The icy beauty's story silenced them all. Du Wei withdrew into thought, his heart sinking.

A monster that could swallow a dragon with ease.

A monster that could effortlessly defeat both a dragon and an eighth-level mage.

He left the sisters behind and walked to the shore, hoping the cool sea breeze would settle his thoughts.

A monster. An island that suppressed magic. No spells. No food. Almost no fresh water...

Du Wei sighed. "It seems we have only one choice."

He returned to the forest to find the icy beauty berating Vivian.

"Arguing" would have implied that both sides spoke. With her stutter, little Vivian stood no chance in a war of words.

"You should have given me that damned phantasm long ago! That old man does not even know where we are. Do you still expect him to rescue you? Hmph!"

"What's going on?" Du Wei walked over. Vivian's eyes were red, her face pinched with grievance. "N-nothing."

"What is wrong with you two? One is as meek as a hatchling, the other as violent as a she-dragon." Du Wei sat and began stacking branches for a fire.

The icy beauty snorted. His insolence infuriated her, but she had promised to spare him in return for the rescue. She could hardly break her word at once, so she swallowed her temper.

Vivian looked at her sister, then at Du Wei, and quietly edged closer to his side.

The icy beauty noticed. "Little villain, luring innocent girls astray."

Du Wei fired back, "Female bandit, stealing other people's property."

Her eyes widened. She was about to explode when an ill-timed sound punctured all her fury.

Grrr... grrrrowl...

Du Wei grinned and gave her an amused look.

The icy beauty flushed crimson. Embarrassment swallowed most of her anger, and what remained was hardly intimidating.

"How strange," Du Wei mused loudly. "Did I imagine that? Perhaps it was the island monster."

Her face turned crimson. She glared at him and muttered through clenched teeth, "It... it was me."

"You?" Du Wei widened his eyes deliberately.

She looked ready to burst. "Yes, me! That was my stomach! I'm hungry! It's almost dark. Do the two of you not eat?"

"Of course we eat." Du Wei stretched lazily. "If we had food, I'd be delighted to."

Vivian reached into her robe and, under her sister's astonished gaze, produced a handful of black, suspicious-looking roots. "S-sister, if you're hungry, eat these first."

"What are these?" The icy beauty frowned, then suddenly jumped up and glared at Du Wei. "You hateful boy! You made my sister eat this? Tree roots?"

"If you don't want them, you're welcome to remain hungry," Du Wei said.

Her anger flared. "Bastard! Could you not catch one or two wild animals?"

Du Wei laughed. "Wild animals? By all means, go catch one. If you succeed, I'll sing your praises to Almighty God. Go on!"

Vivian secretly tugged her sister's sleeve. "S-sister, there is n-nothing on this island."

Du Wei turned his back. "Choose for yourself. Eat the roots or starve. Once hunger leaves you too weak to fight tomorrow, perhaps I'll take revenge and kick you into the sea."

That worked better than anything else.

The icy beauty snatched the roots from Vivian and began chewing with furious determination.

Her face tightened with every bite. Never in her life had she tasted anything so awful. Heavens! Someone of her status, reduced to eating grass! Was she a horse? A cow?

The angrier she grew, the faster she ate. Hunger soon helped her finish the entire handful. The roots were vile, but they took the sharpest edge off her appetite. She glanced at Vivian. "Is there more?"

"N-no." Vivian looked helpless.

"No more?" The icy beauty stared.

What sort of world was this? No fish or meat, and now that she had humbled herself to eat roots, she could not even eat her fill!

"Listen." Du Wei turned a cold stare on her. "You need to understand our situation. We're stranded on a deserted island without food and with scarcely any water. Those roots were the rations Vivian saved from today. I spent almost the entire morning finding that little bit.

"And you? You sat down, took them, and ate. You finished your sister's rations without a word of guilt or gratitude, then complained there wasn't more. If you're still hungry, find food yourself. Tomorrow, don't take someone else's share. There are no nobles here—not you, not me, not Vivian. No one will wait on you."

His blunt rebuke left her furious and humiliated, yet she could not find a single word in reply.

She could knock this frail youth down with one kick. Yet beneath his steady gaze, guilt forced her eyes aside.

For the first time in her life, the icy beauty endured an impolite lecture without the will to resist. Thin and frail though he was, the boy stood like a tree rooted in the darkness.

"I... I understand. I did not mean to eat Vivian's food. I..."

She stopped. Her voice sounded meek. Nothing like her at all.

Why was she bowing her head to a child?

Du Wei merely smiled and looked up.

The fog had not dispersed, and not a single star was visible.

"Sleep. We have plenty to do tomorrow." He added several branches to the fire, then glanced at Vivian sitting quietly nearby. His heart softened. Almost without thought, he reached over and patted her head. "Silly girl, are you hungry?"

Vivian froze, shook her head, then nodded bashfully.

"I'm sorry. As the only man here, I should be taking care of you." Du Wei smiled bitterly. "Instead, I've let you go hungry. Try to sleep. Imagine the whole island is an enormous cake, with the trees as candles. You're lying on a huge, fragrant, sweet cake. In your dreams, you can eat your fill."

Cake? Vivian's eyes brightened.

Du Wei turned away, but Vivian continued watching his back in silence.

...

Du Wei woke early the next morning.

More precisely, hunger woke him. The previous day, he had eaten nothing but those awful fruits. Their sourness churning with his stomach acid left his belly feeling hollow enough to tear open, and the torment had kept him awake most of the night.

The icy beauty was already awake, sitting with one hand over her belly and staring blankly.

"Awake? Hungry?" On reflection, Du Wei felt he had been too harsh the night before. She had not understood their circumstances, so he softened his tone.

"I am not hungry!" She shook her head, plainly lying. Then she said, "Where is the water? I need to wash my face."

"Walk that way and you will find the sea."

"You expect me to wash with seawater?" Her eyes widened.

"Sorry. Our fresh water is scarce and barely enough to drink."

This time she did not argue. She sighed, rose, and headed toward the shore.

That morning, Du Wei went searching for food again. With another mouth to feed, he stayed out longer and eventually returned with an armful of roots.

The icy beauty took one and bit into it without a word.

Du Wei laughed. "Hey."

"What?"

"Actually..." She no longer seemed quite so hateful. At the moment, she resembled nothing so much as a sulking child. Fighting a laugh, he said, "The food may be simple, but you could at least wash off the dirt before eating it."

Her face darkened, and Du Wei smoothly changed the subject. "We're stranded together now—companions in the same boat. I still don't know your name."

He rose, performed a proper nobleman's salute, and smiled. "Du Wei Rowling, son of Count Raymond, current head of the Rowling Family and deputy commander of Imperial Headquarters."

The icy beauty hesitated, plainly reluctant. "My name is Joanna."

Joanna. A pleasant name.

Seeing Du Wei and her sister finally stop quarreling, Vivian hurried to add, "Y-you can also call her Jojo."

Jojo? What a strange name.

"Be quiet, Vivian," Joanna snapped. She turned a cold look on Du Wei. "Only my parents may call me that. If you try it, you're dead."

"Very well." Du Wei shrugged. "Miss Joanna, now that we're acquainted, it's time to work."

"Work? What work?"

Du Wei's smile faded. "We need to get off this island. I have an idea."