I Caught the Male Lead on a Deserted Island

RADKIEL had a truly unfortunate childhood. What made me particularly angry was when the nobles forced Radkiel to eat leftovers, claiming that his blood was no better than that of a pig. They even made him kneel down and trampled on him, forcing him to eat scraps repeatedly. So, while binge-reading, I often skipped over that part.

As soon as I heard his words, the scene naturally came to mind, leaving me speechless. Unable to hide my thoughts, I stumbled over my words.

“I-I can make Cannelle too. I mean, besides that, I can make many delicious things. I’ll make them all for you. You can even drink coffee like an elephant. It tastes good with milk or sugar.”

Blink, blink.

He blinked a few times, and when he opened his eyes, a bright smile adorned his face. A red heart floated above his head.

“Just hearing that makes me so excited. Actually, there was a time when the nobles tried to force-feed me an octopus. I found it incredibly disgusting and burst into tears. But since you say it tastes good, I’d like to try it someday.”

Hearing him replying shyly, I decided to stop him if he mentioned his past. Because if I kept hearing it, I might unintentionally pity him. Of course, objectively or subjectively, Radkiel did have an unhappy childhood, and it was true that he was pitiable. But I didn’t want to openly display such thoughts.

It took me over a year to recover and be able to smile again. It involved a lot of events and required significant effort. However, my relatives and acquaintances easily brought up my misfortunes and kept pitying me. Not only me, but they also did it to my parents, older sister, and brother.

In their own way, they probably said those words because they genuinely felt sorry for me. But it was difficult to continue hearing them mention how things would have been better if ‘such an incident didn’t happen.’

I despised hearing talks from others about how my family would have been happier, better off, and more harmonious if I didn’t get involved in the accident. It made me tremble with anger.

Honestly, my excessive immersion in novels, movies, and dramas might have been partly due to the fact that the protagonists faced more hardship than me. In reality, I was the one pitied and seen as unfortunate by everyone, but I found it easy to feel sorry for and pity someone else. It was the easiest way for me to not make myself feel bad.

However, I knew deep down that it was just my way of coping. I hated being pitied myself, so I didn’t want to do the same to others unless Radkiel explicitly said, ‘Please sympathize with me. Please think of me as pitiful. Please comfort me.’

I am a very just person, so unless Radkiel personally did something wrong to me, I wouldn’t blame or push him away. I still disliked being alone. Moreover, the more we conversed, the more I felt that Radkiel hadn’t done anything wrong yet. He was gentle and different from the tyrant in the original story.

Having seen many romance novels, I was familiar with the cliché story of transmigrating before the story started. So, the Radkiel in front of me now… wouldn’t be a man dreaming of revenge. He must be the young Radkiel. He just had a mature appearance.

If Radkiel had ever shown signs of struggling with nightmares, seeking cigarettes or alcohol, or displaying symptoms of anxiety, I would have been suspicious. But there was none of that. Also, if I remained cautious, I would be too exhausted.

“Octopus tastes delicious when grilled with butter, and it’s also tasty in spicy soup instead of octopus. Rael, have you tried fishing?”

“Ah, no. I haven’t.”

“Well, when you’re feeling better, I’ll teach you how to fish. Let’s go fishing together in the summer. If there’s anything you’ve been wanting to try, let me know, and I’ll make it for you.”

“Um. I’m really happy, but won’t it be burdensome for you?”

“No, not at all! I was actually feeling a bit bored every day until I reeled in Rael with a fishing rod.”

I set a goal to fill the entire recipe book. It would be even better if there was someone to share the meals with me.

I placed another slice of cake on his plate and said, “I’ll make you plenty of clothes and new furniture. And how about taking care of the animals and working in the fields together? Even though this island is small, there’s a lot to do. We can even mine gems underground.”

Though Radkiel had just opened up and started sharing, I could sense it in that short time that it was easy to increase his favorability.

I thought it would be enough to have a decent conversation partner, but I still wanted to provide him with productive tasks that would bring joy. Increasing favorability and finding meaning in life were separate issues, after all.

Again, if he was the Radkiel I knew, he would soon become addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, or work. If he had a healthy hobby before then, even a small one, perhaps he wouldn’t become a completely depraved tyrant.

As Radkiel listened to me silently, his expression momentarily twisted strangely. However, it was truly brief, and he quickly smiled and nodded.

“I’m really looking forward to it. Well, I have to recover quickly. From now on, I’ll devote myself to my recovery.”

“Yes, that’s great. If you feel like photosynthesizing, don’t go out the window. Just let me know.”

“…Okay.”

Blushing with embarrassment, he lowered his head, and at the same time, a red heart floated above his head.

From then on, both Radkiel and I deliberately avoided mentioning the past and engaged in trivial small talk. Like how the cake was delicious, how to obtain ingredients, taking care of animals, farming tips, and fishing techniques.

We spent leisurely time like that, and when the sun began to set, we returned home. Perhaps because I had always been alone, even though many things had happened, time seemed to pass by quickly. It had been a long time since I had spent a day so happily and sincerely.

After guiding Radkiel to his room and tidying up, I immediately prepared the bathwater. He could take a bath while I prepared dinner,

Radkiel seemed to have opened up and his physical condition had improved, so it seemed like a good idea to start filling the furniture and move him in. I didn’t mind him continuing to use my room, but I wanted to create a separate room for him as promised.

“Hmm, a bed… and maybe I should try making a wheelchair?”

Even if it wasn’t in the collection book, I could still create new items through general crafting. It seemed like attaching wheels to a chair could potentially work as a wheelchair.

I opened the tightly closed window across the room and looked outside.

The sun shines here, so it would be nice to place the bed by the window and plant lots of flowers nearby. It would be fine to put up a fence and let the animals roam around. I should ask about his favorite colors or patterns and match everything from curtains to blankets and carpets to his taste.

Lost in my daydream of wanting to decorate everything from one to ten according to his preferences, I suddenly heard the sound of water from the bathtub stop.

He must be tired from going out with his injured body. I should quickly bathe him, feed him dinner, and let him rest.

As I returned to the room and looked at the bed, Radkiel was already taking off his top. As I flinched, he also flinched and shouted.

“I, I’m ready! I’m prepared.”

Red hearts flew around near him as he shyly covered his chest.

…Huh?

The system window appeared in front of me, making me freeze.

[A new quest, ‘Bathing Ritual…?’ has been activated. It is a sub-quest that cannot be refused. Starting the sudden quest, ‘Bathing Ritual…?’]
◇ Radkiel seems to misunderstand that you’re going to bathe him. If he realizes his mistake, your already improved relationship might become awkward again. What do you want to do?
1. “This will just be helping a patient who is physically uncomfortable!” (Close my eyes and wash him thoroughly with care.)
2. “N-No, absolutely not. How could he misunderstand…! If I explain carefully, he should understand, right?” (Gently explain that he misunderstood.)
3. “Aaahhh!” (Run away.)
If the quest is successful, you will be able to help Radkiel with his bath at any time. If the quest fails, you will no longer be able to help Radkiel with his bath.

“….”

What is this? What’s up with the sudden quest…?

Both the options, and the rewards for success and penalties for failure made me bewildered. I pouted like a goldfish, lightly pressing my heated cheek and raising my head.

“I-I, I might have said something strange. What I meant was, uhm, not bathing assistance but… taking you to the bathroom and such…”

“….”

Radkiel, who was covering his chest, blinked his eyes slowly. Once, twice, thrice. And when it reached the fourth time, his face turned red like I had never seen before. Several hearts that were flying around turned black, and the content of the system window changed as well.

‘Radkiel’ who misunderstood your words, is feeling intense, overwhelming embarrassment and disappointment. The quest ‘Bathing Ritual…?’ has failed. ‘Radkiel’ wants to be alone until tomorrow morning.

“I-I’m sorry! Um, about dinner…”

He put the shirt back on and remained silent.

‘Radkiel’ wants to be alone until tomorrow morning.

“….”

I quietly took a step back while looking at the system window that appeared once again. I should make sure to feed him well in the morning, I thought.