly, Chester's mind drifted back to the days before he was sent to the Butler Academy, when he still lived with his parents. His father had been a hunter—and a highly skilled one at that.

Because his father earned his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠living by taking meat and hides from nature, he firmly believed in respecting the wild and living in harmony with it. Whenever he took a break from hunting, he would venture deep into the mountains with absolutely no tools and live off the land.

Chester had often accompanied his father, learning the various skills and knowledge required for hunting and survival. Of course, after leaving home to train and work as a butler, those memories had faded and his skills had grown rusty. But now that he was thrust into this crisis, his father's teachings were coming back to him with vivid clarity.

Is it a survival instinct?

He remembered the freezing mountain winters of his childhood, where it was cold enough for his fingers to fall off, chewing on meat scavenged from carcasses left behind by other predators, and shivering in terror inside a hand-dug snow cave. He felt a deep wave of gratitude toward his father. With that thought, he abruptly stood up.

"Eek!" Monia, who had been watching him throw a coconut into the ocean and then stand in silent contemplation, flinched in surprise at his sudden movement.

"Let's move."

"Huh? Where?"

Ignoring her question, Chester began marching straight into the forest to scout the island.

As he ventured deeper and observed his surroundings, he immediately noticed something unusual. There are a lot of broken trees.

What's more, his foot brushed against the carcass of a deep-sea fish lying on the forest floor.

Did a typhoon hit this place before we arrived? That's actually a stroke of luck. With this many fallen branches and broken trees, I can easily build a shelter.

Deciding to gather the wood on his way back, Chester picked up a sharp stone and scratched a mark into a tree trunk to guide his path.

I see some unfamiliar plants, but thankfully, there are plenty I recognize as well.

For instance, there was a waist-high shrub with thin branches laden with clusters of tiny red berries. He didn't know its official name, but the children in his hometown used to call them "candies."

They were named after the round, sweet treats that only nobles could afford. Since real sugar was prohibitively expensive, these sweet berries were one of the few luxuries commoner children could enjoy.

Chester snapped off a branch and began plucking the berries with his lips, eating them one by one. The delicate skins burst at the slightest bite, releasing a refreshing, subtly sweet juice that coated his tongue.

I can't believe how desperately I used to crave these. The local kids and I would literally fight over a single bush.

"Ugh! This is disgusting!" Hearing a voice behind him, Chester turned around. He had known she was following him, but he couldn't help but wonder why she bothered.

Chester stared at Monia, who was huffing with a deeply betrayed expression after copying him and eating one of the berries.

"Why are you following me?"

"Y-you are supposed to look after me! How dare you just wander off on your own?!"

Chester snorted at her absurd claim and studied her. Even on this deserted island, covered in sand and dirt, she was undeniably beautiful.

She had the signature black hair of the Duke's family and tear-rimmed purple eyes. Her dress, tailored in the latest fashion, was made from the finest, rarest fabrics painstakingly sourced for a grand ball.

Lavish necklaces, bracelets, and rings adorned her slender neck, wrists, and fingers. And finally, peeking through the tears in her skirt where branches had snagged the fabric, were her high heels.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, yes, but absolutely nothing about her was suited for their current situation.

"..." Chester stared silently into her eyes for a moment before turning away. Every second was precious right now; he didn't have time to waste humoring her.

"Ah—wait!" Startled, Monia scrambled to keep up as Chester marched away.

"D-don't leave me behind..." The words slipped from her lips, laced with a profound, trembling terror.