Chapter 17.
A Fruit Resembling an Apple
It was simply an apple.
Not some bizarre fruit with thorns or a poisonous scent, but a very familiar apple.
Though slightly small, its color was not merely red but deeply stained with a purplish hue, as if soaked in blood.
Growing in the middle of the sea, exposed to salty winds and blazing sunlight, it seemed to have grown intensely sweet, for a rich fragrance wafted through the air even without touching it.
“It’s a small apple.”
“How anticlimactic.”
When seen through a telescope, he had imagined all sorts of possibilities, even that it might be a devil’s fruit, but in reality it was no different from an ordinary apple.
Applin brought the fruit close to her nose and savored its strong scent.
However, it was not a typical apple aroma, but one mixed with rich floral notes and a fresh yet unique grassy scent that gently subdued the sweetness.
“Do you think the inside is the same as an apple?”
When Applin voiced her curiosity, Lucent Blackcarson reached out, plucked a fruit, and wiped it against his shirt.
“Try it.”
Applin stared blankly at the fruit he suddenly held out, then picked one herself.
“Let’s eat together.”
“Why, do you think I’m trying to make you eat first to test it?”
“Yes.”
At her honest answer, Lucent Blackcarson burst into loud laughter for the first time.
It was pure laughter, free of calculation.
In truth, he might have been less disappointed if the wild apple had seemed dangerous.
But to anyone’s eyes, it looked no different from an ordinary apple.
“How about we bite at the same time?”
“Alright.
If it’s delicious, let’s pick them all and let the people at the villa taste them too.
Laurel will probably like it the most.”
For a moment, Lucent Blackcarson could not take his eyes off Applin holding the apple.
A woman as lovely as an apple holding a fruit in her hand…
It was a pity he did not have a camera.
When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents and her cheeks turned pink.
Each time she spoke, her small, plump lips were as adorable as a duckling’s, making him wish to preserve that fleeting moment forever.
Soon, the two bit into the fruit at the same time.
“Hmm?”
“…?!”
They had never seen a fruit whose flesh matched its skin in color.
Most apples had white flesh, but this one was just as red inside.
As expected, it was incredibly sweet and tangy, rich juice flooding their mouths.
If there was any difference from an ordinary apple, it was that this wild fruit had no seeds inside.
Nevertheless, the two devoured the wild apples with great enjoyment.
“It’s sweet.”
“It might be the sweetest fruit I’ve ever tasted.”
“It tastes like a subtle blend of apple and raspberry.”
“It’s fully ripe, but there’s still a faint green scent.”
They took turns evaluating the unfamiliar fruit.
One was not enough, so they picked several more and ate absentmindedly.
After swimming and coming to the island, they had brought nothing, and their thirst was intense.
Then, Lucent Blackcarson suddenly noticed the rapidly changing surroundings.
Dark storm clouds gathered in the once-clear sky, the surroundings dimmed, and fierce winds began to blow.
It looked as though a storm might break at any moment.
The weather had been perfectly clear before they picked the fruit; could it be that a god guarding the island was angered by intruders plucking it?
“The seaside weather is fickle.”
With an apple still in his mouth, Lucent Blackcarson reassured the startled Applin.
More importantly, they needed to take shelter before the storm swallowed the island.
Holding her hand, he hurried down the iron stairs.
If his memory was correct, there should be a large cave halfway down.
Soon, his concern became reality.
Heavy raindrops began to fall one by one, and the surroundings quickly turned violent.
They descended the stairs and took refuge inside the cave with a door.
Though he knew the cave’s true purpose all too well, he did not explain it to Applin.
“Lucent, could it be that we angered the island’s guardian god by picking the fruit?”
“Ha…! My wife certainly has a vivid imagination.”
“No, but the rain started as if it had been waiting the moment we picked the fruit…”
“If people hadn’t picked them, birds would have pecked at them.
I doubt a god would create a storm every time that happened.”
In this modern age, talk of gods and curses sounded absurd.
Still, for Applin, such wilderness was new and perhaps frightening.
“I said something foolish.”
Now that she thought about it, his reasoning made sense.
Seaside weather could change several times a day.
Yet even Lucent Blackcarson felt slightly unsettled.
Why had his father forbidden him from even touching the fruit?
It was merely a wild apple.
Boom—!
The sky split as though struck by an earthquake, flashing brilliantly.
A thunderous roar like a sea monster inhaling changed the air currents instantly.
Lightning struck as if to split the island in two, followed by rumbling thunder.
“Further inside.”
Lucent Blackcarson led Applin deeper into the cave.
He immediately removed his shirt and draped it over her shoulders.
His broad shoulders and chest, free of excess flesh, were revealed.
‘Impressive.’
This was hardly the time to admire him.
Startled, Applin shook her head.
Inside the cave stood a raised stone platform carved neatly from rock.
Applin sat there, waiting for the storm to pass.
Meanwhile, Lucent Blackcarson walked toward the cave entrance to observe outside.
‘The weather is behaving terribly.’
An island of love, indeed.
It felt as though lovers were in the midst of a quarrel.
Just moments ago it had been sweet beyond measure.
Now it was unpredictable.
As the weather grew fiercer, Lucent Blackcarson regretted bringing Applin here.
Though it had been enjoyable, he had never expected to become stranded.
Just as he turned to return to her—
“Ugh…!”
His vision spun violently, the world swaying as though he were drunk.
Even rubbing his eyes did not steady it.
Then he saw Applin collapsed unconscious on the stone platform.
“…?!”
He hurried toward her, but he too fell powerless and lost consciousness.
* * *
Leon rushed to the beach as the sudden storm struck.
However, Lucent Blackcarson and Applin were nowhere to be seen.
Looking through a telescope, he spotted the tube tied to the distant island.
“Oh no, they went to the island.”
“Even if we launch a boat now, it’s impossible to rescue them.”
The servants who had followed spoke urgently.
“You’re right.
For now, we have no choice but to wait until the storm calms.”
At least knowing where they were was a relief.
Leon returned to the villa with the others.
There was nothing they could do at the moment.
Just then, Laurel ran toward Leon through the rain.
“What happened to them?”
“They went to the island.
There’s a cave there, so they should be safe.”
Leon recalled Lucent Blackcarson once mentioning the iron stairs and cave.
“The island?
Does the weather here always change so suddenly?”
“I only come here occasionally, so I’m not sure.
But the seaside has many variables.”
At Leon’s uncertain answer, Laurel paced anxiously.
All day, she had hoped Applin would grow closer to Lucent Blackcarson while swimming.
She had considered the clear weather a blessing.
Yet like the pin pulled from a grenade, the bright sky had suddenly darkened and unleashed fierce wind and rain.
“Our young lady must be terribly frightened.”
“With the master by her side, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“That’s true.
They are husband and wife now.
They will comfort each other and endure it well.”
Laurel decided she could not simply stare out the window.
She needed to prepare warm soup for when they returned once the storm passed.
Hurrying to the basement kitchen, she found it already noisy with murmurs.
“I heard the master and madam went to the island.”
The rumor had already spread through the villa.
“Tsk tsk, aren’t they afraid of the curse?”
“What curse in this day and age?”
“Do you know how ominous that island is?
The former master went there and was shot not long after.”
